The Missiles of October(1974)

The Missiles of October is a 1974 television docudrama that dramatizes the Cuban Missile Crisis, the thirteen-day standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union in October 1962. William Devane stars as President John F. Kennedy, while Martin Sheen portrays Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy as the brothers navigate the brink of nuclear war. Adapted from Robert Kennedy's memoir Thirteen Days, the teleplay examines the political calculations, tense negotiations, and narrow escapes from catastrophe that defined the crisis. The film captures both the public pressure and private deliberations behind closed doors as American leaders weigh military action against diplomacy. Taut and historically grounded, The Missiles of October explores how miscalculation and missed opportunities nearly triggered global conflict during the Cold War's most perilous moment.