First there was the foreshadowing of nuclear holocaust at the seminar Don attended at the convention in episode 11.  The speaker almost gushed about the effectiveness of MIRVs in providing an edge.

Then Bobby appears in the hallway wearing a Halloween mask after Betty shuts Sally in the closet in episode 12. That would suggest  episode 12 takes place later  in October.

Finally, in the preview for episode 13 that's on the website, Harry says something about the length of  "Kennedy's address tonight".

Anyone else thinking that the Cuban Missile Crisis figures into episode 13?  Kennedy addressed the nation the evening of 10/22/62.

Absolutely. I mentioned it on the link about Anna and how this crisis could be the catalyst to get Don/Dick back to NY:

"In the timeline of October 1962, the Cold War will be escalating out of control with terrifying implications. The Cuban Missile Crisis is on the horizon. The news of impending armageddon, which is still fresh in his mind from the aerospace presentation, should get him on a plane back to NY and his family, with or without Anna Draper."

I rarely speculate about this show because I'm most often wrong, but the Cuban Missile Crisis will be a factor in Epi 13 or I'll eat my "pill box" hat.

peggy no hat eating needed. one thing i love is that not only is mad men an intelligent well written show, it's got an intelligent fan base as well.

i think you are both right. and of course matt wiener will probably do a phenomenal job of tying the cold war crisis into the crisis of the SC merger.

should be complete chaos!

On another site, someone with sharp eyes and HD TV noticed the date on the check Betty endorsed in Epi 12 was Oct 11. As JKerouac said above JFK addressed the nation on Oct 22, and Harry mentions that in the preview. Here's background on the event and a link for anyone interested:

"The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest the world ever came to nuclear war. The United States armed forces were at their highest state of readiness ever and Soviet field commanders in Cuba were prepared to use battlefield nuclear weapons to defend the island if it was invaded. Luckily, thanks to the bravery of two men, President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev, war was averted.

"In 1962, the Soviet Union was desperately behind the United States in the arms race. Soviet missiles were only powerful enough to be launched against Europe but U.S. missiles were capable of striking the entire Soviet Union. In late April 1962, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev conceived the idea of placing intermediate-range missiles in Cuba. A deployment in Cuba would double the Soviet strategic arsenal and provide a real deterrent to a potential U.S. attack against the Soviet Union.

"Meanwhile, Fidel Castro was looking for a way to defend his island nation from an attack by the U.S. Ever since the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, Castro felt a second attack was inevitable. Consequently, he approved of Khrushchev's plan to place missiles on the island. In the summer of 1962 the Soviet Union worked quickly and secretly to build its missile installations in Cuba.

"For the United States, the crisis began on Oct. 15, 1962 when reconnaissance photographs revealed Soviet missiles under construction in Cuba. Early the next day, President John Kennedy was informed of the missile installations. Kennedy immediately organized the EX-COMM, a group of his 12 most important advisors to handle the crisis. After seven days of guarded and intense debate within the upper echelons of government, Kennedy concluded to impose a naval quarantine around Cuba. He wished to prevent the arrival of more Soviet offensive weapons on the island. On Oct. 22, Kennedy announced the discovery of the missile installations to the public and his decision to quarantine the island. He also proclaimed that any nuclear missile launched from Cuba would be regarded as an attack on the United States by the Soviet Union and demanded that the Soviets remove all of their offensive weapons from Cuba.

"During the public phase of the Crisis, tensions began to build on both sides. Kennedy eventually ordered low-level reconnaissance missions once every two hours. On the 25th Kennedy pulled the quarantine line back and raised military readiness to DEFCON 2. Then on the 26th EX-COMM heard from Khrushchev in an impassioned letter. He proposed removing Soviet missiles and personnel if the U.S. would guarantee not to invade Cuba. Oct. 27 was the worst day of the crisis. A U-2 was shot down over Cuba and EX-COMM received a second letter from Khrushchev demanding the removal of U.S. missiles in Turkey in exchange for Soviet missiles in Cuba. Attorney General Robert Kennedy suggested ignoring the second letter and contacted Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin to tell him of the U.S. agreement with the first.

"Tensions finally began to ease on Oct. 28 when Khrushchev announced that he would dismantle the installations and return the missiles to the Soviet Union, expressing his trust that the United States would not invade Cuba. Further negotiations were held to implement the Oct. 28 agreement, including a United States demand that Soviet light bombers be removed from Cuba, and specifying the exact form and conditions of United States assurances not to invade Cuba."

http://library.thinkquest ...