The docudrama “13 Days” depicts conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union that nearly ended in a cataclysmic crisis; widely known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. The course of events and the escalation of the crisis during the intense 13-day period of October 1962 are presented to the public through the perspective of American political leaders. The crisis begins when U-2 spy planes prove that Soviet leader Khrushchev had secretly deployed intermediate-range missiles to Cuba and was in the process of activating them. The film highlights the conundrums that President Kennedy faced when deciding the appropriate actions to take, such as removing missiles from Cuba without resorting to war. The public is aware of the various complexities involved in decision-making processes, as President Kennedy faced not only opposition from the Soviet Union, but also disagreements within his own administration. At the beginning of the film, photos of the medium-range ballistic firing of Soviet missiles in Cuba are revealed to President Kennedy. This new information available to the United States was unbeknownst to the public, the press, and the Soviets themselves. Therefore, a team of advisors known as exComm, including Special Assistant to the President Kenneth O'Donnell, Robert Kennedy and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are gathered to privately discuss the next plan of 'action. The various public administration theories of decision-making are useful in analyzing the various deliberations of the president and his team on what actions to take to address the crisis as depicted in the film. Ideally, the President should have adopted a rational and comprehensive approach in his decision-making process; engage in systematic analysis... middle of paper ...... violently attack Cuba and the Soviet Union. Thus, the President pursues his primary goal of avoiding war with the Soviet Union by asserting his legitimate power, given that he possesses the most power of any member of the ex-Comm. Incrementalism refers to Khrushchev finally accepting the proposal to remove Soviet missiles from Cuba in exchange for the removal of American missiles from Türkiye in a few months. Perhaps Khrushchev's acquiescence can be explained by the political negotiation model, which predicts that parties involved in a disagreement, where states are incredibly high, would be motivated to take whatever action is necessary via a negotiation process to reach a resolution. The film reveals that the crisis was made worse not only by the Soviet Union, but also by the inability of the American presidential unit to work coherently on the same wavelength..