Kenny puts on his jacket as he goes down the steps into the
bright autumn day, walking away from the White House. It
drops behind him -- his step is faster, more urgent.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Kenny walks down the sidewalk, drawn toward the Ellipse. The
sixth grade FOOTBALL PLAYERS sweep forward with a running
play. Kenny scans them, searching, his breath coming hard.
EXT. ELLIPSE - DAY
He reaches the edge of the open field. And then he spots the
name on the jersey: O'Donnell. It's Kevin. The players
relinquish the ball and the offense comes off the field.
Kevin sees his dad.
KEVIN
Hey! Dad!
Kenny manages a smile as Kevin trots over. Kevin pulls his
helmet off. They stand there a long beat, Kenny desperate to
take him up, abandon his post... but he doesn't.
KENNY
Hey, sport. You winning?
KEVIN
Yeah.
But Kevin sees the turmoil in his father's face.
KEVIN (CONT'D)
Is everything going to be okay, Dad?
Kenny's forced smile is answer enough.
KENNY
Yeah, Kev. Everything's gonna be fine.
But Kevin knows. Together they know. The end of the world
is at hand.
KEVIN
I guess you won't be coming home
tonight.
KENNY
I, uh...
Suddenly a car HONKS. Kenny turns around. Bobby is leaning
out the rear passenger window of his limo. And he sees what
Kenny is doing. He doesn't want to cut in, but has to.
BOBBY
Kenny! We need to talk.
Kenny looks back at his son.
KENNY
Get back out there, kid. Remember to
hit 'em hard.
KEVIN
What about you? Where are you going?
KENNY
Back to work.
Kevin puts his helmet back on his head. Kenny watches as
Kevin jogs off to rejoin his team. Kenny turns his back on
his son, and strides for Bobby's limo, dying inside.
EXT. SANS SOUCI PARKING LOT - DAY
Kenny and Bobby stand by their car off to one side of the
restaurant's parking lot. Bobby's Secret Service Agents
maintain a discreet distance.
KENNY
If we're going to make a deal, we're
going to have to do it fast. This is
only getting out of control. The only
reason we're not at war this very minute
is he's been able to stretch, bend and
break his own rules. He won't be able
to keep it up forever.
Bobby jams the last bit of sandwich in his mouth. A beat.
Kenny looks him in the eye.
BOBBY
And?
KENNY
And Jack wants to trade the missiles in
Turkey.
BOBBY
The Jupiters are obsolete. They were
supposed to have been dismantled last
summer anyway --
KENNY
-- Jesus, Mary and Joseph. I told you
how stupid it was to float the Lippman
article! But you wouldn't listen to me.
What if there hasn't been a coup at all?
What if it's you two who invited that
second letter by raising the possibility
of a trade?
Bobby is speechless with rage.
KENNY (CONT'D)
And if the two of you are thinking this
trade is your ace in the hole, you're so
wrong. It's a deuce.
Bobby's beyond furious. They catch their rising voices.
KENNY (CONT'D)
And it's not just me who thinks that.
Everyone on this so-called EXCOM is
telling you exactly the same thing: make
the trade, and they're going to force us
into trade after trade until finally
they demand something we won't trade
like Berlin, and we do end up in a war.
(beat)
Not to mention, that long before that
happens, this government will be
politically dead.
Bobby simmers for a long beat, thinking. And boy, does this
guy hate admitting he's wrong.
BOBBY
All right, so maybe we overestimated how
reasonable this trade would look. Okay?
You happy? So now what?
KENNY
So now you've got to talk him out of it.
And then we've got to figure out an
acceptable political solution.
BOBBY
And if there has been a coup and there
is no acceptable political solution?
Kenny stares off at the city, agonized.
INT. OVAL OFFICE - NIGHT
Kenny enters from his office, finding Bobby, Rusk and
Sorensen talking with the President. The President gives him
a brief, meaningful look.
RUSK
Whatever response we send, it will take
several hours for the wire to be
received by our embassy and delivered to
the Kremlin. So we're looking at early
tomorrow morning at the earliest before
Khruschev could respond.
As Rusk talks, Kenny passes close by Bobby. Bobby whispers:
BOBBY
He gets it, but he's pissed.
THE PRESIDENT
That's all well and good, but what do we
say to 'em?
SORENSEN
It depends on if we really believe
there's been a coup.
That strikes a cord with Kenny.
KENNY
I agree. If there has been a coup, and
there's a hard-line government in power
now, then it doesn't matter what we say.
The end of the day we'll either agree to
their terms, they'll agree to ours, or
we'll go to war. But what if there
hasn't been a coup? What if... what if
what is happening is a series of
accidents?
SORENSEN
The second letter is an accident?
KENNY
No. The letter is an intentional, but
it's having an effect far greater than
its authors intended.
(beat)
What if our Jupiter missiles are just a
last minute haggle to salvage something?
Maybe a bone Khruschev is throwing to
the hard line, not really caring if we
reject it or not?
(beat)
And then these accidents have happened.
BOBBY
Making the second letter and the overall
picture look worse than it really is.
SORENSEN
The Guns of August.
KENNY
Exactly.
(beat)
If they're sane and human like we are,
then maybe we just refuse, and they'll
let it slide, like we've been letting
things slide.
SORENSEN
So we reject the second letter.
And Kenny looks at Bobby. The world stops.
KENNY
No. We don't reject it...
It hits Bobby like a lightning bolt.
BOBBY
... We accept the first letter and
pretend the second doesn't exist.
The President, Rusk and Sorensen stare at him, mute.
INT. CABINET ROOM - NIGHT
HOLD ON the exact same mute reaction from the entire
assembled EXCOM. Finally McCone breaks the spell.
MCCONE
It won't work --
Bobby, Kenny and Sorensen start to object, but McCone raises
his voice over theirs.
MCCONE (CONT'D)
-- because it's wishful thinking! It's
the same wishful thinking that blinded
us all these months while the Soviets
were sneaking those missiles in under
our noses!
McNamara shakes his head, intrigued but skeptical.
MCNAMARA
Ignore the second letter, agree to the
conditions of the first...
GENERAL TAYLOR
There's no reason to believe the Soviets
will let it go.
RUSK
Max is right. Why will they accept it?
MCNAMARA
It can work. If, IF they believe we'll
hit them.
Kenny, Bobby and Sorensen look at McNamara, grateful.
MCNAMARA (CONT'D)
We've only got time for one more round
of diplomacy. The first airstrikes
start in less than 36 hours.
RUSK
But we have to make them agree to it.
So how do we do that?
The President leans forward. Sensing he's about to speak,
all eyes turn to him.
THE PRESIDENT
We give them something. We tell them
we'll remove the missiles from Turkey
say, six months from now so that there
appears to be no linkage. We also tell
them if they go public about it, we deny
it and the deal is off.
KENNY
And we do it under the table so we can
disavow any knowledge of it.
MCCONE
It's transparent. The press'll be all
over it.
KENNY
Six months from now, I'm not going to
care. Are you? We'll deal with it.
MCNAMARA
At least it will expose whether
Khruschev has been overthrown. We'll
know what we're dealing with.
KENNY
And if this is a move to appease the
hard line, then it may just be the bone
he needs to regain control of his own
house.
Most EXCOM is nodding, agreeing. McCone shakes his head in
disgust. Taylor sits in silence.
RUSK
Whoever carries the message has to hit
the nail on the head. Come across as
too soft, they'll push us. Too hard,
they'll be cornered and even more
dangerous.
MCCONE
They could pre-empt.
It's a terrible responsibility to bear. The room is silent.
At last Bobby looks up from his folded hands to his brother.
The President stares back. There is nobody else who can do
this. Only Bobby. His brother.
THE PRESIDENT
Bobby. You know Dobrynin best.
Bobby nods, taking up the gauntlet.
THE PRESIDENT (CONT'D)
Ted, you get working on the draft.
Sorensen and Bobby rise as one, head for the doors.
THE PRESIDENT (CONT'D)
And make sure he knows we have to have
an answer tomorrow.
(beat, final)
Because on Monday we begin military
action against Cuba.
Bobby and Kenny exchange a look.
EXT. WEST WING DRIVEWAY - NIGHT
A LONG SHOT: Bobby emerges from the West Wing in his
overcoat, briefcase in hand. He pauses, tiny, alone. The
West Wing - and all its imposing spotlit power behind him -
reduced to this insignificant man on his eleventh-hour
mission.
And then, out of the shadows, in the f.g., steps Kenny in his
own coat, his breath frosting in the late-night air. Bobby
sees him, and knows he is not so alone anymore.
ON THE DRIVEWAY
They meet in front of the limo. Bobby stops, shuffles his
things, awkward.
BOBBY
What do you want? A good-bye kiss?
Kenny opens the driver's side door. The Secret Service LIMO
DRIVER peers out.
LIMO DRIVER
Hey, Kenny.
KENNY
Hey, Joe. Listen, I'll take care of
him. Go ahead in, grab some coffee.
We'll be back pretty quick.
LIMO DRIVER
You sure?
Kenny's nod and look -- there's no arguing. The Limo Driver
hops out, and Kenny gets in. Bobby stands there outside for
a beat. He tries to hide how touched he is, but can't
completely.
KENNY
What's the matter with you? Forget how
to open a car door?
INT. BOBBY'S LIMO - NIGHT
Bobby recovers, opens his own door, gets in the front seat
next to Kenny.