Following nearly destroying the world, our families are friends’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world came closer toward destruction more so than ever during the contemporary era. This transpired when an American surveillance plane identified that Soviet atomic missile installations were being built in Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade around the island. What followed was nearly a fortnight filled with impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril was clear. Should Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a cascade of worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, thrusting mankind toward total destruction.

The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, through books, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a novel element into the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the men who, for 13 days, held the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What were the United States thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to explore: "Why do nations detest one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that humans can be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens globally could watch nearly as it happened while it moved towards disaster. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. Later on, however, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We are not the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn