Thirteen Days (2000) - full transcript
In October, 1962, U-2 surveillance photos reveal that the Soviet Union is in the process of placing nuclear weapons in Cuba. These weapons have the capability of wiping out most of the Eastern and Southern United States in minutes if they become operational. President John F. Kennedy and his advisors must come up with a plan of action against the Soviets. Kennedy is determined to show that he is strong enough to stand up to the threat, and the Pentagon advises U.S. military strikes against Cuba--which could lead the way to another U.S. invasion of the island. However, Kennedy is reluctant to follow through, because a U.S. invasion could cause the Soviets to retaliate in Europe. A nuclear showdown appears to be almost inevitable. Can it be prevented?
What the...? Who's that?
You're bad
Who grabbed me?
Who grabbed me?
Who grabbed me?
Honey, you're gonna be late
What'd you grab me for?
Mom, I can't find my shoes for school
They're under the couch
Dad, will you sign
my permission slip for tomorrow?
Give it to your mother
Your mother's arms are full
You got time for pancakes?
Nope
Give us another one, Dad
Secretary of Defense?
Dean Rusk
Wrong
And you get to wax my car
Rusk is State, moron
It's Robert McNamara
Attorney General?
Too Easy!
It's Bobby Kennedy
All right, wise guys. Assistant
Secretary of State for Latin America
That's too hard
Wait a minute
This isn't a permission slip
This is your report card!
Have you seen these grades?
No
All right. Gotta go
Be good
You...
And I'm talking to you later
Morning, Evelyn
Hi, Ken
Those candies are for the kids
Morning, Floyd
Morning, Mr. O'Donnell
Morning, Jackie
Hi, Kenny
Want a schedule?
No
Why'd you cross
all my people off the list?
You don't have anybody on it
who means anything
No votes there, there's not money
It's party, Kenny
And the one thing
that we both can be sure of
is that you don't know
how to have a party
Well, party to you, politics to me
So, who do you want? For real
Everyone on my list
I don't want to spend
an entire evening pretending that
your votes and money are more
interesting than they really are
And I want my kids to stop
eating the candy in the Oval Office
That's not me
Then who is it?
I don't rat on my friends
I'm going to take this whole
list thing up with your "friend"
Are you trying to go around me?
Go around you, over you, through you
Whatever it takes
You're starting to bug me
Good
I'll get back to you
Top of the morning, Mr. President
Morning, Kenny
Just ran into your wife
Wanna talk about this party?
No
You see Homer Capehart's tirade today?
I did
Don't see why
he needs to invent an issue
He's got his election sewn up
Even so
we should still go out for Bayh
It's good groundwork for us in '64
I'm looking for that...
Vietnam thing
The two planes that went down?
Yeah
It didn't make it before press time
I haven't taken a look
at the West Coast papers yet
but I doubt
we'll see anything 'til tomorrow
I was eating that
No, you weren't
I was
No, you weren't
I was, you bastard
so what have we got today?
Today...
That's it
That's the one we're looking for
I nee dot see the president, Kenny
2:30 to 2:45
or 4:30 to 5:00. Take your pick
I need to see him now, Ken
Then go on up
I'll let him know you're coming
Coffee?
Yeah
That's not what you said
That's not what...
Listen to me
you worthless piece of shit
You will put Daly's man on the circuit
and you'll do it today
You owe your gaddamn job
to this administration
Are you saying I'm not grateful?
Yeah, I can hear how grateful you are
There's a word you need to learn
It's the only word in politics
It's called loyalty
Loyalty
Now, is there any part of this
you don't understand?
Good
What?
This isn't the blessed order
of St. Mary the Meek
You better come in here
What was it you were saying to me
the other day about Cuba?
That it wasn't important
Not as far as the election goes
Mac!
Can I see that for a second, please?
Here, Kenny. You used to
look down a bombsight for a living
Just ignore the labels
What does that look like to you?
I don't know
What is it?
Our U-2's took these pictures of Soviet
medium- range ballistic missiles in Cuba
They appear to be the SS-4
range of a thousand miles
three megaton nuclear warheads
Seen here in this year's
May Day Parade in Red Square
Jesus Christ in heaven
White House operator
Mr. O'Donnell, please
for Secretary McNamara
White House operator
What the crap is going on today?
That's right
The principals
are assembling in an hour
See you then
Where's Bobby?
He should be here any minute
Oh, good
Good
Where the hell are you?
We're in here
Jesus Christ, guys
What the hell is Kruschev thinking?
Did you have any indication of this
from your KGB pal, Bolshakov?
Any possible warning
or sense of motivation?
Complete snowjob
Then we went out and told the country
they weren't putting missiles into Cuba
Jesus
I feel like we caught the Jap
carrier steaming for Pearl Harbor
Morning, gentlemen
Morning, Mr. President
Mr. Secretary
Mr. President
Bob. Bet you had a late night
Sleep is for the week, Mr. President
Mr. President
CIA's been notified
McCone's on his way back
from the West coast
He's been burying his step-son
General Carter's here, though
Ted
Kenny
Okay
Let's have it
Arthur?
Gentlemen, as most of you now know
a U-2 over Cuba
Sunday morning took
a series of disturbing photographs
Our analysis at NPIC indicates
that the Soviet Union
has followed up its conventional
weapons build-up in Cuba
with the introduction of
surface- to-surface medium range
ballistic missiles, or MRBM's
Our official estimate at this time
is that this missiles system
is the SS-4 Sandal
We do not believe that
the missiles are as yet operational
IRONBARK reports that the SS-4
can deliver a 3-megaton
nuclear weapon 1, 000 miles
So far we've identified 32 missiles
serviced by about 3, 400 men
undoubtedly all Soviet personnel
Our cities and military installations
in the southeast
as far north as Washington, D. C.
are in range of these weapons
and in the event of a launch would
have only five minutes of warning
Five minutes, gentlemen
In those five minutes
they could kill 80 million Americans
and destroy a significant
percentage of our bomber bases
The Joint Chiefs' consensus
Mr. President
is that this signals a major
doctrinal shift in Soviet thinking
to a first-strike policy
It is a massively destabilizing move
How long until they're operational?
General Taylor can answer
that question better than I can
GMAIC- Guided Missiles
Intelligence Committee
estimates ten to fourteen days
A crash program could limit that time
However, I must stress that
there may be more missiles
that we don't know about
We need more U-2 coverage
Gentlemen, I want first reactions here
Assuming for the moment that Krushev
has not gone off the deep end
and intends to start World War Three
What are we looking for?
Mr. President, My team is in agreement
If we permit
the introduction of nuclear missiles
to a Soviet satellite nation
in our hemisphere
the diplomatic consequences
will be too terrible to contemplate
The Russians are trying to show the
world they can do whatever they want
wherever they want
and we're powerless to stop them
If they succeed
It'll be Munich all over again
Yes. Appeasement only makes
the aggressor more aggressive
And the Soviets will be
emboldened to push us even harder
No, we must remove the missiles
one way or another
It seems to me the options are either
some combination of
international pressure
and action on our part
till they give up
or...
we hit them
An air strike
Bob?
We've worked up
several military scenarios
Before I ask General Taylor to
take us through the various options
I'd like for us to adopt a rule
If we strike
we must agree to do it before
the missiles become operational
Because once they are
I don't think we can guarantee
getting them all before
at least some of them are launched
It's clear
we cannot permit Soviet
nuclear missiles in Cuba
We have to get those missiles out
I don't think it's going to matter
what Kruschev's intentions are
Right now
I don't see any way
around hitting them
If we kill a lot of Russians
they'll move against Berlin
If they attack Berlin, that's NATO
and we're at war
We're damned if we do, but if we don't
we're in a war for sure
somewhere else in six months
If there are alternatives
that make sense
and I'm not saying that there are
then we need 'em, and fast
What about Congress?
We may need to
start letting key people know
And they're all scattered
across the country for the campaign
We can get Congress back
We're gonna need to
get the U. N. staff in and warmed up
What about the allies?
We can't start
worrying about everything
Right now we gotta figure out
what we're gonna do
before we worry about
how we're gonna do it
Well, we've got a bunch of smart guys
We lock 'em in a room
and kick 'em in the ass
until they come up
with some solutions
I'll do it
It's too politicized with you
in there anyway
They need to be able to
stick their necks out
Yeah. It'll be the principals
a couple of they key guys
from each department
The Executive Committee
of the National Security Council
We'll can it EXCOM
Okay
So I'm only gonna show
for the meetings that you call me into
Impress us
Did it fast
Kenny, you're in charge of
keeping this thing quiet
If word gets out
before we know what we're gonna do
there's gonna be panic
And it's gonna ruin any chance
we might have of surprise
if we decide to hit them
We're gonna need to
do a few things right away
No Pierre
He knows, the press knows
And you're gonna have to
keep up your schedule
Your movements
are followed too closely
George Ball's
got a conference room at State
Good
You meet over there this afternoon
We'll figure out a way to
sneak you guys back in here tonight
I think we should
bring in Dean Acheson
Ken
he was fighting Soviets while we were
still playing ball together at school
Find him, Kenny
We're gonna need
all the help we can get
Screw secrecy
Try having that fat-ass, sit on your
lap all the way from Foggy Bottom
You were excited. I say no more
Everybody agrees
the diplomatic route won't work
It's too slow and they'll finish the
missiles while we're still talking
I hear old Warren Harding
used to get his grills in through here
We have 850 planes
assembling at Homestead
Eglin, Opa Locka, MacDill
Partick, Pensacola, and Key West
Due to the tropical foliage
the OPLAN calls for high explosive
and napalm loadouts
for our ground attack sorties
I still think
there are diplomatic approaches
we haven't considered yet
Peace at any price?
We have a gun to our head
We have high confidence in the expanded
air strike option, Mr. President
The problem, sir
is that it's a short-term solution
Kruschev can send in
more missiles next month
The Chiefs and I believe
we should follow up the air strikes
with the full version of OPLAN 316
An invasion?
Yes, sir
We can be sure we get all the missiles
and we remove Castro
so this can never happen again
Is this
the Joint Chief's recommendation?
Yes, sir
Our best option
as Bob pointed out this morning
would be to commence the strikes
before the missiles become operational
The invasion happens eight days later
Dean
What do you think?
Gentlemen
for the last fifteen years
I have fought here at this table
alongside your predecessors
in a struggle against the Soviet
I do not wish to seem melodramatic
but I do wish to impress upon you
a lesson I learned with bitter tears
and great sacrifice
The Soviet understands
only one language
action
Respects only one word
Force
I concur with General Taylor
I recommend air strikes
followed by invasion
perhaps
proceeded by an ultimatum
to dismantle the missiles
If that is militarily viable
So it appears we have three options
Number one, a surgical air strike
against the missiles themselves
Two, a much larger air strike
against their air defenses
along with the missiles. And three
invasion
So we're certainly gonna do number one
We're gonna take these missiles out
It seems to me we can't wait very long
We should at leat
be making those preparations
We're preparing to
implement all three options
Though I must stress again, sir
there are risks to the strikes
without the follow-on invasion
You want to be clear, Mr. President
that we've definitely decided
against a political track
Dean
How does this all play out?
Your first step, sir
will be to demand that the Soviet
withdraw the missiles
within 12 to 24 hours
The will refuse
When they do
you will order the strikes
followed by the invasion
They will resist and be overrun
They will retaliate against another
target somewhere else in the world
most likely Berlin
We will honor our treaty commitments
and resist them there
defeating them per our plans
Those plans call for
the use of nuclear weapons
So...
what is the next step?
Hopeful cooler heads will prevail
before we reach the next step
Thank you, gentlemen
What happened in there?
I thought he was going to
give us his decision
Look, I know them. They just need to...
make sure there's no other way
They'll get there
The Kennedys' father
was one of the architects of Munich
There's only one
responsible choice here
So let's hope appeasement
doesn't run in families
I fear weakness does
Jesus Christ
Call me Irish, but I don't
believe in cooler heads prevailing
You know, they think I froze in there
You didn't freeze
You did exactly
what you should have done
you stayed out of the corner
You didn't decide
Acheson's scenario is just...
unacceptable
And he's got more experience
than anyone
There's no expert on the subject
There's no wise old man
Shit, there's just us
Acheson's right
Talk alone is not gonna
accomplish anything
Well, let's bomb the shit out of them
Everybody wants to
Even you
Even me
Right? It sure would feel good
Jack
I'm as conniving as they come
but a sneak attack is just wrong
Things are happening too fast
This is starting to smell like
the Bay of Pigs all over again
Tonight
listening to Taylor and Acheson
I kept seeing Lemnitzer and Dulles
telling me all I had to do was
sign on the dotted line
And that the invasion would succeed
and Castro...
and Castro would be gone
Easy, just like that
There's something...
immoral about
abandoning your own judgment
We just can't let this get out of hand
And we'll do whatever we have to do
to make this come out right
I'm gonna stay here tomorrow
You can't
We talked about this. Your schedule?
Best thing you can do tomorrow
is go to Connecticut
He's right
Yeah
Jesus
Doesn't anybody in Connecticut
have to work today?
We love you, JFK
The shole spectrum of air strikes
is the minumum response
the Joint Chiefs will accept
No, no, no
There is more than one option here
And if one isn't occurring to us
it's because
we haven't thought hard enough
Bobby, sometimes
there is only one right choice
and you thank God when it's so clear
You're talking about a sneak attack
How would that make us look?
A big country blasting a little one
into the stone age
We'll be everyone's favorites
Come on, Bobby. That's naive
You know that better than anybody
And you weren't
so ethically particular
when we were talking about
options for moving Castro at CIA
Bob
If we go ahead with these air strikes
you know what it'll come to in the end
There has got to be something else
Give it to me
I don't care how crazy, inadequate
or stupid it sounds
Give it to me
Six months ago
we gamed out a scenario
It's slow
It doesn't get rid of the missiles
It's got a lot of drawbacks
The scenario
calls for a blockade of Cuba
The situation is worse than we thought
We now count 40 missiles
40 missiles
Longer range IRBM's
They can hit every place
in the country, except Seattle
Mr. President
you give me the order right now
my planes will be ready
to strike in 3 days time
Just say "go"
and my boys
will get those red bastards
General, how long
until the Army's ready?
We've just begun the mobilization
under cover of
a pre-arranged exercise, sir
We're looking at
another week and a half
But you can order the strikes now
The plans call for
an eight day air campaign
It'll light a fire
under the army's ass to get in place
General Lemay, do you truly believe
that's our best course of action?
Mr. President
I believe
it is the only course of action
America is in danger
Those missiles are a threat
to our bomber bases
and the safety of
our nuclear deterrent
Without our deterrent
there's nothing to keep the enemy
from choosing general nuclear war
It's out duty
Our responsibility to the American
people to take out those missiles
and return stability
to the strategic situation
The Big Red Dog
is digging in our back yard
and we are justified in shooting him
Sir
we have a rapidly
closing window of opportunity
where we can to prevent those missiles
from becoming operational
The other options
do not guarantee the end result
that we can guarantee
However, as more time goes by
the less reliable the choice
we can offer you becomes
Mr. President
the motto I chose for SAC
is "Peace is our Profession"
God forbid we find ourselves
in a nuclear exchange
But launched
missiles from Cuba
would kill a lot of Americans
The very presence of those missiles
gives the Soviets
first- strike capability
Those missiles
make a nuclear exchange more likely
And that is why
I'm being such a pain in the ass
abut destroying them
and destroying them immediately
Hell, even Mac agrees
And sir
given your own statements about Cuba
I think a blockade
or a bunch of political talk
would be considered
by a lot of our friends and neutrals
as a pretty weak response
And I suspect many of our own citizens
feel the same way
You're in a pretty bad fix
Mr. President
What did you say?
You're in a pretty bad fix
Maybe you hadn't noticed
you're in it with me
General
what are the Soviets gonna do
when we attack?
Nothing
Nothing?
Nothing
Because the only alternative
open to them
is one they can't choose
You know, they're...
they're not just missiles
we're gonna be destroying, General
If we kill Soviet soldiers
they're gonna respond
How would we respond
if they killed ours?
They're gonna do something, General
I can promise you that
Those goddamn Kennedys
are gonna destroy this country
if we don't do something about this
We're headed out to the back yard
to look for that Big Red Dog
Thanks, Bob
I was hoping Lemay pushed you
'Cause I was ready to knock
that son-of-a-bitch across the room
We knew it was coming
And I'll tell you one thing, Kenny
Those brass hats
have one big advantage
That is that
if we do what they want us to do
none of us will be left alive
to tell them they were wrong
Mr. President
we need to go over
what you're going to say
Gromyko should be on his way by now
There's still no sign they know that
we know about the missiles
We're gonna keep it that way
Kenny
Be right there
I'm getting funny questions
from the guys
Yeah? What sort of questions?
About some sort of
"military exercises"?
You want me to do my job
handling the press
I need to know what's going on
Military exercises?
Yeah. Military exercises
Haven't heard anything about it
Ask Bundy
I did. He said to ask you
Mr. Gromyko! This way, please!
Robert
Hugh, how are you?
Excuse me, Joan
So, tell me about this military
exercise going on in Puerto Rico
What?
It's called... ORTSAC, I believe
Castro spelled backwards
ORTSAC?
I don't know what you're talking about
Me either
Why?
Because maybe the President
and Gromyko are gonna talk about it
You're trying to drum something up
Johnny. Forget it
This meeting's been
on the books for months
Far as I know, it's just a friendly
talk on U. S -Soviet relations
Mr. President!
Will you make a statement, sir?
Alright, hold it, fellas
You'll get your pictures
Does it?
I'll be damned
Kind of simple for the Pentagon
Mr. Gromyko
Hold on one minute
Gentlemen
would you mind shaking hands?
So that there should be
no misunderstanding
the position of the United States
which has been made clear
by the Attorney General
to Ambassador Dobrynin here
I shall read a sentence
from my statement
to the press dated September 13th
"Should missiles or offensive weapon
be placed in Cuba"
"it would present the gravest threat
to U. S. national security"
Mr. President
as Premier Kruschev's own statement
of September 13th assured you
our military assistance to Cuba
is of a defensive nature only
So I did not misunderstand you?
There are no offensive weapons in Cuba
Premier Kruschev's statement
of September 13th
remains the position
of the Soviet government
To that I have nothing to add
Well, that's good enough for me
Thanks so much
Thank you
Gentlemen
if you'll come with me, please
A most instructive meeting
What happened?
Lying bastard
Lied right to my face
We're split down the middle
If I held a vote, I think air strike
would beat blockade by a vote or two
I want a consensus
Either air strike or blockade
Something everyone's gonna stand by
even if they don't like it
And I need it by Saturday
So make it happen
What if I can't?
We go into this split
the Russians will know it
And they'll use it against us
Have you cancelled Chicago
and the rest of the weekend yet?
You don't show for Chicago, everyone
will know there's something going on
I don't care. Just cancel it
Forget it
I'm not calling
and canceling on Daley
You call and cancel on Daley
You're scared to cancel on Daley
You're damn right, I'm scared
Well, I'm not
Watch this
Welcome to Chicago, Mr. President
Mr. Mayor, I wouldn't
miss this event for the world
Let's go
Tonight you're going to
experience true Midwest cunning
What's going on?
Now the guys are hounding me
about some sort of troop movements
in Florida
What are you telling them?
The truth. I don't know
Am I out of the loop on something?
No
Tell 'em you've looked into it
and all it is an exercise
And Pierre, tomorrow
the President may have a cold
A what?
A cold
Do I get any input around here?
Yeah
How bad it is, is up to you
There are major rail disruptions
in the south
two airbome divisions are on alert
Sounds to me like that
exercise is an invasion
You know how Bobby has it in
for the state of Mississippi
We're invading Cuba
Dammit, we are not invading Cuba!
Are you crazy?
Nobody gives a rat's ass about Cuba!
Not now, not ever!
If you print that, all you're
gonna do is inflame the situation
And nobody talks to assholes
who inflame situations
Assholes like that
can find themselves cut
out of the loop
That's the first time
you've ever threatened me
All right
I won't print anything
until I have another source
But I promise you I'll get one
Bobby?
We've got a consensus for a blockade
but it won't last past tomorrow
You have to bring him back
By the way
China invaded India today
You're kidding, aren't you?
I wish I were
Galbraith's handling it in New Delhi
Makes you wonder what's coming next
What is it about the free world that
pisses the rest of the world off?
I don't know
We have Tupperware parties?
Maybe
I'll see you tomorrow
Okay
The President has a cold
He's canceling
the remainder of this trip
and returning to Washington
on the advice of his doctor
Is that the final word?
President Kennedy!
How do you feel, Mr. President?
Mr. President, our deliberations
have led us to the conclusion
that a blockade of offensive weapons
to Cuba is our best option
A strong showing of support from
the Organization of American States
would give us
an umbrella of legitimacy
A blockade
is technically an act of war
Therefore we recommend
calling the action a quarantine
Let's hope that translates
into Russian the way we want it to
There are between 20...
and 30 Soviet ships
underway to cuba at this time
800 miles out
the navy will stop them
board
and any vessels containing weapons
will be turned back
A quarantine prevents
any more missiles from reaching Cuba
but it doesn't remove
the missiles already there
It gives the Soviets a chance
to pull back without a war
If they refuse to remove the missiles
we retain the option
to strike and invade
A sneak attack is counter to
what the United States stands for
It leaves us no room for maneuver
And the inevitable Soviet response
would force us into a war
Mr. President
there are still those of us
who believe
we should proceed with the strikes
With the blockade
we lose strategic surprise
and we also run the risk of the Soviets
launching the first strike against us
if they decide they have to
use the missiles or lose them
So quarantine...
or air strike
There is a third option
With either course we undertake
the risk of nuclear war
So maybe one of us in this room
should be a coward
So I guess I'll be
A third course is to strike a deal
We trade Guantanamo
and our missiles in Turkey
get them to pull their missiles out
We employ a back channel
We attribute the idea to U. N. Thant
U Thant then raises it at the U. N.
I don't think that's possible, Adlai
I've not yet made my final decision
I'll be asking the networks
for airtime on Monday night
We'll announce
our course of action then
Ted, get to work on speeches
for both quarantine
and air strike
Thank you for all your advice
gentlemen
Did you hear Adlai?
You'd think nobody
learned anything from World War Two
Somebody had to say it
I respect Adlai for having the guts
to risk looking like an appeaser
We have to pull him
He won't be able to handle
the Soviets in front of the U. N.
Zorin will eat him alive
We've got bigger problems right now
Ladies?
No, thank you
Honey, I'll be right back
Adlai
Just can't seem to
get away from you guys
Escaping from a night on the town?
As D. C. 's most popular playboy
the President felt my presence
would be sorely missed, so...
in the interest of National Security
here I am
Yes. Gotta keep up appearances
Of course, I don't any more
I'm a political dead man
Did you ever see anyone
cut his own throat like I did today?
No
It's alright
By the way
I spoke to a friend
Reston and Frankel have the story
The Times is going to run it tomorrow
We're not gonna make it to Monday
Shit
I'll get Sorenson
to try to lean on Reston
But you're gonna
have to call Orville Dryfoos
This is the sort of decision
a publisher makes himself
Alright
Thanks, Kenny
Yes sir, I understand
But we held on the Bay of Pigs
and it was the
biggest mistake of my life
What makes this different?
Orville, I'm asking you
to hold the story
until I can present
our course of action on Monday night
Alright
But I'm gonna need a reason
to give my boys
They're gonna be screaming
for my head on a plate
Orville, you tell them this
That they'll be saving lives
including their own
Yes, Mr. President
How many Congressmen
have not responded yet?
Fourteen
Boggs is in the Gulf fishing?
I thought
he was supposed to be campaigning
He's not gone for long, sir
Jesus. Get a plane out there
and get him back
He wants to talk to LeMay again
He's still considering air strikes
None of this works tomorrow
Figure out how to cancel it
Yes, sir
We're on the phones
Cam, can you guarantee me
you'll get all the missiles?
Sir, I guarantee we'll get
all the missiles we know about
Mr. President
we can get better than
90 percent of them
I'll brief the Congressional
leadership tomorrow evening at five
At seven o'clock, all United States
armed forces worldwide
will stand up to DEFCON 3
I have a brief statement
President Kennedy
will address the nation tonight
On radio and television
on a subject of
the hightest national urgency
He has requested airtime
on all three networks for seven p. m.
Thank you very much
Mr. President
Congress cannot give you
the support you're looking for
Mr. President?
Sir?
If they want this goddamn job
they can have it
It's no great joy to me
Mr. President, here's the speech
with those changes you wanted
I need a minute
Kenny, no
A minute
I don't want a goddamn pep talk
You're not the Harvard
quarterback anymore
We're on the brink here
They're trying to second-guess me
into World War Three
Well, it's not gonna happen
What did you think
Congress was gonna do?
Offer you unconditional support?
Kiss your Catholic ass?
They don't think
we even deserve to be here
What the hell do you think?
I think we haven't been
that impressive to date
and they have good reason
to question our judgment
What do you want, Kenny?
I want you to sit down
I'm not gonna sit down
I want you to sit down
loosen your tie
and take a minute for yourself
I haven't got a minute!
You're the President
of the United States
They can wait for you
Why not
Things can't get much worse
We could have to...
go down to Lyndon's ranch again
dressed up as cowboys
Shoot deer
out of the back of his convertible
That was a bad day
You know
I thought there'd be ore good days
You know
back when we were in the wards
the day Bobby
made me come down to meet you
I didn't get you at first
I thought you were lucky
Your father had a lot of money
You were skinny
Girls loved you
I thought I could
beat you and Bobby up together
But he...
just kept going on and on about you
I thought it was
because he was your brother
But I was wrong
I was wrong
You sleeping?
No, not much
I slept last night, though
And when I woke up
I'd forgotten that
all this had happened
And then I remembered
and I just wished for
a second somebody else was President
You mean that?
I said for a second
Boy, there is
a lot of noise out there, Kenny
You know what you're doing
Mr. President
You're gonna make
the best call you can
And you know
they're gonna second-guess you
So what?
We're just gonna have to
take our beatings as we go
So what are we gonna do now?
I'm going on TV
Maybe the American people
will go with me
Even if their...
elected representatives won't
You wear something nice for the TV
Make sure Jackie picks it
Excuse me
Okay, everybody. I think we're ready
No. I'm fine
Mr. President, in five...
four... three... two...
Good evening, my fellow citizens
This government, as promised
has maintained
the closest surveillance
of the Soviet military build-up
on the island of Cuba
Within the past week
unmistakable evidence
has established the fact
that a series of
offensive missile sites
is now in preparation
on that imprisoned island
The purpose of these bases
can be none other than to provide
a nuclear strike capability
against the Western Hemisphere
Acting therefore
in the defense of our own security
and under the authority entrusted
to me by the Constitution
I have directed that the following
initial steps be taken immediately
First
to halt this offensive build-up
a strict quarantine on
all offensive military equipment
under shipment to Cuba
is being initiated
All ships of any kind bound for Cuba
form whatever nation or port
will, if found to contain cargoes
of offensive weapons, be turned back
Second
I have directed
the continued and increased
close surveillance of Cuba
and its military build-up
Should these military
preparations continue
further action will be justified
I have directed the Armed Forces
to prepare for any eventualities
And third
It shall be the policy of this nation
to regard any nuclear missile
launched from Cuba
against any nation in the
Western Hemisphere as an attack
by the Soviet Union
on the United States
requiring a full retaliatory response
upon the Soviet Union
Good speech, Teddy
I guess I get to keep my job
No
It was a really good speech
I can't imagine what you did
with the air strikes version
I wasn't able to write, Kenny
It's kind of hard
to write the unthinkable
I tried, I just...
I couldn't
We're getting the Soviet response
It's coming in on the teletype
"The community of nations recognizes"
"the fundamental right
of freedom of the seas... "
THis is horseshit
I agree
They don't know how to respond yet
So now you're Kruschev
What do you do?
You run the blockade
They'll run the blockade
Which is what they appear to
be preparing to do, Mr. President
We're tracking 26 ships
inbound for Cuba
They show no sign of changing course
The closest ships
the Gagarin and the Kimovsk
will make the quarantine line
by this time tomorrow
Admiral Anderson
if the ships do not stop
exactly what are
our rules of engagement?
Russian- speaking personnel
have been transferred to our ships
When the quarantine
takes place in the morning
our ships will attempt radio contact
with approaching vessels
They'll be ordered to reduce speed
and stand by for inspection
An inspection team will then
board and search the vessel
If weapons are found, the ship will be
ordered out of the quarantine area
If they refuse
they'll be towed into the nearest port
What if the ship doesn't stop
for inspection or want to be towed?
We fire a warning shot
across their bow
And what happens
if the ship ignores the warning shot?
Wen then fire at its rudder
disable it
and carry on our inspection
There will be no shooting
without my explicit orders
Is that understood?
Yes sir
Well, Admiral
looks like it's up to the navy
The navy won't let you down, sir
There is one other thing
Mr. President
We're commencing low-level photography
runs over Cuba this morning
It'll be more detailed
than the U-2 photography
We'll firm up our estimates
of the missiles' readiness
and develop target packages for strikes
if you should order them, sir
To protect our pilots
we're prepared to retaliate
against any SAM site
or anti-aircraft battery
that may open fire
We have a flight of Thunderchiefs
that'll be able to
respond within minutes
to any attacks on our planes
I've got a bad feeling about
what's going on in there
In the morning
I'm taking charge of the blockade
from the situation room
And McNamara is gonna set up shop
in the flag plot at the Pentagon
He'll keep an eye on things there
Good
You get armed boarders
climbing on the Soviet ships
with shots being fired across bows
What about these low-level flights?
We need the flights
They're starting in what?
An hour
Do you realize what you're in for?
We need the flights
because the minute that
first missile becomes operational
we gotta go in there and destroy them
Fair enough. But Castro's on alert
and we're flying attack planes
over their sites on the deck
There's no way for them to know
we're carrying cameras, not bombs
They're going to be shot at
plain and simple
I'm your political advisor
I'm giving you a political analysis
This is a set-up
The Chiefs want to go in
They need to redeem themselves
for the Bay of Pigs
They gotta go in this time
and do it right
I'm gonna protect those pilots
They're boxing us in
with these rules of engagement
If you agree and
one of our planes gets knocked down
or one of the ships
won't stop fro inspection
the Chiefs will have us by the balls
and will force us to start shooting
They want a war
and they're arranging thing to get one
How does a man get to a place
where he can say
"Throw those lives away" so easily?
Maybe it's harder for them
to say than they let on
but at the very least
they believe it's in our best interest
And you know what?
At the end of the day they may well
end up being right
I'll tell you one thing
We have to triple-check
everything the Chiefs say to us
with the guys that actually do it
And nobody's to know about this
but Bobby
I need redundant control over
what happens out there
If things aren't advertised
then you are gonna make sure
they come out the way I want
Starting with
this low-level flight thing
That's gonna be tough
You know how these guys are
about their chains of command
Listen, tell them
those chains of command
end at one place - me
Go ahead, sir
Speak up, lady. I cannot hear you
I got a train to catch
and I'd like to be home by Christmas
That's the one
What's her name?
Margaret
Margaret
Yes sir, I understand exactly
what you're talking about
I speak the language, too
What?
Margaret, would you mind
helping me with something?
What do you need, honey?
That tone of voice, specifically
What tone of voice?
What the hell is he talking about?
I told you, sir
I'm sorry, you're outta here
Ready Room
Skipper. What are you doing?
Looking out the door
I'll get him for you
At what?
Cuba
Skipper!
Telephone
Commander Ecker
Commander Ecker
This is the White House Operator
Please hold
Shit
Honey, you don't know what shit is
Commander
my name's Ken O'Donnell
Special Assistant to the President
Yes, sir
The Presiden'ts instructed me
to pass along an order to you
You are not to get shot down
We'll do our best, sir
I don't think
you understand me, Commander
You are not to get shot down
under any circumstances
Whatever happens up there
you were not shot at
Mechanical failures are fine
crashing into mountains, fine
You are not to be shot at, fired at
or launched upon
Excuse me, sir
What the hell is going on here?
Commander, if you are fired upon
the President will be forced to
attack the sites that fired upon you
He doesn't want to have to do that
It's very important that he doesn't
or things could go
very badly out of control
What about my men?
If we don't have anybody to protect us
I'm gonna be writing
letters home for parents
If the President
protects you, Commander
he may have to do it with the Bomb
I've known the man for fifteen years
The problem is
he will protect you
So I'm asking you
don't make him protect you
Don't get shot at
Okay, Mr. O'Donnell
We'll do what we can
I know you will
Good luck
Hey, Joey
See you, Joey
Thanks, Joey
There you go, Jeremy
Hey, Bruce
Skipper?
Never mind. Just do what I do
Hand signs only
You are clear
Ready to go, sir
Good luck, Skipper
Shit!
Did you see it?
Man! You were lucky, Skipper!
Danm sparrows
Musta been migrating
Sparrows?
Probably hit a couple hundred of them
How many did you hit, Bruce?
Sparrows?
A few, I guess
These 20 millimeter
or 40 millimeter sparrows, sir?
Those are bird strikes
Sparrows, to be precise
That's the way it is, guys
Get that film packed up!
Commander Ecker
Hello?
Sir
Commander
Mr. O'Donnell, I've been ordered
to deliver the film
to the Pentagon personally
What's going on here?
The Chiefs must wanna talk to you
They're gonna want to know
if you were fired on
Were you?
You could say that, sir
Commander, listen to me
I know this must fly in the face
of everything you've come to serve
but I'm asking you to look
through this to the other side
Commander William B. Ecker
reporting as ordered
Commander
Sir
Put your gear down over here
Would you like
a glass of water or anything?
No, thank you, sir
Sir
Ecker
Have a seat
Commander
I assume you know why you're here
Son
I wanna know just one thing
Did those bastards shoot so much
as a BB gun at you?
It was a cakewalk, sir
Mr. President
The OAS meeting starts
in less than an hour
Good. I think we need this one. Dean
We can't expect miracles
The quarantine is legal
if we get a mandate
Otherwise it's an act of war
in the eyes of the world
So you gotta get me the vote
And make it unanimous
Mr. President
the Organization of American States
hasn't had a unanimous vote since...
Unanimous, Dean
In accordance
with this afternoon's vote
at the Organization of American States
the quarantine
will hereby be effective
as of ten o'clock tomorrow morning
At eight a. m. this morning
the United States
detonated a hydrogen bomb above
Johnston Island in the South Pacific
The blast was quickly condemned
by the Soviet Union
who called upon all nations
to denounce the United States
for bringing the world
to the brink of destruction
Who the hell authorized the test?
What is this gonna say
to the Russians?
They look warlike?
Jesus Christ
we're lighting off nuclear weapons
like it's our own
private Fourth of July
You know what?
We should have brought in the guys
from the Atomic Energy Commission
and talked this through
Looked at these tests a little harder
before just giving the go-ahead
You know, last summer I read a book
"The Guns of August"
I wish every man on that blockade line
had read that book
It's World War One
There's thirteen million killed
It's all because the militaries
of both alliances believed
that they were so highly
attuned to one another's movements
and dispositions, they could
predict one another's intentions
But all their theories
were based on the last war
And the world
and technology had changed
and those lessons
were no longer valid
But it was all they knew
so the orders went out
couldn't be rescinded
The man in the field, his family
at home, they couldn't even tell
the reasons
why their lives were being destroyed
But why couldn't they stop it?
What could they have done?
Here we are 50 years later
Say one of their ships
resists the inspection
and we shoot out its rudder
and board
They shoot down
one of our planes in response
So we bomb their anti-aircraft sites
in response to that
They attack Berlin
So we invade Cuba
And they fire their missiles
Helen, I want you
to keep the kids close tomorrow
I want you to leave the TV on
I want you to sleep with it on
in the bedroom
until I call you
and tell you can turn it off
What's happened?
Nothing
you don't already know about
Just have the car ready to go
in case I call
or a Civil Defense Warning comes on
What happens to you?
I'm not leaving without you
I'll be evacuated with the President
Great
And while you're under a rock
somewhere with the President
what am I supposed to do
with our five children, Kenny?
Honey
We're not gonna let it come to that
I promise
Jack and Bobby
they're smart guys
You're smart, too
Not like them
Hi, Ken
Helen just asked me what arrangements
we have for the families
I just checked that myself
They're being issued identity cards
And if the call comes
evacuation officers meet them
at pre-arranged departure areas
They go by helicopter to Mount Weather
We meet them there
Course that's for morale
Missiles only take five minutes
to get here
The President
has asked Jackie and the children
to come back from the country
to be with him
You know those pictures upstairs...
of Lincoln?
He looked so old near the end
When we got here, I said
it's not gonna happen to us
We were too young
Why don't you go home tonight?
Go on home
Nah
It's too much trouble to get a car
Ken, we can get you a car
in 15 minutes
No
Go ahead
No
I'll let her sleep
I'll let 'em sleep
It almost seemed today as
if time stood still
The shooting hadn't started yet
but there weren't any
really encouraging signs
that it could be avoided
But worried, alarmed
afraid perhaps even...
the American public nonetheless
appeared determined and resolved
This is Walter Cronkite
Good night
Gentlemen
can you hear me?
Yes, we hear you fine
I've got one minute 'til ten here
The quarantine commences in one minute
And no sign of them stopping
Sir
The quarantine is now in effect
And it looks like our first customers
are the Gagarin and Kimovsk
Chief, I've got something
at zero three zero
XO, take a look at this
New contact, Skipper
What do we got?
A Russian sub
General Quarters!
All hands, man your battle stations
Breaker 231, correlates
to our Submarine at 9, 000 yards
It's protecting the freighters
Bob, is there any way to
avoid stopping the submarine first?
I'm afraid not, Mr. President
The sub has positioned itself between
the Pierce and the Soviet ships
Admiral Anderson insists
it's too much of a risk
to proceed with
stopping the freighters
The Pierce would be
a sitting duck for the sub
Put me through to the Pierce
Yes, sir
Admiral Anderson
the President wishes to speak
directly to the Captain of the Pierce
Is that a problem?
No, it isn't, sir
He's putting you through, sir
Sir, I'm patching you
through to the bridge now
This is the Captain of the Pierce
Captain
this is the President speaking
Mr. President
Is there any way you can
force that sub to the surface
without damaging it or yourself?
I can bring it up, Mr. President
But whether it's damaged or not
is up to the sub
Even if they do force it up
that sub'll be inspected
over the crew's dead bodies
They'd be executed for allowing it
when they got home
Captain, force the sub to the surface
Yes, Mr. President
Prepare to fire torpedoes
Prepare to fire torpedoes. Aye, sir
Prepare to launch ASROC
Prepare to launch ASROC! Aye, sir
What're they up to?
Slowing down
They stopped
Mr. Secretary!
We're receiving reports
the Russian ships are stopping
Mr. President
Reports are coming in here
to the Pentagon that
the ships appear to b stopping
Captain, belay that order!
Hold you fire!
Where's that coming from?
One second, Mr. President
Somebody find out what's going on
Those ships are definitely stopping
Some are turning around
Are they stopping?
I don't know what they're doing
Admiral
Admiral, what's happening?
Yes, sir. They are... stopping
Mr. President
reports are coming in from all around
The ships are stopping
Some are turning around
Soem are turning around
We were eyeball to eyeball, and I
think the other fellow just blinked
Sir
Mr. President
Sir?
We have the tally from NSA
We have 20 ships
stopping and/or turning around
Six, however
appear to be continuing for the line
It's a mistake
They must not have gotten
their orders yet. Let 'em go
That's unlikely, Bobby
We've been monitoring
the radio transmissions
from the Gagarin and the Kimovsk
Their radios are working
just fine, Mr. President
One ship, an accident, maybe
Six, Mr. President, is intentional
Mr. President, let them go
You're still here?
4 of the 6 continuing ships
are still a day away from the line
They stopped the ones
we suspect have weapons aboard
We'd look pretty bad shooting up
a freighter full of baby food
We sure as shit would
Captain, I want you
to maintain contact with those ships
and do nothing until I order otherwise
Is that clear?
Yes, Mr. President
Contact only
At its beginning
this day looked as though
it might be one of...
armed conflict between
Soviet vessels and American war ships
on the sea lanes leading to Cuba
Find out how close
our exercises are coming...
to their anti-ship missiles
Goddammit
How the goddamn hell
could this happen?
I will have Power's head on a platter
Next to LeMay's
Kenny, you hear me
give the order to got o DEFCON 2?
'Cause I remember
giving the order to go to DEFCON 3
but I must be suffering from amnesia
I've just been informed
our nuclear forces are at DEFCON 2
Mr. President
the orders were limited...
to our strategic forces
in the continental United States
General LeMay is correct
Technically
SAC has the statutory authority...
I have the authority!
I am the commander-in-chief
of the United States
and I say when we go to war
We're not at war, sir
Not until DEFCON 1
General
the Joint Chiefs have just signaled
our intent to escalate to the Soviets
You've signaled an escalation
which I had no wish to signal
and which I did not approve
Get out of here, Max
Yes, sir
Rescind the order. Can all the Chiefs
Put Nitze, Gilpatric
and the Undersecretaries in charge
Yes, we can
We can't fire the Chiefs, Bobby
Our invasion talk
would look like a bluff
Or even worse
if there's been an attempted coup
Jesus
Kenny
give me a couple minutes
alone with Bobby
Just try this on for size
We get a hold of Walter Lippman
and we leak the idea of pulling
our Jupiter missiles out of Turkey
The Soviets
pull their missiles out of Cuba
We back JFK! K. and K. must talk!
End the arms race, not the human race
Hey, hey, JFK!
Let's not start a war today!
Kenny
Mac
What did you think of
the Lippman column this morning?
It's a bad idea
Thank God. Look
everybody's furious about it
We trade away our missiles in Turkey
and we are dead politically
You've gotta stop it
We know it was Jack and Bobby's idea
They leaked it to Lippman
The military guys are going ape
and they're not alone
They should speak up
Christ, Ken, it's not that easy
It is
It isn't. They don't trust
the people that feel this way
But these people are right
and the Kennedys are wrong
We need you to talk to them
They'll listen to you
Jack and Bobby are good men
But it takes a certain kind of...
You mean the President
of the United States?
And the Attorney General?
Kenny, they are good men
but it takes certain character
moral toughness
to stand up to the Soviets
You're in the White House right now
because of the Kennedys
They may be wrong. They make mistakes
But they are not weak
The weak ones are these people
who can't speak their own minds
You know I don't mean
that they're weak
No, you just lack a "moral toughness"
Jesus Christ, Mac!
You think I'll play your Judas for you
You never understood us, for you
We've been fighting with each other
our whole lives
But nobody plays us off each other
and nobody ever
ever gets between us
It's trial balloon, Kenny
Then somebody better publicly deny it
because there's only one way
the world is gonna read this
We sell out one of our own friends
for own safety
Fuck!
Exactly
Jesus Christ. They're killing us
... and enter into negotiations...
in order to normalize
this confrontation
and avert the threat of a world war
What is that Sun Tzu says?
"War is a moral contest
and they're won in the temples
before they're ever fought. "
This enormous danger for all mankind...
which exists at this moment...
It's right here
This is where we turn it around
You all Adlai. You tell him
to stick it to this son of a bitch!
The U. S. believes that
with their economic boycott
by pressuring other countries
to cease trade with Cuba
we would surrender due to hunger
How does it feel, Mr. President,
to be this heroic...
and force a country
to surrender due to...
Am I still on hold?
They're trying to find him right now
Adlai's too weak!
We have to convince Jack to pull him
Get McCloy in there
You can't talk him out this
late in the game, bobby
Zorin will eat him alive
Then talk to your brother, goddammit!
The two of you don't need my advice
to get into trouble
What's gotten into you?
Are you still sore
about this Lippman thing?
That's something
your father would have done
My father?
I'm just trying to make a pint
This idea is that fucking bad
Adlai can handle Zorin
He knows the inning and the score
He's better
Because nobody believes
he's up to this
Nobody
Yes?
Adlai
Yes
It's Ken. How are you doing?
I'm busy, Ken
What do you need?
The President told me
to pass the word to you
stick it to them
I hear you
I'm glad it's you calling
I thought it would be Bobby
Adlai, the world has to know
we're right
If we're gonna have a chance
at a political solution
we're gonna need
international pressure
You gotta be tough, Adlai
You need to find it, Buddy
If they're still sticking
to their stonewalling strategy
I'll get them
I'm an old political cat, Kenny
But I've got onw life left
I know you do
See you, Ken
Boddy
we call upon the world
to condemn this purely
American provocation
We, the people of Romania
stand in solidarity with
the people of the Republic of Cuba
and their revolution in the face of
the American threat to world peace
Thank you, Mr. Chairman
We're very glad that
you could join us, Mr. Stevenson
For the last two hours
the entire world here
is asking only questions
The United States
is pushing the entire world
to the brink of catastrophe
People of the whole world
want to know why
We are told again and again about some
incontrovertible evidence
of offensive weapons in Cuba
But no evidence can be shown to us
Perhaps your spy planes are so secret
that you are simply incapable
to present such evidence
Some Planes!
I make the call, Adlai is out
McCloy goes in
simply don't have such evidence
Perhaps the United States of American
is simply mistaken
The United States of America
does not have any facts
it has only falsifications
False evidence...
John, get ready to
send your staffer in. He's coming out
The Chair recognizes
The representative
from the United States of America
Well, let me say something to you
Mr. Ambassador
We do have the evidence
We do have it, and it is clear
and incontrovertible
And let me say something else
Those weapons
must be taken out of Cuba
You, the Soviet Union
have created this new danger
not the United States
Mr. Zorin, I remind you that
the other day you did not deny
the existence of these weapons
but today again
if I heard you correctly
you now say they do not exist
Sir, let me ask you
one simple question
Come on, Adlai. Don't let him off
Do you, Ambassador Zorin
deny that the USSR
has placed and is placing medium
and intermediate range missiles
and sites in Cuba?
Yes or no?
Don't wait for the translation
Yes or no?
Yeah
I am not in the American courtroom
and I do not wish to
respond to questions...
that a prosecutor
would put to the defendant
You will get all the answers
to your questions...
as this session progresses
You are in the courtroom
of world opinion right now
and you can answer yes or no
You have denied they exist
and I want to know
if I have understood you correctly
Continue your statement
You will get your answers
in due course. Don't worry
I'm prepared to wait for my answer
until Hell freezes over
if that's you decision
John, I'll get back to you
to present the evidence in this room
proving that the Soviet Union
has lied to the world
If you have decided
not to continue your statement
the Chair recognizes
the representative from Chile
I yield my time and the floor to the
representative of the United States
Ladies and gentlemen
since it appears
we're going to be here for a while
shall we have a look at
what the Soviets are doing in Cuba?
May we have the presentation, please?
Ladies and gentlemen
If you will observe in photograph A -
Yeah
So Adlai had it in him after all
Zorin must not
have gotten instructions
Somebody in their foreign
ministry's blown it big-time
we have October 14th
a photograph taken then
There are at least
three missile sites being constructed
The ship is called the Grozny
We lost track of it
yesterday at nightfall
We thought we gave it plenty of room
when we moved the quarantine line back
We just reacquired it
It crossed the line hours ago
How the hell do you
lose a goddamn tanker?
What the hell's going on over there?
Friday, October 26th
Hail them again
I want you to try them again
We are kidding ourselves
The coordinates for the Pierce
Pierce coordinates, 25 degrees
30 minutes north
78 degrees, 10 minutes west
Not responding, Chief!
Tell the Skipper
They're not responding, sir
General quarters!
All hands man your battle stations!
Very well. Load your guns
Guns are loaded, sir
What was that, Admiral?
We've been hailing the Grozny
for the last hour, Mr. Secretary
The Grozny refuses to stop
What are you doing?
We're carrying out our mission
Mr. Secretary
We're very busy right now
We need to able to do our job
Admiral! I asked you a question
We're going to
follow the rules of engagement
The rules of engagement
which the President
has approved and signed
in his order of 23 October
Yes
You may proceed, Captain
Cler your guns
Dammit!
Stop that firing!
What?
Stop that firing!
Cease fire
God help us
That ship was firing starshells!
Starshells -- Flares, Mr. Secretary!
Goddammit, I've got a job to do here!
You've been camped out up there
since Monday night
You're exhausted
you're making mistakes
You interfere with me and
you will get some of my men killed
and I will not allow that!
Starshells
Get out of our way, Mr. Secretart!
The navy's been running blockades...
since the days of John Paul Jones!
I believe the President
made it clear that there will be...
no firing on ships
without his express permission
With all due respect, Mr. Secretary
we were not firing on that ship
What was that?
Firing on a ship
means attacking a ship!
We were not attacking that ship!
We were firing over it!
That was not the President's intention
when he gave that order
What if the Soviets
don't see the distinction?
What if they make the same mistake
I just made?
There will be no firing anything
near any Soviet ships
without my express permission!
Is that understood, Admiral?
Is it?
Yes, sir
And I will only
issue such instructions...
when ordered to by the President!
John Paul Jones!
You don't understand a thing
do you, Admiral?
This is not a blockade!
This is language!
A new vocabulary, the likes of
which the world has never seen!
This is President Kennedy
communicating with Secretary Krushcev
(Atlas Missile Launch Vandenberg, AFB)
Who the hell
authorized this missile test?
Who do you think?
God knows what this is
gonna communicate to the Soviets
Communicate with the Soviets?
We can't communitcate
with the Pentagon
and it's just across the goddam river
LaMay must think you're afraid of him
I'm not taking that biat
The right move here is to move on
Marcula!
This is United States Destroyer
Joseph P. Kennedy!
This is point
at which we are concemed...
that there might be shooting
among the ships at sea
with the possibility that invasion
might have to be undertaken
to assure that
those bases are eliminated
If invasion is undertaken
the Russians have said
that they would
retaliate with rocket fire
We have said
if there's rocket fire from Cuba
we will retaliate
And there goes the whole ballgame
Kenny
What's this?
Can anyone just walk in here now?
Ken, don't worry
I'm not here to do an interview
If you're looking for a cup of sugar
John, you got the wrong door
Kenny
we need to see the President
Something's happened
I have lunch with him
Maybe once a month
Way the talks, he acts like
he knows Kruschev personally
but he's never elaborated
I've used him as a source
in a couple of stories
The FBI has identified
this Alexander Fomin as the...
Soviet Rezident, the KGB equivalent
of one of our station chiefs
He's their highest ranking spy
in this country
And he knows John's a friend of mine
All the trademarks of
a back-channel overture
Yeah. Some back channel
ABC News guy
My goddamn next-door neighbor
So they'll remove the missiles
And we'll pledge not to
invade Cuba or de-stabilize Castro
or assist anyone who plans on doing so
I think this may be
our first real message from Kruschev
The alternative, Mr. President
is that is this could be a trap
And how is that exactly?
Dangle a settlement
tie us down in negotiations
we come up short
Why else would they
approach us this way?
It's deniable
The Soviets have done nothing
but lie to us
This could just be more of the same
That may be
why Kruschev's introducing this guy
We're been burned by his usual players
in the formal channels
so he brings in an honest broker
That may be what they want us to think
The truth is
we don't really know
who Fomin speaks for
It could be Kruschev
It could be some faction
in the Politburo
Or the KGB itself
We just don't know
By the way, Scali
your activities now fall under...
the secrecy codicils
of the National Security Act
Sorry, John
No Pulitzer
Mr. President, we haven't much time
I'm scheduled to meet with him again
in three and a half hours
So it seems the question of the day is
is the offer legitimate?
And if it is
we can't afford to ignore it
So, John...
We'll have instructions for you
in a couple of hours
Thank you
Thank you
We don't have much time
to play out back-channe
Kenny
I want you to get over
to your old stomping grounds...
and go through everything
the FBI has on Fomin
I need your best call
Is the guy legit
and is he speaking for Kruschev?
So what we've got here is this guy
Alexander Feklisov
AKA Alexander Fomin
delclared Consul to the Soviet Embassy
but in reality the KGB Papa Spy
An illustrious tour of duty
during the Great Patriotic War
gets him on the Party fast track
Various tours of duty in KGB
American postings
He's an expert on us
And that is all we got on Papa Spy
How do you become the KGB top spy
in the United States?
Gotta know someone
You gotta know someone
So politics is politics
Walter, get me Kruschev's files
Pass me that
I wanna see their career
chronologies side by side
We know they're not related, right?
Right
They're not from the same hometown
They went to different schools
Right
So if they were gonna meet
they should have met here
I think they could've met
They could not
He was an engineer
stationed outside of Moscow
at the end of '41
That's it
They know each other
They're war buddies
That's pretty thin, Kenny
Real life usually is, Walter
They know each other, Jack
Kruschev and Fomin were war buddies
You sure?
Don't take it to court, but we've
got good circumstantial evidenct
What's your instinct?
I gotta move on this
My gut's telling me that
Kruschev's tuming to a trusted
old friend to carry his message
Okay. We're going
I've been instructed to tell you
that the American government
would respond favorably
to an offer along the lines
that you have discussed
If such a solution were raised
at the U. N. by Ambassador Zorin
he would find a favorable reply
from Ambassador Stevenson
So I understand you correctly
if the missiles in Cuba
were dismantled
returned to the Soviet Union
and a guarantee was made
not to reintroduce them
the United States
would be prepared to guarantee
that it would never invade Cuba
That is correct
And this is from
the Highest Authority?
Yes. The Highest Authority
There are two conditions
The U. N. must be allowed to
inspect the removal of the missiles
Of course the U. N.
must also be allowed to observe
the re-deployment of forces
from the American Southeast
I can't speak to that
What's the second condition?
Time is of the essence
How much time?
48 hours
In 48 hours, there can be no deals
I'll see what I can do
I think it's very difficult
to make a decision from this document
It looks to me like
Fomin's overture was genuine
It's a big "if", Bobby
It's ten pages of sentimental fluff
but he's saying it right here
He'll remove the missiles
in return for a no-invasion pledge
Mr. President, our early analysis
says this probably...
was written by Kruschev himself
It's a first draft
It shows no signs of being polished
by the foreign ministry
It probably wasn't
even approved by the Politburo
as they wouldn't
let the emotionalism go by
The analysts say it was written
by someone under considerable stress
Glad to know we're not alone
It never was my intention
to invade Cuba anyway
till they put the missiles in there
Gentlemen, I think we should
seriously consider this deal
Hi
Hi
You look old, O'Donnell
You don't
It's 2:30 in the morning
You flirting with me?
We got a back-channel communication
form Kruschev this evening
feeling us out about a deal
He confirmed it
just a little while ago in a letter
Thank God
Jack kicked us out of his house
for the night
Darn it
For a second there
I thought you'd been fired
No such luck
Driving home
there was something
I wanted to tell you
Finish that thought
Yes?
Kenny, It's Bob
We're getting another letter
over the teletype from Kruschev
I have a bad feeling
I'll be right there
You're beautiful
It looks like
Fomin was a ploy after all
and they were just stalling for time
It gets worse
Gentlemen
my specialists are in agreement
This morning's letter is not Kruschev
Last night's letter was
The evidence supports
only one conclusion
There's been a coup
and Kruschev was replaced overnight
Dean?
It does suggest he's been co-opted
by hard-line elements
Which at the end of the day
amounts to the same thing
A puppet Kruschev
and a hard-line Soviet government
pulling the strings
No deal. And the missiles
are almost operational
What if the Soviets have no intention
of honoring this second deal?
The tomorrow
they make another condition
Meanwhile
the quarantine isn't working
and they're completing work
on the missiles sites
Sir, I think we have to issue
pre- invasion orders for our forces
Mr. President
This morning's photography is in
It appears the Soviet have commenced a
crash program to ready their missiles
The first missiles
become operational last night
We expect they'll all be operational
in 36 hours
Then we're out of time
We have to go in
That may not be
as easy as we thought, either
We have confirmation
the Soviets have also deployed
battlefield nuclear weapons to Cuba
FROGS, we call them
Short- range tactical nukes
We don't know whether
they've delegated release authority
to their local commanders
for use on our invasion troops
But the good news is
as of this moment
we know where the FROGS are
and we can target them, too
But the longer we wait
the harder it's going to get
We have no choice
General, issue orders to our forces
to be prepared to execute
the air strikes Monday morning
and the follow-on invasion
according to the schedule thereafter
I'll need the official release orders
on my desk Sunday night
Understood, sir
We need to step up our over flights
finalize our pilots' target folders
in order to carry out the strikes
Permission granted
Yes, sir
Gentlemen
if anybody's got any great ideas
now's the time
Major Anderson
there's a phone call for you
Thank you
Gimme just a second here, guys
This is Major Anderson
Hello? Anyone there?
Major?
Yes, sir
My name's Kenneth O'Donnell
Special Assistant to the President
Major, a few days ago
the President ordered me to...
help him keep control of
what's going on out there
I've been brow-beating pilots
navy guys left and right
to make sure you don't get us here
in Washington into trouble
But you know what?
We're pretty damn good ourselves
at getting into trouble
So instead of riding your ass
I'm just gonna tell you
what's going on here
and let you figure out
how best to help us out up here
Go ahead, sir
Last night, it looked like
we were gonna cut a deal
to get us all out of this mess
Today the Soviets are reneging
We're gonna try
and salvage the situation
but a lot of things
are going wrong today
It's making everyone nervous
If more things go wrong
people will become more nervous
and it will be very hard
to aviod going to war
I'm not sure
what you're trying to tell me, sir
Just my standard line
I've been repeating
to guys like you all week
Don't get shot down
Beyond that
whatever else you can do to help us
I'd appreciate it
Sir
When you're at 72, 000 feet
a million things can go wrong
Is your Oxygen mix right?
Are your cameras gonna freeze up?
Are you leaving a contrail?
Those million things
they're beyond your control, mostly
But...
when you realize that
there's a kind of peace
If you're a good man
and if your ground crew are good men
that is all you can ask for
And with the grace of God
that'll get you through
Are you a religious man?
I am
Good
The plane is missing, Kenny
We are presuming the pilot is dead
It's hard to believe with the Soviet
centralized command structure
that this could have been
an accidental launch
The question is, does this
attack on our plane represent
a definitive intentional escalation
on the part of the Soviets?
Mr. President
taken with the events
of the past few hours
I believe
this confirms our worst fears
We're now dealing with
a hard-line Soviet government
perhaps with Kruschev
as a puppet head, perhaps not
You okay?
Yeah
I'm fine
Mr. President
What now?
A U-2 on a routine
air- sampling mission got lost
and penetrated
Soviet airspace over Siberia
Oh, goddammit
The Soviets scrambled MIG's in pursuit
thinking it was a bomber
It got out okay
Somebody forgot to cancel the mission
There's always some sonofabitch
who doesn't get the word!
This is just what we need
the Soviets thinking
we're bombing them
Anybody else?
Mr. President
our pilots are in danger
We must order punitive air strikes
against the SAM site
that shot down Major Anderson
per our rules of engagement
No
I want confirmation
it wasn't some sort of accident first
Mr. President
Good idea, Mr. President
I can wait a day and half
Be safer for my boys
to get the SAM's on Monday
when we get the rest of the bastards
That's the quarter!
Hey, Dad
Hey, Sport
You winning?
Yeah
Is everything gonna be okay, Dad?
Everything's gonna be fine, Kenny
I guess
you won't be coming home tonight?
I...
Let's got! Second quarter!
It's okay. Go on back to your game
Alright. I'll see you around, Dad
Dammit!
Jesus, Mary and Joseph...
Take off for two hours
you're gonna miss a little drama
I told you how stupid it was
to float that Lippman article
Now you're gonna do it for real?
The Jupiters are obsolete, Kenny
They were supposed to
have been dismantled last summer
I know they're obsolete
That's not the point!
The point is you trade our missiles
in Turkey for theirs in Cuba
they're gonna force us into
trade after trade, until finally
a couple of months from now
they demand something we won't trade
like Berlin
And we do end up in a war
Not to mention that
long before that happens
this administration
will be politically dead
I don't care if this administration
ends up in the freaking toilet
We don't do a deal tonight
there won't be any administration
It's the wrong move, Bobby
and it's not just me who thinks that
Everyone on this so-called EXCOM's
telling you the same thing
Whose side are you on now, Ken?
Oh, goddammit
What if there
hasn't been a coup at all?
What if it's you two?
What is that supposed to mean?
What if it was you two
who invited that second letter by
raising the possibility of a trade?
Mr. President
we have only 30 hours left
and whatever response we send
it'll take several hours
to reach our embassy
and be delievered to the Kremlin
So early tomorrow morning
is the earliest
Kruschev could respond
Which one of you geniuses
is gonna tell me how to
explain it to the world
if we don't make this trade?
So what are we gonna say
to the Soviets
about this offer?
Well, it depends, doesn't it?
Do we really believe
there's been a coup?
What if Fomin wasn't a ploy?
What if his message was real?
What if what is happening
is a series of accidents?
Accidents like them
shooting down our U-2?
Yes. Accidents like that
And the accidents are making the
second letter seem more aggressive
and the whole situation
appear worse than it really is
"The Gun of August"
That's right
So we just reject the second letter?
No
We don't...
reject it
We accept the first letter
and pretend
the second one doesn't exist
It won't work
because that's wishful thinking
Look, he made an offer. So I...
The same wishful thinking, Bobby
that blinded us all these months
while the Soviets were sneaking
those missiles in under our noses
Ignore the second letter
agree to the conditions of the first
There is no reason to believe
the Soviets will let it go
Max is right. Why will they accept it?
It can work
If they believe
we're gonna hit 'em hard
We've got time for one more round
of diplomacy, and that's it
First airstrikes start in 28 hours
But we have to make them agree to it
So how do we do that?
We give them something
We tell them
we'll remove the missiles from Turkey
Hang on
But we don that six months from now
so it appears there's no linkage
We also tell them
if they go public about it
we'll deny it
Right we deny it. The deal's off
And we do it under the table
so we can disavow any knowledge of it
It's transparent, Kenny
The press will be all over it
Six months from now
we're not gonna care, are we?
We'll deal with it then
At the least, it'll expulse
whether Kruschev has been overthrown
We'll know who we're up against
I've been thinking about Kruschev
And if this is a move to appease
the hard-liners in his government
it may be just the bone he needs to
regain control of his own house
Whoever carries the message
has to hit the nail on the head
If we come across as too soft
they'll push us
Too hard, they'll be cornered
and even more dangerous
All of you do understand
that there is an enormous risk
in offering this deal
Because if they turn us down
and we've already told them
that we're coming in on Monday morning
They'll strike first
Yes
Bobby
You know Dobrynin best
Yeah
Then you're it
Ted, I want you
to start working the draft
Bobby, you gotta go in there
and make them understand
that we have to
have an answer tomorrow
Because Monday we go to war
What do you want, a goodbye kiss?
Listen
I'll take care of him
Go on inside, grab some coffee
We'll be back pretty quick
Are you sure?
Sure
What's the matter with you?
Forget how to open a car door?
Jesus!
You rich people
I promised the girls
I'd take them riding tomorrow
Make sure you keep that date
We gave up so much to get here
Sometimes I think
"What the hell did we do it for? "
I don't know about you
but I'm in it for the money
We knew we could do a better job
than everyone else
Remember?
You know, I...
I hate being called the brilliant one
The ruthless one
The guy everybody's afraid of
I hate it
I'm not so smart
I'm not so ruthless
Well, you're right
about the smart part
I don't know if I can do this
There's nobody else I'd rather
have going in there than you
Nobody else I trust
Helen and the kids' lives to
Take a left
You smell that?
They're burning their documents
They think we're going to war
God help us, Ken
Sir, Ambassador Dobrynin is here
He's in your office
I'll whistle up some luck for you
Mr. Ambassador
Thank you for coming
Who are you?
The friend
My brother, my friends
my countrymen, and I
cannot and will not permit
those missiles to become operational
I promise you that
Then I fear our two nations
will go to war
And I fear where war will lead us
If the missiles
do not become operational
if you remove them
there will be no war
At this moment, the President
is accepting the terms of
Secretary Kruschev's letter
of Friday night
If the Soviet Union
halts construction immediately
removes the missiles
and submits to U. N. inspection
the United States
will pledge to never invade Cuba
or aid others in that enterprise
If you Jupiter missiles in Turkey
were removed also
such an accommodation could be reached
That's not possible
The United States cannot agree
to such terms under threat
Any belief to the contrary
was in error
You want war?
However
While there can be no quid pro
on this issue
the United States
can offer a private assurance
Our Jupiter missiles in Turkey
are obsolete
and have been scheduled
for withdrawal for some time
This withdrawal should take place
within six months
Of course, any public disclosure
of this assurance
would negate the deal and produce...
the most stringent denials
from our government
This private assurance...
represents the word
of the Highest Authority?
Yes
And it can be relayed
beyond Comrade Krushcev's ears
to the top circles of my government?
Our pledge can be relayed to
any government officials
Secretary Kruschev sees fit to satisfy
With the caveat that...
it is not to be made public
in any way, shape or form
And we must have an answer tomorrow
at the latest
I cannot stress this point enough
Tomorrow?
Tomorrow
Then you must excuse me
and permit me to relay...
the substance of our discussion
to my superiors
Of course
We've heard stories that
some of your military men wish for war
You are a good man
Your brother is a good man
I assure you there are other good men
Let us hope the will of good men
is enough to counter
the terrible strength of this thing
that was put in motion
What's going to happen?
If the sun comes up tomorrow
it is only because of men of good will
And that's...
all there is between us and the Devil
This is Radio Moscow
Premier Kruschev...
has sent a message
to President Kennedy today
This message re-emphasizes
the need for urgent measures
to prevent a fatal turn of events
and to preserve world peace
In addition to
instructions earlier transmitted
to stop construction work
on installations in Cuba
the Soviet government has ordered
the dismantling of weapons in Cuba
as well as their crating
and return to the Soviet Union
Is everybody ready for church?
It's a beautiful morning
Pass the butter up to Dad
Dad, you want your paper?
Dad, what's wrong?
The sun came up
Every day the sun comes up
says something about us
What does it say, Dad?
What's wrong with Daddy?
This is the foreign policy trophy
we were hoping for
Mr. President
great job
Hold it
Well, Mr. President
I think I can speak for everyone here
when I say bring on those mid-terms
there's no stopping us now
Four more years! All right!
You know, it's been a long two weeks
Whatever
And I'd like to thank you all
I think you did a great job
I just don't think
we should be gloating too much
It was just as much a victory
for them as it was for us
Hear hear!
Enjoy your morning
Thank you, Mr. President
Get some rest, Mr. President
We've got a lot of new clout right now
We can run the table on Kruschev
the Middle East and Southeast Asia
You're right
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Anderson
I was deeply shocked
when advised your son was lost
in an operational mission on Saturday
October 27th, 1962
Your son rendered distinguished
and dedicated service to his country
throughout his career
He was admired
and respected for his courage
and his professional skill
by all with whom he served
His tragic loss will be deeply felt
and a grateful nation
will be forever in his debt
Ken! We're out here
What kind of a peace do we seek?
I am talking about genuine peace
The kind of peace that
makes life on earth worth living
Not merely peace in our time
but peace in all time
Our problems are man-made
therefor they can be solved by man
For in the final analysis
our most basic common link
is that we all
inhabit this small planet
We all breathe the same air
We all cherish our children's futures