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

During October 1962, the world came nearer to destruction more so than ever during modern times. This happened when a US surveillance aircraft found the fact that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being assembled in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed was nearly 14 days filled with impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril was clear. Should President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a series of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, casting mankind into total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new dimension into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men that, for two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Russians thinking? What were the United States planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "Why do nations detest one another to the point they go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that individuals can be friends or have the potential to be total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "We see this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is remarkable about this event was that, since it unfolded so publicly, people around the world could watch nearly as it happened as it moved closer to armageddon. Even so, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk the naval vessels as well as destroyed America's primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative version of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that view was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant thing remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of America and USSR to appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along immediately and we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp