‘After almost destroying the world, our families have become friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world edged nearer toward ruin more so than ever in modern times. This occurred when a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly two weeks of extreme stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes might have followed, casting humanity toward all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been examined extensively, through books, films, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were the United States thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its attempt to question: "Why do individuals hate one another and oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that humans can be friends or can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently an author as well as lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide were able to observe almost in real time while it moved closer to catastrophe. However, the danger of destruction was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to comprehend