Cuban Missile Crisis

One of Bobby Kennedy's close friends was Kenny O'Donnell. Part of the President's inner circle of " Irish Mafia," O'Donnell was a special adviser to the President.

Secretly recorded transcripts of the Missile Crisis deliberations reveal O'Donnell was not part of the meetings or the discussions. On the other hand, as a close friend of the President and Bobby, O'Donnell had extraordinary access. He was usually around - often in the background.

The story is told of a conversation JFK had with Kenny O'Donnell when the Democratic party was considering a vice presidential candidate. Party managers thought Lyndon Johnson would be a good running mate. Although he wasn't sure about it, Kennedy eventually agreed. He told Kenny O'Donnell:

I'm forty-three years old, I'm not going to die in office. So the vice presidency doesn't mean anything.

What did mean something to the President, beginning with the first day of the Crisis (October 16th), was the unwavering dedication of his most trusted advisers. Most would get very little sleep for the next two weeks.