THIRTEEN DAYS

March 2001
		Nearly 10 years after the end of the Cold War, are nuclear weapons still a threat? What can be learned from the dramatic events of the Cuban Missile Crisis? Former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara responds to your questions.

Forum introduction What was the makeup of President Kennedy's inner circle? How much did news reporters know and relay about the events of the crisis? Was Kenneth O'Donnell as big a part of the real events as he is in the movie? Didn't the U.S. remove missiles in Turkey in exchange for moving Soviet missiles out of Cuba? Didn't the Bay of Pigs invasion help stir Cuban resentment? How much did the government learn about the crisis after it was over? How would today's military react to a similar crisis?

The movie "Thirteen Days," released by New Line Cinema in January, chronicles the harsh rhetoric and tense moments behind the scenes of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. In the film, as in reality, President John F. Kennedy and his advisers work to defuse a potentially catastrophic standoff: forcing the Soviets to remove their missiles from Cuba -- just 90 miles from the coast of Florida -- without starting a nuclear war. The movie showcases the central role played by Robert McNamara, then Secretary of Defense, who kept a close watch over the U.S. military to avoid starting a war by accident. Although many Americans still remember these moments in the darkest days of the Cold War, the movie, which has grossed more than $30 million in U.S. box offices, is introducing a new generation to this moment in history and offering a glimpse of life under the threat of nuclear war. How closely does "Thirteen Days" mirror the historical events of the Cuban Missile Crisis? How do the lessons of that period influence the current arms control debate? What's the state of the nuclear threat today? Former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara responds to your questions.