Thirteen Days (2000)

Dylan Baker: Robert McNamara

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Quotes 

• Robert McNamara : This is not a blockade. This is language. A new vocabulary, the likes of which the world has never seen! This is President Kennedy communicating with Secretary Khrushchev!

• Robert McNamara : We're heading out to the backyard to take a look for that 'big Red dog'!

• 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.

• Robert McNamara : Sleep is for the weak Mr. President.

• Robert McNamara : We'd look pretty bad shooting up a freighter full of baby food.

  Kenny O'Donnell : We sure as shit would.

• Robert McNamara : We've worked up several military scenarios; before I ask General Taylor to take us through the various options, I'd like for us to adopt a rule: If we decide to strike, we must agree now to do it *before* the missiles become operational, because once they are I don't think we can guarantee getting them all before at least... at least some of them are launched.

• Robert McNamara : A quarantine prevents any more missiles from reaching Cuba, but it doesn't remove the missiles already there; it gives the Soviets a chance to pull back without a war. If they refuse to remove the missiles, we retain the option to strike and invade.

  Robert Kennedy : A sneak attack would be counter to what the United States stands for. It leaves us no room to maneuver, and the inevitable Soviet response would force us into a war.