Writer:	Aaron Sorkin, Eli Attie, David Handelman
Director:	Christopher Misiano
Star:	Martin Sheen (President Jed Bartlet),  Dulé Hill (Charlie Young),  Allison Janney (Claudia Jean "C.J." Cregg),  Richard Schiff (Toby Ziegler),  John Spencer (Leo McGarry),  Bradley Whitford (Josh Lyman),  Janel Moloney (Donna Moss (Episodes 23-, recurring previously)),  Joshua Malina (Will Bailey (Episodes 78-, recurring previously))
Recurring Role:	Michael O'Neill (Ron Butterfield),  Nicole Robinson (Margaret),  Renee Estevez (Nancy),  Melissa Fitzgerald (Carol Fitzpatrick),  William Duffy (Larry),  Peter James Smith (Ed),  Bradley James (Donnie),  Penny Griego (News Anchor),  Elisabeth Moss (Zoey Bartlet),  Lily Tomlin (Debbie Fiderer)
Guest Star:	Robert Beuth (Translator),  J.P. Hubbell (Agent #1),  Jim Moret (Reporter),  Matthew Perry (Joe Quincy),  Willie Gault (Agent #3)

Bradley Whitford and Matthew Perry later went on to star in the show "Studio 60 on the Sunset Stip"; which was also created by Aaron Sorkin. (edit) This is Matthew Perry's first appearance as Joe Quincy. (edit) Awards and Nominations:
This episode won the 2003 Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Drama Series along with many other episodes from the season (Aaron Sorkin, Thomas Schlamme, John Wells, Kevin Falls, Alex Graves, Christopher Misiano, Paul Redford, Kristin Harms, Llewellyn Wells, Neal Ahern, Jr.)

Matthew Perry received an Emmy nomination in 2003 for his portrayal here of Joe Quincy. He was nominated in the category of Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

Bradley Whitford was nominated in 2003 for an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in this episode and in "20 Hours in America Part 1 & 2" (edit) Will is on his way to defend 2 missile silo airmen who failed to follow launch procedure. In the movie "War Games", John Spencer (Leo McGarry) plays a missile silo commander who refuses to follow launch procedure during a missile drill. (edit) Will mentions a website called thingsthatarewrong.com - this name was registered by Warner Brothers five weeks before the show aired, but had no content. (edit)

Donna: This guy...
Josh: Yeah?
Donna: There are some who'd consider him handsome. I don't, personally, 'cause you're the only one I find handsome.
Josh: Aha.
Donna: But for the sake of appearances, here around the office, other people wouldn't suspect I'd pretend. I thought this guy was handsome if you hired him. Of course, all along it'd be a lie because of how handsome you are. And powerful.
Josh: Your sense of humor's a bit of a high-wire act, isn't it? You're really trying to thread the needle.
Donna: And half of it you don't even get. (edit) Joe Quincy: Did you hear the shots?
Josh: No, but I heard a brass quintet playing the first Noel, so I assumed someone somewhere was locked and loaded. (edit)

At the end of the episode, CJ notes the time as being midnight, prompting her to test the standing-egg-on-its-end theory. However her own watch reads 7:25. (edit) Leo McGarry says during the briefing with the President, that Baltic See is shared between Germany, Sweden and Finland. This is not true as it is shared between Germany, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia. (edit) Matthew Perry's father, John Bennett Perry, appeared on the second season finale episode Two Cathedrals. (edit)

Joe:You know, I thought I heard what sounded like gunshots when we were talking before, but I didn't... Did you hear the shots?
Josh: No, but I heard a brass quintet playing "The First Noel," so I just assumed somebody somewhere was locked and loaded.

Josh is alluding to the second season episode Noël, where his psychiatrist, Dr. Stanley Keyworth, concludes that Josh is associating Christmas music with sirens as a symptom of the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder he suffers after being shot in the season one finale, "What Kind of Day Has It Been?". (edit)