Thirteen Days

The group that President Kennedy convened to advise him on the missile crisis, Ex. Comm, was composed entirely of white men. Do you think that a more diverse committee would have made the same recommendations or different ones? Would the deliberations have been different? In what way? Could such a committee happen today at the top levels of government? (You may want to search the internet for pictures of Ex Comm) 

Robert Kennedy was the brother of the President, as well as the Attorney General. How do you think that affected his perspective? How do you think the story would be different if it were told by someone who wasn’t as personally close to President Kennedy?

President Kennedy personally intervened with newspaper editors to suppress publication of stories about the missile crisis before he announced it in his speech to the nation. Do you think that could happen today? Should it? Does the press have an obligation to yield to the President on matters of national security, or is that a violation of free speech?