Thirteen Days Page #7

Kenny turns away, but Scotty comes weaving over. The

President continues on, but all we hear is Scotty and Kenny.

RESTON:

Kenny! What happened? They didn't let

me up front, said the President was on

the phone the whole time.

KENNY:

He was.

RESTON:

Yeah? Who was he talking to? Acheson?

Come on, O'Donnell, everyone's wondering

what's going on. What's Acheson doing

in town? And don't give me some

bullshit about DNC think tanks.

Acheson's Mr. Cold War.

KENNY:

Why don't you ask him yourself? You can

have him on the way home.

RESTON:

I'm giving you a chance here: talk to

me. You can influence how this thing

unfolds.

But Kenny stands there, mute. Reston just shakes his head,

knowing for sure something's up. He turns and heads back for

the press corps.

EXT. STAIRS TO AIR FORCE ONE - DAY

Kenny and the President climb the stairs to the Presidential

plane, the crowd cheering him. He gives a final wave.

THE PRESIDENT:

Let's get out of here.

KENNY:

Cheer up, you've neutralized the entire

White House Press Corps for a day.

INT. GEORGE BALL'S CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY

EXCOM meets in George Ball's small conference room at the

State Department. Bobby, in shirtsleeves, paces at the head

of the table, very, very alone. All eyes are on him.

BOBBY:

No. No. No. There is more than one

option here. If one isn't occurring to

us, it's because we haven't thought hard

enough.

McNamara squirms. The others react in frustration. CIA

chief JOHN MCCONE, sharp, tough, conservative, is harsh.

MCCONE:

Sometimes there is only one right

choice, and you thank God when it's

clear.

BOBBY:

You're talking about a sneak attack!

How'll that make us look? Big country

blasting a little one into the stone

age. We'll be real favorites around the

world.

ACHESON:

Bobby, that's naive. This is the real

world, you know that better than

anybody. Your argument is ridiculous.

MCCONE:

You weren't so ethically particular when

we were talking about options for

removing Castro over at CIA.

And there's nothing Bobby can say to that. He props himself

up on the table, stares at it as if there's an answer in its

shiny surface somewhere. There is only the reflection of his

own face.

BOBBY:

I can't let my brother go down in

History like a villain, like a Tojo,

ordering another Pearl Harbor.

McCone, Acheson, and Taylor share a look. The last

resistance to airstrikes is crumbling. Finally, Bobby looks

up at McNamara.

BOBBY (CONT'D)

Bob. If we go ahead with these air

strikes...

(beat)

There's got to be something else. Give

it to me. I don't care how crazy,

inadequate or stupid it sounds.

(beat, pleading)

Give it to me.

McNamara suffers under the gaze of everyone at the table,

weighing the situation out. And finally he ventures.

MCNAMARA:

Six months ago we gamed out a scenario.

It's slow. It doesn't get rid of the

missiles. There are a lot of drawbacks.

(beat)

The scenario was for a blockade of Cuba.

SUPER:
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18TH. DAY 3

INT. OVAL OFFICE - DAY

Kenny enters the office from his side door in the middle of a

debate. Military uniforms dominate the room: General Taylor,

General Sweeney, and a host of briefing officers.

GENERAL TAYLOR:

The situation is worse than we thought.

We count 40 missiles now, longer range

IRBMs. They can hit every city in the

continental U.S.

The President stares out the window at the Rose Garden, his

back to Air Force Chief of Staff GENERAL CURTIS LEMAY, 60.

Beetle-browed, arrogant, the archetypal Cold War general.

Yet there is something about him, his intelligence perhaps,

that suggests he's playing a role he knows and believes in.

The only other civilians in the room are Bobby, Bundy and

McNamara. The pressure from the military is almost physical.

LEMAY:

Mr. President, as of this moment my

planes are ready to carry out the air

strikes. All you have to do is give me

the word, sir, and my boys will get

those Red bastards.

The President continues staring out the window. Kenny eases

over to the desk, leans on it, arms folded, interposing

himself between the President and the soldiers. Bobby joins

him, side-by-side.

THE PRESIDENT:

How long until the army is ready?

GENERAL TAYLOR:

We've just begun the mobilization under

cover of a pre-arranged exercise, sir.

We're looking at another week and a

half, Mr. President.

LEMAY:

But you can begin the strikes, now. The

plans call for an eight-day air

campaign. It'd light a fire under the

army's ass to get in place.

That makes the President turn around, stare at LeMay.

THE PRESIDENT:

General LeMay, do you truly believe

that's our best course of action?

LEMAY:

Mr. President, I believe it is the only

course of action. American is in

danger. Those missiles are a threat to

our bomber bases and the safety of our

nuclear deterrent. Without our

deterrent, there's nothing to keep the

enemy from choosing general nuclear war.

It's our duty, our responsibility to the

American people to take out those

missiles and return stability to the

strategic situation. The Big Red Dog is

digging in our back yard, and we're

justified in shooting him.

Taylor steps in softly, smoothly: good cop to LeMay's bad.

GENERAL TAYLOR:

Sir, we have a rapidly closing window of

opportunity where we can prevent those

missiles from ever becoming operational.

The other options...

He spares a look at McNamara, who watches the fireworks, arms

folded, serious.

GENERAL TAYLOR (CONT'D)

...do not guarantee the end result we

can guarantee. However, the more time

that goes by, the less reliable the

choice we can offer you becomes.

The President, partially defused, looks from Taylor to

McNamara. LeMay steps forward, softer now, sincere.

LEMAY:

Mr. President, the motto I chose for SAC

is 'Peace is our Profession.' God

forbid we find ourselves in a nuclear

exchange. But if launched, those

missiles in Cuba would kill a lot of

Americans. That's why I'm being such a

pain in the ass about destroying them.

Destroying them immediately. Hell, even

Mac agrees.

Bundy is uncomfortable. Everyone turns to him. He nods.

Kenny realizes he's been co-opted by the military. McNamara

does too, lets out a deep breath. The President eyes Bundy,

then paces out from behind his desk, walks up to LeMay.

THE PRESIDENT:

General, what will the Soviets do when

we attack?

LEMAY:

Nothing.

Kenny, Bobby and the President look at each other, unable to

believe what they just heard.

THE PRESIDENT:

Nothing?

LEMAY:

Nothing. Because the only alternative

open to them is one they can't choose.

His pronouncement hangs there in the air: ominous, dangerous.

THE PRESIDENT:

Those aren't just missiles we'll be

destroying. We kill Soviet soldiers,

and they will respond. How would we

respond if they killed ours? No, they

will do something, General, I promise

you that. And I believe it'll be

Berlin.

INT. WEST WING HALLWAY - DAY

LeMay walk out of the Oval Office with Taylor, Carter and

their staffers.

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