Thirteen Days Page #22

EXCOM chuckles.

THE PRESIDENT:

Glad to hear we're not alone.

The President eyes the EXCOM members one by one, an incipient

smile on his face.

THE PRESIDENT (CONT'D)

Well, gentlemen, I wasn't planning on

invading Cuba anyway. I think we can

live with the terms of this deal.

There are mostly nods of assent, big smiles around the table.

Except from McCone and Taylor. The President takes his copy

of the letter, flips through it. He shakes his head, almost

unable to believe that Khruschev has given in. A long beat.

THE PRESIDENT (CONT'D)

Ted, I want you to draft our acceptance.

EXT. O'DONNELL DRIVEWAY - NIGHT

A long, black car stops at the end of Kenny's driveway. The

door opens, and Kenny steps out. He says an inaudible

goodnight to the driver, and the car pulls off. He turns,

facing the white two-story house with the neat front yard,

the lights out. And he smiles. Home at last.

EXT. O'DONNELL PATIO - NIGHT

A screen door squeaks open. Kenny steps out into the

darkness of the back yard. And there, in her robe, sitting

startled on a lawn chair, lit only by the dim glow of the

kitchen window, is Helen. Kenny stands there tired, his coat

slung over his shoulder.

KENNY:

Hi.

Helen rises, her own care-worn face turned to his. For a

silent moment they gaze at each other, searching in the lines

of each others' face for the changes of a long separation.

They see them. But they've been married a long time, and the

awkwardness passes.

HELEN:

Hi, O'Donnell. You look old.

Kenny drops his coat on a table as Helen comes up and folds

herself into his arms.

HELEN (CONT'D)

This job's going to kill you. If I

don't first.

They kiss, comfortable. But not too long, and he lets her

go. She looks at him again, sees he's suppressing a smile.

HELEN (CONT'D)

If you're home it means either Jack and

Bobby have finally figured out what a

con man you are and fired you, or --

KENNY:

-- we got a back channel communication

from Khruschev this evening feeling us

out about a deal. He confirmed it just

a little while ago in a letter to the

President. I think we've won.

HELEN:

A thing like this... who could even

think of winning?

INT. HALL OUTSIDE KENNY'S OFFICE - DAY

SUPER:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27TH. DAY 12.

Kenny, in his overcoat, steps aside as a pair of Duty

Officers race past him, almost bowling him over.

He slows as he nears the doors to his office and the Oval

Office, DISCOVERING:

TOTAL CHAOS. EXCOM guys, Assistants, dart to and from the

offices and halls. On all their faces grim expressions.

Kenny stands there a beat in confusion. And then Bobby

swings out of Kenny's office. There's a desperate edge to

Bobby's voice.

BOBBY:

Where've you been? We've been trying to

find you all morning.

KENNY:

Helen and I went out for breakfast.

EXCOM's not supposed to convene til

eight.

BOBBY:

We just got a second letter from

Khruschev. The deal's off.

INT. HALL OUTSIDE CABINET ROOM - CONTINUOUS

Kenny and Bobby walk fast for the cabinet room, Kenny still

in his coat.

BOBBY:

We're getting everyone together as fast

as we can.

KENNY:

What does the letter say?

BOBBY:

They want us to take our missiles out of

Turkey along with the no invasion

pledge. It looks like Fomin was a ploy

after all, and they were just stalling

for time.

Kenny is stunned.

BOBBY (CONT'D)

It gets worse.

Kenny gives Bobby a sharp look as they enter --

INT. CABINET ROOM - CONTINUOUS

The President, in shirtsleeves, no tie, glances up at Kenny

as he and Bobby enter. Kenny can only bear his look for a

second:
he blew the call on Fomin. But the President is

clearly relieved to see him, gives him a faint smile.

Half of EXCOM, including McNamara, McCone, Rusk, and Taylor

barely notice them as they're already there arguing.

Kenny sits down hurriedly, shucks off his coat as he joins

the conversation in mid-stream.

MCCONE:

My specialists are in agreement: this

morning's letter is not Khruschev. Last

night's letter was.

(beat)

The evidence supports only one

conclusion:
there has been a coup, and

Khruschev was replaced overnight.

KENNY:

Jesus Christ...

Bobby gives him a look: told you things got worse.

THE PRESIDENT:

Dean?

RUSK:

It doesn't necessarily mean there's been

a coup. Khruschev's name is signed to

the letter.

MCNAMARA:

Aw, come on, Dean!

RUSK:

But at the very least... It does suggest

he's been co-opted by hard line

elements.

MCNAMARA:

Which at the end of the day is the same

thing as a coup. A puppet Khruschev,

and a hard-line Soviet government

pulling the strings. No deal. And the

missiles are almost operational.

Bitter silence. They all look to the President. Imminent

victory has turned to ashes. The President studies his own

folded hands. Ball and Thompson enter, take seats. One by

one, throughout the scene, other EXCOM members join the

group.

THE PRESIDENT:

You know, the problem we have is that

this is latest offer of theirs will seem

reasonable to everyone. We remove our

missiles, they remove theirs.

Our Jupiters were scheduled for removal

anyway. They're obsolete, after all.

Kenny shakes his head in mute anger. McNamara and Rusk seem

to sense the President's feelings, too.

RUSK:

Mr. President, agreeing to such a trade

would be tantamount to paying ransom.

They'll put a gun to our head again, and

expect us to pay again.

Kenny looks the President in the eye.

KENNY:

We can't sell out one of our friends for

our own safety. NATO wouldn't trust us

anymore, and they'd be right not to.

The President sighs in the face of the stern advice. He

nods, expecting as much. Bobby still can't look at anyone.

THE PRESIDENT:

So which one of you geniuses can tell me

how to explain ourselves to the world?

How do we work with them if there's been

a hard-line coup?

GENERAL TAYLOR:

Mr. President, there is another

possibility we haven't considered. This

may not be a coup at all.

Everyone of Kenny's instincts jumps. His head snaps up to

listen to Taylor. Taylor pauses.

GENERAL TAYLOR (CONT'D)

It's possible that the back-channel

overture, last night's letter, and this

letter today, along with everything the

Soviets have said all along, is nothing

more than a lie -- disinformation.

MCNAMARA:

Designed to keep us from taking action.

Kenny hears the fatalism in McNamara's voice. A long beat.

Everyone stares at McNamara.

MCNAMARA (CONT'D)

I hate to say it, but if I had to bet,

I'd bet Max is right. What if they have

no intention of honoring this deal,

either?

Then tomorrow they add another

condition. Meanwhile, the quarantine

isn't working and they're continuing to

work on the missile sites.

(beat)

I think we have to consider issuing

warning orders for our forces.

They were so close last night... and suddenly Lundahl and

LeMay enter the room with the day's briefing boards.

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