An Effective Consensus

[KaiserDave]

A New KaiserDave TL coming soon.....





I have a lot of time on my hands....so let's go!

[Elcaspar]

I wonder what this is gonna be about. Looking forward to it!

[America Needs R'hllor]

Following!

[OBD]

Following!

[KaiserDave]

An Effective Consensus: A KaiserDave Timeline

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Ladies and Gentlemen, we go to the President of the United States....

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My fellow Americans. I speak to you tonight with assembled Congressmen and Vice President Nixon to sign one of the most important legislative documents in the history of our Republic. After months of deliberation and reason debate, and more than a few heightened tempers, the US Congress and myself have come to an agreement on vast, sweeping reforms to the law code of this country. These reforms are rooted in a deep belief in the equality and god given dignity of all men, as well as the worth of every individual in this Earth. When we fought in Europe to rid the world of Nazi tyranny we strove for this ideas, we were fighting to kill the delusion of German racial supremacy. We must not become hypocrites, I was very serious when I said there will be no second class citizens in this country. I say it again now, there will be no second class citizens in this country. We are and will be a nation of free and equal citizens before the law. There can be no doubt of that. This Civil Rights Act establishes a variety of commissions and committees for the promotion and protection of civil rights of the Negro in the United States. But it takes stronger steps than that as well, this act makes discrimination in housing, employment, and in everyday activities illegal. No discrimination based on color of skin, religious belief, sex, or place of birth will be tolerated under this new legislation. This will be the end of an insidious racism that has gripped too much of this country for too long, and will finally make good on the promises of all men being created equal for all the citizens of this land...........




Note: Thanks for all the support! I'm distracted in general by the horrid events of the world, but I intend to have this as a more fun distraction!

[UWS]

If the Civil Rights Act has been made under President Eisenhower, who knows if it will help Richard Nixon win the AA vote in 1960.

[KaiserDave]

Democratic National Convention: Los Angeles

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All mankind waits upon our decision. A whole world looks to see what we shall do. And we cannot fail that trust. And we cannot fail to try. It has been a long road from the first snowy day in New Hampshire many months ago to this crowded convention city. Now begins another long journey, taking me into your cities and homes across the United States. Give me your help and your hand and your voice. Recall with me the words of Isaiah that, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary." As we face the coming great challenge, we too, shall wait upon the Lord, and ask that He renew our strength. Then shall we be equal to the test. Then we shall not be weary. Then we shall prevail. Thank you!


The Convention was electrified, this young Massachusetts phenom had lit the hall on fire. All those criticisms, too young, Catholic, too green. Right out the window. The Humphrey liberals from the midwest, the Symington bloc, and even the Floridians for Smathers were all on their foot. The only notable exceptions were the Dixiecrats, who milled amongst the "Georgia" "Alabama" and "Arkansas" signs. Nobody expected them to be pleased, but it was a question of what they were willing to do. None of them wanted California Dick, but a choice between two supporters of the Civil Rights was not desirable.

Bobby watched backstage as Jack received the adoration and cheers of the crowd. sh**t if he wasn't a good one. That egghead Humphrey, stone old loser Stevenson, or even the hick Lyndon, none of them would be getting the applause Jack was. The applause was still going on, as every Democrat from California to the New York Island was throwing their hands together. But one question remained, who to pick for the number two spot? Jack wanted Scoop or Symington, it made sense. But there was pressure to pick a southerner. The Dixiecrats were not happy, no not at all. Richard Nixon was out there meeting with Martin Luther King and supporting the Civil Rights Act, promising he'd put a black man in the cabinet and pass all sorts of reforms. Jack was on board with Civil Rights too, and Dixiecrats knew that well. But perhaps a Southerner could put them back at ease, maybe Johnson would have to do. Or else they could face another third party run.

"Hey Bobby what'd you make of it?" Jack said with a big grin as he finally stepped offstage after waving and acknowledging the great applause. Robert Kennedy smiled back, "Great Jack great, they love you."

[Orwell]

The Dixiecrats were not happy, no not at all. Richard Nixon was out there meeting with Martin Luther King and supporting the Civil Rights Act, promising he'd put a black man in the cabinet and pass all sorts of reforms. Jack was on board with Civil Rights too, and Dixiecrats knew that well. But perhaps a Southerner could put them back at ease, maybe Johnson would have to do. Or else they could face another third party run.

"Hey Bobby what'd you make of it?" Jack said with a big grin as he finally stepped offstage after waving and acknowledging the great applause. Robert Kennedy smiled back, "Great Jack great, they love you."

Bobby was strongly against the picking of Johnson, even after the Civil Rights act of 1957, which Johnson led through congress, Bobby wanted to pick Walter Reuther to be Jack's VP the President o f the UAW and one of the best political minds of Organized labor.

[KaiserDave]

The Dixiecrats were not happy, no not at all. Richard Nixon was out there meeting with Martin Luther King and supporting the Civil Rights Act, promising he'd put a black man in the cabinet and pass all sorts of reforms. Jack was on board with Civil Rights too, and Dixiecrats knew that well. But perhaps a Southerner could put them back at ease, maybe Johnson would have to do. Or else they could face another third party run.

"Hey Bobby what'd you make of it?" Jack said with a big grin as he finally stepped offstage after waving and acknowledging the great applause. Robert Kennedy smiled back, "Great Jack great, they love you."

Bobby was strongly against the picking of Johnson, even after the Civil Rights act of 1957, which Johnson led through congress, Bobby wanted to pick Walter Reuther to be Jack's VP the President o f the UAW and one of the best political minds of Organized labor.

Yep, I'm aware. But this is still a different timeline. The Dixiecrats are ruffled more so.

[KaiserDave]

Republican National Convention: Chicago

Wikimedia


Richard M. Nixon slinked through the hallways of the International Amphitheater like a cat, but he'd never been more satisfied. Strom Thurmond, Harry Byrd, and Orval Faubus all had just refused to endorse Kennedy, not that they'd endorse him, but they were already meeting with electors to sabotage Kennedy. Lyndon Johnson had kept the Texan Dems in line, but the Democratic Party was too busy fighting itself to stop Tricky Dick. Meanwhile, with Barry Goldwater boycotting the convention with his folks over the Civil Rights Act, the convention hall was united. With Eisenhower's popularity riding high (outside the South that is), and all kinds of folks coming over to Nixons side his star had never been higher. The press were waiting at the end of the hallway as they even surrounded him now, flash after flash capturing his wide smile. The Convention had just voted overwhelmingly to nominate him and Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. as his running mate. Questions bounced off the wall and bursting from every camera. Dick typically didn't want to spend time with the rascals of the press, but right now he was loving every minute of it.

"Make no mistake folks, this is a sensible, liberal ticket. This is the platform of progress, of Civil Rights and Voting Rights, of economic opportunity. This is an international platform, we're going to fight communism abroad. This is the party of Lincoln, Roosevelt, Tom Dewey, and Earl Warren."

"Mr. Vice President, will you sign a Voting Rights Act?"

"Yes sir, yes sir make no mistake. And Nixon/Lodge will beat Kennedy/Johnson in November. Make no mistake about that fact. Now if you will let me go, lots to do lots to do." Nixon smiled as he moved out of the press gaggle and towards the elevator. "Very important matters to attend too" he shouted out as the doors opened.





 

[KaiserDave]

Election Night

Richard M. Nixon: 202-49.20%
John F. Kennedy: 154-49.37%
Unpledged/State's Rights: 16-1.42%

Robert Francis Kennedy watched the television grimly at Hyannis Port. The early results had looked so promising, the Catholic enclaves in the east posted great results. And when the South came in, the results even more encouraging. Virginia and Florida were still close, but looked more likely than not to return to the Democrats. Tennessee had already gone to them. The Catholic issue proved to be less of an issue than anticipated, as angry white voters rejected the Republicans that passed Civil Rights. RFK was a Civil Rights man through and through himself, but he wouldn't be angry at votes for Jack.

But then the midwest came in. They should've seen it coming with the results from New York, where they did far worse among black voters than anticipated. They were on track to barely improve on Adlai Stevenson, if at all. Not only did rural areas and small towns and even in some exurban areas go big for Nixon, but it was specifically black areas in Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Minnesota that were killing them. Michigan for Nixon, Minnesota despite electing Eugene McCarthy two years ago went for Dick. Illinois was still undecided but looked bad. They expected slaughter in the west but California looked stronger for Nixon than they thought. The night was far from won, but it didn't look great.

Bobby looked back the map on the television. Jack watched nervously as his underdog bid tread water. Bobby looked back to Illinois, Daley had promised that Chicago would deliver for them. Jack led early but the lead vanished 30 minutes ago, they just weren't doing well enough with the black vote. And god damnit the Dixiecrats wouldn't shut up. The unpledged electors ticket had won Mississippi and a local Dixiecrat movement won Arkansas with Orval Faubus. Bobby nervously shuffled the papers of precinct results from Illinois, Pennsylvania, California, and Texas as the entire Kennedy clan watched as votes trickled in.

[KaiserDave]

Election Results

Richard M. Nixon: 283-49.51% ✓
John F. Kennedy: 227-49.07%
Unpledged/State's Rights: 27-1.41%

Good evening everyone, coast to coast, I'm Douglas Edwards and this is Douglas Edwards with the News. The election of 1960 is over and Vice President Richard Milhous Nixon has won. The voting has taken time, but the results are in. By an extremely small margin in the popular vote, and a small electoral vote margin, Richard Nixon has won the White House. The campaign between Senator Kennedy and Vice President Nixon was long and hard fought, but it's the Republicans who will hold the White House for four more years. By a 283-227 margin, Nixon wins. Printed across every paper in every big city is those two words. It should also be noted that unpledged and Dixiecrat slates won in Arkansas and Mississippi.

Senator Kennedy spoke from Hyannis Port where he spoke to those who followed his youthful, forward thinking campaign. He asked his supporters to pray for President-elect Nixon, and told them, specifically young voters to "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." He repeated his message of a bright, optimistic liberal Democratic agenda, and conceded the race. A race that was very close, Nixon won due to a stronger than expected performance in the midwest and east. He won Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania with a surprisingly strong performance with black voters and holding on to rural Eisenhower Democrat. Many of whom voted for President Roosevelt four times. But it's truly a failure of Senator Kennedy to escape beyond the solid south in his vote totals, as black voters stuck to the Republican Party. That eastern establishment of Nixon, Dewey, Rockefeller, and, Eisenhower, triumphed on election day, with many thanks to black voters.

Richard Nixon make sure to thank that constituency with his Los Angeles Victory speech in the morning. He promised a Voting Right's Act, investment in the major urban centers, and expanding upon the prosperity of President Eisenhower. He emphasized that need for "sensible, liberal good government." He also extended an Olive Branch to Kennedy voters, saying that all shared a desire for "progress and opportunity in this great country." He redoubled need for vigilance in the fight against communism, and praised the democratic process. President Eisenhower congratulated President-elect Nixon and Vice President-elect Lodge Jr, and the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr released a congratulatory statement as well and urged the President-elect to keep his promises to Negro voters.

Meanwhile, Democrats have lingering questions. The Dixiecrats refuse to give up, despite the passage of a Civil Rights Act, and now that it seems the Republican Party has rejected the conservatism of Taft and Goldwater for the time being. They will continue to be a gadfly for the Democratic Party. Harry Byrd, Strom Thurmond, and other conservative southern Democrats noted in a brief statement that neither party can afford to ignore southern voters. For national Democrats lingering questions remain, are black voters swinging away from them due to inaction on civil rights? Can they rebuild the New Deal coalition with midwestern voters? For now at least, they must contend with President Richard Nixon.



Senate
Democrats: 63 (-3)
Republicans: 37 (+3)

Flips: Michigan, Wyoming, Delaware

House of Representatives
Democrats: 262 (-26)
Republicans: 175 (+27)

[KaiserDave]

1960 Elector Results

Richard M. Nixon: 282✓
John F. Kennedy: 216
Harry Byrd: 23
Orval Faubus: 8
Strom Thurmond: 8

[KaiserDave]

Wikimedia Commons

The Nixon Administration

Richard Milhous Nixon took the oath of office on 12:56 on January 20th 1961. Chief Justice Earl Warren administered the Oath of Office and Senator Everett Dirksen administered the Oath of Office for Vice President Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. President Nixon delivered a speech while President Eisenhower, Senator Kennedy, Judge Warren, Vice President Lodge, Senator Johnson and countless others looked on. The cold yet sunny provided a backdrop for President Nixon, with overcoat on to deliver his speech. President Nixon extolled the virtues of American democracy, constitutional governance, and transition of power. In that spirit he pledged to "realize the truths of our Declaration of Independence for all, that all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." He also echoed the sentiments of President Eisenhower in his earlier speech on Civil Rights, stating "there will be no second class citizens in this country." He called for vigilance against "external communist threats" and pledged for "civility in politics and prosperity in the nation." Among the many others in attendance was Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. who had a front row seat.

The Nixon Administration began....with stress. A B-52 Stratofortress heavy bomber crashed in North Carolina while carrying two nuclear bombs. Fortunately neither were armed though it caused quite a bit of stress in the White House. A week later President Nixon delivered his first state of the Union to a Congress controlled almost entirely by the other party. But Nixon refused to give up on his agenda, he called for a Voting Rights Act, a constitutional amendment to prevent poll taxes, and vast measures for environment protection and job creation. He called for a reduction in the top marginal tax rate from over 90% to a more business friendly 70%. On the whole, despite anger from Dixiecrats, liberals and moderates from both parties applauded his sentiments. Senator Majority Leader Johnson said afterwards that Nixon and him "are ready to Tango."

Nixon signed into law the Peace Corp as his first major legislative triumph. The law, championed by Senators Hubert Humphrey and Kennedy establishes a volunteer program for Americans to help the poor and downtrodden worldwide. After another strategic bomber crashed on March 13th in another scare, Nixon oversaw the confirmation of many of his cabinet appointees. William P. Rogers was confirmed as Secretary of State, George W. Romney as Secretary of the Treasury, and Nixon finally strong armed Thomas Dewey to leave his private practice and take on the job of Attorney General. With great reluctance Dewey took on the job at least on a temporary basis, and the Senate was happy to confirm the qualified "gang buster."

Nixon celebrated the passage of the 23rd Amendment to the Constitution allowing Washington D.C. to vote in presidential elections, and began the process of working with congress to pass a Clean Air and Water Act. Attorney General Dewey announced a variety of new cases against banking abuses on Wall Street and announced further Federal inquiries into the Ku Klux Klan. Meanwhile, Richard Nixon began drafting a Voting Rights Act with a bipartisan group in Congress, although this soon became mired in procedure, Southern objections, and threats of a dramatic filibuster. Meanwhile, down south the drama escalated further. The Freedom Riders movement was moving into full gear, and violence against Civil Rights demonstrators by Klansmen and other southern agitators filled the headlines. Buses were firebombed and race riots began. Attorney General Dewey and President Nixon tried to move federal resources to restore order, but the relationship with Dixiecrat governors was abrasive to say the least.

This domestic chaos was compounded by the ever looming threat of foreign policy and the Cold War. Nixon met with Nikita Khrushchev in Vienna on June the Fourth. The details of the discussion included Nuclear Tests, Disarmament, and Germany. However, Cold War tensions continued to grow over the island nation of Cuba. Fidel Castro had overthrown that country's pro-American government in 1959, and his continued anti-American rhetoric and anti capitalist policies angered Washington. With chaos in the Caribbean and in the South, Nixon's domestic policy agenda was sidelined for a time as Cuba stole his attention.

Vice President Lodge Jr. recommended organizing Cuban dissidents in an armed revolt, and funding and arming anti communist militants on the Island. But Nixon and Rogers favored a more direct approach. A failed assault with dissidents could end in disaster and endless bad press, but disabling the island's ability to defend itself would be seen as tough on communism. Although Moscow would be furious. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara advised a ground invasion, while on the other hand President Eisenhower agreed with the proposed support of dissidents. White House deliberated into the summer, planning and organizing into late July. Meanwhile the Clean Air and Water Act passed through Congress in Nixon's first major legislative victory.

By early August the plan was finally put into action....

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Fantastic start!

[KaiserDave]

Fantastic start!

Thank you!

[KaiserDave]

Gallup Poll: President Nixon Job Approval July 1961



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Approve: 65%
Disapprove: 31%

[KaiserDave]

Operation Crocodile

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The first F-4 Phantom Jets first took flight from south Florida on the first hours of August the 17th. Even as they soared above the Caribbean Sea the Cuban counter revolutionary guerrillas and American 7th Special Forces Group were being moved out of base and onto planes and ships for the attack. Armed militants in other parts of the American continent were mobilized by sea and air to the revolutionary island. By the morning, the assets that Washington had arrayed across the Caribbean area had all moved into action. By noon air superiority was assured, with the meagre Cuban Air Force knocked out of the sky or taken out on the ground by the dozen B-26 Strategic Bombers flown over the island. The Cuban Air Defense however, was in a better position than its air force. A Soviet heavy equipment shipment had arrived in late 1960, and included top of the line anti air equipment. One of the B-26s was taken out even. But Cuba could not contest the skies.


On the ground, commando units from counter revolutionary Cubans trained by the US and America landed at a variety of points on the south west part of the Island, including at the Bay of Pigs. Waiting at the beaches were fanatical militiamen. However they were no match for CIA trained Cubans and the best of the United States Army. However, movement was slow in the jungles of the island.

In Washington Nixon and his advisors hunkered down and waited for news. The ultimately strategic goals included an uprising of the Cuban populace and the securing of numerous strategic points on the island, so they eagerly waited for news. But no news was received, only a memo from the Soviet embassy. Moscow knew of the invasion, and the ink of the news was drying on the global papers already. They demanded an immediate withdrawal of American support, and promised severe repercussions, with an implication that the use of a tactical nuclear weapon was not off the table. Nixon refused to back down-yet. Too much was at stake and the early reports were promising, if the Cuban people rose up Moscow would have to retreat.

In Cuba, Fidel Castro took personal command of the defense of his regime with intense fervor. The main army moved in, with a great knowledge of the terrain and tremendous zeal, they were able to hold the line despite continued air and naval bombardment. The deadlock persisted for 24 hours, and by then Vice President Lodge brought in the New York Times which read in bold print that a US Invasion of Cuba was underway. This wasn't technically true, it was not a full invasion, but the message was clear. Nixon also had not received further memos from the Soviet embassy, hinting that retaliation was already on the way. Prime Minister Harold Macmillan called only to say that he urged Nixon to back down and that the Soviets would respond with force.

Nixon continued to delay however, waiting for reports on the progress of the assault. On Cuba, the commando groups had made progress due to the sheer magnitude of the air assault. But the progress was limited, and the critical element of the plan did not come through. There was no popular uprising of the Cuban people. There was no counter-revolution. Despite the military strength, the plan was not being executed to success. On the third day, Nixon canceled the air support and American forces withdrew. The Cuban Army mopped up the counter revolutionary militants within days. Operation Crocodile was a failure.

At home, the invasion was a disaster. The headlines were filled with stories on the failures of the CIA and the special forces units deployed to Cuba. The failure of the Nixon administration was plain for all to see. Meanwhile, in Cuba Fidel Castro was celebrated again as a national hero and great general who defeated the CIA and America's air force. The only lastingAmerican victory was the destruction of Cuba's air force, but Fidel knew a call to Moscow could fix that.

[KaiserDave]

Gallup Poll: President Nixon Job Approval August 1961



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Approve: 57%
Disapprove: 38%

[America Needs R'hllor]

Fantastic start!

[KaiserDave]

Wikimedia Commons

The Nixon Administration

The Nixon administration staggered out of 1961 with great uncertainty ahead. The Soviets had just tested Tsar Bomba in Siberia, and Fidel Castro declared himself a Marxist Leninist in the last month of the year, and the headlines were filled with stories on how the plucky Cuban army defeated America's best men. Nixon was eager to refocus on foreign policy, but Cold War politics continued to grab his attention. The situation in Vietnam was containing to evolve, with the Ngô Đình Diệm regime ramping up its Strategic Hamlet program and continuing to have trouble with communist insurgents. President Nixon faced a fiercely anti-communist public that wanted action, so he signed over 18,000 "military advisors" to the Republic of Vietnam. He also signed on a Cuban embargo, eager to placate an angry congress.

While President Nixon dealt with crisis after crisis, his public image as President began to develop. His speeches were universally acclaimed, he was a gifted speaker with an ability to explain and develop ideas. However they were hardly inspirational or lofty. And despite the failure of Operation Crocodile and the racial violence in the South, he remained popular. However, despite the Nixon White House's frequent engagement with the media, especially television, the White House itself remained fiercely guarded. Many were interested in seeing more of the Presidential residence and executive activity, but no such wishes were granted. First Lady Pat Nixon travelled the globe and promoted numerous charitable causes, but was hardly a cultural icon.

Going into 1962, Nixon tried to take focus off his recent foreign policy faux pas. He called for a moon mission by the end of the decade, which received great applause. Unfortunately, the evolving crisis in Algeria and the construction of the Berlin Wall continued to steal headlines. However, there were other headlines that gave Nixon another chance to realize his domestic agenda. While the Voting Rights Act languished in committee, his environmental agenda was usually greeted with praise. The Centralia Pennsylvania mine fire and Rachel Carson's Silent Spring all gave further fuel to the growing environmental movement. Nixon proposed a new permanent agency to deal with environmental problems and protection, an Environment Protection Agency or EPA. Democrats like Hubert Humphrey, Henry Jackson, and John Kennedy supported it wholeheartedly. With the support of moderates and liberals from both parties, the Environmental Protection Act of 1962 passed including numerous environmental proposals from previous years and forming this new government agency.

Nixon wanted to move on towards tax cuts but once again Cold War politics and domestic chaos took sway. The Supreme Court ruled in Engel v. Vitale that mandatory school prayer was unconstitutional and in MANual Enterprises v. Day ruled that male pornography was legal. Nixon's addition to the high court, Warren E. Burger voted with the majority in both cases. Religious and conservative Americans were furious with the decisions, and the Nixon administration for allowing it to occur. Abroad, the Berlin wall was being built and relations between Moscow and Havana were improving greatly. Nixon had intelligence saying already that Cuba had purchased new MiG-17 fighters to replace their destroyed air force. So Nixon travelled to maintain the NATO alliances: a royal visit in Great Britain, meeting President De Gaulle, conferencing with President Diem, and meeting with the West German government in Bonn.

However, something would soon take Nixon, and the public's mind off all of this.....

[KaiserDave]

Wikimedia Commons

• Early October and Late September: USSR delivers Ballistic Missiles with Heavy Equipment to Cuba
• October 15: U-2 Spy Plane Photographs Suspicious Sites on Cuba
• October 16: President Nixon and Advisors are presented with evidence of missile installations and meet in first meeting of Excom (Executive Committee of the National Security Council)

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Dick

Richard Nixon was the chairman of the first meeting of Excom. All the top national security advisors, Nixon's closest allies, and all the men with their fingers on the button in one room. Across the table sprawled were the photos of the missile sites on Cuba. Dick knew he should've suspected a retaliation from the Russians for his attack on Cuba. He just didn't know the scale he should expect. Missiles in Cuba, good God. This was a nerve rattler, and another foreign policy crisis. Nixon looked about at the assembled men, Secretary Robert McNamara, Vice President Lodge, Secretary of State William Rogers. AG Dewey was here too, noticeably regretting taking the job with the sweat on his greying brow, though he pursued the job with gusto. Secretary of the Treasury Romney wouldn't be here, but he was off in Michigan pursuing the governor's mansion. Numerous generals were also seated. Nixon tapped a recording device under the table and began the meeting.

"Alright well we should probably get started."

....

The discussion had continued for some time, with various voices with dissenting views. McNamara now spoke, "Mr. President, you have three distinct options. 1. A Blockade of the Island to stop the warheads and other Soviet forces from reaching it. 2. An Air Raid on the sites to disable their use before the warheads arrive, or 3. Force a Diplomatic Conclusion through talks with Moscow."

"We cannot afford an Air Raid. No, that's off the table. They'd turn Berlin into a puddle of glass within hours and we wouldn't know what hit us. I'm not letting the f***ing island lead to destruction on a global scale. No chance."

Curtis LeMay, Chief of Staff for the Air Force interrupted, "Mr. President you have to let us bomb those sites. You let me run over them in '61 let me do it in '62. I wiped out their anti air defenses in a day, I'll wipe out those sites in hours. I swear, my boys can do it."

Nixon frowned, "No, no Curtis. Unless you want to answer tour boys in Germany. No, that's how it starts."

"Mr. President if you ask I can send those commie bastards to hell in less than a day." Curtis's eyes were lit with a determined fury.

"Would you shut it with that talk, this is the White House not an Arkansas school lunch table. Let's get serious." LeMay slouched back in his chair. "We cannot allow those warheads to get to Cuba, therefore we must shut down Cuba. I want ships on the sea and planes in the air, I want Cuba's airspace under our control before the next meeting. Curtis if you could treat this with the seriousness it deserves you'll have Cuba under my eye as soon as possible. We'll need to mobilize troops in Florida just in case, and move ships into the area. And if people get their panties in a bunch all about it, we'll just say we're enforcing the Monroe Doctrine. Good....legal...precedent. Yes." Nixon nodded to himself as he finished.

Thomas Dewey, a man who easily could've been President at one point spoke up. "And the public? What do we say to the public?" There was a pause. "It won't be any good if the press gets this before we tell everybody."

"I will speak to the nation, and tell them that Cuba will under under lock and key. We're gonna spook Nikita out of this mess." Nixon almost allowed himself to smile slightly.

• October 22: President Nixon speaks to the nation and announces the "total and complete lockdown of the island of Cuba" and demands removal of missiles, cites Monroe Doctrine
• October 23: Premier Khrushchev writes to Nixon calling the missiles defensive, no reply from the White House
• October 24: Radio Moscow Broadcasts that "American intimidation will not be tolerated"
• October 25: Cuban Airspace Under Full American Control, Blockade in full effect
• October 26: Soviet freighters turn and head back to Russian ports
• October 26: Castro writes to Khrushchev demanding first strike on America, Khrushchev writes back calling for "peace and humanity above all things"
• October 26: Khrushchev writes to Nixon asking for "deescalation" and not to "doom the world to the catastrophe of thermonuclear war.", Nixon moves operations to emergency site at Mount Weather
• October 27: U-2 fired upon over Cuba, plane survives but both Moscow and Washington are spooked by Castro's aggression, Nixon orders nuclear launch drills from strategic bombers in Florida
• October 27: Chaos in Moscow as some analysts believe Nixon has started the war, Khrushchev immediately messages the Soviet embassy to concede to the current American demands in a desperate play to stop the fighting
• October 28: H. R. Haldeman, White House Chief of Staff meets with Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin and with instructions from both capitals, agree to deescalate with the removal of Missiles from Cuba and Turkey, US promise not to invade Cuba. This all despite mass fear that the war has started, many Americans flee to makeshift fallout bunkers
• October 29: Khrushchev and Nixon exchange phone call and agree to phone line from Washington to Moscow, crisis comes to an end. Khrushchev's political stock in the USSR dives, as many believe he either was reckless or feckless 

[KaiserDave]

Gallup Poll: President Nixon Job Approval November 1962



Wikimedia Commons

Approve: 60%
Disapprove: 36%

[KaiserDave]

Election 1962

Hello and Good morning, I'm Walter Cronkite and this is  Walter Cronkite with the News. The results are in for midterm elections of 1962 and here they are.


United States House of Representatives
Democrats: 267 (+5)
Republicans: 170 (-5)

United States Senate
Democrats: 67 (+4)
Republicans: 33 (-4)

Definitely a win for the Democrats, but perhaps less so than expected, with polls in September predicting almost 300 seats in the House and almost 70 in the Senate. But with the popularity of the President going up, it seems Republicans got a last boost. But what people are looking at it is the regional divide. Democrats won in the south, stealing away Kentucky and winning Alabama easily where it was expected to be close. But they lost in the north, losing Connecticut and with Senator Dirksen of Illinois winning by more than expected. In the House Democrats took a smattering of house seats in the south and west, and the Republicans took a few in the cities, of the north east and midwest. Overall a net Democratic gain of 5. President Nixon applauded the showing of his party, and while he conceded the losses in the Senate were tough, he praised the new Republicans entering the Senate from Wyoming, Colorado and, Connecticut, as indicative of a "broad coalition for victory." The Democrats however, under Senator Johnson in the Senate claimed this was "a warning sign for President Nixon." Senator Harry Byrd of Virginia went much further, saying "the President's liberal, usurping agenda stops now." Senator Byrd was joined by Senators Russel and Goldwater in a show of force by the conservative coalition. The results are mixed, but the conclusion for many is that Southern Democrats who were tilting towards Republicans are headed back in the other direction, furious at Republicans for signing the Civil Rights Act of 1960. In the north, black voters are still more likely to vote for Democrats, but Republicans are doing better. And that's the way it is, from CBS News, Walter Cronkite on November 7th, 1962.

[KaiserDave]

Wikimedia Commons

The Nixon Administration

The Nixon administration entered its third year with a more hostile Congress, and a conservative coalition furious at Nixon's big government politics, and liberals angry at his inaction over voting rights. Nixon was caught in a bind, and while there was applause for his foreign policy actions. That too would become more difficult. On the 2nd of January the Viet Cong won a victory at Ap Bac, and calls for American involvement soared. Senator Dirksen personally was lobbying the White House for more support. Nixon was reluctant to commit to another foreign policy theatre, but the pressure mounted. Meanwhile conservative anger against Nixon from both parties continued, in Gideon v. Wainwright the Warren Court ruled that states had to provide attorneys to defendants who couldn't afford it. In Abington School District v. Schempp they ruled that state mandated bible readings in school was unconstitutional. Conservatives were nothing short of furious. And with the civil rights movement raging on for voting rights, and the south proved to continue to be a headache.

But Vietnam could not be evaded, in June at the urging of Vice President Lodge the President supported a coup that removed and killed President Diệm, and with the Buddhist crisis over, Nixon had the cover he needed. Nixon ordered 5,000 "security advisors" and deployed a flotilla to the Gulf of Tonkin to represent US interests. Nixon also ordered several air wings moved to Saigon, to prepare for potential future air raids on the North and Viet Cong positions. In the Cold War, tensions thawed after the Cuban Missile Crisis, with the passage of the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. It seems Nixon's "Madman Theory" paid off in the Cuban Missile crisis. Although it became clear to all but the most stubborn that Cuba was not going to be invaded.

On the home front the economic growth of the 50s continued, but it did slow. Nixon sought higher interest rates to cut back on inflation (continuing the Eisenhower policy), and while this did have the desired effect, it brewed a populist resentment as job growth slowed. But while the economy provided Nixon a headache, the south proved far worse. Medgar Evers was murdered in June and the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham was bombed killing 4 children, sparking more anger. The Washington March for Jobs and Freedom brought 250,000 to the capital, and Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a Dream" speech echoed across the nation and beyond. Black voters were not pleased the failure of Nixon's efforts on the Voting Rights front, and while the constitutional amendment to end poll taxes was approved by Congress and his administration, the ratification process dragged on.

President Nixon however, did get one major legislative accomplishment done in 1963. As the Voting Right's Act was tied up in committee, healthcare for the elderly mired in procedure, debates over budgets ran on and on, there was an almost universal desire from everyone but the most liberal and the most conservative to cut taxes. After comprising with Senator Byrd, the Revenue Act of 1963 passed and was signed by President Nixon. The act cut federal income taxes for all, overall it cut taxes by 15%, including a reduction in the top marginal tax rate from 91% to 75% and a reduction in corporation taxes from 52% to 48%. However, Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona noted that the act "was far from the relief Americans deserved." He went further saying, "I supported President Nixon in 1960, his administration has realized my worst fears. Bigger government, more spending, more taxes. Richard Nixon is not a conservative, he's barely a Republican."

Going into the election year of 1964, the economy slowed down (even as inflation was under control), many seniors were without healthcare, and southern chaos and the liberal direction of the courts was brewing a unique climate. A climate for a populist movement, will President Nixon win four more years?