Thirteen Days Page #12

GENERAL TAYLOR:

We have a flight of Thunderchiefs able

to respond within minutes of an attack

on our planes.

Kenny catches the President's eye. Kenny glances at the

door. Step outside, I need to talk to you.

INT. OVAL OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

The President and Kenny stand in front of the President's

desk. All the doors are shut. Weak sunlight filters into

the hushed room as if to a confessional.

KENNY:

I don't like what's happening.

THE PRESIDENT:

In the morning I'm taking charge of the

blockade from the situation room.

McNamara'll set up shop in the flag plot

at the Pentagon, keep an eye on things

there.

KENNY:

All right. 'Cause you get armed

boarders climbing into Soviet ships,

shots being fired across bows...

THE PRESIDENT:

I know, I know...

KENNY:

What about these low-level flights?

They're starting in what? An hour? Do

you realize what you're letting yourself

in for?

THE PRESIDENT:

We need those flights. We have to know

when those missiles become operational,

because when they do, we need to destroy

them.

KENNY:

Fair enough. But Castro's on alert and

we're flying attack planes over their

sites, on the deck. There's no way for

them to know they're carrying cameras,

not bombs. They're going to be shot at,

plain and simple.

Kenny's right, and the President looks away in frustration.

KENNY (CONT'D)

I'm your political advisor, and I'm

giving you political analysis here.

This is a setup. The Chiefs want to go

in. It's the only way they can redeem

themselves for the Bay of Pigs. They

have to go in, and they have to do it

right. It's that simple.

THE PRESIDENT:

I'm gonna protect those pilots.

Thep President stares intently at Kenny. Kenny glances at

the door, his voice hushed. He hesitates.

KENNY:

They're boxing us in with these rules of

engagement. If you agree to 'em, and

one of our planes gets knocked down or

one of the ships won't stop for

inspection, the Chiefs will have us by

the balls and will force us to start

shooting. They want a war, and they're

arranging things to get one. If you

don't want one, we have to do something

about it.

The President understands. He shakes his head, paces away.

THE PRESIDENT:

How does a man get to a place where he

can say, 'throw those lives away,' so

easily?

KENNY:

Maybe it's harder for them to say it

than they let on.

At the very least, they believe it's in

our best interest. And at the end of

the day, they may end up being right.

The President turns away, considers. Then turns back.

THE PRESIDENT:

Triple check everything the Chiefs say

to us with the guys who actually have to

do it. No one's to know about this but

Bobby. I need redundant control over

what happens out there. And if things

aren't as advertised, you're going to

make sure they come out the way I want

them to come out, starting with this low

level flight thing.

Jesus Christ...Kenny is daunted. For a beat he just stares.

KENNY:

That's going to be tough. You know how

these guys are about their chains of

command...

THE PRESIDENT:

Any problems, you remind them those

chains of commands end at one place.

Me.

INT. WEST WING HALLS - DAY

Kenny and the President head for the Cabinet Room. Rusk

comes out before they get there.

RUSK:

Mr. President. The OAS meeting starts in

an hour. I haven't prepared at all. We

can't expect --

THE PRESIDENT:

-- we need this one, Dean. The

quarantine's legal if we get a mandate,

otherwise it's an act of war in the eyes

of the world. Get me that vote. Make

it unanimous.

RUSK:

Mr. President, The Organization of

American States hasn't had a unanimous

vote since --

The President moves for the Cabinet Room.

THE PRESIDENT:

-- unanimous, Dean.

Kenny slaps the dismayed Rusk on the back, heads off down a

hall away from the Cabinet Room.

INT. WHITE HOUSE SWITCHBOARD - DAY

Kenny opens the door to the White House switchboard room. A

half-dozen OPERATORS work their lines, making connections on

the old-fashioned switchboard. Unnoticed, he sizes them up,

their skill. They're all courteous, pretty, professional.

The CAMERA PANS down the line... and stops on a middle-aged

matron at the end - the sternest, most scary of them all.

Her name is MARGARET.

MARGARET:

White House Operator. Yes sir.

(beat, harsh, booming)

Speaker McCormack, hold for the Vice

President.

Her voice is so severe, so smoker-gravelled, it makes the

blood run cold. This is the woman Kenny's looking for.

KENNY:

Ma'am, would you mind helping me out

with a few special calls?

INT. READY ROOM - KEY WEST NAS - DAY

Ecker, Wilhemy and their Pilots are in angry debate.

ECKER:

Orson Welles is a hack. Now you want to

talk about a director, you talk about

David Lean...

WILHEMY:

Welles is a G-d. Lean's the hack.

ECKER:

Bullshit, Bruce, nobody but Lean is

making decent movies these days.

(to Young Pilot)

Get that fixed yet?

Nearby, a YOUNG PILOT tinkers with a $300,000 spy camera.

YOUNG PILOT:

Uhhh... yup. Think so.

Suddenly, the door opens and a pale DUTY SERGEANT enters.

DUTY SERGEANT:

Sir...telephone, sir.

INT. DUTY OFFICE - DAY

Ecker enters, marches over to the phone. All the SOLDIERS in

the room stare at him. Ecker wiggles his cigar to a corner

of his mouth, picks up, styling.

ECKER:

VFP-62, Fightin' Photo, here. But what

we really want to do is direct.

INTERCUT CALL TO:

INT. WHITE HOUSE SWITCHBOARD - CONTINUOUS

Margaret works her magic.

MARGARET:

This is the White House Operator. Hold

for the President.

INT. DUTY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

Ecker blinks, becomes a mild lamb.

ECKER:

Oh sh*t.

INT. WHITE HOUSE SWITCHBOARD - CONTINUOUS

MARGARET:

Honey, you don't know what sh*t is.

BEGIN INTERCUT:

INT. KENNY'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

Kenny, sitting on his desk, taps his fingers, looks at the

phone. He's kept Ecker on hold long enough - and picks up.

KENNY:

Commander, my name is Ken O'Donnell.

Special Assistant to the President.

INTERCUT CALL TO:

INT. DUTY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

Ecker exhales. It's not the President, but Ecker is so

shaken up it might as well be.

ECKER:

Yes, sir.

KENNY (O.S.)

The President has instructed me to pass

along an order to you.

(beat)

You are not to get shot down.

Did he hear right?

ECKER:

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

INT. KENNY'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

KENNY:

I don't think you understand me

correctly. 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,

launched upon.

INT. DUTY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

Ecker sits down in a chair, sobered.

ECKER:

Excuse me, sir, what's going on here?

INT. KENNY'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

Kenny stands, drops the hard nose bullshit.

KENNY:

Commander, if you are fired upon, the

President will be forced to attack the

sites that fire on you. He doesn't want

to have to do that. It's very important

that he doesn't, or things could go very

badly out of control.

INT. DUTY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

Ecker lets out a long breath.

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