In one of the film's many charged sequences, McNamara explains to a trigger-happy admiral that the naval blockade Kennedy had imposed on Cuba was primarily intended as a signal to Chairman Khrushchev of Kennedy’s resolve, not as a means to stop specific Soviet ships.
Dans l'un des nombreux moments forts du film, il explique à un amiral pressé d'en découdre, que Kennedy avait imposé le blocus naval de Cuba pour montrer à Khrouchtchev sa détermination et non pour empêcher certains bateaux soviétiques d'accoster.