Thirteen Days

This film contains some strong language.

HE GROANS

Hey! What the...? GIGGLING

Who's that? Who grabbed me? Who grabbed me?

Who grabbed me? < BABY CRIES

-Honey, you're gonna be late.

-What did you grab me for?

-Hmm?

-Mom, I can't find my shoes for school!

-BABY CONTINUES CRYING

-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.

-Have you got time for pancakes?

-No.

-Give us another one.

Secretary of Defence.

-Dean Rusk.

-Wrong.

-And you get to wax my car.

-Rusk is State, moron. It's Robert McNamara.

-Attorney General.

-Too easy.

-PHONE RINGS BOTH:

-It's Bobby Kennedy.

OK, wise guys, er, 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. I'm talkin' to you later.

HE WHISTLES

-Morning, Evelyn.

-Hi, Ken.

-Oh...those candies are for the kids.

-Mmm-hmm.

HE CONTINUES WHISTLING

-Morning, Floyd.

-Morning, Mr O'Donnell.

-Morning, Jackie.

-Hi, Kenny.

-Want a schedule?

-No.

Why have you crossed all my people off the list?

You don't have anybody on it who means anything. No votes, no money.

It's a party. The one thing we are sure of is 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 my evening pretending your votes and money are interesting.

-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.

-Well, I'm gonna take this whole list thing up with your friend.

-Are you trying to go around me?

-Round 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.

-I just ran into your wife. Wanna talk about this party?

-No.

You see, er, Homer Capehart's tirade today?

I did. I don't see why he has to invent an issue. He's got his election sewn up.

We should still go out for Bayh. It's good groundwork for us in '64.

I'm looking for that, er... that Vietnam thing.

-About the two planes that went down?

-Yeah.

It didn't make it before press time. I haven't seen the West Coast papers,

but I doubt we'll see anything until tomorrow.

I was eating that.

-No, you weren't.

-I was.

-No, you weren't.

-I was.

I was. Bastard.

-What have we got today?

-Today...

That's it. That's the one we're looking for.

-I need to see the President, Kenny.

-All right.

2.30 to 2.45, or 4.30 to 5.00.

-Take your pick.

-Now, Ken.

Go on up. I'll let him know you're coming.

-Coffee?

-Yeah.

That's not what you said.

-'What did I say? Tell me.'

-That's... Listen to me, you worthless piece of shit!

Now, you will put Daley's man on the circuit today!

You owe your goddamn job to this administration.

-'I'm grateful for that.'

-Yeah. I can hear how grateful you are(!)

There's a word you need to learn. It's the only word in politics.

Loyalty. Loyalty!

-Now, any part of this you don't understand?

-'No.'

-Good.

What? This isn't the Blessed Order of Saint Mary the Meek.

OK, you better come in here.

-What did you say to me the other day about Cuba? That it wasn't important?

-Not for the election.

Can I see that for a second? Let me see that.

You used to look down a bomb sight for a living. Ignore the labels, what does that look like to you?

I don't know. What is it?

Our U-2s took these pictures. The Soviets are putting medium-range ballistic missiles into Cuba.

They appear to be the SS-4. Range of 1,000 miles. Three megaton nuclear warheads.

Seen here in this year's May Day parade in Red Square.

Jesus Christ in heaven.

-Operator.

-Operator.

-White House operator. Mr O'Donnell for Secretary McNamara.

Mr Sorensen, you have a call.

Yeah. White House operator. I've got the President for the Attorney General. What the crap is goin' on?

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 Khrushchev thinking?

Did you have any indication of this from your KGB pal, Bolchekov?

Complete snowjob. We went out and told the country they weren't putting missiles into Cuba.

Jesus. I... I feel like we caught the Jap carrier steaming for Pearl Harbour.

-Morning, gentlemen.

-ALL:

-Good morning, Mr President.

-Mr Secretary.

-Mr President.

-Bob, I thought you had a late night?

-Sleep is for the weak.

-Max.

-Mr President.

The 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.

OK.

-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 indicated 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 MRBNs. Our official estimate at this time

'is that this missile 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 three 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 DC are in range of these weapons.

If they launch, we 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,

degrading our retaliatory options.

The Joint Chiefs' consensus, sir, is that this signals a major doctrinal shift in Soviet thinking

to a first-strike policy.

It is a massively destabilising move.

-How long until they're operational?

-General Taylor can answer that.

GMIC - Guided Missiles Intelligence Committee - estimates 10 to 14 days.

'Crash programme 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.

First reactions. Assuming for now Khrushchev has not gone off the deep end

and intends to start World War III, what are we looking at?

Mr President, I think my team is in agreement.

If we permit nuclear missiles to be in a Soviet satellite nation in our hemisphere,

the diplomatic consequences would be...too terrible to contemplate.

The Russians are trying to show the world they can do whatever they want and we're powerless.

-If they succeed...

-It'll be Munich again.

Yes. Appeasement only makes the aggressor more aggressive.

And the Soviets will be emboldened to push us even harder. We must remove the missiles.

It seems to me the options are some combination of international pressure and action on our part

until they give in, or...we hit them.

An air strike.

Bob?

We've worked up several military scenarios. Before General Taylor

takes us through them, I'd like us to adopt a rule.

If we agree to strike, we must agree now 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...

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'll matter what Khrushchev's intentions are,

I can tell you right now, I don't see any way around hitting them.

If we hit 'em and kill a lot of Russians, they'll move against Berlin. And that's NATO.

-And, then, we're at war.

-If we don't, we're in a war for sure somewhere else in six months.

If there are alternatives that make sense, I'm not saying there are, we need 'em fast.

What about Congress? We may need to let key people know. They're scattered across the country.

-We can get Congress back.

-We need the UN started and warmed up. What about the allies?

We can't start worrying about everything. Worry about what we're gonna do first.

We've got smart guys. Lock 'em in a room and kick 'em in the ass until they come up with solutions.

I'll do it.

It's too politicised with you in there anyway. They need to be able to stick their necks out.

It'll be the principals, a couple of keys guys from each department.

The, er, "Executive Committee of the National Security Council". Call it ExComm.

OK.

I'm only thinking of showing for the meetings that you show me into.

Impress us. Do it fast.

Kenny, you'll be in charge of keeping this thing quiet.

If word gets out before we know what we're gonna do, there'll be panic.

-It'll ruin any chance of surprise if we decide to hit them.

-We 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.

-Meet there later,

we'll figure out some way to sneak you back in tonight.

I think we should bring in Dean Acheson.

Ken, he was fighting Soviets while we were still at school.

Find him, Kenny.

We're gonna need all the help we can get.

Oh, hell.

MAN LAUGHS

MAN GROANS

Screw secrecy. Try having that fat ass on your lap all the way from Foggy Bottom.

Excited. I say no more.

Everybody agrees the diplomatic route won't work. They'll have the missiles finished while we talk.

I hear old Warren Harding used to get his girls in through here.

We have 850 planes assembling at Homestead, Eglin, Opa Locka,

MacDill, Patrick, 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.

Jesus. "Peace at any price"? We have a gun to our head.

We have high confidence in the expanded air strike option.

The problem is, sir, it's a short-term solution. Khrushchev can send in more missiles next month.

The Chiefs and I believe we should follow up the air strikes with a full version of OPLAN 316.

-An invasion.

-Yes, sir. We can be sure we get all the missiles and we remove Castro,

-and make sure it never happens again.

-Is this the Joint Chiefs' recommendation?

-Yes, sir.

Our best option would be to commence the strikes before the missiles become operational.

The invasion happens eight days later.

Dean, er...

what do you think?

Gentlemen, for the last 15 years I have fought here at this table

alongside your predecessors in the 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, sir, air strikes followed by invasion,

perhaps preceded by an ultimatum to dismantle the missiles,

-if that is militarily viable.

-So we have three options.

Number one, a surgical air strike against their missiles themselves.

Two, a much larger air strike against their defences,

along with the missiles. And three, invasion.

So, er, 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 least be making those preparations.

We are preparing all three options. I must stress again there are risks to the strikes

-without the follow-on invasion.

-You want to be clear that we've decided against a political track.

Dean, er, how does this all,

how does this all play out?

Your first step, sir, will be to demand that the Soviets withdraw the missiles within 12 to 24 hours.

They 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 honour 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, er...? What is the next step?

Hopefully cooler heads will prevail before we reach the next step.

Thank you, gentlemen.

-HE SIGHS

-What happened in there?

-I thought he was gonna give us his decision.

-They just need to make sure there's no other way.

Remember, Kennedy's father was one of the architects of Munich. There's only one responsible choice.

Let's hope appeasement doesn't run in families. I fear weakness does.

HE GROANS

HE SIGHS

Jesus Christ.

HE LAUGHS

Call me Irish but I don't believe in cooler heads prevailing.

-They think I froze.

-You didn't.

-You did the right thing. You stayed out of the corner.

-You didn't decide.

-Acheson's scenario is just... It's unacceptable.

-He's got more experience than anyone.

-There is no expert. There's no wise old man.

Shit. There's just us.

Well, the thing is, Acheson's right.

Talk alone is not gonna accomplish anything.

Then let's bomb the shit out of 'em.

Everyone wants to. I mean, even you.

Even me.

Right? It sure would feel good.

Now, Jack, I'm as conniving as they come but... a sneak attack is just wrong.

Things are happening too fast. It's like the Bay Of Pigs all over again.

Listening to Taylor and Acheson, I kept seeing Lenitza and Dulles,

telling me all I had to do was sign on the dotted line and the invasion would succeed,

that Castro would be gone.

Just...easy just like that.

HE SIGHS

You know, there's something...

immoral about abandoning your own judgement.

We just can't let this get out of hand.

We're gonna do whatever we have to do to make this come out right.

-I'm gonna stay here tomorrow.

-No, you can't. We talked about this. Your schedule.

The best thing you can do tomorrow is go to Connecticut.

-HE SIGHS

-He's right.

Yeah. Jesus.

BAND PLAYS "NATIONAL EMBLEM MARCH"

Doesn't anyone in Connecticut have to work today?

CHEERING

The full spectrum of air strikes is the minimum response the Joint Chiefs will accept.

No. No. No!

There is more than one option here. If one isn't occurring to us, we haven't thought hard enough.

Sometimes there is only one right choice and you thank God for it.

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 favourites(!)

-That's naive. This is the real world.

-You know that better than anybody.

-You weren't so ethically particular

when we talked about options for removing 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 take out the missiles, lots of drawbacks.

The scenario calls for a blockade of Cuba.

-CAMERA CLICKS

-'It's worse than we thought.'

We now count 40 missiles. 40 missiles.

Longer range. IRBMs.

They could hit every place in the country except Seattle.

Mr President, you give me the order right now,

my planes will be ready to carry out the air strikes in three days.

All you gotta do is say, "Go," my boys will get those Red bastards.

General, how long until the army's ready?

We've just begun the mobilisation under cover of an exercise. A 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?

-I believe it is the only course.

America is in danger. Those missiles are a threat to our bomber bases and the safety of our nuclear deterrent.

Without it, there's nothing to keep the enemy from choosing general nuclear war.

It's our duty, sir, 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 prevent those missiles from ever 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 if launched,

those 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 about 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.

I suspect that many of our own citizens might 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 haven't noticed, you're in it with me.

Now, 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 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?

No, they're gonna do something, 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 take a look for that big Red dog(!)

-Thanks, Bob.

I was hoping LeMay pushed you cos I was ready to knock that son of a bitch across the room.

We knew it was coming. Those brass-heads have an advantage. If we do what they want,

none of us will be alive to tell them they were wrong.

Mr President, we need to go over what you'll say.

-Gromyko will be on his way.

-There's no sign they know we know about the missiles.

-Keep it that way.

< CHATTERING

-Kenny.

-I'll be right there.

I'm getting funny questions from the guys.

Yeah? What sort?

About military exercises. To do my job, I need to know what's going on.

-Military exercises?

-Yeah. Military exercises.

I haven't heard anything about it. Ask Bundy.

I did. He said to ask you.

Mr Gromyko, this way, please! What are your hopes?

-Give us a statement.

-Pleasure to be here.

-Robert. Hue, how are you?

-Good.

-Excuse me, Joan. Tell me about this military exercise that's going on in Puerto Rico.

-What?!

It's called, er... Ortsac, I believe. Castro spelt backwards.

-Ortsac, I... I don't know what you're talking about.

-Me either.

-Why?

-Because maybe the President and Gromyko are gonna talk about it.

-Don't try and drum something up.

This meeting's been on the books for months.

It's just a friendly talk on US-Soviet relations.

-Mr President!

-Mr President!

All right, hold it, fellas. Hold it. You'll get your picture.

Does it?

Mmm-hmm.

I'll be damned.

Kinda simple for the Pentagon.

Mr Ambassador!

A comment, sir.

-Mr Gromyko, thank you for coming.

-Hold on, guys. One minute.

Gentlemen, would you mind shaking hands?

So that there should be no misunderstanding of the position of the United States,

which has been made clear by the Attorney General to Ambassador Dobrynin,

I shall read from my statement to the press dated September 13th.

"Should missiles or offensive weapons be placed in Cuba,

"it would present the gravest threat to US national security."

As Premier Khrushchev's own statement of September 13th assured you,

our assistance to Cuba is of a defensive nature only.

So I do 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.

-It was a pleasure.

CHATTERING OUTSIDE DOOR

What happened?

Lying bastard. Lied right to my face.

We're split down the middle. If I held a vote, air strike would beat blockade by a vote or two.

I want a consensus. 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?

If we go into this split, the Russians will know it.

-They'll know it and they'll use it against us.

-Have you cancelled Chicago yet?

-If you don't show for Chicago, everyone will know.

-Cancel it.

-Forget it.

I'm not calling and cancelling on Daley.

You call and cancel on Daley.

-You're scared to cancel on Daley.

-You're damn right.

-Well, I'm not.

-Oh.

Watch this.

-Welcome to Chicago, Mr President.

-I wouldn't miss this for the world.

Let's go.

Tonight you'll experience some true Mid-West...

-What goin' on? They're hounding me about troop movements in Florida.

-What are you telling 'em?

-The truth.

-Am I out of the loop on something?

-No.

Tell them you've looked into it and all it is is an exercise.

-Oh, and, Pierre, tomorrow the President may have a cold.

-A what?

-A cold.

Mr O'Donnell.

Kenny, do I get any input around here?

Yeah. Erm...

How bad it is, is up to you.

There are major rail disruptions in the south? Two airborne divisions are on alert.

Sounds like that exercise is an invasion.

-You know how Bobby has it in for Mississippi.

-We're invading Cuba.

Damn it, we are not invading Cuba.

Are you crazy? Nobody gives a rat's ass about Cuba. Not now, not ever.

If you print something like that, it'll inflame the situation.

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.

I won't print anything until I get another source. But I'll get one.

-Bobby.

-'We've got a consensus for a blockade.

'But it won't last past tomorrow. Bring him back.

-'By the way, China invaded India today.'

-You're kidding.

-'Aren't you?'

-I wish I were. Galbraith's handling it.

-'It makes you wonder what's coming next.'

-What is it about the free world that pisses the rest off?

-I don't know. We have Tupperware parties(?)

-Maybe.

-I'll see you tomorrow.

-'OK.'

The President has a cold. He's cancelling the remainder of this trip on the advice of his doctor.

-President Kennedy!

-CHATTERING AND SHOUTING

Mr President, our deliberations have led us to the conclusion

that a blockade of offensive weapons to Cuba is our best option.

A show of support from the Organisation of American States would give us legitimacy.

A blockade is 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. SNIGGERING

There are between 20 and 30 Soviet ships on their way to Cuba.

'800 miles out, the Navy will board them and any vessels containing weapons will be turned back.

'A quarantine prevents any more missiles from reaching Cuba.'

It doesn't remove the missiles already there. It gives the Soviets a chance to pull back without a war.

If they refuse, we retain the option to strike and invade.

A sneak attack would be counter to what the United States stand for. It leaves us no room for manoeuvre.

And the inevitable Soviet response would lead us into a war.

Mr President, there are still those of us who want the strikes.

With a blockade, we lose strategic surprise and run the risks

of the Soviets launching a first strike if they decide to use the missiles or lose them.

So quarantine or air strike.

-There, er, there is a third option.

->

With either course, we undertake the risk of nuclear war.

So it seems to me 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 Thant.

U Thant then raises it at the UN.

I don't think that's possible, Adlai.

I've not yet made my decision. I'll ask the networks for airtime on Monday night.

We'll announce our course of action then.

Ted, I want you to get working on speeches for both quarantine and air strike.

Thank you for all your advice, gentlemen.

Did you hear Adlai? Jesus, you'd think nobody learned anything from World War II.

-He had to say it. Respect Adlai to have the guts to look like an appeaser.

-We have to pull him.

He is not gonna handle the Soviets in front of the UN.

We've got bigger problems.

-Ladies?

-No, thank you.

BALLROOM MUSIC PLAYS

Honey, I'll be right back.

-Adlai.

-Ah...

I just can't seem to get away from you guys.

-Escaping for a night on the town, eh?

-As DC's most popular playboy,

the President thought my presence would be sorely missed. So...

in the interests 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 all right.

And, 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.

Sorensen can lean on Reston but you'll have to call Orville Dryfoos. The publisher makes this decision.

All right. Thanks, Kenny.

Yes, sir. I understand. But we held on the Bay Of Pigs. It was the biggest mistake of my life.

Orville, I'm asking you to hold the story until I present our course of action on Monday night.

All right. But I need a reason for my boys. They'll be screaming for my head on a plate.

You tell 'em this. That they'll be saving lives, including their own.

-HE SIGHS

-Yes, Mr President.

CHOIR SINGS "VIRGA JESSE FLORUIT"

-How many congressmen have not responded yet?

-14.

-Boggs is in the Gulf fishing?

-'Yes, sir.'

-I thought he was campaigning?

-'He's not gone for long.'

-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 can get all the missiles we know about.

-We can get better than 90% of them.

I'll brief the Congressional Leadership tomorrow at 5.00.

At seven o'clock, all United States armed forces worldwide will stand up to DEFCON 3.

I have a brief statement to make.

President Kennedy will address the nation tonight on radio and television

on the subject of the highest national urgency. He has requested airtime on all networks for 7pm.

I am not willing to support anything but the toughest...!

Congress will not give you that support.

If they want this goddamn job, they can have it.

Mr President, here's the speech. I made those changes.

-I need a minute.

-Kenny, no.

-A minute.

I don't want a goddamn pep talk. You're not Harvard quarterback now.

-We're on the brink here. They won't second-guess me into World War III.

-What did you think they would do?

Offer you unconditional support? Kiss your Catholic ass?

They don't even think we deserve to be here.

-What in the hell do you think?

-We haven't been impressive today. They've got reason to question us.

-What do you want?

-I want you to sit down.

-I'm not gonna.

I want you to sit down, loosen your tie, take a minute...

-I haven't got a minute.

-You're the President of the United States.

They can wait for you.

HE SIGHS

Well, why not?

HE LAUGHS

-Well, things can't get much worse.

-I don't know. We could have to go to Linden's ranch again as cowboys.

HE LAUGHS

Shoot deer out the back of his convertible.

That was a bad day.

You know, I thought there'd be...

more good days.

You know, back when we were in the wards,

that 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, er...

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.

Are you sleepin'?

No, not much.

I slept last night though, you know.

And, jeez, I...

When I woke up I just, er...

Somehow I'd forgotten all this had happened.

You know, then, of course, I remembered.

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 goin' on TV.

You know, maybe the American people will go with me.

Even if their, er...

elected representatives won't.

You wear somethin' nice for the TV.

Make sure Jackie picks it.

Excuse me.

-Oh, right. Thanks. Thanks.

-OK, 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 in the defence 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 offensive military equipment

on shipment to Cuba is being initiated. All ships bound for Cuba, from whatever nation or port

will, if found to contain offensive weapons, be turned back.

Second, I have directed the continued and increased close surveillance of this 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 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.

-Yeah, well, 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 strike version.

I wasn't able to write it, Kenny.

It's kinda 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 recognises the fundamental right

-of freedom of the seas..."

-This is horse shit.

-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 it.

..Which is exactly what they appear to be preparing to do.

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 tomorrow.

If the ships do not stop, what are our rules of engagement?

Russian-speaking personnel have been transferred to all our ships.

When the quarantine takes place, our ships will attempt to make radio contact with them.

'They will be ordered to stand by for inspection. We search the vessel.

'If weapons are found, the ship will be ordered out of quarantine.'

Or if they refuse, they'll be towed into the nearest port.

What happens if the ship doesn't stop or want to be towed?

-We fire a warning shot across its bow.

-And if it ignores that?

-We fire at its rudder, disable it and carry on our inspection.

-No shooting without my explicit orders.

Is that understood?

-Yes, sir.

-Well, Admiral, it looks like it's up to the Navy.

-The Navy won't let you down, sir.

-There's one other thing.

-We're commencing low-level photography runs over Cuba.

-It'll be more detailed than before.

We will be able firm up our estimates of the missiles' readiness

-and develop target packages for strikes, if you order them.

-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 thunder that can respond within minutes.

I got a bad feeling about what's going on in there.

-I'm taking charge of the blockade from the situation room.

-Good.

-McNamara will set up shop at the Pentagon to watch them.

-Good.

-Armed boarders climbing on Soviet ships with shots being fired across bows...

-I know.

-Low-level flights?

-We need them. They start in an hour.

-An hour. Do you realise what you're letting yourself in for?

The minute that first missile becomes operational, we gotta go in.

Castro's on alert and we're flying attack planes over their sites.

-They won't know they're not carrying bombs.

-Goddammit!

They'll be shot at.

I'm your political advisor. I'm giving you a political analysis here.

This...this is a set-up. The Chiefs wanna go in.

They need to redeem themselves for the Bay Of Pigs. They gotta go in this time to do it right.

I'm gonna protect those pilots.

They're boxing us in with these rules of engagement. If you agree to them and one of our planes is knocked down

or one of the ships won't stop, the Chiefs will have us by the balls

and will force us to start shooting.

They want a war, Jack, and are arranging 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 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.

We'll have to triple check everything the Chiefs say with the guys who have to do it.

Nobody is to know about this but Bobby. I need control over what happens out there.

If things aren't as advertised, you'll make sure they come out how I want.

-It'll...

-Starting with this low-level flight thing.

It'll be tough. You know how they are about chains of command.

Tell them those chains of command end at one place. Me.

-Go ahead, sir.

-Yes?

Speak up, lady. I can't hear you. I got a train to catch.

-That's the one.

-Mr O'Donnell.

-What's her name?

-Margaret.

Margaret.

Give me a break. I'm doing the best I can. 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 talkin' about? I told you, sir. You're outta here.

PHONE RINGS

-<

-Ready room.

-Skipper, what are you doin'?

-Lookin' out the door.

-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 President's instructed me'

to pass along an order. You are not to get shot down.

Er...we'll do our best, sir.

I don't think you understand. 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, but you and your men are not to be shot at, fired at or launched upon.

Excuse me, sir, what the hell is going on here?

If you are fired on, the President will be forced to attack.

'He doesn't want to have to do that.'

It's important he doesn't or things could go...badly out of control.

What about my men? We don't have anybody to protect us. I'll be writing letters home to parents.

If the President protects you, he may have to do it with the bomb.

Now, I've known the man for 15 years, the problem is he will protect you.

So I'm asking, don't make him protect you. Don't get shot at.

OK, Mr O'Donnell, we'll do what we can.

I know you will.

Good luck, guys.

Stay close.

Hey, Joey.

-See ya, Joey.

-Thanks, Joey.

Ready to go, Jeremy?

-Hey, Bruce.

-Yeah, Skipper?

-Never mind. Just do what I do. Hand signs only?

-Gotcha.

-Ready to go!

-Good luck, Skipper.

THEY SPEAK RUSSIAN

Ho-ho, man! Shit, did you see it?

Wuh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

-You were lucky, Skipper.

-Damn sparrows.

-Must have been migrating.

-Sparrows?

-Probably hit a couple of hundred of 'em. How many did you hit, Bruce?

-Sparrows?

-A few, I guess.

-These, er, 20mm or 40mm 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.

I'm to deliver the film for the Pentagon personally. What's going on?

The Chiefs must wanna talk to you.

-They're gonna wanna 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,

'I'm asking you to look through at 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. Sir.

-Have a seat.

-Now, 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. We need this one.

-Don'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 get me the vote and make it unanimous.

-Mr President,

-the Organisation of American States hasn't had...

-Unanimous, Dean.

Ahora le pregunto el consejo si aprueba la resolucion de Borgo a la quarantina de Cuba.

Quienes aprueben, por favor?

En contra?

La resolucion esta aprobada por 19 votos confirmados.

In accordance with this afternoon's vote of the Organisation of American States,

the quarantine will hereby be effective as of ten o'clock tomorrow morning.

'At 8am this morning, the United States detonated a hydrogen bomb

'above Johnson Island in the South Pacific.

'It was condemned by the Soviet Union who called for denouncement

'of the United States for bringing the world to the brink of destruction...'

-Who the hell authorised this? What will this say to the Russians?

-They look warlike?

We're lighting off nuclear weapons like it's our own Fourth of July.

We should have brought in the Atomic Energy Commission and talked.

You know, looked at these tests a little harder before giving the go-ahead.

-You know, last summer I read a book. The Guns Of August.

-Mmm...

I wish every man on that blockade line had read that book. World War I - 13 million killed.

Both sides' militaries believed they were so highly attuned to one another's movements

they could predict one another's intentions, but their theories were based on the last war.

The world of technology had changed and the lessons were not valid.

But it was all they knew so the order went out.

They couldn't be rescinded.

Your man in the field, their wives at home, couldn't even tell you why their lives are 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.

Then they fire their missiles.

And we fire ours.

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 to turn it off.

'What's happened?'

Nothing. Nothing you don't already know about. Just have the car ready to go in case I call...

and the civil defence warning comes on.

'What happens to you?'

I'm not leaving without you.

I'll be evacuated with the President.

SHE SIGHS

Great(!)

Right.

While you're under a rock somewhere what am I supposed to do...

-Honey.

-..with our five children?

Honey, we're not gonna let it come to that.

Mmm. Mmm.

Jack and Bobby, they're... they're smart guys.

You're smart too.

Not like them.

Hi, Ken.

Helen just asked me what sort of arrangements we have for the families.

Yeah. I just checked that myself. They're being issued identity cards.

When the call comes, evacuation officers meet them at prearranged departure areas.

They go by helicopter to Mount Weather, we meet them there.

Of 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 and be with him.

You know those pictures upstairs?

The pictures of Lincoln.

He looked so old near the end.

When we got here I said, "It's not gonna happen to us."

HE LAUGHS We were too young.

-Why don't you go home tonight?

-Hmm?

Go on home.

Nah, it's...too much trouble to get the car.

We can get your car in 15 minutes.

-No.

-Go ahead.

No. I...

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.

Paper?

Yeah, thanks.

Here you are, sir.

-Gentlemen, can you hear me?

-Yeah.

-Yes, we hear you fine.

I've got one minute till ten here.

'The quarantine commences in one minute.'

No sign of them stopping.

Sir.

Quarantine is now in effect.

And it looks like our first customers are the Gagarin and the Kimovsk.

Chief, I've got something at 030.

XO, take a look at this.

New contact, Skipper.

What have we got?

A Russian sub.

General Quarters! All hands, man your battle stations!

Tracked at 231, correlates our submarine at 9,000 yards.

SONAR PINGS

It's protecting the freighters.

Bob, is there any way we can avoid stopping the submarine first?

I'm afraid not, Mr President. The sub is positioned between the Pierce and the Soviet ships.

'Admiral Anderson insists it's a risk to stop the freighters.

'The Pierce would be a sitting duck.'

Put me through to the Pierce.

Admiral Anderson, the President wishes to speak directly to the captain of the Pierce. Problem?

No, it isn't, sir.

He's putting you through.

Sir, I'm patching you through to the bridge.

-This is the captain of the Pierce.

-This is the President speaking.

-Mr President.

-Is there any way to 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 will 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.

-Aye, sir.

-Prepare to launch as rocket.

-Aye, sir.

What are they up to?

They're slowin' down.

Mr Secretary.

-Receiving reports the Russian ships appear to be stopping.

-Mr President.

-'Reports are coming into the Pentagon that the ships appear to be stopping.'

-Belay that order.

-Hold your fire!

-Bob?

-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?'

-What's happening?!

-Yes, sir. They are stopping.

-CHEERING

-Mr President,

reports are coming in from all around - the ships are stopping!

-Some are turning round!

-Some are turning around!

We went eyeball to eyeball and I think the other fella just blinked.

Yes, sir. We have that information.

Mr President. 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.

Well, it's a, er... It's a mistake.

-They must not have gotten their orders yet. Let 'em go.

-Unlikely, Bobby.

We've been monitoring transmissions from the Gagarin and Kimovsk. Their radios are working just fine.

One ship, an accident, maybe.

Six, Mr President, this is intentional.

-'Mr President, let 'em go.'

-We're still here, Bob.

'Four of the six continuing ships are still a day away from the line.'

They've stopped the ones we suspect have weapons aboard. It would look bad shooting up baby food.

It sure as shit would.

Captain, 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 warships on the sea lanes leading to Cuba.

Find out how close our exercises are coming to their anti-ship missiles!

'Goddammit! How the hell did this happen?!'

I'm gonna have Power's head on a platter next to LeMay's!

Kenny, did you hear me give the order to go to DEFCON two? Cos I remember DEFCON three

but, er, I must be suffering from amnesia.

-I've just been informed our nuclear forces are at DEFCON 2.

-The orders were limited

to our strategic forces on the continent of the United States.

-General LeMay is right. 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 one.

General, the Joint Chiefs have just signalled our intent to escalate to the Soviets.

You signalled an escalation which I had no wish to signal and which I did not approve.

-Just...get outta here, Max.

-Yes, sir.

-Rescind the order. Put Nitze, Gilpatric and the under secretaries in charge.

-No.

-We can!

-We can't fire them! Our invasion would look like a bluff.

Or even worse, that there's been an attempted coup.

(Jesus.)

HE SIGHS

Give me a couple of minutes alone with Bobby.

Just...try this on for size. We get a hold of Walter Lippman.

'We leak the idea of pulling our Jupiter missiles out of Turkey

'if the Soviets pull their missiles out of Cuba.'

-Act through the UN!

-KK must talk!

It's the arms race, not the human race...!

CROWD CHANTS

-Kenny.

-Mac.

-What did you think of the Lippman column this morning?

-I think it's a bad idea.

-Thank God. We trade away our missiles in Turkey, we're dead politically.

We know it was Jack and Bobby's idea. They leaked it. The military guys are going ape.

-They should speak up.

-Christ. It's not that easy.

-It is.

They don't trust these people. These people are right.

The Kennedys are wrong. They'll listen to you. Jack and Bobby...

-The President of the United States and the Attorney General!

-They're good but it takes moral toughness.

Listen to me.

You're in the White House right now because of the Kennedys. Now, they may be wrong, they make mistakes

-but they are not weak. The weak are these people who can't speak their own minds.

-I don't mean that.

No, they just lack a "moral toughness". Jesus Christ, Mac!

You think I'll play your Judas for you.

You've never understood us, your kind. We've fought each other our whole lives.

Nobody plays us off against each other and nobody ever, EVER gets between us!

-It's a goddamn trial balloon, Kenny.

-Somebody better publicly deny it.

There's only one way the world's gonna read this.

-We sell out one of our own friends for our own safety.

-Agh!

Exactly.

Jesus Christ. They're just...killing us.

HE SPEAKS RUSSIAN

-TRANSLATOR:

-..And enter into negotiations

'in order to normalise this confrontation and avert the threat of a world war...'

What is it that Sun Tzu says?

"War is a moral contest and they're won at the temples before they're ever fought."

'..Enormous danger for all mankind, 'which exists at this moment...'

It's right here. This is where we turn it around. You call Adlai.

Tell him to stick it to this son of a bitch!

HE SPEAKS SPANISH

-TRANSLATION:

-'The US believes that with the 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 to force a country to surrender due to hunger?'

-Am I still on hold here?

They're trying to find him right now.

Adlai's too weak. We have to convince Jack to pull him.

-You can't take him out this late in the game.

-Zorin will eat him alive.

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?

-Your father would have done that.

My father?

I'm just trying to make a point. This idea is that fucking bad.

Adlai can handle Zorin. He knows the inning, he knows the score.

He better. Cos nobody believes he's up to this. Nobody.

-'Yes?'

-Adlai.

-'Yes.'

-It's Ken. How are you doin'?

'Busy, Ken. What do you need?'

The President told me to pass a word to you. "Stick it to them."

I hear you.

I'm glad it's you calling. I... I thought it would be Bobby.

Adlai, the world has to know we're right.

To have a chance at a political solution, we need international pressure.

You've 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 one life left.'

-I know you do.

See you, Ken.

Bobby.

MAN SPEAKS ROMANIAN

-TRANSLATION:

-We call upon the world to condemn this American provocation.

We, the people of Romania, stand in solidarity

with the people of the Republic of Cuba

and the revolution in the face of this American threat to world peace.

Thank you, Mr Chairman.

HE SPEAKS RUSSIAN

-TRANSLATION:

-We're very glad that You could join us, Mr Stevenson.

HE SPEAKS RUSSIAN

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.

HE SPEAKS RUSSIAN

The people of the whole world want to know why.

HE SPEAKS RUSSIAN

We are told again and again

about incontrovertible evidence of offensive weapons in Cuba.

-HE SPEAKS RUSSIAN

-But...no evidence, er...

can be shown to us.

HE SPEAKS RUSSIAN

Perhaps your spy planes are so secret

that you're simply incapable to, er, present such evidence. Some planes(!)

I make the call. Adlai is out. McCloy goes in.

-Let's just hope it doesn't come to that.

-We don't have such evidence.

HE SPEAKS RUSSIAN

Perhaps the United States of America is simply mistaken.

Huh?

HE SPEAKS RUSSIAN

Yes, the United States does not have any facts in hands, only falsifications.

-False evidence.

-Get ready to send your staffer in.

He'll be coming out.

The Chair recognises 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.

-The Soviet Union has created this new danger.

-Come on, Adlai.

Not the United States.

Mr Zorin, I remind you, the other day

you did not deny the existence of these weapons, but today, again, if I have heard you correctly,

you now say they do not exist.

-All right, let me ask you one simple question.

-Adlai, don't let him off.

Do you, Ambassador Zorin, deny that the USSR has placed

and is placing medium and intermediate-range missiles inside Cuba?

Yes or no? Don't wait for the translation. Yes or no?

Yeah.

LAUGHTER

HE SPEAKS RUSSIAN

I am not in the American courtroom

and I do not wish to respond to questions...

to the questions, that a prosecutor would, er,

put to the defendant.

You will get all the answers to your questions as this session progresses.

You are in a courtroom of world opinion and you can answer yes or no.

If you have denied they exist, I want to know if I have understood you correctly.

HE SPEAKS RUSSIAN

Continue, continue your statement. You will get your answers in due course.

Don't worry. Don't worry.

LAUGHTER

I am prepared to wait for my answer until hell freezes over if that's your decision.

LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE

-John, I'll get back to you.

-I'm also prepared to present the evidence in this room,

proving to you that the Soviet Union has lied to the world.

HE SPEAKS RUSSIAN

If you have decided not to continue your statement,

the chair recognises the representative from Chile.

I yield my time on the floor to the representative from the United States.

Well, then, ladies and gentlemen,

since it appears we'll be here for a while,

shall we have a look at what the Soviets are doing in Cuba?

May we have the presentation, please?

-Now, ladies and gentlemen, if you'll observe, photograph A...

-Yeah. Yeah.

Ha-ha-ha!

-..Taken approximately...

-Well, Adlai had it in him after all.

Zorin must not have gotten instructions. Somebody in their foreign ministry's blown it big time.

October 14th, in the photograph taken then, there are at least three missile sites being constructed.

The ship is called the Grozny.

'We lost track of it yesterday after nightfall.

We thought we gave room when we moved the quarantine line back.

But 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?'

Hail them again.

I want you to try them again.

HE SIGHS

We are kidding ourselves.

New co-ordinates for the Pierce.

Pierce co-ordinates. 25 degrees, 30 minutes north. 78 degrees, ten minutes west.

HE SPEAKS RUSSIAN

-RUSSIAN REPEATED

-Not responding, Chief.

-Tell the skipper.

-They're not responding, sir.

'General quarters. All hands, man your battle stations.'

SIREN WAILS

-Very well. Load your guns.

-Guns are loaded, sir.

What was that, Admiral?

-We've been hailing the Grozny for the last hour. It refuses to stop.

-What are you doing?

-Carrying out our mission. Now if you don't mind, we're busy. We need 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. Yes...you may proceed, Captain.

-Clear your guns.

-What?

-Damn it. Stop that firing.

-What?

-Stop that firing!

-Cease fire. Cease fire.

-God help us.

-The ship was firing star shells.

-What?

-Flares, Mr Secretary!

Goddammit! I've got a job to do here!

You've camped here since Monday night. You're tired, exhausted and are making mistakes.

You interfere with me and you will get some of my men killed. I will not allow that!

-Star shells.

-Get out of my way.

The Navy's run blockades since the days of John Paul Jones!

The President made it clear that there would be no firing on ships

-without his express permission.

-With all due respect,

-we are not firing on that ship.

-What the hell was that?!

-Firing on it means attacking it.

We were firing over that ship!

This was not the President's intention!

What if the Soviets don't make the same distinction? What if they make the same mistake I just made?

There will be no firing anything at any Soviet ship without my express permission. Understood?

Is it?!

-Yes, sir.

-And I will only order such instructions when ordered to by the President.

John Paul Jones!

You don't understand a thing, do you, Admiral?

This isn't a blockade! This is language. A new vocabulary.

The likes of which the world has never seen!

This is President Kennedy communicating with Secretary Khrushchev!

-Who the hell authorised this missile test?

-Who do you think? What will it communicate to the Soviet?

Communicate with the Soviets? We can't communicate with the Pentagon.

It's just across the goddamn river.

-They think you're afraid of them.

-I'm not taking that bait. The right move is to move on.

'This is the United States destroyer, Joseph P Kennedy.'

MAN SPEAKS RUSSIAN

'This is the point at which we are concerned that there might be shooting among the ships at sea,'

the possibility that invasion might have to be undertaken to assure that those bases are eliminated.

If invasion is undertaken, the Russians have said they would retaliate with rocket fire.

'We have said if there is rocket fire from Cuba, we will retaliate and there goes the whole ball game.'

-Kenny.

-What's this?

Can anyone just walk in here now?

-Don't worry. I'm not here to do an interview.

-You've got the wrong door.

-We need to see the President.

Something's happened.

I have lunch with him maybe once a month. He acts like he knows Khrushchev personally

but he's never elaborated.

-I've used him for a few sources.

-The FBI has identified this Alexander Fulman as the Soviet Resident.

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 got it. My goddamn next door neighbour.

So they'll remove the missiles and we'll pledge not to invade Cuba

or destabilise Castro or assist anyone planning to do so.

I think this may be our first real message from Khrushchev.

-The alternative is that this could be a trap.

-And how is that exactly?

Dangle a settlement. Tie us down to negotiation.

Why else would they approach us this way?

It's deniable. The Soviets have done nothing but lie to us. This could be more of the same.

That may be why Kruschev's introducing this guy.

We've 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 know who Fulman speaks for.

It could be Kruschev, it could be some faction

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 meeting him 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, John.

Sir, we don't have much time to play out back-channel communiques.

HE SIGHS

Kenny.

I need you to get over to your old stomping grounds and go through everything the FBI has on Fulman.

I need your best call. Is he legit and speaking for Khrushchev?

All right. So what we got here is this guy Alexander Feklisov, aka Alexander Fulman.

Declared consul to the Soviet embassy but in reality the KGB poppa spy.

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 that we got on Poppa Spy.

How do you become the KGB top spy in the United States?

-You gotta know someone.

-You gotta know someone.

So politics is politics.

Walter, get me Khrushchev'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 home town. They, er, went to different schools.

-Right.

So if they were gonna meet, they should have met here.

-I think they could have met.

-No.

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.

Well, real life usually is, Walter.

They know each other. Khrushchev and Fulman were war buddies.

-You're sure?

-We've got good circumstantial evidence.

What's your instinct? I gotta move on this.

My gut's telling me that Khrushchev's turning to a trusted old friend to carry his message.

OK. We're going.

I've been instructed to tell you that the American government

would respond favourably to the offer you have discussed. If such a solution were raised at the UN,

it would find a favourable 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 UN must be allowed to inspect the removal of the missiles.

The UN must also be allowed to observe the redeployment 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.

Hoo-hoo...

I'll see what I can do.

It's difficult to make a decision from this document.

-It looks to me like Fulman's overture is genuine.

-It's a big "if".

-He's saying it right here.

He'll remove the missiles in return for a "no-invasion" pledge.

Mr President, our early analysis is that this probably was written by Khrushchev himself.

It shows no signs of being polished by the foreign ministry.

In fact, it probably wasn't approved by the Politburo.

The analysts say it was written by someone under considerable stress.

-Glad to know we're not alone.

-LAUGHTER

Well, it never was my intention to invade Cuba anyway.

But they put the missiles in there.

Er, 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.

Are you flirting with me?

We got a back-channel communication from Khrushchev 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.

You know, I'm drivin' home...

There was something I wanted to tell you.

PHONE RINGS

HE SIGHS

Finish that thought?

-Yes.

-'Kenny, it's Bob.

-'We're getting another letter from Khrushchev. I have a bad feeling.'

-I'll be right there.

You're beautiful.

BABY CRIES

Fulman 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 Khrushchev. Last night's letter was.

The evidence supports only one conclusion. There's been a coup and Khrushchev was replaced.

-Dean?

-At the very least, it does suggest he's been co-opted by hardline elements.

It amounts to the same thing. A puppet Khrushchev and a hardline Soviet government pulling strings.

No deal and the missiles are almost operational.

What if the Soviets have no intention of honouring this deal? Then they make another condition.

Meanwhile, the quarantine isn't working and they're completing work on the missile sites.

-Sir, I think we have to order pre-invasion orders for our forces.

-Mr President.

->

This morning's photography is in.

It appears the Soviets have commenced a crash programme to ready their missiles.

The first missiles became operational last night.