Kevin Costner credited as playing...
Kenny O'Donnell
- Kenny O'Donnell: If the sun comes up tomorrow, it is only because of men of good will. And that's - that's all there is between us and the devil.
- President Kennedy: Well, who the hell authorized this missile test?
- Robert Kennedy: Who do you think? God knows what this is gonna communicate to the Soviets!
- Kenny O'Donnell: Communicate with the Soviets? We can't communicate with the Pentagon - and it's just across the goddamn river!
- Kenny O'Donnell: Commander, my name is Ken O'Donnell, special assistant to the President.
- Commander William B. Ecker: Yes sir.
- Kenny O'Donnell: The President has instructed me to pass along an order to you. You are not to get shot down.
- Commander William B. Ecker: Uh, we'll do our best sir.
- Kenny O'Donnell: I don't think you understand me, Commander. You are not to get shot down, under any circumstances. Whatever happens up there, you were not shot at. Mechanical failures are fine. Crashing into mountains, fine. But you and your men are not to be shot at, fired at, or launched upon.
- Commander William B. Ecker: Excuse me sir, what the hell is going on here?
- Kenny O'Donnell: Commander, if you are fired upon, the President will be forced to attack the sites that fire on you. He doesn't want to have to do that. It's very important that he doesn't, or things can go very badly out of control.
- Commander William B. Ecker: What about my men? We don't have anyone to protect us, I don't want to be writing letters home to parents.
- Kenny O'Donnell: If the President protects you, Commander, he may have to do it with the bomb. Now I've known the man for fifteen years. The problem is... he will protect you. So I'm asking you, don't make him protect you. Don't get shot at.
- Commander William B. Ecker: Okay Mister O'Donnell, we'll do what we can.
- Kenny O'Donnell: I know you will.
- Kenny O'Donnell: Adlai! It's Ken; how you doin'?
- Adlai Stevenson: Busy, Ken. What do you need?
- Kenny O'Donnell: The president told me to pass the word to you: Stick it to them!
- Adlai Stevenson: I hear you. I'm glad it's you calling; I thought it would be Bobby.
- Kenny O'Donnell: Adlai, the world has to know we're right. If we're gonna have a chance at a political solution we need international pressure... You gotta be tough, Adlai. You need to find it, buddy.
- Adlai Stevenson: If they're still sticking to their stonewalling stategy, I'll get them. I'm an old political cat, Kenny, but I've got one life left.
- Kenny O'Donnell: I know you do.
- Robert Kennedy: We gave up so much to get here... I don't know; sometimes I think, "What the hell did we do it for?"
- Kenny O'Donnell: Well, I don't know about you, but... I'm in it for the money.
- Kenny O'Donnell: That's going to be tough - you know how these guys are about their chains of command.
- President Kennedy: Listen, you tell 'em those chains of command end at one place: *me*.
- President Kennedy: What do you want, Kenny?
- Kenny O'Donnell: I want you to sit down.
- President Kennedy: Well, I'm not gonna sit down!
- Kenny O'Donnell: I want you to sit down, loosen your tie, take a minute...
- President Kennedy: I haven't got a a minute!
- Kenny O'Donnell: You're the President of the United States. They can wait for you.
- Robert Kennedy: By the way, China invaded India today.
- Kenny O'Donnell: You're kidding, aren't you?
- Robert Kennedy: Yeah, I wish I were. Galbraith is handling it in New Delhi. Makes you wonder what's coming next.
- Kenny O'Donnell: Geez. What is it about the free world that pisses the rest of the world off?
- Robert Kennedy: I don't know. We have Tupperware parties.
- President Kennedy: Acheson's scenario is just, it's unacceptable, and he's got more experience than anybody.
- Kenny O'Donnell: There is no expert on the subject; I mean, there is no wise old man. There's - shit, there's just us.
- President Kennedy: The thing is that Acheson's right, 'cause talk alone's not gonna accomplish anything.
- Kenny O'Donnell: Well, let's bomb the shit out of 'em! Everybody wants to. I mean, even you, I mean, even me, right? It sure would feel good.
- Kenny O'Donnell: They look warlike? Jesus Christ, we're lighting off nuclear weapons like its our own private Fourth of July!
- President Kennedy: [Kenny eats a piece of the president's breakfast as the president reads the newspaper] I was eating that.
- Kenny O'Donnell: No, you weren't.
- President Kennedy: I was.
- Kenny O'Donnell: No, you weren't.
- President Kennedy: I was... I was... Bastard.
- President Kennedy: Have you canceled Chicago and the rest of the weekend yet?
- Kenny O'Donnell: You don't show for Chicago, everyone'll know there's something going on.
- President Kennedy: I don't care! Just cancel...
- Kenny O'Donnell: Forget it!
- [Kennedy glares at him]
- Kenny O'Donnell: I'm not calling and canceling on Daley!
- [Kennedy glares again]
- Kenny O'Donnell: You call and cancel on Daley!
- President Kennedy: You're scared to cancel on Daley?
- Kenny O'Donnell: You're damn right I'm scared.
- President Kennedy: Well I'm not.
- Kenny O'Donnell: [to Bobby] Watch this.
- [cut to Kennedy's arrival in Chicago]
- Journalist: So... tell me about this military exercise that's going on down in Puerto Rico.
- Kenny O'Donnell: [sharply] What?
- Journalist: It's called "ORTSAC", I believe. "Castro" spelled backwards.
- Kenny O'Donnell: "ORTSAC"? I... I don't know what you're talking about.
- Robert F. Kennedy: Me either. Why?
- Journalist: Because maybe the President and Gromyko are gonna talk about it.
- Kenny O'Donnell: If you're trying to drum something up, Johnny, forget it. This meeting's been on the books for months. Far as I know, it's just a friendly talk on U.S.-Soviet relations.
- [Johnny the Journalist nods and walks away. On a pad, Bobby writes the word "ORTSAC"]
- Kenny O'Donnell: ... Does it?
- Robert F. Kennedy: [writes "CASTRO" underneath it] Mm-hm.
- Kenny O'Donnell: I'll be damned.
- [scoffs]
- Kenny O'Donnell: Kind of simple for the Pentagon.
- President Kennedy: Well, things can't get much worse.
- Kenny O'Donnell: Oh, I don't know; we could have to go down to Lyndon's ranch again, dressed up as cowboys, shoot deer out of the back of his convertible.
- President Kennedy: That *was* a bad day... Hell, I thought there'd be... more good days.
- Robert McNamara: A blockade is technically an act of war; therefore we recommend calling the action a quarantine.
- Kenny O'Donnell: Let's hope that translates into Russian the way we want it to.
- Kenny O'Donnell: Adlai can handle Zorin. He knows the inning; he knows the score.
- Robert Kennedy: He better, because nobody believes he's up to this - nobody.
- [about the Joint Chiefs of Staff]
- Kenny O'Donnell: They want a war, Jack, and they're arranging things to get one.
- Helen O'Donnell: And while you're under a rock somewhere with the President, what am I supposed to do with our five children, Kenny?
- Kenny O'Donnell: Honey, we're not going to let it come to that, I promise. Jack and Bobby, they're smart guys.
- Helen O'Donnell: You're smart, too.
- Kenny O'Donnell: Not like them.