Burt Lancaster as Gen. James Mattoon Scott

Kirk Douglas as Col. Martin "Jiggs" Casey

Fredric March as President Jordan Lyman

Ava Gardner as Eleanor Holbrook

Edmond O'Brien as Sen. Raymond Clark

Martin Balsam as Paul Girard

Andrew Duggan as Col. William "Mud" Henderson

Hugh Marlowe as Harold McPherson

Whit Bissell as Sen. Frederick Prentice

Helen Kleeb as Esther Townsend

George Macready as Christopher Todd

Richard Anderson as Col. Murdock

Bart Burns as Secret Service White House Chief Art Corwin

John Alban as Party Guest (uncredited)

Monya Andre as Party Guest (uncredited)

Malcolm Atterbury as Horace the White House Physician (uncredited)

Walter Bacon as Reporter (uncredited)

Sam Bagley as Reporter (uncredited)

Al Bain as Reporter (uncredited)

Bill Baldwin as Announcer (voice) (uncredited)

John Barton as Reporter (uncredited)

Jack Berle as Reporter (uncredited)

Robert Brubaker as Gen. Diefenbach (uncredited)

William Challee as Gen. Riley (uncredited)

Dick Cherney as Reporter (uncredited)

Charles Cirillo as Reporter (uncredited)

Harry Denny as Party Guest (uncredited)

Mimi Dillard as Mother at Dulles Airport (uncredited)

Alphonso DuBois as Reporter (uncredited)

Fred Fisher as Waiter (uncredited)

Wesley Gale as Reporter (uncredited)

Chuck Hamilton as Reporter (uncredited)

Stuart Holmes as Senate Committee Member (uncredited)

John Houseman as Vice Adm. Farley C. Barnswell (uncredited)

Rodolfo Hoyos Jr. as Capt. Ortega (uncredited)

Clegg Hoyt as Diner Operator (uncredited)

Colette Jackson as Bar Girl (uncredited)

Jim Jacobs as Helicopter Commando (uncredited)

Kenner G. Kemp as Senate Committee Member (uncredited)

Paul King as Party Guest (uncredited)

Joseph La Cava as Party Guest (uncredited)

John Larkin as Col. Broderick (uncredited)

Kent McCord as Presidential Aide (uncredited)

Tyler McVey as Gen. Hardesty (uncredited)

William Meader as Reporter (uncredited)

Tina Menard as Reporter (uncredited)

Charles Meredith as Senate Committee Member (uncredited)

Ernesto Molinari as Reporter (uncredited)

Jack Mullaney as Lt. Dorsey Grayson (uncredited)

Joe Ploski as Reporter (uncredited)

José Portugal as Party Guest (uncredited)

Fred Rapport as Party Guest (uncredited)

Paul Ravel as Party Guest (uncredited)

Ron Rich as Reporter (uncredited)

Owen Song as Reporter (uncredited)

Norman Stevans as Senate Commitee Member (uncredited)

Charles Watts as Stewart Dillard (uncredited)

Fredd Wayne as Henry Whitney (uncredited)

Ferris Webster as Gen. Bernard "Barney" Rutkowski (uncredited)