The film Thirteen Days is an American historical drama-thriller film that recounts the decision making of President Kennedy and his ExComm during the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962.
On October 14, 1962 a United States U-2 plane discovered nuclear missile sites under construction on Cuba by the Soviets. President John F. Kennedy gathered together a group of government officials (known as ExComm) to debate the crisis. Photos revealed the existence of long range missiles capable of travelling 2,200 miles. Some members of the group wanted to take military action in the form of either invasion or air strikes however some members of the group wanted to create a diplomatic solution to remove the missiles. Kennedy made the decision to send ships …show more content…
The movie modifies some small and large points and is known for its dramatization of many moments. One thing in the film that is different from reality are the actions and tension between the President and certain members of Excomm. Though it was accurate that there would have been tension between them due to opposing views on the crisis, the film exaggerates this tension and portrays members of Excomm as backing Kennedy ‘into a corner,’ almost giving him no choice but to do what they said and invade Cuba. While President Kennedy was "distressed that the [military] representatives with whom he met…seemed to give so little consideration to the implications of the steps they suggested" he stated that he understood they were "trained to fight and to wage war -- that was their life.... [I]f they would not be willing, who would be.” The film fails to present how members of ExComm, whilst wanting the President to do what they recommended, supported the President and believed in his decisions. One thing that the film managed to capture the reality of was how any decisions made by the President and ExComm could possibly affect Berlin. It was stated that “Kennedy interpreted the installation of missiles in Cuba as a move preparatory to a showdown on Berlin.” The United States had promised to protect the million and a half West Berliners from Soviet take-over and they feared that any actions they took against the Soviets during the Cuban Missile Crisis could cause disastrous results against Berlin. This is shown in the film through quotes such as “…you will order the strikes, followed by the invasion. They will resist and be overrun. [The Soviets] will retaliate against another target somewhere else in the world, most likely Berlin” and “so we bomb their anti-aircraft sites, and in response to that... they attack
On October 14, 1962 a United States U-2 plane discovered nuclear missile sites under construction on Cuba by the Soviets. President John F. Kennedy gathered together a group of government officials (known as ExComm) to debate the crisis. Photos revealed the existence of long range missiles capable of travelling 2,200 miles. Some members of the group wanted to take military action in the form of either invasion or air strikes however some members of the group wanted to create a diplomatic solution to remove the missiles. Kennedy made the decision to send ships …show more content…
The movie modifies some small and large points and is known for its dramatization of many moments. One thing in the film that is different from reality are the actions and tension between the President and certain members of Excomm. Though it was accurate that there would have been tension between them due to opposing views on the crisis, the film exaggerates this tension and portrays members of Excomm as backing Kennedy ‘into a corner,’ almost giving him no choice but to do what they said and invade Cuba. While President Kennedy was "distressed that the [military] representatives with whom he met…seemed to give so little consideration to the implications of the steps they suggested" he stated that he understood they were "trained to fight and to wage war -- that was their life.... [I]f they would not be willing, who would be.” The film fails to present how members of ExComm, whilst wanting the President to do what they recommended, supported the President and believed in his decisions. One thing that the film managed to capture the reality of was how any decisions made by the President and ExComm could possibly affect Berlin. It was stated that “Kennedy interpreted the installation of missiles in Cuba as a move preparatory to a showdown on Berlin.” The United States had promised to protect the million and a half West Berliners from Soviet take-over and they feared that any actions they took against the Soviets during the Cuban Missile Crisis could cause disastrous results against Berlin. This is shown in the film through quotes such as “…you will order the strikes, followed by the invasion. They will resist and be overrun. [The Soviets] will retaliate against another target somewhere else in the world, most likely Berlin” and “so we bomb their anti-aircraft sites, and in response to that... they attack