Following nearly annihilating the world, our families are allies’: a thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world edged nearer toward annihilation more so than ever in modern times. This happened when a US reconnaissance aircraft identified the fact that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was almost 14 days filled with impossible tension.

An Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes would have ensued, casting humanity into total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, in volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men that, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were the United States thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "How can nations detest one another to the point they go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that humans have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide could watch nearly in real time while it crept towards catastrophe. Even so, the risk of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated our naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate when many advisors around them was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of historians. But, really, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we got along immediately and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to learn