Presidential advisers

One reviewer of Fail Safe noted that during a crisis the President would not be alone in a bunker dependent on one interpreter. He would be surrounded by the Cabinent, the National Security Council, CIA, NSA, Joint Chiefs of Staff, interpreters, support personnel.

It is possible that since this crisis came out of the blue and unfolded so rapidly, the President might not have been able to assemble his advisers in time. After all, people can be out of town, unavailable, stuck in traffic.

But the President was not totally bereft of advisers. He was in contact with Secretary Swenson and the Joints Chief of Staff at the Pentagon as well as General Bogan at SAC headquarters in Omaha. It was certainly better than no advisers at all.

As a bit of an aside, there is one in thing that has puzzled me ever since I first saw the movie. Why was Secretary Swenson depicted as handicapped? Was there some kind of symbolism involved? Anybody have any thoughts about it?