Sir, I can guarantee we'll get all the
missiles we know about.
The President holds Sweeney in his gaze. Thank you.
LEMAY
Mr. President, we can get better than
ninety percent of them.
The President doesn't respond to LeMay's last-ditch appeal.
Ninety-percent isn't good enough with nuclear weapons. He
moves to his desk, signs a paper, hands it to General
Sweeney.
THE PRESIDENT
As of seven o'clock Monday night, all
United States armed forces world wide
will stand up to DEFCON 3.
EXT. BARKSDALE AFB - SUNSET
SUPER: MONDAY, OCTOBER 22ND. DAY 7
A DEAFENING WHINE. And INTO FRAME yawns the enormous
spinning mouth of a B-52 bomber jet engine. It closes on us,
sucking us in like a maelstrom, but at the last second the
CAMERA SLIPSTREAMS OVER IT --
-- carrying us over the aircraft's wing. The CAMERA pivots
and the vast war machine crawls away underneath joining --
-- a long LINE of identical behemoths, in single file inching
down a taxi way which vanishes into the distance. As the
plane's immense vertical tail WIPES OUR VIEW:
EXT. MISSILE SILO - NIGHT
The CAMERA races toward a spotlighted concrete emplacement,
over the immense BLAST DOOR which is sliding open, and DOWN --
INT. MISSILE SILO - CONTINUOUS
-- into the depths of a missile silo. The CAMERA speeds down
the side of the Titan missile, through CLOUDS of steaming
liquid hydrogen, past FUELING HOSES which clamp one by one to
the rocket's side, past GANTRY ARMS pulling away. The CAMERA
hurtles all the way to the bottom, SMASHING THROUGH THE FLOOR
TO:
EXT. CARRIBEAN SEA - NIGHT
The dark ocean, whitecaps whipping luminous around the
aircraft carrier, U.S.S. ESSEX and her escorts. Running
lights flash red and green.
The carrier's SIREN begins a lonely, eerie WOOP WOOP WOOP
WOOP like some immense creature which has lost its mind. The
ship FILLS THE SCREEN, CUTTING US INTO:
INT. WEST WING - CONTINUOUS
The doors to the Cabinet room. A beat. Then they SWING
WIDE. The President emerges, livid fury on his face, leaving
chaos behind: the Congressional briefing. Kenny comes out a
beat later, catches up with him.
KENNY
You'd worry that something was wrong if
Congress offered you unconditional
support.
THE PRESIDENT
They want this fucking job, they can
have it. It's no great joy to me.
The President exhales, getting control.
THE PRESIDENT (CONT'D)
The elected representatives of the
people have spoken...
(beat; determined)
Now let's tell the people...
INT. OVAL OFFICE - NIGHT
Kenny stands there in the doorway, arms folded. As we PULL
AWAY FROM HIM, we REVEAL the three NETWORK T.V. CAMERAS
staring straight at us. Their red lights go on as one, and
we swing around REVERSING TO:
The President at his desk: telegenic, powerful.
THE PRESIDENT
Good evening, my fellow citizens. This
Government, as promised, has maintained
the closest surveillance of the Soviet
military build-up on the island of
Cuba...
EXT. BARKSDALE AFB - NIGHT
The first B-52 trundles to a stop at the end of the runway.
It begins to throttle-up, the ROAR of its engine mounting...
THE PRESIDENT (V.O.)
...unmistakable evidence has now
established the fact that a series of
missile sites is in preparation on that
imprisoned island. The purpose of these
bases can be none other than to proved a
nuclear strike capability against the
Western Hemisphere...
-- AND DROWNING OUT the President's speech as the plane
lurches forward, down the runway into the night.
EXT. MISSILE SILO - NIGHT
The Titan solo door GRINDS OPEN. And the missile inside
begins to rise into the white bath of the crossed spotlights.
THE PRESIDENT (V.O.)
Therefore, in the defense of our own
security and under the authority of the
Constitution, I have directed that the
following initial steps be taken.
First, to halt this offensive build-up,
a strict quarantine --
EXT. CARRIBEAN SEA - NIGHT
The President's words conjure the ESSEX battlegroup, its
destroyers plunging through heavy seas, lit up in the night.
THE PRESIDENT (V.O.)
-- on all offensive military equipment
under shipment to Cuba is being
initiated. All ships of any kind bound
for Cuba, if found to contain cargoes of
offensive weapons, will be turned back.
Second: I have directed the continued
and increased close surveillance of Cuba
and its military build-up. Should these
offensive military preparations
continue, further action will be
justified --