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?     Online Special Media Watch Feb. 22, 2001 Three experts discuss the new movie "Thirteen Days."

Robert Worlock of Boulder, Colorado asks: Does Kevin Costner represent Kenneth O’Donnell, a composite of several real-life characters, or a fictional character? Robert McNamara responds: Totally fictional. I don’t know very much about movies. You won’t believe this, but in my 40 years in Washington I don’t think I’ve seen more than 20 movies. So when the producer of "Thirteen Days," Peter Almond, called me from Hollywood and said the movie was going to be introduced shortly and he would very much like to come to Washington and give me a private showing, I said, "Well, tell me a little bit about the movie," and he said, "Well, Kevin Costner is playing the lead." Well, I hadn’t seen – didn’t know much about movies. But I had heard the name. I recognized him as a star, so I said, "What character is he playing?" He said, "Kenny O’Donnell." I said, "For God’s sakes, Kenny O’Donnell didn’t have any role whatsoever in the missile crisis; he was a political appointment secretary to the President; that’s absurd. So I won’t see it," I said. Later, Peter Almond persuaded me to see the movie, and after it was over he said, "Well, what did you think of it?" I said, "Well, if I’d made it, it would be historically accurate and nobody would come to see it. Now, you’ve taken some liberties with history. I think you’ve dramatized it. I think it’s an absolutely fascinating portrayal and a very constructive and responsible portrayal of a very, very serious crisis not only in the history of this nation but in the history of the world." This nation came close to nuclear war and the world came close to nuclear war. I don’t think our people then or today fully understand that or understand the implications of it. The movie is a major step forward in that direction, and I congratulated the producer for that work.