In the fall of 1974 I gathered with others at a friends house with the intention of going out for the evening. By chance, a commercial announced that "The Missiles of October", one of television's first attempts at a docu-drama (the other being The Andersonville Trial) was about to come on. We decided to wait 'a few minutes' to see some of it. Three hours later we were still in our chairs with our coats on. Silence pervaded the room as the drama unfurled and there was an overwhelming sense of "you are there" that kept us riveted to the story. Looking back now I realize that this was one of the greatest stage productions ever made on what then had been somewhat of a mystery to the average American, namely, what had actually transpired during the thirteen days of intense struggle of October of 1962, when the world was on the edge of nuclear Armageddon. This work is very intellectual, superbly written and gripping in dramatic scenes. It is important to remember that this was shown during an era of STRONG anti-military feeling. The country was winding down from Vietnam and to see a positive resolvency of a possible global catastrophe by politicians concerning an incident in '62 from when we were only children reminded us of what America CAN accomplish when sane men seek safe ways out of conflict. There is a LOT of good acting. The scenes are cleverly done, shifting between Washington and Moscow with tid-bits of B&W 'events in the world' film thrown in. We get to see "inside" the exec committees of both the White House and Kremlin and how they plot strategy. Attempts to duplicate the success of this stage drama failed miserably. "Pueblo" in 1976 did not capture the tension and mystique and television has simply never been able to repeat what I now believe was a dramatic miracle of production on screen. WELL RECOMMENDED.

An historically accurate, true-to-life account of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Well acted. Well written. Well detailed. Highly recommended

Thermo Nuclear War. Unthinkable, huh?

Well, as a former Air Force Command and Control Specialist with Top Secret security clearance, I can tell you that America is always in a state of war, whether it be overt i.e. Iraq, or covert i.e. the cold war we are in with China.

American men and women working for agencies like the National Security Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security, and the infamous Central Intelligence Agency, are in a constant battle against espionage, theft of Top Secret information, the theft of weapons and weapon systems, and the threat of germ warfare. Most Americans didn't know numerous Russian submarines were just off our shores, awaiting orders to launch their missiles.

The Missiles of October is a dramatization of the Cuban Missile Crisis and delivers a gripping peek into the inner workings of Whitehouse policy when world events, which are shaky at best, take us to the brink of colossal destruction. While the thought of nuclear war can be terrifying, just remember, America avoided World War III. Hopefully the situation in Iraq will not escalate and put our current Commander in Chief in the same situation as John F. Kennedy.

This 1974 TV movie is much more that simply a TV movie; it takes you inside the White House during the most dangerous time in history- when we came closest to nuclear war. Tension builds as Kennedy (William Davane) considers options, and fights internal advise which almost certainly would have led to war against the Soviet Union. Howard da Silva is wonderful as he humanizes the Russian Premier, evan as he battles long-distance with the President. Unfortunately, every time I ordered this DVD from Amazon, they failed to give me anything other than a defective product. Returns are a hassle since they fail to acknowledge receipt; and getting a check back is virtually impossible. Talking to a person is totally impossible.

"The Missiles of October" starred William DeVane as JFK and Martin Sheen as RFK. Both of these actors portrayed the Kennedys better than any actors ever have. This is a patriotic film that depicts how close we came to nuclear combat toe to toe with the Russkies, and how the Kennedys saw us through the crisis. This may have been the beginning of Martin Sheen's political awakening.

STEVEN TRAVERS
AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"
STWRITES@AOL.COM