Thirteen Days Page #16

INT. SITUATION ROOM - CONTINUOUS

The President lowers the phone, looks to Bobby and Kenny.

MCCONE:

Even if they force it up, that sub will

be inspected over the crews' dead

bodies. They'd be executed for allowing

it when they got home.

All eyes are on the President. His eyes are closed tight,

face gray, hand over his mouth. The time of decision is at

hand. He lifts the phone once again.

THE PRESIDENT:

Captain, force the sub to the surface

for inspection.

MCNAMARA (O.S.)

Mr. President! We're receiving reports

that the ships are stopping!

THE PRESIDENT:

(to phone)

Captain, belay that order!

(to McNamara)

Bob, where's that coming from!

MCNAMARA (O.S.)

Just a second, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT:

Will somebody find out what's going on?!

McCone jumps up, leaves the room. The President looks at

Kenny, tense. Everyone holds their breath.

RUSK:

Are they stopping?

The HISS of static on the open line fills the room. Silence.

EXT. BRIDGE - U.S.S. JOHN R. PIERCE - CONTINUOUS

Lookouts peer across the water at the oncoming Soviet

Freighter.

BINOCULAR POV:

Of the Soviet Bridge, where their LOOKOUTS are staring right

back through their binoculars.

INT. SITUATION ROOM - DAY

The HISS of static. And then.

MCNAMARA (O.S.)

Mr. President?

INT. FLAG PLOT - THE PENTAGON - CONTINUOUS

McNamara is grinning wildly at the chaos unfolding in the

flag plot below. Phones are ringing everywhere.

ON THE LIGHT TABLE

The Watch Officers' hands fly from one notation to the other,

circling the Soviet ships, marking them DEAD IN THE WATER.

MCNAMARA:

-- we've got reports coming from all

over! The ships are stopping! Some...

are turning around!

INT. SITUATION ROOM - CONTINUOUS

The room EXPLODES, victorious. Kenny and Bobby break into

big grins, grab each other. Kenny pumps the President's

hand. Rusk and Bundy slap each other on the back.

RUSK:

We were eyeball to eyeball and I think

the other fellow just blinked.

The ruckus goes on for a minute. McCone comes back in.

MCCONE:

Mr. President.

His voice is lost in the celebration. McCone calls out:

MCCONE (CONT'D)

Mr. President!

The hubub dies away.

MCCONE (CONT'D)

Sir, we have the tally from NSA. We

have twenty ships stopping and or

turning around. Six, however, appear to

be continuing for the line. Including

the Gagarin and Kimovsk.

The elation goes out of the room. Kenny looks at the

President. The President picks up the phone again.

THE PRESIDENT:

Captain, have the ships you're observing

changed course?

CAPTAIN (O.S.)

No, Mr. President. They've just crossed

the quarantine line.

Bobby grips the edge of the table, immediately believing.

BOBBY:

It's an accident. They must not have

gotten their orders yet. Let 'em go.

GENERAL TAYLOR:

Unlikely, Mr. President. We've been

monitoring transmissions from both the

Gagarin and Kimovsk. Their radios are

working fine.

MCCONE:

One ship, an accident maybe. Six: this

is intentional.

The President looks to Bobby. He has no answer. Kenny's

mind races over the variables, and he leans forward, intense,

suddenly understanding in a flash of insight:

KENNY:

They're right. This is intentional.

He glances around the room. All of EXCOM is looking at him.

Bobby stares at Kenny, too shocked to feel betrayed.

KENNY (CONT'D)

Khruschev's stopped the 20 ships which

are carrying contraband, and he's

letting the ones which aren't go

through, hoping for an incident. I

think we should let them go.

Bobby relaxes. Around the table there are nods.

MCCONE:

If we do, it erodes the credibility of

the quarantine. He'll just send more

through tomorrow.

The President looks at Kenny.

KENNY:

Then we deal with it tomorrow. But

today he's stopped most of them. He's

done something smart here. We gave him

an ultimatum, and he's agreed to most of

it, preserving just enough room to save

face. We need to do something just as

smart now.

Bobby's nodding, following the argument. Kenny looks around

the room for support.

INT. FLAG PLOT - THE PENTAGON - CONTINUOUS

McNamara, pacing on the phone, jumps in.

MCNAMARA:

Mr. President, I agree. Let them go.

Four of the six continuing ships are

still a day away from the line. They've

stopped all the ones we suspect have

weapons aboard.

It would look bad shooting up a

freighter full of baby food.

INT. SITUATION ROOM - CONTINUOUS

The President holds Kenny's gaze, then lifts the phone.

THE PRESIDENT:

Captain, I want you to maintain contact

with those ships. Do nothing until I

order otherwise. Is that clear?

CAPTAIN (O.S.)

Yes, Mr. President. Contact only.

He hangs up, turns to Kenny.

THE PRESIDENT:

I hope you're right.

EXT. SOUTH LAWN - DAY

Kenny, Bobby and the President make their way across the

lawn, out of earshot of the building.

BOBBY:

What happened to speak when spoken to?

KENNY:

Give it a rest. You were thinking the

same thing, just didn't have the guts to

take the heat.

Bobby likes getting under Kenny's skin. Bobby aims a punch

at his head which Kenny knocks away. The President changes

gear, serious.

THE PRESIDENT:

We can horsetrade with Khruschev on

ships. But it doesn't get us any closer

to removing those missiles.

KENNY:

Have to hope it's a signal that he'll

back down on the real issue too.

BOBBY:

We're going to have to stop a ship

eventually, show the quarantine's got

teeth, or we'll prove McCone right.

THE PRESIDENT:

McNamara's on his way back here now. We

need to pick the right ship. No subs.

No armed boarding parties either. We

need a little more time to figure this

one out.

KENNY:

Then let's move the quarantine line.

It's a simple suggestion. The President considers him a

beat, and then McNamara emerges from the White House, heads

for them. The three friends assume their more reserved,

political faces as he comes up.

MCNAMARA:

Mr. President. Bobby. Kenny. The

Essex battle group has the Gagarin,

Kimovsk and the sub escort under their

thumb. We've got a few hours now before

we need to worry about any more

flashpoints on the line.

(beat)

We could use a few more hours. I think

we should consider moving the quarantine

line back to 500 miles.

Bobby and the President look at Kenny like he's some kind of

Svengali. Kenny just stands there, poker faced.

INT. WEST WING - DAY

Kenny and McNamara enter the White House from the South Lawn.

They stride down the hall, side by side.

KENNY:

Moving the line. Stroke of genius.

MCNAMARA:

(snappish)

Of course it is. But the President

needs to realize we're going to have to

stop a ship eventually.

They turn a corner, silence for a beat.

KENNY:

The Chiefs are looking for a provocation

out there. The President's going to

come under enormous pressure. You have

to keep 'em on a short leash, Bob.

McNamara spares Kenny a short, nasty look.

MCNAMARA:

You must think I'm blind and stupid.

I've already gotten the birds and bees

from Bobby. The President doesn't have

to double-barrel me.

KENNY:

Listen to me, goddamn it. We're talking

about a possible nuclear war. You

dropped the ball on Bay of Pigs --

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