Thirteen Days quotes

View Quote President Kennedy: I was eating that.
Kenny O'Donnell: No you weren't.
President Kennedy: I was.
Kenny O'Donnell: No you weren't.
President Kennedy: I was. Bastard.

View Quote President Kennedy: Okay - let's have it.
NPIC Photo Interpreter: Gentlemen, as most of you now know, a U-2 over Cuba Sunday morning took a series of disturbing photographs. Our analysis at NPIC indicates that the Soviet Union has followed up its conventional weapons build-up in Cuba with the introduction of surface-to-surface, medium-range ballistic missiles, or MRBMs. Our official estimate at this time is that the missile system is the SS-4 'Sandal'. We do not believe that the missiles are as yet operational. Iron Bark reports that the SS-4 can deliver a three-megaton nuclear weapon 1,000 miles. So far we've identified 32 missiles serviced by about 3,400 men, undoubtedly all Soviet personnel. Our cities and military installations in the southeast as far north as Washington, D.C., are in range of these weapons, and in the event of a launch would have only five minutes warning.
General Marshall Carter: Five minutes, gentlemen.
Gen. Max Taylor: In those five minutes, they could kill 80 million Americans - and destroy a significant percentage of our bomber bases, degrading our retaliatory options. The Joint Chiefs' consensus, Mr. President, is that this signals a major doctrinal shift in Soviet thinking - to a first-strike policy. It is a massively destabilizing move.
Robert Kennedy: How long until they're operational?
NPIC Photo Interpreter: General Carter can answer that question better than I can.
Gen. Max Taylor: GMAC - Guided Missiles Intelligence Committee - estimates 10-14 days. A crash program could limit that time. However, I must stress that there may be more missiles - that we don't know about. We'll need more U-2 coverage.
President Kennedy: Gentlemen, I want first reactions here. Assuming for the moment that Khruschev has NOT gone off the deep end - and intends to start World War Three - what are we looking at?
Dean Rusk: Mr. President, I believe my team is in agreement. If we permit the introduction of nuclear missiles to a Soviet satellite nation in our hemisphere, the diplomatic consequnces will be too terrible to contemplate. The Russians are trying to show the world they can do whatever they want, wherever they want, and we're powerless to stop them. If they succeed...
Robert Kennedy: It'll be Munich all over again.
Dean Rusk: Yes. Appeasement only makes the aggressor more aggressive. And the Soviets will be emboldened to push us even harder. Now we must remove the missiles one way or another. Now it seems to me the options are either some combination of international pressure & action on our part, until they give in - or - we hit them. An air strike.
President Kennedy: Dean, how does this all play out?
Dean Acheson: Your first step sir, will be to demand that the Soviet withdraw the missiles within 12 to 24 hours. They will refuse. When they do you will order the strikes, followed by the invasion. They will resist and be overrun. They will retaliate against another target somewhere else in the world, most likely Berlin. We will honor our treaty commitments and resist them there, defeating them per our plans.
President Kennedy: Those plans call for the use of nuclear weapons. So what is the next step?
Dean Acheson: Hopefully cooler heads will prevail before we reach the next step.

View Quote President Kennedy: Well this can't get much worse.
Kenny O'Donnell: Oh, I don't know, we could have to go down to Lyndon's ranch again, dressed up like cowboys. Shoot deer out of the back of his convertible.
President Kennedy: That was a bad day.

View Quote President Kennedy: What do you want, Kenny?
Kenny O'Donnell: I want you to sit down.
President Kennedy: Well I'm not gonna sit down!
Kenny O'Donnell: I want you to sit down, loosen your tie, take a minute...
President Kennedy: I don't have a minute!
Kenny O'Donnell: You're the President of the United States. They can wait for you.

View Quote Robert Kennedy: At this moment in time the United States is accepting the terms of Secretary Khrushchev's letter of Friday night. If the Soviet Union halts construction immediately, removes the missiles, and submits to UN inspection, the United States will pledge to never invade Cuba, or to aid others in that enterprise.
Anotoly Dobrynin: If your Jupiter missiles in Turkey were removed also, such an accommodation could be reached.
Robert Kennedy: That's not possible. The United States cannot agree to such terms under threat. Any belief to the contrary was in error.
Anotoly Dobrynin: You want war?

View Quote Robert Kennedy: By the way, China invaded India today.
Kenny O'Donnell: You're kidding, aren't you?
Robert Kennedy: Yeah, I wish I were. Galbraith is handling it in New Delhi. Makes you wonder what's coming next.
Kenny O'Donnell: Geez. What is it about the free world that pisses the rest of the world off?
Robert Kennedy: I don't know. We have Tupperware parties.

View Quote Robert Kennedy: What the hell is Khrushchev thinking?
President Kennedy: Did you have any indication of this from your KGB pal Bolshakov? I mean any possible warning, sence of motivation?
Robert Kennedy: Complete snow job. And then, we went out and told the country that they weren't puting missles into Cuba.
Kenny O'Donnell: Jesus I... I feel like we discovered the Jap carrier steaming for Pearl Harbor.

View Quote Robert Kennedy: You know, I hate being called the brilliant one, the ruthless one, the guy everybody's afraid of. I hate it. I'm not so smart, you know? I'm not so ruthless.
Kenny O'Donnell: Well you're right... about the smart part.

View Quote Robert Kennedy: You know, these past couple days, I've been thinking. Thinking about what we've had to do to get where we are... and I was wondering, why the hell are we doing it?
Kenny O'Donnell: I don't know about you, but... I'm in it for the money.

View Quote Robert Kennedy: You're talking a sneak attack. How will that make us look? A big country blasting a little country to the stone age. Yeah, we'll be everyone's favourites.
Dean Acheson: Come on Bobby, that's naive. This is the real world. You know that better than anybody.
John McCone, CIA Director: And you weren't so ethically particular when we were talking about options for removing Castro over at CIA.

View Quote White House Operator Margaret: Yes sir, I understand exactly what you're talking about. I speak the language too. What?
Kenny O'Donnell: Margaret, would you mind helping me with something?
White House Operator Margaret: What do you need honey?
Kenny O'Donnell: That tone of voice specifically.
White House Operator Margaret: What tone of voice? What the hell is he talking about? I told you sir! I'm sorry, you're out of here.

View Quote [about journalist who says Ortsac - Castro spelt backwards - is a military action] Kinda simple for the Pentagon.

View Quote [about the Joint Chiefs of Staff] They want a war, Jack, and they're arranging things to get one.

View Quote [asking the Russian ambassador if there are any Soviet missile bases in Cuba] Sir, I am prepared to wait for your answer till Hell freezes over, if that's your decision.

View Quote [to Ambassador Zorin] I want to ask you one simple question Mr Ambassador. Do you deny that the Soviet Union has placed and is placing missiles in Cuba? Don't wait for the translation, yes or no?