attack is counter to
what the United States stands for
It leaves us no room for maneuver
And the inevitable Soviet response
would force us into a war
Mr. President
there are still those of us
who believe
we should proceed with the strikes
With the blockade
we lose strategic surprise
and we also run the risk of the Soviets
launching the first strike against us
if they decide they have to
use the missiles or lose them
So quarantine...
or air strike
There is a third option
With either course we undertake
the risk of nuclear war
So maybe one of us in this room
should be a coward
So I guess I'll be
A third course is to strike a deal
We trade Guantanamo
and our missiles in Turkey
get them to pull their missiles out
We employ a back channel
We attribute the idea to U. N. Thant
U Thant then raises it at the U. N.
I don't think that's possible, Adlai
I've not yet made my final decision
I'll be asking the networks
for airtime on Monday night
We'll announce
our course of action then
Ted, get to work on speeches
for both quarantine
and air strike
Thank you for all your advice
gentlemen
Did you hear Adlai?
You'd think nobody
learned anything from World War Two
Somebody had to say it
I respect Adlai for having the guts
to risk looking like an appeaser
We have to pull him
He won't be able to handle
the Soviets in front of the U. N.
Zorin will eat him alive
We've got bigger problems right now
Ladies?
No, thank you
Honey, I'll be right back
Adlai
Just can't seem to
get away from you guys
Escaping from a night on the town?
As D. C. 's most popular playboy
the President felt my presence
would be sorely missed, so...
in the interest of National Security
here I am
Yes. Gotta keep up appearances
Of course, I don't any more
I'm a political dead man
Did you ever see anyone
cut his own throat like I did today?
No
It's alright
By the way
I spoke to a friend
Reston and Frankel have the story
The Times is going to run it tomorrow
We're not gonna make it to Monday
Shit
I'll get Sorenson
to try to lean on Reston
But you're gonna
have to call Orville Dryfoos
This is the sort of decision
a publisher makes himself
Alright
Thanks, Kenny
Yes sir, I understand
But we held on the Bay of Pigs
and it was the
biggest mistake of my life
What makes this different?
Orville, I'm asking you
to hold the story
until I can present
our course of action on Monday night
Alright
But I'm gonna need a reason
to give my boys
They're gonna be screaming
for my head on a plate
Orville, you tell them this
That they'll be saving lives
including their own
Yes, Mr. President
How many Congressmen
have not responded yet?
Fourteen
Boggs is in the Gulf fishing?
I thought
he was supposed to be campaigning
He's not gone for long, sir
Jesus. Get a plane out there
and get him back
He wants to talk to LeMay again
He's still considering air strikes
None of this works tomorrow
Figure out how to cancel it
Yes, sir
We're on the phones
Cam, can you guarantee me
you'll get all the missiles?
Sir, I guarantee we'll get
all the missiles we know about
Mr. President
we can get better than
90 percent of them
I'll brief the Congressional
leadership tomorrow evening at five
At seven o'clock, all United States
armed forces worldwide
will stand up to DEFCON 3
I have a brief statement
President Kennedy
will address the nation tonight
On radio and television
on a subject of
the hightest national urgency
He has requested airtime
on all three networks for seven p. m.
Thank you very much
Mr. President
Congress cannot give you
the support you're looking for
Mr. President?
Sir?
If they want this goddamn job
they can have it
It's no great joy to me
Mr. President, here's the speech
with those changes you wanted
I need a minute
Kenny, no
A minute
I don't want a goddamn pep talk
You're not the Harvard
quarterback anymore
We're on the brink here
They're trying to second-guess