Seven Days in May Page #10

"They died for Jordan Lyman's

concept of peace."

Did it ever occur to you that...

...if you took over this government

by force...

...you wouldn't have to wait

a year and nine months for the funeral?

If the Soviet Union saw our government

taken over by a military dictatorship...

...how long would it take them

to break the treaty?

Possibly even attack us?

I think perhaps a question of days,

perhaps hours...

...certainly weeks.

I want your resignation, General.

I want it tonight. I'm expecting it.

Along with the other members of the Joint

Chiefs who are involved in this treason.

I'll tell you quite unequivocally...

...l'll not tell the reason

for your resignation.

If that were ever made public,

this country would go down the drain.

- Will you resign, General?

- I will not resign.

I can demand your resignation,

as you well know.

Demand and be damned.

I will not resign voluntarily.

Nor will any of the others.

But what I will do is take this issue

to the people.

I'll demand a public platform.

Then we'll see which one of us

the United States will follow.

Anything else...

...Mr. President?

I've called a press conference

for tomorrow.

I'll announce that I've asked for

all of your resignations.

I'll use as a reason...

...our differences over the treaty.

Without proof,

you couldn't possibly say otherwise.

You simply wouldn't dare.

I'm going to fight you.

I'm sorry, Jiggs.

Return them to Miss Holbrook.

This will be delivered at:00 tonight

on all major networks.

I'll be taping it in one hour.

This is strong stuff, General.

Thank you, General.

Are you sure that he won't use this

press conference to make any accusations?

He'll use this press conference to support

a position that is totally indefensible.

General, if he accuses us of sedition,

whether he has the proof or not...

...this could be a sticky business.

Jordan Lyman is finished...

...no matter what he says during his press

conference, no matter what he does after.

An educated guess is that within a week

there'll be a move for impeachment.

That's it, gentlemen.

You're welcome to stay here and watch

on television. I'll be at the studio.

Colonel Murdock will be in touch with me

if I'm needed.

Good day.

Ladies and gentlemen,

the President of the United States.

All right, gentlemen. Let's begin.

The Gallup Poll of last week

indicated what appears to be...

... a very universal rejection

of your entire political philosophy.

The nuclear treaty with the Soviets.

Would you comment on that?

Insofar as the treaty is concerned...

... my reasons for asking that it be ratified

have been stated and re-stated.

We have reached a point on this earth...

Excuse mejust a moment, gentlemen.

Jordie, you better talk to this fellow.

This is Henry Whitney

from our embassy in Madrid.

He brought this.

I'm the only one who's read that paper.

Nobody knows I'm here.

Delay the press conference for a half hour.

You are never to disclose or even hint at

the existence of this paper, Mr. Whitney.

I emphasize the word "never."

- Ray, have this Photostatted.

- Yes, sir.

Colonel Casey, see that Scott

and the others get copies right away.

Yes, sir.

That's a signed statement

from Admiral Barnswell.

You're a night crawler, Colonel.

A peddler. You sell information.

Are you sufficiently up on your Bible

to know who Judas was?

I suggest you read that letter, sir.

It's from the President.

I asked you a question.

Are you ordering me to answer, sir?

I am.

Yes, I know who Judas was.

He was a man I worked for and admired...

...until he disgraced the four stars

on his uniform.

Mr. President, for the past 48 hours...

... there has been considerable scuttlebutt

concerning the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

There have been rumors that there is to be

some sort of mass resignation.

Would you care to comment on that, sir?

I'll answer that, but I'd like to preface

with a few other comments.

In a democracy...

... once the president and the Senate,

as responsible authorities...

... make a decision, then debate

and opposition among the military...

... who have opposed this treaty

from the outset, must come to an end.

This is the way in war.

So it also must be in the councils

of government here in Washington.

I have had no choice...

... but to ask for the resignation

of General James Scott.

At the same time, I have asked

for the resignations of three other officers:

General Hardesty and

General Dieffenbach...

... the Chiefs of Staff

of the Air Force and Army...

... and General Riley,

Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Yes, I've already heard. He told me so.

General, I'll be right out.

General, all hell's broken loose.

General, he's asked them to resign.

Hardesty, Dieffenbach, Riley and yourself.

Riley called here. He tried to reach you.

Somehow Lyman got a hold

of Barnswell's statement.

It implicated all of us.

Names, dates, the works.

Jim, what are we going to do?

When do we tape?

You got my speech, didn't you?

Yes, but when this came out minutes ago,

the five network vice-presidents called me.

Do I get on the air or don't I?

We've gone along with you all the way,

but for God's sake, we're in jeopardy now.

The last thing we want is publicity.

Shut up, Prentice.

Harold?

General, it's out of my hands now.

What will you do?

Go to Mount Thunder and cut in

on the television networks.

- He's asked for your...

- He won't get them!

Dieffenbach, Riley and Hardesty are made

of sterner stuff than you.

- General, be realistic.

- Go to hell!

I can comment on that to this extent.

Americans, traditionally and historically,

have given vent to their views.

On the day that this government

does anything arbitrarily...

... to stifle those views,

it will have to change form.

It will cease to be a democracy.

And I can state quite frankly

that this day will not come.

Gentlemen, the papersjust handed me...

... are the resignations...

... of Generals Hardesty, Riley,

and Dieffenbach.

I'll repeat that, gentlemen.

These three officers havejust officially

tendered their resignations.

Their statements will be made public

after this conference.

Before we have any further questions...

... may I insert these comments?

The point of this treaty, as I've reiterated

on a number of occasions...

... is that in every true sense...

... we force ourselves gradually

to step away from an offensive posture.

I'm sorry, sir.

Where to, sir?

Sir?

Take me home.

Your General's just been shot down.

Yes.

Were those the bullets?

They might have been, but they weren't.

- Ellie.

- Yes?

Another rain check?

Tuck it somewhere safe,

where you won't forget.

There has been abroad in this land

in recent months...

...a whisper that we have somehow

lost our greatness...

...that we do not have the strength

to win without war...

...the struggles for liberty

throughout the world.

This is slander...

...because our country is strong...

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