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

In October 1962, the planet came closer to annihilation than at any other point in recent history. This transpired following the discovery that an American surveillance plane found that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted almost 14 days filled with impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a cascade of global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes might have followed, thrusting humanity into total oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new perspective to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures who, over two tense weeks, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What was the United States planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor of global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people detest each other and oppose each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that people have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding this event is that, because it transpired so publicly, people globally could watch nearly in real time while it edged closer to disaster. Even so, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated our naval vessels and sunk America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative version of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that view was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame since we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after almost 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp