missiles of october (teleplay)

8/10/2019 Missiles of October (teleplay)

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T H E M I S S I L E S O F O C T O B E R

________________________________________

Stanley R. Greenberg

VIACOM E NTE RP RIS E S 1974 FI NAL DR AFT


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"MIS SILE S OF OCTOBE R" Sta nley R. G reenberg P ROLOG UE 1 1

PROLOGUE

1 SOUNDSTAGE

L arge and d im ly l i t . On it ar e the shapes and form sof men and scenery; sil houettes, mysteri es andr eal i ti es yet t o be r eveal ed .

NARRATIONThis is the sta ge on w hich w e will drama tize thirteen day s in wh ich th e world ca meto the brink of nuclear w a r. The na mes we use a re rea l. The action is based uponth e historica l record a s dra w n from reporta ge, academic studies, eyew itness a ccountsa nd official documents. 1962. The President of the United St a tes, J ohn Fitzgera ldKennedy:

2 OVAL OFFICEWHITE HOUSE

J FK [P RESIDE NT]All American s, a s w ell as a ll our friend s in t his hemisph ere, have been concernedover the recent moves of the Soviet U nion t o bolster th e milita ry power of the Ca stroregime in Cuba . I t cont inues to be the policy of the Unit ed Sta tes tha t Cuba w ill notbe allowed to export it s a ggressive purposes by force or the th rea t of force. Cuba w illbe prevented by wha tever mea ns ma y be necessary from ta king action a gainst a nypar t of the Western H emisphere.

3 KREMLINSOVIET UNION

KHRUSHCHEV [SOVIET PREMIERE]The weapons and m ilita ry equipment sent by t he US SR t o Cuba a re designedexclusively for defensive purposes an d t he P resident of th e Un ited St a tes knowsw ha t these mean s of defense a re. How ca n they th reat en the United Sta tes? No, youha ve invented this threat . I t is not the weapons you fear, it is the revolutiona ryspirit .


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" MISS ILE S OF OCTOBE R" St a nley R. G reenberg ONE 4 2

DAY ONE

Tuesday, October 16th

4 CORRIDORWHITE HOUSEMCGEORGE BU NDY [N at ional Secur i ty Asst. ] iswal ki ng swi ft l y along a White H ouse cor r i dor.

NARRATIONSpecial Advisor t o the P resident , McGeorge B undy.

(Bund y reaches a door and enter s.)

5 DINING ROOMWHITE HOUSE

J FK [Presid ent] is sit t i ng at t he table eati ngbr eak fast, read i ng newspaper s. H e bar el y glances upat Bundy.

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]G ood morning, Mr. P resident.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Did you read wha t E isenhower said about me yesterday ?

(reads fr om th e newspaper )'P resident Kennedy's record of th e past tw enty-one mont hs is too sad t o ta lk a bout. 'Ima gine Ike saying a thing like tha t a bout mea nd in B oston. Ha ve some coffee,

Mac...

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]No, tha nk you. Mr. P resident. . .

J FK [P RESIDE NT](cont in ui ng wi th t he newspaper )

J a mes Meredith, first Negro student a t Mississipppi, at tended classes for t he thirdda y. . .a nd for the first t ime heard n o jeers. . .

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT](more ur gent l y)

Mr. P resident , w e've received ha rd evidence tha t th e Russians ha ve pla ced offensiveweapons in Cuba .

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Wha t kind of weapons?

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]Nuclear missiles.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]What's your evidence?


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BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]Aeria l photogra phs from th e U-2 flight of October 14. They sh ow missileinsta llations being const ructed in at lea st four places in C uba.. .

J FK [P RESIDE NT]I w a nt to see those pictures.

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]The photo-int erpreters a re sta ndin g by.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Who else is in on this?

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]In telligence. Rusk and some of his people. McNam a ra .

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Ma xwell Ta ylor?

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]And th e J oint Ch iefs.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]McCone?

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]We cont a cted him in Seat tle at h is step-son's funera l. H e's flying back.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]This must be kept absolutely confidentia l. Only personn el w ith a n a bsolute need to

know a re to be told.

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]Yes, sir.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Wha t t he devil does Kh rush chev hope to a ccomplish? I w onder if he's gone ma d.

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]It could be a jab. The punch w ill probably lan d on B erlin.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]

We have to step-up our U -2 flights over Cuba immediat ely. I w a nt da ily reports a tleast . . .(picks up a t el ephone)

G et the Attorney General for me right aw ay.(hangs up; back to Bund y)

Khrushchev's been promising for months that he wouldn't introduce offensivew eapons into Cuba. And now this. I f I ca n't tr ust him on the missiles.. .

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]We'll ha ve to bomb th e da mn th ings out, Mr. P resident.


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J FK [P RESIDE NT]We'll meet in the Ca binet Room a t 11:45. In form Rusk, McNa ma ra , Genera l Ta ylor,Dillon, Sorensen, Kenny O'Donn ell, G eorge Ba ll. You be th ere. G et Thompson, a ndI wa nt St evenson.

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]

He's flying in from New York lat er today.J FK [P RESIDE NT]

Tha t's fine. Ha ve Rusk brief Dea n Acheson.

(The tel ephone r in gs. J FK grabs it .)

J FK [P RE SI DE NT] (cont 'd)(in to phone)

Hello, Bobby? I w a nt you to get over here as fast a s you possibly ca n. Right. We a refacing great trouble.


A PHOTO IN TERPRETER is showing Aer i alphotographs to J FK .

P HOTO I NTERP RE TERIt t ook us the bett er pa rt of a da y to an a lyze th e film, sir. We had t o go overth ousa nds of frames.. .

J FK [P RESIDE NT]This looks like a foot ba ll field.

P HOTO I NTERP RE TERYes, tha t 's a shot of San Cristobal t a ken six w eeks ago from a height of fourteenmiles. You see, there's no a ctivity down t here a t a ll, sir . Now, you compar e tha t w ithth is one ta ken by Ma jor Anderson just t hirty -six hours a go from t he sa me a ltitude.. .you can see the difference...

J FK [P RESIDE NT]These ar e insta llations for medium ra nge missiles?

P HOTO I NTERP RE TERYes, there's no doubt t ha t, Mr. Pr esident. Tha t sla nt pa tt ern is a bsolutelycha ra cteristic of Soviet inst a llat ions.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]I'm gra teful to you. G ive my compliments to the rest of your t eam a nd especially toMa jor Anderson.

P HOTO I NTERP RE TERTha nk you, Mr. P resident .

(The Photo I nt er pr eter i s ti dyi ng up t he photogr aphs.)

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Would you lea ve th ose w ith me, plea se.


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P HOTO I NTERP RE TERCertainly, sir .

(JF K pr esses an i nt er com but ton.)

J FK [P RESIDE NT]

Kenn y, come in h ere.

7 CORRIDORWHITE HOUSE

KEN NET H O'DONN EL L [Asst . to JFK ] hur r iesal ong th e corr i dor. H e goes th r ough t he door to:


J FK [Pr esid ent ] i s near hi s desk, he scar cel y hear sO'D onn el l ' s agend a.

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]G ood morning, Mr. P resident. B eautiful da y.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]It's Marvelous.

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]You're seeing Astrona ut Wa lly Schirra, Mrs. S chirra a nd t heir tw o children. Thephotogra phers w ould love you to ta ke them out for a look at Ca roline's pony .

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Tha t's fine, Kenn y.

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]Good.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Do you still think Cuba is unimportan t a s a campa ign issue?

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]Well, a bsolut ely. It 's five weeks to the election. The voters don't give a holler a boutCuba. Every t ime Senat ors Keat ing an d Capeha rt squaw k about Cuba threat eningour securit y, t hey put everyone to sleep.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]So Cuba doesn't a mount t o much?

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]Not a s a ca mpaign issue. No, sir.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]( ind icatin g photographs)

I w a nt y ou to ta ke a look at t hese, Ken. You're an old Air Force bomba rdier. Youshould be able to tell wh a t t hey show.


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O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]I ca n't believe it.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]You'd better believe it . We've just elected Ca peha rt in India na a nd K en Keat ing w illprobably be th e next P resident. We're going to hav e to rearr a nge the schedule.

There'll be a meeting in th e Ca binet Room a t 11:45. G et th e aut horized list fromB undy t hen you must clamp dow n th e security lid. Not a w ord to any one elseincluding C a binet members, Na tional Security Council members, secreta ries orwives.

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]Sh ould I can cel your schedule?

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Absolut ely not. I'm going to keep my a ppoint ment s for a s long a s I ca n. We're goingto ha ve to ma ke it look like th ere's a bsolut ely nothing un usua l going on ar ound here.


ROBERT F. KENNEDY [Attorney General ] isstand in g by a win dow. J FK enters.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]B undy briefed me.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]I th ink Da d should be flow n home. It 's no tim e for him to be here.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]

I'll make arrangements.

J FK [P RE SI DE NT] (cont 'd)Think w e should a dd a nyone to this list?

(J FK hands RFK the l i st . )


Th e Pr esid ent ia l advi ser s ent er th e Cabi net Room.

NARRATIONP resident ia l Assist a nt Theodore Sorensen. Former Amba ssa dor to Moscow LlewellynThompson...


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11 CABINET ROOMWHITE HOUSE

The Executi ve Comm i tt ee i s seated at th e Cabi netRoom t abl e.

NARRATION

...U nder Secreta ry of St a te G eorge B a ll. Secreta ry of St a te Dea n Rusk. Secreta ry ofth e Treasury D ouglas Dillon. Cha irma n of the J oint Chiets of St a ff, G eneralMa xwell D. Ta ylor. Secreta ry of Defense Robert McNa ma ra .

(JF K ent er s.)

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Good morning, gentlemen.

(On an easel r ests enl ar gement s of aer i al shots of SanCr istobal wh ich the Photo I nt er pr eter i s explai ni ng.)

P HOTO I NTERP RE TER

Support t rucks, tra ilers, a personnel tent a rea, th e rocket launchers for Sa nda l SS 04medium ra nge ballistic missiles. And here, gentlemen, eight S a nda l missiles ontrailers.

GENERAL TAYLOR [ARMY]We're fort una te. Anoth er tropical storm over Cuba a nd th e U -2 flight w ould ha vebeen postponed aga in. Khr ushchev would have ha d his fait a ccompli. Some of themissiles w ill be opera tional in t en da ys.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Ten da ys? Whose estima te is th a t?

GENERAL TAYLOR [ARMY]

Ours.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Tha nk you. Secreta ry Rusk.

RU SK [SE CRE TARY OF STATE]Well obviously th e communist s ha ve been shipping missiles to Cuba a ndconstructing bases t here wh ile continua lly a ssuring us, t elling us publicly a ndpriva tely, they w ere doing no such thin g. They deceived us.

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]In point of fact, w e deceived ourselves.

MCNAMARA [SECRETARY OF DEFENSE]There wa s no ha rd int elligence.

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]We engaged in w ishful thinking.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Secretary McNama ra.


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GENERAL TAYLOR [ARMY]In fa ct , our nuclea r deterrent is in jeopa rdy a nd in ra nge.

MCNAMARA [SECRETARY OF DEFENSE]I don't concede tha t.

GENERAL TAYLOR [ARMY]We ha ve SAC bombers a nd m issile sites ar e all a long our southern un derbelly w ithineasy ra nge of Cuba.

MCNAMARA [SECRETARY OF DEFENSE]A missile is a missile. It doesn't ma ke much difference w heth er you're killed by onefired from th e Soviet U nion or from Cuba .

GENERAL TAYLOR [ARMY]Sir, t he difference is tha t our w a rning t ime is reduced from fifteen minut es to thirtyseconds. Now, nobody knows if th ey ca n hit a ta rget a t a ra nge of 6,000 miles, butth ey ca n't miss from Cuba. Mr. P resident w e have to move quickly before the

missiles become opera tional. Now , we ha ve the ca pability to deploy a nd hit w ithquick, accura te a ir strikes.

MCNAMARA [SECRETARY OF DEFENSE]Hit t hem in Russia , or hit them in Cuba?

GENERAL TAYLOR [ARMY]Hit Cuba, w ith surgical a ir str ikes.

(RFK li stens, scr ibbl in g on a scr ap of paper .)

DILLON [SECRETARY OF TREASURY]

This communist move is directly t hreat ening the security of the U nited st a tes ofAmerica.

(Qui etl y, RFK passes th e scr ap of paper to JF K . I t r eads:)

" Now I know h ow Tojo felt w hen he pla nned P earl H a rbor"

DILLON [SECRETARY OF TREASURY] (cont'd)(cont in ui ng; obli vious)

I don't see tha t t here's an y a lterna tive.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]

Mac?

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]It 's difficult t o const ruct a scenar io in w hich y ou compromise wit h n uclear w a rhead s.

SORENS EN [COUNCI L TO J FK]Mr. P resident , I don't know t ha t I can cont ribute any thing except my feeling tha tthere must be an a lternat ive to bombing, an alterna t ive to wa r .

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Mr. Att orney G eneral?


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RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Khr ushchev promised we ha d nothing to fea r in Cuba . G romyko echoed him.Dobryn in told me priva tely, he reitera ted, we need not be concerned. In myjudgment the implica tions of Soviet deceit go even far beyond t his da mn situa tion.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]

We cann ot an d we will not accept Soviet missiles in Cuba . We w ill not repea l theMonroe Doctrine or the Rio P a ct. The Soviets cann ot lie to us, shift miss iles to ourfront d oor, a nd t hen come up w innerssmelling like rosesnot if w e ever h ope todeal wit h them a ga in. Not if we hope to survive. I 'm going to ca mpaign in Chicagoa nd in Connecticut. I'm going to fulfill my appoint ment s for a s long a s possible, a ndso a re all of you. Our one adva nta ge now t ha t th e Russia ns th ink we believe theirlies. You people w ill formu la te recommen da tions on th e best course of a ction. We'renot going t o revea l th e facts t o the American people, or to our a llies, or to ourenemies till w e have determined how w e intend to deal wit h t his crisis.

SORENS EN [COUNCI L TO J FK]Mr. P resident , it's going to be impossible to keep th is und er w ra ps for very long.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]We don't ha ve very long. Ten da ys.

12 KREMLINSOVIET UNION

NI KI TA KH RUSHCHEV [Sov iet Pr emiere]addr esses hi s poli tbu r o.

KHRUSHCHEV [SOVIET PREMIERE]Yes, I ca n an swer the question. I know P resident Kennedy. You remember, wespent m a ny hours togeth er in Vienna , just over a year a go. In t hose hours I told him

clear ly th a t w hile we a dhere to th e policy of peaceful coexistence we intend ed to fullydefend a nd pursue our na tional a nd socialist interests. How did Kennedy respond?He told me that he wa s an xious to reach a n a ccommodat ion. He admit t ed that theAmerica n supported inva sion of Cuba a t t he Ba y of P igs wa s a m ista ke, the result ofhis only recently ha ving ta ken power. In other w ords, the result of his inexperience.He suggested tha t w e should sta bilize the world order, in order to a void futureconflict . A proposa l to wh ich I sa id I would never agree. I w a s firm with K ennedy inVienna , a s w e ha ve been firm in B erlin, w here our w a ll symbolizes ourdeterm ina tion. We ha ve been firm in resumin g our nuclea r tests , a nd our rocket,missiles an d space progra m. We have been firm in our support of th e just st rugglesfor na tional libera tion aga inst t he ca pitalist imperialist forces. There's th e story of afat her w ho in the cold of winter w a s forced to move his cow into the fa rmhouse withhim. The fa rmer didn 't like the cow in th e house, didn't like the smell, but in t ime, inorder to survive, he grew used to it . You a sk how Kennedy w ill respond w hen in afew weeks w e reveal the new situa tion in Cuba . Like the far mer he w ill grow used toit. H e will not like it, but h e will grow used to th e smell of Soviet rockets, Sovietmissiles, Soviet strength, Soviet presence in Cuba.


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J FK [Presid ent] and RFK [Att orn ey General ] ar e inmid-sentence.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]

Wha t do you t hink, B obby?RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]

Well, I th ink there ha s to be some alt ernat ive between doing nothing a nd la unchinga sneak a t t a ck .

J FK [P RESIDE NT]I'm looking forwa rd t o hea ring one.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]It 's surprising how inhibited they still a re a round you. Even McNa ma ra a nd B undya re st ill inhibited in th e presidentia l presence.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Wha t w ould you suggest?

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Ma ybe you should remove yourself a w hile. Let us meet informa lly at t he Sta teDepa rt ment , G eorge B a ll's office, w here they'll be free to specula te w ith out you.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Yes, th a t could be useful. I don't suppose you inhibit th em?

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Irrit a te, yes. Inh ibit , no.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Then irrita te th em.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]I w ill.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]B ut th ey have to reach a greement .

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]I understa nd. B ut the quest ion is, on wha t?

J FK [P RESIDE NT]A policy th a t t he broa dest elements in t he government a nd t he bureaucracy ca nsupport; a consensus tha t w on't t ear t he country a nd th is adm inistra tion to pieces; aw a y t o remove those missiles with out w a r, if possible.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Is tha t a l l?

J FK [P RESIDE NT]I should think tha t w ould be enough.


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14 CONFERENCE ROOMSTATE DEPARTMENT

A l ong confer ence tabl e wi th th e Execut i ve Comm i tt eemember s grouped ar ound i t, constan tl y shi fti ngposit i on, ent er i ng, exit i ng.

GENERAL TAYLOR [ARMY]With pinpoint bombing w e ca n d estroy the ba ses with out inflicting a ny seriousca sua lties among the civilia n C uban popula tion.

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]B ut w e'll be hitt ing Russia n technician s an d Russian soldiers.

SORENS EN [COUNCI L TO J FK]Won't t ha t give th e Soviets a n open invit a tion to str ike ba ck somepla ce ha t'sstra tegica lly more importa nt ?

ADMIRAL ANDERSON [NAVY]E xcuse, m e...

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]Admira l, I w onder if I might . . .

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]G o ahea d, Admira l Anderson.

ADMIRAL ANDERSON [NAVY]Now there is no more stra tegica lly vital loca tion tha n C uba. Look, sir, Cuba lies onthe Windwa rd P a ssage, the Florida S tra its , the Yucat an Cha nnelan d a ll of thema in ship la nes from our Ea st Coast to the Gulf Coast a nd the Pa na ma C a na l. Withnuclear wea pons she comma nds h a lf the hemisphere.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Would you a gree wit h th a t a ssessment, Ma c?

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]I'm inclining to the view tha t in t he end we're going to ha ve to negotia te w ith t heSoviets, eith er in direct ta lks or a t t he Un ited Nat ions.

DILLON [SECRETARY OF TREASURY]B ut wha t' ll w e negotia te? B erlin? G reece? Secreta ry Rusk's plant a tion in G eorgia?

MCNAMARA [SECRETARY OF DEFENSE]Cuba is a n island, and I submit tha t w e have ample sea a nd a ir power to blockadeher.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL](sur pri sed; i nt r i gued)

Blockade?

MCNAMARA [SECRETARY OF DEFENSE]B lockad e her.

ADMIRAL ANDERSON [NAVY]Now , th a t's t rue, theoretically. . .


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MCNAMARA [SECRETARY OF DEFENSE]It 's true in fact . We ca n blockad e her w ith our ships a nd our plan es, a nd prevent t hefurther delivery of w a r supplies an d ma terials from Russia.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]B ut B ob, how w ill a blockad e serve to stop th e Russians from completing t he bases

they've begun w ith t he ma terials they a lrea dy ha ve?MCNAMARA [SECRETARY OF DEFENSE]

We ca n cut off their source for w eapons, fuel supply, lubrica nt s, even th eir food ifnecessary.

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]A blockade would ta ke tim e to put int o force and t ime to ta ke effect. In t hemea nt ime, while w e're ma neuvering a t sea , they'll proceed to complete their missilesystem.

MCNAMARA [SECRETARY OF DEFENSE]Tha t is assuming tha t th ey have all the hardw are they need.

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]Well, when a ma n points a gun a t your head, it 's only prudent to assum e tha t it 'sloaded.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Yea h, wa it , let me just sa y th is, I ca n see a dva nta ges here. A blockade w ouldcerta inly demonst ra te our determinat ion t o resist Kh rushchev, while stopping shortof a sneak a t ta ck. In th e short t erm, at lea st i t 's a less extreme mea sure tha n a n a irstrike, and it could reduce the da nger of an a ll-out w a r.

MCNAMARA [SECRETARY OF DEFENSE]Exact ly.

DILLON [SECRETARY OF TREASURY]B ut t ha t does not of itself remove the missiles, a nd t he missiles are th e issue and themissiles are our objective.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Tommy, you know Khr ushchev better tha n a ny of us. How d o you th ink he'd respondif we at t acked Cuba by a ir?

THOM P SON [AMB ASS ADOR TO S OVIE T U NION]Khr ushchev ha s a sh ort temper a nd a P residium ja mmed wit h a mbitious people.He's under consta nt pressure, and h e's unpredicta ble. I t w e bomb th e bases, withoutw a rning, he could react impulsively. In m y opinion, striking Cuba risks triggering anuclear world wa r .


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STEVENSON [Ambassador to UN ] is inspecti ng oneof the U -2 photographs wit h J FK .

STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]

I suppose the first impulse is to go in a nd bomb but, Mr. P resident , we ha ve toexplore every a venue to a peaceful solution. Sooner or la ter w e'll ha ve to go to th eUn ited Nat ions. I t 's vita l ly importa nt t ha t w e go with a r easona ble ca se.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Well, the countr y is fortun a te to have Ada lai St evenson at the U N a t t his t ime.

STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]Tha nk you, sir, I apprecia te tha t. Rusk told me you're going on w ith t he politicalca mpaign. I think th a t's very w ise.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]I ha d visiona ry hopes of picking up some sea ts in t he House a nd t he Sena te. B ut

th a t's not going to ha ppen now. Once th e trut h a bout Cuba comes out, theRepublicans are going to murder us.

STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]You ha ve Republica ns in high positions in your a dministra tion.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]U nfortuna tely, the voters may come to feel tha t our Republica n friends a ren't h ighenough.

16 PRESIDENTIAL PODIUM

J FK [P RESIDE NT]I don't t hink it 's unfair t o say th at the U nited Sta tesan d th e worldis now passingth rough one of its most crit ical periods. And it m a y be tha t it will cont inue to passth rough a period of compar a ble crit icality for th e next few m onth sma ybe years.Our ma jor problem, a fter a ll, is th e surviva l of our count ry, t he protection of its vita linterests w ithoutwithout beginning the third a nd perha ps the last wa r . I t isironical t ha t t he tw o strongest countries in t he world, the Un ited St a tes and theSoviet U nion, a re the tw o countr ies w hich live in t he greatest d a nger. As RobertG raves wrote about ma ta dors:

'B ullfight critics row on rowCrowd the enormous plaza de torsoB ut only one is there who knowsAnd h e is th e one w ho fights t he bull.'


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" MISS ILE S OF OCTOBE R" St a nley R. G reenberg TWO 17 15

DAY TWO

Wednesday, October 17

17 CABINET ROOMWHITE HOUSEThe Executi ve Comm i tt ee i s i n session. The PhotoI nt er pr eter is r eveal i ng t he latest U -2 photograph s.

P HOTO I NTERP RE TERThese are th e stills from yesterda y's over flight, Mr. P resident. They show t w enty-nine missile pa ds in va rious sta ges of constr uction. They're building tw o ty pes ofmissiles down t here: 1,000 mile, medium ra nge mobile field wea pons w hich can betr a nsported. And t he 2,200 mile int ermedia te missile, w hich must be fired fromfixed positions. B oth ar e first st rike w eapons. They will provide a la unch ca pacity inexcess of fort y n uclea r w eapons.

GENERAL TAYLOR [ARMY]The Ilyush in 28 Soviet bombers now being a ssembled in Cuba can h it a ll of Floridaas fa r a s Sa vann ah , Pensacola a nd parts of Centra l America . The medium-ran gemissile th reat ens one-th ird of the Un ited St a tes including Wa shington, D.C., St .Louis, Da llas, P a na ma Ca na l, a l l of Central America . The intermedia te rangemissile ca pability reaches nearly a ll of the U nited Sta tes, Southeastern Ca na da, a nda ll of Mexico, Centra l America , Pa na ma Ca na l an d much of South America .

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Do we ha ve a ny ha rd photographic evidence tha t t he nuclea r w a rhea ds for th esemissiles are actua lly in Cuba ?

GENERAL TAYLOR [ARMY]

No, Sir.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Why not?

MCCONE [DIR EC TOR OF C IA]They're comparatively small and easy to conceal, Mr. President, but you can bea ssured tha t t hey're there somewhere.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]How can I be certa in?

MCCONE [DIR EC TOR OF C IA]Those Soviet I CB Ms a re only compat ible with nuclear w a rhea ds.

18 FILM: SOVIET & AMERICAN LAUNCH PADS

NARRATIONThe S oviet U nion t his m orning su ccessfully fired t w o multi-st a ge missiles 7500 milesto bulls-eye la ndings in th e Centra l P a cific.


17/105


(Th e Russi an r ocket tak es off i n a shower of noise andflame.)

NARRATIO N (cont 'd)An America n high a ltitude nuclear t est in th e Pa cific fa iled toda y for the fourth timein five tries w hen a Thor rocket ma lfunctioned...

(An Am er ican r ocket expl odes on th e l aun ch pad.)


The Executi ve Comm i tt ee i s in session.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]All right n ow, gentlemen, can w e, very clearly r un dow n t he diploma tic possibilitiesa s you've ana lyzed them, one, tw o, thr ee, an d so on.

B ALL [UND E R S E CR E TARY OF S TATE ]The first possibility, B obby, is to confront G romyko wit h our evidence an d ourdemands.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]And w ha t's his proba ble response?

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]In view of past performance, no doubt, he'd deny everything and we'd have tippedour ha nd w ithout improving our situa tion.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Yes, I a gree, th a t 's una ccepta ble.

B ALL [UND E R S E CR E TARY OF S TATE ]The second possibility is send a n emissa ry directly t o Khrushchev wit h a messagefrom t he P resident deman ding th a t h e remove th e missiles a t once.

THOM P SON [AMB ASS ADOR TO S OVIE T U NION]Now , a s to th a t, B obby, Khrush chev's obvious ploy w ould be to adm it t o theP resident w ha t t he P resident a lready knows, a nd t hen to ca ll for a conference or asummit t o resolve th e crisis. See, tha t w a y he'd be ta lking while the ba ses beca meoperational.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Yes, w hich is precisely wha t w e're doing now. Anyt hing else?

SORENS EN [COUNCI L TO J FK]Yes, now, th e third tra ck w e considered, Bobby, involves sending a n emissa rydirectly t o Cast ro and point out t he dan ger to Cuba of a n uclea r confronta tion there.

B ALL [UND E R S E CR E TARY OF S TATE ]The objection is tha t t he bases a re under direct Russia n cont rol. E ven if w e couldinfluence Ca stro, there's no reason to a ssume tha t h e could divert Russia n policy. Ina w a y, the missiles hold Cast ro hosta ge.


18/105


RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Is t here a fourth possibility?

STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]Yes, sir, th ere is. A fourt h possibility w ould be to by-pas s th e Russia ns completely,a nd t a ke the entire issue to th e UN a t a stra tegic moment of our own choosing.

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]The difficulty, Ambassa dor, as you well know , is th a t the S oviet U nion can veto us inth e Security C ouncil. And t o ma ke mat ters w orse, Zorin's cha irma n th ere th ismonth.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]I see. So, it doesn't a ppear t ha t a ny of the diploma tic cha nnels will do th e job.

STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]Well, w e'll ha ve to use diploma tic cha nn els to explain a nd t o just ify our actions t o therest of the w orld. And, ultima tely, we'll have to find a n a ccommodat ion w ith t heSoviets.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]B ut diploma cy in a nd of itself will not remove the missiles. I t a ppears t ha t w e'veboiled down to tw o options a nd only t wo.. .


RFK conti nu es hi s argum ent t o J FK .

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]...We bomb them or we blockade.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Wha t's th e consensus?

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]There isn't one yet, but I t hink if w e took a vote today , we'd be bombing t omorrow .

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Wha t a bout y ou?

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]How, from the love of G od, ca n P resident K ennedy of the Un ited Sta tes order a sn eakat ta ck on a t iny, La t in American country.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]B y pressing a butt on.

(pushes in ter com but ton)Kenn y, come in h ere.

(O'DONNEL L [Asst. to J FK ] enter s.)

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]Mr. President.


19/105


J FK [P RESIDE NT]Kenny, how la te am I?

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]You're lunching w ith t he Crown P rince of Libya in ten minu tes. The Connecticutflight is scheduled to ta ke off at tw o-thirt y, an d P ierre wa nt s to know if the pool

report ers can fly w ith y ou for some background.J FK [P RESIDE NT]

Tell P ierre the P resident cra ves privacy. Do you believe tha t over a month a go Idesigna ted this w eek as Na tional P ra yer Week?

(JFK and O'Donnell exit, leavin g RFK i n si l entcontemplation.)

21 PRESIDENTIAL PODIUMCONNECTICUT

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Connecticut wa s the first sta te to endorse this ca ndida te for th e P residency, the sta teth a t placed my na me in nomina tion, a nd th e first sta te to report a Kennedy ma jorityon election n ight n early t w o yea rs a go.. .

H E C K L E RMore cour a ge, less profile!

J FK [P RESIDE NT]. . .The great t ight in 1962 is the sa me fight t ha t w e wa ged in 1960 and m ust be w a gedin t his decad ea nd th a t is to provide employment for our people, educa tion for ourchildren, a nd securit y for our older people.


Most of t he Execut i ve Comm i tt ee i s in sessi on.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL].. .but a n a ir strike in a nd of itself will not elimina te the th reat in Cuba , Mr.Acheson, It w ould hav e to be follow ed by an inva sion to destr oy an y of those missilebases tha t w e missed th ere. And tha t w ould involve w idespread fighting an dbombing, an d a horrendous t oll to Cuba n lives.

DILLON [SECRETARY OF TREASURY]And t ha t, B obby, regretfully is the na ture of wa r, even a defensive w a r.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Yes, w ha t w ill the Russians do? Even if they pull aw a y from the brink, w ha t w ill thecivilized w orld think of the Unit ed Sta tes crushing a sma ll countr y in a bruta lsurprise a tt a ck. Wha tever the milita ry outcome, a ssa ulting Cuba , in my view , willdo us irrepa ra ble diplomat ic a nd psychologica l ha rm. No, gentlemen, we a re notgoing to ha ve a P ear l Ha rbor in reverse here. My brother is not going to be th e Tojoof the 1960's.


20/105


ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]Mr. Att orney G eneral, your an a logy wit h P earl Ha rbor is false and pejora tive. AtP earl Ha rbor the J a panese, wit hout provoca tion or wa rning, at ta cked our fleetth ousa nds of miles from J a panese shores. In th is situa tion th e Soviet U nion ha sinsta lled letha l weapons ninety miles from our coa st. And t hey ha ve done this onehundr ed an d forty years a fter the proclam a tion of the Monroe Doctrine.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]I don't disput e tha t, Mr. Acheson.

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]Moreover, with in t he last five month s t he Congress a nd even m ore recently t hePresident himselfhas reiterated our opposition to the establishment of offensivew eapons in Cuba. Now, how much wa rning must w e give to avoid the stigma ofP earl Ha rbor in reverse?

23 PRESIDENTIAL PODIUMYALE

J FK [P RESIDE NT]I ha ve come here to Yale, to th is center of lear ning, a nd I 've enjoyed your w a rmreception. B ut you w ill lea rn, as this countr y ha s learn ed, th a t the Democra tic P a rtyis best for you as it is best for th e countr y.


RFK [Attorney General ] and SORENSEN [Counci l toJ FK ] are deep at work. J FK and O'DONNEL L[Asst. to JFK ] ent er .

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL](in to phone)

Yes, he's here now. Right .

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Well, Kenn y, it's some comfort th a t t hey look w orse tha n w e do.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]How w as the response in New Ha ven?

J FK [P RESIDE NT]I d idn't notice.

SORENS EN [COUNCI L TO J FK]H ow's he doing?

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]On t op of it , but I think h is back is giving h im hell.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]I'm calling J a ckie tonight a nd a sking her to come back to Wa shington w ith t hechildren.


21/105


RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]I t hink th a t's a good move.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Ted?

SORENS EN [COUNCI L TO J FK]Yes, sir?

J FK [P RESIDE NT]A student in C onnecticut shouted th a t I sh ould ha ve more coura ge an d less profile.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]The man ha s a w ay with words. Maybe we should put him on the pay roll.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Yes, on y our pay roll.


22/105

" MISS ILE S OF OCTOBE R" St a nley R. G reenberg THRE E 25 21

DAY THREE

Th ur sday, October 18

25 KREMLINSOVIET UNIONKH RUSHCHEV [Soviet Pr emi ere] enj oys hi sbr eak fast, obli vi ous to th e chaos he has set i nt omoti on i n t he cl ose ci r cl es of the Am er i cangovernment.


The Executi ve Comm i tt ee i s i n session un der th eleader shi p of JFK .

GENERAL TAYLOR [ARMY]Our cover for t he invasion strike force is an a nnua l Ca ribbea n t ra ining exercisecoincidenta lly scheduled for th is mont h. Code designa tion: P hilibreiglex 62.Admir a l Anderson?

ADMIRAL ANDERSON [NAVY]Yes, sir. The Na vy w ill ha ve over one hund red ships in the ma neuver, including foura tt a ck ca rriers, a nd w e are also moving in the En terprise.

GENERAL TAYLOR [ARMY]General Shoup.

GE NERAL SH OUP [MARINE CORP S]The ta sk force will ca rry a nd h a ve the capa bility t o la nd 40,000 comba t readyMa rines, not including the 4,000 in tra nsit , a nd in residence in G ua nta na mo.

GENERAL TAYLOR [ARMY]The Army's 82nd a nd 101st Airborne a re being a irlifted t o a tota l of 100,000 men inFlorida. G enera l LeMay .

G ENE RAL LE MAY [AIR FORC E]Strategic Air Command bombers are being deployed from Florida bases to make roomfor th e ta ctical a tt a ck aircra ft . Air Defense facilit ies are being stripped from outsideth e Cuban missile ra nge an d re-insta lled in th e Southeast . We have 14,000reservists on sta ndby reca ll to fly tra nsport a ircra ft in th e event of a n a irborneinva sion. Now, the initia l raid w ill consist of 500 sorties striking a t a ll missile sites,militar y ta rgets, airfields, ports, a nd gun emplacements.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]When w ill you be ready to launch t his a ir strike?

G ENE RAL LE MAY [AIR FORC E]October 23rd .

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Five days.


23/105


G ENE RAL LE MAY [AIR FORC E]Yes, sir.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]And h ow do you th ink th e Russians w ill respond?

G ENE RAL LE MAY [AIR FORC E]They w on't.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Not a t a l l?

G ENE RAL LE MAY [AIR FORC E]No, sir.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Is th a t w ha t you rea lly think? Are you trying t o tell me tha t th ey'll let us bomb theirmissiles, kill a lot of Russian s, an d th en do nothing? If th ey don't move in Cuba ,G enera l, they'll certa inly do something in B erlin.

GE NERAL SH OUP [MARINE CORP S]You're in a prett y ba d fix, Mr. President.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]You're in it w ith me.


J FK [Presid ent] and RFK [Att orn ey General ].

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Ima gine LeMay ar guing tha t w e should go ah ead a nd str ike without considering theRussian response. The bra ss hat s have one a dva nt a ge though: if we do w ha t th eyw a nt us to do an d th ey're wr ong, there'll be nobody a round lat er to tell them theyma de a mista ke. A blocka de is far from a certa in answ er. I t ma y not be strongenough to do the J ob. I t m a y force the Russian s to reta liate. B ut it 's the only choicew e ha veshort of wa r. I wa nt a consensus, a firm consensus advoca ting a blockad efrom th a t committ ee in the next da y or two.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Well, it's a bit ch. There isn't a ma n of us w ho ha sn't cha nged his mind a t leas t once,including me.


The Executi ve Comm i tt ee i s in session.

RU SK [SE CRE TARY OF STATE]If by n ext Thursda y t he missile ba ses ar e still under constr uction w e should n otifyour chief allies an d hit t he bases the next day , while simulta neously wa rningKhr ushchev tha t a S oviet count eraction mean s wa r. Ma ybe it 's to go down bett erwith a bang than a whimper .


24/105


MCNAMARA [SECRETARY OF DEFENSE]B eing a blockad e is far from perfect, but it 's surely preferable to tha t.

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]A blockad e is every bit a s much an a ct of wa r a s an a ir strike.

B ALL [UND E R S E CR E TARY OF S TATE ]I don't a gree, sir. There is a precedent t o a blocka de wh ich a t leas t w ill give us th esembla nce of a lega l fra mework.

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]Lega l niceties now a re so much pompous foolishn ess.

B ALL [UND E R S E CR E TARY OF S TATE ]I a m referring to Roosevelt 's q ua ra ntine of Nazi G erman y before we ent ered WorldWa r II .

B U N D YThe defensive qua ra ntine.

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]Sh ortly before.

B ALL [UND E R S E CR E TARY OF S TATE ]The Un ited Na tions Ch a rt er recognizes a r ight of hemispheric self-defense. If w e canget the Orga nizat ion of America n S ta tes to endorse a blocka de we'd ha ve at lea stw e'd ha ve a strong lega l ca se to ta ke to the Un ited Nat ions.

THOM P SON [AMB ASS ADOR TO S OVIE T U NION]The Russians respect legality, sir . They ma y tw ist a nd tur n th em to th eir ow na dva nta ge, but t hey're alw a ys impressed by a good, solid dialectic.

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]It is our inherent r ight t o protect ourselves. And t herefore, a legal pretext issuperfluous. G entlemen, an a tt a ck on Cuba w ill not necessarily bring the SovietU nion into w a r with us. On the oth er ha nd a blockad e, excuse me, a q ua ra ntine,w ill not neutra lize the w eapons a lready in C uba, w ill not force Khr ushchev toremove such w eapons, an d w ill not eliminat e the risk of wa r. When we stop andsearch ships, w e will be engaged wit h Russian s, not w ith Cuba ns. And obviously,w hen w e quar a nt ine Cuba, the Russia ns w ill ha ve an open excuse to blockadeBerlin.


ACHESON [form er Secr etar y of State] i s givin g JF Kth e same anal ysi s he has present ed to th e Execut i veCommittee.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Your ar guments, as a lwa ys, are very persua sive. And yet, I wouldn't w a nt t o be theAmerican Tojo wit h a P ear l Ha rbor on m y conscience.

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]Yes, I 've heard t ha t a na logy before.


25/105


J FK [P RESIDE NT]I know t ha t you have.

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]I t hink, Mr. P resident, t ha t y ou've mad e your decision.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Wha tever it's going to be, w e'll ha ve to inform our a llies. DeG a ulle could be aproblem.

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]P erha ps you should send t he Vice Pr esident t o Pa ris.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]P erha ps.. . G romyko is coming here this a fternoon.

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]At whose request, sir?

J FK [P RESIDE NT]His. The meeting wa s arra nged weeks ago. I t seems the distinguished SovietMinist er is going home tomorrow.

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]Are you going to tell him w ha t y ou've lea rned a bout t he missiles?

J FK [P RESIDE NT]I h ope not.

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]Then, Mr. President, the fascinating question is if Gromyko is going to tell you.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]I guess this is the week I 'd bett er ea rn my sa lar y.


Fl ash bul bs. J FK [Presid ent] and GROM YKO[Soviet Forei gn M i ni ster ] ar e speaki ng t o reporter s.Rusk, Ball , Zorin and Dobryni n ar e also present.

G ROMYKO [SOVIET FORE IG N MINIS TER ].. .I wa s a young diploma t. I first ca me to th e U nited Sta tes invited to th is part y, aga rden pa rty , they sa id. I went t here, everybody is w earing shortsa nd there Iw a s, wear ing my black frock and bla ck tie. Could you imagine a t hing like tha t, suchembarra ssment I did not experience in m y w hole ca reer.


26/105



Th e press is gone, JFK & GROM YKO are mi d-conversation.

G ROMYKO [SOVIET FORE IG N MINIS TER ]We must ha ve certa in a ssura nces an d gua ra ntees which might be incorpora ted in asta tement by yourself a nd Mr. Kh rushchev at the conclusion of the summit .

J FK [P RESIDE NT]I a m prepared to speak wit h Cha irma n Kh rushchev but w e have our obligat ions inB erlin a nd other na tions a re deeply involved.

G ROMYKO [SOVIET FORE IG N MINIS TER ]Mr. President, I know you enjoy fran k talk. Let me spea k about th e a nti-Ca stroca mpaign in t his countr y. We believe tha t your government sh ould stop thr eat eningCuba a nd should restra in the at ta cks on Cuba n shipping by exile groups. Cuba ,

a fter a ll, belongs to the Cuba n people, not to the Un ited St a tes.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]I do enjoy fra nk ta lk, Mr. G romyko. B ut it 's not the U nited St a tes, it 's the SovietU nion wh o is crea tin g the conflict. You've been supplying the Ca str o govern mentw ith sophisticat ed w eapons. I've received repeat ed persona l a ssura nces from yourgovernm ent th a t no action is requir ed. I've tr ied to ca lm American opinion, but youra ctivities ar e very serious a nd y ou ha ven't expla ined them sa tisfa ctorily.

G ROMYKO [SOVIET FORE IG N MINIS TER ]Cuba h a s a right to th e mean s to defend herself. Sir, we are not para noid. You didat tempt to invade Cuba.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]The B a y of P igs wa s not a precedent . This government ha s no intent ion of invad ingCuba. For your part , Mr. Gromyko, did I understand y ou to say tha t th e weaponsyou sent t o Cuba a re only a nt i-a ircra ft w eapons incapable of striking at ta rgets inthe U nited Sta tes? Is tha t t rue?

G ROMYKO [SOVIET FORE IG N MINIS TER ]Absolutely, Mr. President.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]I w a nt t o a void any misund ersta ndings here. This government will not tolera te theesta blishment of a S oviet st ra tegic base in Cuba .

G ROMYKO [SOVIET FORE IG N MINIS TER ]Mr. P resident , I a ssure you th e Unit ed Sta tes need not be concerned. We have givenbread t o Cuba, yes, some arms, supplies, a ll defensive; defensive wea pons t ha t w illnever const i tute a threat to the Un ited St at es.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]And I ha ve persona lly assur ed the America n people th a t t he Soviet a ssista nceprogra ms in Cuba a re purely defensive. I ha ve a lso sa id, Mr. G romyko, and I sa ynow, tha t a ny chan ge w ill ha ve th e gra vest consequences.


27/105


32 COCKTAIL PARTYWASHINGTON D.C.

Di pl omats, columni sts, Congr essmen, Gr omyko,Rusk, Thompson, Scal i and other s, al l in form aldress.

G ROMYKO [SOVIET FORE IG N MINIS TER ].. .the origin of th e Cold Wa r can be found in the un remitting hostility of th e Un itedSta tes towa rds socialism as w e understa nd it . . .

SC ALI [AB C NE WS R EP ORTER ]We believe, sir , th a t the C old Wa r h a s been caused by communist a ggression a ga instth e free world.

G ROMYKO [SOVIET FORE IG N MINIS TER ]I t hink w e've heard t ha t st ory before. You see, we tra ce your hostility ba ck to thesevera l divisions of American s w ho fought us, on Russia n soil, immedia tely followingour revolution in 1918. I know m a ny America ns don't like to remember the illega l

a tt empt to inva de our countr y a nd chan ge our government, but th a t is a fact ofhistory a nd you ha ve to ta ke.. .

US AIDEMay I ha ve a moment , Mr. Secretary?

RU SK [SE CRE TARY OF STATE]Yes?

(Th ey move away fr om th e Soviet cont i ngent .)

US AIDE

Mr. Secreta ry, I know th ere's something going on you don't w a nt t o ta lk about. B utth e press corps is getting da mn suspicious w ith h a lf the government shut tlingbetw een the White House an d the Sta te Depart ment tw o an d three t imes a da y. Ith ink you'd bett er tell all th e big wh eels to get th eir limousines off the st reets.

RU SK [SE CRE TARY OF STATE]I don't know w ha t you're ta lking about. B ut tha nks very much.

(Rusk rejoin s th e group whi ch i ncludes Gr omyko.)

G ROMYKO [SOVIET FORE IG N MINIS TER ].. .it is America n imperialism w hich ha s stood betw een t he na tura l friendship of the

common people of our nations.

RU SK [SE CRE TARY OF STATE]B ut w e, Mr. Foreign Minister, remember th e excesses of Sta lin, reca ll thesubjugat ion of Ea stern E urope, a nd a re reminded of Cha irma n Kh rushchev'sprovoca tive prophecy t ha t you will a tt empt to bury us.

G ROMYKO [SOVIET FORE IG N MINIS TER ]Mr. Secreta ry, you misundersta nd. Ca pitalism w ill collapse of its ow n volit ion. Yousee, to put it perfectly a ccura te, w e believe th a t you w ill bury y ourselves.


28/105



Th e tabl e i s a jumble of br iefi ng paper s and r ejectedpr oposal s, stal e coffee conta i ners and fi l l ed asht r ays.

MCNAMARA [SECRETARY OF DEFENSE]

G entlemen, a blockade is a first st ep. If it succeeds, we've avoided wa r. I f it fails,th e oth er options a re still open to us.

SORENS EN [COUNCI L TO J FK]If w e att a ck by air w e'll kill Russian .

GENERAL TAYLOR [ARMY]All right, I 'll go a long on huma nita rian grounds with giving Ca stro tw enty-fourhours noticeand then bombing.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]G entlemen, t his count ry is supposed t o sta nd for somethin g, it's supposed to be asymbol of mora ls and va lues a nd fair play. Now , how t he hell w ill bombing a t iny

country int o submission help esta blish us a s a lea der of the free world? Wha t kindof a victory w ould it be?

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]B etter tha n a defeat , I would say.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Yes. And w hen th e smoke clea rs a nd t he corpses a re dragged from the rubble, w ha tdo w e a nsw er wh en the world a sks: 'Why ? Where is your proof? Wha t gives you theright?'

DILLON [SECRETARY OF TREASURY]I think we can hit Cuba by air a nd get a wa y with i t . The Russians are not prepared

to go to nuclear w ar w ith us. B ut I ha ve to say t ha t your moral a rguments ha venever occurred t o me, B obby, but you're right . We ha ve to remember w ho we a re.We have to ta ke th e risk. And w e have to put a side the air a tt a ck option a t least fornow. I'm prepared to go a long w ith t he blocka de.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]G entlemen, the P resident is wa it ing.

(Th e other s foll ow RFK 's lead, come to th ei r feet.)

RF K [ATTORN E Y G E NE RAL] (cont 'd)Oh, incidenta lly, Dea n Rus k ca lled to sa y w e should all go over to th e Whit e House inth e sa me limousine to avoid t ipping off the press corps.

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]One car for a ll of us?

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Yeah.

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]P ity t he government if we get into an a ccident.


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RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]I t hink w e'll be sa fe, none of us is driving.


J FK [Presid ent] is wi th the Executi ve Comm it teemember s from th e pr evi ous scene, pl us Rusk andTh ompson w ho are sti l l i n t uxedos.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]I a m a tt ra cted to your concept of a blockade. I t should give Khrushchev time torespond thoughtfully, a nd it certa inly avoids the shock of a surprise at ta ck. If itw orks, the Russian s can retr eat w ith dignity . And if it doesn't w e've preserved ourflexibility. Ted, I wa nt a dra ft of my speech t o the count ry rea dy for me when I getback from ca mpaigning. G entlemen, on Sun da y at the lat est we're going to let th ew orld in on this.

35 FILM: INDO-CHINESE WAR OF OCTOBER,1962

NARRATIONChinese ar mored columns rolled forwa rd t oda y in la rge-scale fighting a gainst th e ill-prepared India n troops. India n militar y spokesmen ha ve reported heavy casua lties,but expressed their determina tion to w ithst a nd th e Chinese thr ust a ll a long th edisputed frontier.


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" MISS ILE S OF OCTOBE R" St a nley R. G reenberg FOU R 36 29

DAY FOUR

Fr id ay, October 19t h

36 CONFERENCE ROOMSTATE DEPARTMENTACH ESON [form er Secr etar y of St ate] ad dr esses th eExecut i ve Comm i tt ee.

NARRATIONThe fourth da y of th e Missiles of October.

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]G entlemen, let me a sk lea ve to be excused from furt her a tt enda nce. This is no placefor a priva te citizen like mys elf.


Mr. Acheson, the P resident ha s the great est respect a nd t he highest personal regar dfor you. In his abs ence I.. .

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]It is one thing for an out sider like mys elf to be a sked for a dvice a nd counsel. B ut it 'squite a nother for me to a ctua lly pa rticipa te in plan ning th e tactica l opera tions. Iw ish y ou all good luck.

37 PRESIDENTIAL PODIUMCHICAGO

J FK [P RESIDE NT]

Woodrow Wilson once said, 'Wha t good is a political pa rt y un less it is being used byth e nat ion for a grea t occa sion?' Wha t is t he great occa sion for which this n a tionw ill use the Democra tic pa rt y in 1962? Why sh ould th ey choose us and n ot theRepublica ns? The Republica ns a re equa lly pat riotic, equa lly an xious to see it movea head . Wha t ma kes th is election importa nt in 1962 is tha t th e tw o part ies ha veclear a nd dist inct d ifferences in their a pproach a s to how t hey should move thiscountry a head.

38 PRESIDENTIAL HOTEL ROOMCHICAGO /RFK'S OFFICEWASHINGTON

The Pr esi dent' s r oom : lar ge, sever al tel ephones. J FKis del iver in g hi s speech in th e ball r oom , a few fl oor sdown. O'DONNEL L [Asst. to J FK ] is on thetel ephone, speaki ng t o RFK [At torn ey Gener al ] w ho i sin hi s off i ce in Washi ngton.

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]The crowds have been good to excellent and he looks terrific, but, of course, he'sunder a hell of a stra in.


31/105


RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Yes, well th ings are falling apart here, Ken. Dea n Acheson just w a lked out. And th emilita ry is vehemently opposed to th e blockade. In a ddit ion, securit y's crumbling, Ith ink the press know s someth ing is up.

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]

I can't see a nyt hing t o be gained by rushing t he P resident back to Wa shington now.Tha t w ould give it a w a y for certa in.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Now , listen, we're going to ha ve to round u p the C ongressiona l leaders a nd get thembriefed a s soon a s possible.

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]I'll clea r it w ith h im.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Will you ha ve the P resident ca ll me as soon as he's free?

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]In y our judgment h e has t o fly back in t he morning?

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]At the lat est . Yes.

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]I s ee.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]I'll ta lk to you la ter, Ken.

39 PRESIDENTIAL PODIUM

J FK [P RESIDE NT]This is a great a nd good count ry. I t is th e center of the sta ge. Everyt hing w e do hereis mar ked a round the world in the great st ruggle w hich is reaching its climax in th isdeca de. And I believe tha t w e ca n ma ke this count ry not only the lea der of the FreeWorld, but a lea der in w hom a ll ca n ha ve a sense of pride an d a sense of part icipationa nd a sense of mutua l progress. Now, I come to Illinois an d I a sk for your help!

40 PRESIDENTIAL HOTEL ROOM CHICAGO /RFK'S OFFICEWASHINGTON

J FK [Pr esid ent ] is havin g the br ace r el axed fr om hi sback by DAVE POWERS [Asst. to J FK ].

J FK [P RESIDE NT]I t hink P resident Roosevelt t hrew my fa ther out of this suite in nineteen forty -tw o.

P OWE RS [AS S IS TANT TO J FK ]Bet ter?


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J FK [P RESIDE NT]Yes, it 's much better Da ve, tha nk you.

(JF K l ower s hi mself i n th e r ocker .)

P OWE RS [AS S IS TANT TO J FK ]

( to O'Donnell )They loved th e speech.

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]I 'm sure glad to hear tha t .

(Powers hand s J FK a cup of clam chowder .)

J FK [P RESIDE NT]B ut w ill they love us on Monda y like they love us today?

(dr i nks chowder)That's good chowder.

P OWE RS [AS S IS TANT TO J FK ]For C hica go.

(Th e tel ephone r i ngs. Powers picks it up .)

P OWE RS [AS S IS TANT TO J FK ] (cont 'd)Yes?

( then to JFK )P ierre wa nts a minute with you.

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ](on anoth er phone)

You'll wa nt to ta lk to Bobby first .

(JFK nods.)

P OWE RS [AS S IS TANT TO J FK ](in to phone)

H e'll be rea dy for you in a m oment, P ierre. Tha nks.

(Power s hangs up .)

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ](handi ng JF K t he phone)

The Att orney G eneral, Mr. P resident .

J FK [P RESIDE NT](in to phone)

Wha t's ha ppening th ere, B obby?(listens)

Yes, I understa nd a bout Acheson, but w e have to keep him in th e picture. May beP a ris. And the J oint Chiefs ha ve to look a t it tha t wa y. B ut they'll come a roundw hen we're committ ed. Ha s McNa ma ra punched in the Atla ntic a nd Ca ribbea na lert? No, I'll ha ve to brief the Congressional leaders hip myselfone session w ithForeign Affa irs a nd Armed Services.


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RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL](in to phone fr om Washi ngton)

The consensus w ill firm up ar ound th e blockade if you're here, I know t ha t. B utw ithout you to ta ke the responsibility it looks too risky to them. J ust t oo da mnrisky.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]And, I 'll come ba ck in t he morning. Tell Sorensen h e's w rit ing a speech a nn ouncinga blockade, not Arma geddon. G oodnigh t, Bobby.

(hangs up; to O'Donn ell )First t hing in the morning, Ken.

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]Yes, sir.

(O'D onnel l goes to a tel ephone, JF K l i es down.)

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ] (cont 'd)(in to phone)

G et me Admira l B urkley, plea se.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Kenny w ould you please han d me my maga zine.

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]We're going to ha ve to come up w ith a good r eason for y ou to cut your speech s hort,Mr. President.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]What'll it be?

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]

You've caught cold.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Pi t y .

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ](in to phone)

H ello, Doctor? Ken O'Donn ell. P lease come a round to th e P resident 's suite tomorrowmorning . Ma ke th a t 09:00. Right . And, Doctorbe flexible.

(hangs up)

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Okay, let 's ha ve Pierre, Dave.

(Power s nods, cr osses to the door .)

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]Wha t if you ca n't get th e consensus in Wa shin gton t omorrow ?

J FK [P RESIDE NT]P resident Lin coln once put a proposition before his Ca binet. The vote w a s nine ay e,one nay. B ut the na y wa s Lincoln's and th e proposition wa s defea ted. I 'll ma ke thisdecision a lone if I must , but it'll be infinit ely bett er if the Executive depa rt ment s

(more)


34/105


J FK [P RE SI DE NT] (cont 'd)support me a ll the w a y, beca use they've pa rticipa ted in t he decision, a nd un dersta ndit , a nd t hey believe in it .

(SAL I NGER [Pr ess Secr etar y] ent er s.)

J FK [P RE SI DE NT] (cont 'd)H ello, P ierre.

SALING ER [P RES S SE CRE TARY]The speech went very w ell, Mr. P resident .

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Tha nks. Wha t's your problem?

SALING ER [P RES S SE CRE TARY]I just got a call from B ob Allen. He an d P a ul Scott a re going to publish a st ory th a tw e're on t he verge of inva ding C uba . Also Ca rleton Kent of th e Sun-Times as ked forverifica tion of a report t ha t w e have para chute units on the a lert for a C uban jump.

Now, sir, I'm completely in t he da rk.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Ca ll Kent a nd tell him tha t report is a bsolutely false. We have no intent ions ofinva ding Cuba . If he prints t ha t st ory h e's going to look foolish.

( to O'Donnell )Kenny, call McNa ma ra a nd ha ve him ask Allen a nd S cott to kill their story.

SALING ER [P RES S SE CRE TARY]Mr. P resident , I suppose you're going to tell me wha t's going on wh en you thin k Ishould know .

J FK [P RESIDE NT]

I don't w a nt to put my P ress Secreta ry in t he position of delibera tely deceiving th epressa nd you're not t he world's great est liar , Pierre. You don't know how lucky youa re not t o know w ha t you don't know.

SALING ER [P RES S SE CRE TARY]Yes, sir . G ood night, Mr. P resident .

J FK [P RESIDE NT]G ood night , Pierre.

(Sal i nger sta r ts to leave.)

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]P ierre, we're ma king some alt erna tive tra vel arra ngements for the pool reporters inth e morning. You'll ma ke the an nouncement a t th e last m oment.

SALING ER [P RES S SE CRE TARY]Now , wa it a m inute, are you ta lking about a new schedule?

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]The P resident is developing a cold.

SALING ER [P RES S SE CRE TARY]And w ho do you thin k th a t is going to fool?


35/105


O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]Everybody, the w a y you're going to ha ndle it .

(Sali nger exit s. JFK i s al one; immobil e; sil ent .)

41 FILM: AN ATOMIC FIREBALL

NARRATIONThe Unit ed Sta tes today detona ted a n uclea r device above J ohnst on Isla nd in thecent ra l P a cific. The explosion wa s th e second successful American t est in t he uppera tmosphere in six a tt empts this yea r.


36/105

" MISS ILE S OF OCTOBE R" St a nley R. G reenberg FIVE 42 35

DAY FIVE

Satu r day, October 20th

42 KREMLINSOVIET UNIONGROMYKO [Soviet F oreign M in ister] enters andspeaks with KH RUSHCHEV [Soviet Pr emi ere].

NARRATIONThe fifth da y of th e Missiles of October.

G ROMYKO [SOVIET FORE IG N MINIS TER ]I ta lked wit h Kennedy in Wa shington for over two hours. I can't dismiss thepossibility he knew a bout t he situa tion in Cuba .

KHRUSHCHEV [SOVIET PREMIERE]

Tha t w a s your domina nt impression?

G ROMYKO [SOVIET FORE IG N MINIS TER ]It's possible.

KHRUSHCHEV [SOVIET PREMIERE]If so, wh y ha ven't w e heard h is righteous America n indigna tion?

G ROMYKO [SOVIET FORE IG N MINIS TER ]With held, perha ps, for t he element of surprise.

KHRUSHCHEV [SOVIET PREMIERE]There's a nother possibility. He ma y be withh olding the bad n ews unt il after the

American election, like a bride concealing h er blemish un til a fter th e ceremony. InVienna I felt sorry for Kennedy, he so desperat ely w a nt ed a t riumph. All right, letme hear th at conversat ion a gain in deta il.


J FK pr esi des over th e Executi ve Comm i tt ee.

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]Mr. P resident , would you prefer t ha t ea ch of us w rite down our recommenda tion?

J FK [P RESIDE NT]No. There isn't a clea r cut a nsw er here. I don't w a nt people sa ying later th a t th eirplans w ould ha ve worked. P erhaps, those of you wh ose proposa ls aren't a dopted ma yyet prove to be th e lucky ones. Let's begin. Secreta ry Rusk?

RU SK [SE CRE TARY OF STATE]I fa vor t he blocka de, Mr. P resident.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Secretary McNama ra?


37/105


MCNAMARA [SECRETARY OF DEFENSE]B lockad e, Mr. President.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Secreta ry Dillon?

DILLON [SECRETARY OF TREASURY]B lockad e, Sir.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]G enera l Ta ylor?

GENERAL TAYLOR [ARMY]Air st rike, Mr. P resident .

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Mr. Att orney G eneral?


B lockad e, Mr. President.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Dir ector McCone?

MCCONE [DIR EC TOR OF C IA]Air st rike, sir.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Admir a l Anderson?

ADMIRAL ANDERSON [NAVY]Air st rike, Mr. P resident .

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Ken?

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]B lockad e, Mr. President.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Amba ssa dor St evenson?

STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]Quara nt ine, Mr. President .

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Amba ssa dor Thompson?

THOM P SON [AMB ASS ADOR TO S OVIE T U NION]Blockade, sir.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]George?

B ALL [UND E R S E CR E TARY OF S TATE ]B lockad e, Mr. President.


38/105


J FK [P RESIDE NT]Mac?

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]B lockad e, Mr. President.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Ted?

SORENS EN [COUNCI L TO J FK]B lockad e, Mr. President.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Then it is t he consensus of this committ ee th a t a na val a ction is our mosta ppropriat e response. I a gree. I understa nd a nd a ppreciat e the concern of a ll th osew ho voted for a n a ir strike. And I a ssure you tha t if the blockade fa ils I 'll takeuncompromising a ction. My speech to th e na tion will be on Monda y. I'll a nn ouncethe quarant ine a t tha t t ime.

STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]Sir , I believe tha t y our speech sh ould incorpora te a call for a n emergency session ofth e Security C ouncil. We must get to the UN a head of the Russia ns.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Tha t's very useful. St a te will work w ith you on a d ra ft resolution.

STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]And ma y I a dd, sir , tha t w ha tever ha ppens at the U nited Nations is largelycontingent on t he Orga nizat ion of America n S ta tes supporting our a ction.

RU SK [SE CRE TARY OF STATE]H opefully th e OAS w ill come to a vote by Wednesda y, before w e impose th e actu a l

blockade.

STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]Ma y I a sk, sir , wh a t w e'll do if the OAS doesn't support us? Are we th en going toimpose the blockade a nd t a ke our case to the Un ited Na tions even with out t hesembla nce of legality , wit hout t he support of our ow n hemisphere?

J FK [P RESIDE NT]I'll pay a ny price to get t hose missiles out of Cuba .

STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]Then, sir, I d on't see how w e ca n expect th e Russia ns t o remove them for nothin g.It 's going to be difficult for th e rest of the w orld, especia lly Eu rope, to underst a ndour fear of the Cuban ba ses. After all, our E uropean a llies have been with in easyreach of Soviet m issiles for yea rs. The world will ask w hy S oviet t echnicia ns a ndmissiles in Cuba a re an y more wicked th a n our ow n t echnicia ns a nd missiles inTurkey and It a ly. And w hy a R ussian ba se in Cuba is an y more wicked tha n our ow nAmerican ba se at G uant an am o.

DILLON [SECRETARY OF TREASURY]St evenson, are you a sserting th a t w e should tra de our J upiter ba se, or ourG ua nt a na mo base, for the Cuban m issile bases? Are you suggesting th a t th ere's arelationship betw een t he tw o?


39/105


STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]The w orld w ill suggest it , sir , a nd w e must h a ve a r esponse.

GENERAL TAYLOR [ARMY]If th e situa tion were reversed, the Russian s w ouldn't h esita te to use nuclea rw eapons on us. And they certa inly wouldn't a gree to tra de a w a y their stra tegic

bases.STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]

If th e blocka de fails, we w ill be forced eith er into wa r or negotia tions. I believe wemight a void the w ar by beginning w ith t he negotiat ions.

MCCONE [DIR EC TOR OF C IA]I should ha ve thought t ha t H it ler t aught us a t least one lessonan d its na me isa ppeasement. Negotia ting now w ill w eaken our str a tegic position a ll over the world.

STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]The G ua nta na mo ba se is wit hout stra tegic significa nce.

ADMIRAL ANDERSON [NAVY]I'll dispute th a t, sir .

STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]The Turkish a nd I ta lian J upiter ba ses are obsolete. We ca n negotiat e them w ithoutlosing a nyt hing of significa nce.

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]B ut our t reat y obligat ions a re binding, unless you wa nt to undermine NATO.

STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]Neverth eless, we can negotia te w ithout losing a nyt hing of significa nce.

DILLON [SECRETARY OF TREASURY]And t hen, sir, wh a t do you suggest w e give aw a y next t ime?

STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]I'm hopeful tha t w e'll live to see a next t ime.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]G entlemen, I a gree tha t d iploma tic moves are essential, but w e're not going tonegotia te under the gun. DeG a ulle w ould be quick to say w e were selling out theE uropea ns to protect ourselves. And th e Russia ns w ould be tempt ed to tryblackmail aga in, elsew here. The issue isn't G ua nta na mo or obsolete J upiterbasesth e issue is missiles, Russian missiles in C uba, a nd t hey must be removed.And t hey mus t be removed quickly.


J FK [Presid ent] & RFK [Att orn ey Gener al].

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]We work da y a nd night t o ha mmer out a consensus an d St evenson dam n near blowsit . I w onder if he's strong enough or tough enough to represent us a t t he UN.


40/105


J FK [P RESIDE NT]I sometimes th ink St evenson is the UN.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Ma ybe you should replace him w ith s omeone like J ohn McCloy, a t ough Republica n.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]I don't t ha t w ould be prudent now.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]If w e show a ny w eakness now, Khr ushchev will march th rough us like an open door.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Adlai showed coura ge. He gave a n a rgument t ha t needed to be given a nd took therisk of being called an appeaser.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]He da mn nea r pulled us off the tra ck is wha t he did.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]He wa sn't w rong.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Tha t's not t he point. You sa id yourself, we ca n't submit to Russian bla ckma il.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Neverth eless, foreign observers will a sk w hy w e're entit led to bases in Turkeypointing missiles a t Russia's belly. Now , I ad mire w ha t St evenson did. He told thetrut h a nd presented th e diplomat ic point of view . And th a t's his J ob.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]H is job is to implement your decisions. It d oesn't ma tt er wh ether w e respect Adlai or

a dmire him or w hether or not he's even telling the truth . Right now w e need thesupport of Republica ns a nd conservat ive Democra ts a like, w ho just don't trust hisca pacity to sta nd up to the Russian s.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Ha lf the America n people think tha t St evenson should h a ve been president.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Yes, an d th e other ha lf think th a t Nixon should ha ve been president.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]You're not a R epublica n or a conserva tivea t lea st n ot the la st t ime I looked.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Yes, well, McCLoy is a va ilable, an d I th ink we could use all th e help we can get.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]I'd welcome th e support of McCloy a nd h is friends. I'll ask h im to join S tevenson'sdelegat ion a t t he UN.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Tha nk y ou.


41/105


J FK [P RESIDE NT]I sa id join S tevenson's delegat ion.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Yes, Mr. P resident.

45 NAVY FLAG PLOT ROOMPENTAGON

Thi s is the top secr et nerve cent er of Navaloperat i ons. ADM IRAL ANDERSON [Chief of NavalOper ati ons] gi ves in str ucti ons to subor di nat es.

ADMIRAL ANDERSON [NAVY]The blockade w ill form a n a rc extendin g eight hu ndr ed miles to sea from Ca peMa ysi, tha t 's well beyond th e range of MIG fight ers in Cuba . Your designa tion isTa sk Force 136, comprising th irteen dest royers on the forwa rd line support ed by tw ocruisers flanked by four a dditional destr oyers a nd th e guided m issile cruiser

Ca nberra. In support w ill be the P hilibreiglex inva sion fleet. B y the wa y, Corky,th ree of your destroyers ha ve just put in fr om service w ith t he Sixth F leet. The mena re on liberty a nd hun g out over ha lf of the Ea stern seaboard. You ha ve tw enty-fourhours to corra l them a nd to sail. So, you will be in position an d close a ll naviga blecha nnels to Cuba a s of ten hun dred th is Wednesday, October 24.

46 DINNER DANCEWASHINGTON D.C.

H igh fashi on, the di pl omati c cor ps, col um ni sts,Congressmen. A SENATOR and SCALI [ABC N ewsReporter ] ar e in conver sati on.

SE NATOR 2P ut it down, Scali, as a prediction from me. Now, we Republica ns a re going to pickup four seat s in the Senat e a nd a t least a t least fourteen in the House.

SC ALI [AB C NE WS R EP ORTER ]At ABC News , we keep picking up report s of ma jor troop movements . Now, Sena tor,w ouldn't you sa y t ha t something very big is brewing in C uba, or perha ps in Berlin?

SE NATOR 2I th ink it's all smoke. The Pr esident w on't ta ke firm a ction th is close to th eelection... Will you excuse us, pleas e.

(STEVEN SON [Am bassador to UN ] f ind s KENO'DONNEL L [Asst. to JFK] also alone, also enj oying adr ink . )

STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]I'm sur prised you could get a w a y, Ken.

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]Ha d to, G overnor. I ca n't think stra ight any more. Anyw a y, if th e Administra tionmisses an other clamba ke Khrushchev will know w e're on t o him.

(more)


42/105


O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ] (cont 'd)(rai sin g glass)

Cheers.

STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]Would you mind telling me wha t t he P resident thought of my performa nce today ?

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]He a dmired your coura ge.

STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]I hope tha t's true. Most of those men probably consider me a cow a rd for w ha t I sa idtoday . Ma ybe th ere should be a cow a rd a round when w e're talking about nuclea rw a r. Which is w ha t everyone is ta lking about.

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]Everyone?

STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]

Al Friendly of the Wa shington P ost a nd S cott y Reston of the Times ha ve dug out th estory, don't a sk me how. They know w ha t our bea rded friend ha s in Cuba.

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]Are you cert a in?

STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]Their questions w ere considerably more accura te th a n m y a nsw ers.

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]Da mn. I 'll ha ve to ca ll th e P resident.


J FK [Pr esid ent ], alone, talk in g on th e phone to hi said e O'Donnell .

J FK [P RESIDE NT](in to phone)

This government is like a sieve! It 's a m ira cle we've kept th e story out of th e pressa s long a s we ha ve. No, no, no, I ca n't delega te tha t job. I 'll have to ca ll thepublishers myself. Kenny, wh o's at t he pa rty ?

48 ACHESON'S STUDY /CONFERENCE ROOMSTATE DEPARTMENT

ACHESON [form er Secr etar y of State] i s sit t i ng i n acom fortable chai r i n fr ont of a fi r epl ace, on t hetelephone.

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]P ar is? Did you say Pa ris?


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(RUSK [SECRETARY OF STATE] i s on th e telephone in acorn er of the confer ence r oom at th e Sta te Depar tm ent .Behi nd hi m, th e Execut ive Comm it tee i s, as usual , insession.)

RU SK [SE CRE TARY OF STATE]

The P resident ha s ma de his decision, Dea n. He prefers the sea route.ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]

Yes, I understa nd.

RU SK [SE CRE TARY OF STATE]He w a nts y ou to deliver th e messa ge to DeG a ulle. He feels you're the only ma n w iththe prestige and the experience to confront the General.

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]Tha t's grat ifying but I d on't see how I can.


Dea n, I needn't tell you t ha t w e all belong t o the least exclusive club in t he w orldw hich a lso ha ppens to have the highest dues, the United St a tes of America . TheP resident w a nt s you to fly to Europe tomorrow.

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]Well, I suppose I'm enough of a la w yer t o represent a point of view w ith w hich Ipersona lly disagr ee. I do ha ve one problem.

RU SK [SE CRE TARY OF STATE]Wha t 's th at ?

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]My pas sport 's expired.

(RUSK lau ghs and h angs up.)


Al one, JFK 's hand shak es as he l igh ts his ci gar.

50 FILM: A MUSHROOMING NUCLEAREXPLOSION


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" MISS ILE S OF OCTOBE R" St a nley R. G reenberg SI X 51 43

DAY SIX

Sund ay, October 21st

51 OVAL OFFICEWHITE HOUSETh e Pr esid ent i s meeti ng wi th t he J oin t Ch iefs pl usRFK [A ttorn ey General ] and GEN ERAL SWEEN Y[Ai r For ce].

NARRATIONThe sixth da y of th e Missiles of October.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]The quest ion is w heth er th e air st rikes will be more effective th a n a blockade.

G ENE RAL LE MAY [AIR FORC E]

There is no question a bout tha t, sir .

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Tha t's exa ctly w hy I 've asked General Sw eeny t o sit in on th a t very point. G eneral,I 'm a sking you this q uestion directly: I f you ha ve everything you need can yougua ra nt ee tha t a ir strikes will ta ke out a ll of the Soviet ba ses?

G ENE RAL SWEE NY [AIR FORC E]Mr. P resident , ar e you a sking me for one hundr ed percent of th e missiles?

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Ca n th e ta ctical air comma nd t a ke out a ll of the missiles, yes.

G ENE RAL SWEE NEY [AIR FORCE ]Sir, I ca n gua ra ntee tha t w e'd ta ke out ninety percent, not one hundr ed. Completelysurgica l strike just is n ot possible. We ca nn ot be cert a in of hit tin g every pa d, everyla unch vehicle. Some might sur vive. We might miss a few .

J FK [P RESIDE NT]And if w e missed t en percent tha t w ould leave w ha tsix or sevenopera tionalnuclear w eapons, ca pable of ta king out New York a nd Wa shington a nd a few othercities, is tha t correct?

G ENE RAL SWEE NY [AIR FORC E]Yes, sir . And th a t's w hy w e'd ha ve to follow up w ith a n inva sion.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Tha nk you very much, G enera l. I apprecia te your ca ndor. We're going ah ead w ithth e decision of th e consensus. I'll an nounce th e blocka de in my speech t o th e na tiontomorrow evening. Admira l Anderson, it's all up to the Navy .

ADMIRAL ANDERSON [NAVY]The Na vy w on't let you dow n, Mr. P resident .

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Tha nk you very much, gentlemen.


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J FK [Pr esid ent ] i s goin g over a moun tai n of paper s.SAL I NGER [Pr ess Secr etar y] ent er s.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]

Well, Pierre, did you get y our briefing?SALING ER [P RES S SE CRE TARY]

Yes, Mr. President. I ha d no idea things were this ba d.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]Aren't you glad y ou didn't kn ow.

SALING ER [P RES S SE CRE TARY]Security is breakin g dow n. The reporters a re seeing th e w rong officia ls in th e w rongplaces a t t he wrong times.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]

I expect you to keep th e kid on for a nother tw enty -four hours...

53 PRESS CONFERENCE

SAL INGER [Pr ess Secr etar y] condu cts the bri efi ng.SCAL I [ABC News Report er] is promin ent among thereporters.

SC ALI [AB C NE WS R EP ORTER ]I want to get into this so-called training exercise.

SALING ER [P RES S SE CRE TARY]Mr. Scali, you ha ve the P enta gon backgrounder. P hilibreiglex 62 is a tr a iningexercise. I t w a s an nounced long a go.

REP ORTER 1Ca n you tell me why th ousa nds of marines were suddenly airlifted from Ca lifornia toNorth Ca rolina ?

SALING ER [P RES S SE CRE TARY]Tha t's par t of the exercise.

REP ORTER 2I ha ve a report tha t t his morning destroyers from Norfolk and J a cksonville suddenlyput to sea w ith crews t ha t w ere a ll but comman deered.

SALING ER [P RES S SE CRE TARY]It 's my understa nding th a t t he sea s off Puert o Rico a re unexpectedly heavy. TheNa vy ha d to make some destroyer rea ssignments.

SC ALI [AB C NE WS R EP ORTER ]P ierre, off the record, isn't it t rue th a t. . .

SALING ER [P RES S SE CRE TARY]No. Tha nk you, gent lemen.


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(Sali nger exit s abr upt ly, questi ons shouted i n h i s wake.)


Th e N ati onal Secur i t y Counci l is gathered aroundth e Cabin et tabl e.

STE VENS ON [AMB ASS ADOR TO U N]The lan gua ge of the speech is too genera l in tha t respect. The P resident m ust bemore explicit . He should deman d tha t t he Russians disma nt le th e missiles.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]The P resident is locked up w ith S orensen right now. I 'll get a message to him a ssoon as possible.

(to Di l lon)Doug, w hen a re you scheduled to leave for Mexico City?

DILLON [SECRETARY OF TREASURY]Fifteen m inutes a go.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]The P resident ma y n eed your support for t he Na tional S ecurity Council meeting.

DILLON [SECRETARY OF TREASURY]I'll dela y my flight.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]G ood. Tha t w ould be best. Tha nk you. Now, let's get a hold of Sa linger, w e should

hear w ha t he's arr a nged for the foreign lan gua ge broa dcast.(to Rusk)

And D ean, I w a nt t o get into the machinery of briefing the allied a nd neutra lgovernments.

RU SK [SE CRE TARY OF STATE]I can a ssure you tha t every capitol in th e world is being informed.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Wha t d o we hear from London?


B ruce is scheduled t o meet w ith McMillan w ithin t he hour.

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]The President is anxious for DeGaulle's reaction as well.

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]Acheson should be wit h him n ow.


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55 DEGAULLE'S OFFICEPARIS

CHARL ES DeGAU L LE [Pr esid ent of Fr ance] andACH ESON [form er Secr etar y of Stat e] exami ne th ephotogr aph i c evi dence.

DE G AULLE [P RES IDE NT OF FRANCE]Your P resident does me a great honor by sending me so distinguished an emissary.

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]Tha nk you, G eneral DeG a ulle.

DE G AULLE [P RES IDE NT OF FRANCE]Mr. Acheson, a re you consult ing m e or informin g me?

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]Informing y ou.

DE G AULLE [P RES IDE NT OF FRANCE]

You may tell your P resident t ha t Fra nce will support him. I think tha t in thecircumstance, President Kennedy has no other choice.(takes a closer l ook a t photographs)

From wha t a lt i tude were these ta ken?

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]Fourteen miles.

DE G AULLE [P RES IDE NT OF FRANCE]Why, in y our opinion, did th e Soviets t a ke this a ction?

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]They ga mbled, sir.

DE G AULLE [P RES IDE NT OF FRANCE]With out cau se?

ACH E SON [FORM ER SE CR E TARY OF S TATE ]It 's perha ps not fla tt ering to my own government for me to say t ha t t he Soviets ha dbeen led to believe they could get a w a y w ith it .

DE G AULLE [P RES IDE NT OF FRANCE](nods; exam ines photogr aph s)

Fourteen miles...remarkable.


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" MISS ILE S OF OCTOBE R" St a nley R. G reenberg SE VEN 56 47

DAY SEVEN

Monday, October 22nd

56 CABINET ROOMWHITE HOUSEThe Executi ve Comm i tt ee i s i n session. Pr omi nentmember s of t he Commi tt ee ar e r eporti ng t o JFK .

SORENS EN [COUNCI L TO J FK]Mr. Pr esident, St a te wa nt s the speech revised, to base our lega l right to quar a ntineon the hemispheric right t o self-defense through t he Orga niza tion of AmericanSt a tes ra ther th a n on Article 50 of the UN Ch a rter. . .

MCCONE [DIR EC TOR OF C IA]The U -2 surveilla nce flights h a ve been increased to seven per da y. Missile elementsat Sa n C ristobal a re now opera t iona l .. .

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]Mr. P resident , you'll meet w ith t he Na tional S ecurity Council at 3:00 P .M.

RU SK [SE CRE TARY OF STATE]It w ould be unw ise to ca ncel th e courtesy ca ll of P rime Minister of U gan da a t 3:30.. .

O'DO NNE LL [AS SI S TANT TO J FK ]The Ca binet m eeting h a s been a rra nged a t 4:00.

SALING ER [P RES S SE CRE TARY]Mr. P resident , your a ddress to the na tion is scheduled on all th ree netw orks a t sevenP .M. E ast ern St an dard t ime.. .

SORENS EN [COUNCI L TO J FK]...In a ccorda nce w ith y our directive...

MCCONE [DIR EC TOR OF C IA].. .P ersuan t to your orders. ..

BUNDY [NATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANT]...Follow ing your req uest.. .

SALING ER [P RES S SE CRE TARY].. .U nder your inst ructions. . .


J FK [PRESIDEN T] an d entourage are movingtogether. J FK an d RFK [Att orn ey Gener al] in t helead foll owed by M cCone, Tayl or, Rusk andMcNamara.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]I un dersta nd y ou had a problem collecting t he Congressional leaders.


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" MISS ILE S OF OCTOBE R" St a nley R. G reenberg SE VEN 57 48

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Yes, most of th em ha d t o be air-lifted.

J FK [P RESIDE NT]H a ve they been tipped off?

RFK [ATTORNE Y G E NE RAL]Hopefully, no.

(JF K and th e ent our age go th r ough t he door .)


J FK [Pr esid ent ] an d h i s peopl e have bri efedSENATOR RUSSEL L, REPRESENTATI VEHAL LECK, SENATOR FULBRIGHT and

SENATOR 2.

HALLECK [REPRESENTATIVE-R]Mr. P resident , I 'll support w ha t y ou're say ing tonight, but I w a nt the record t o showth a t I've been informed but never cons

missiles of october (teleplay)

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