A World Of Laughter, A World Of Tears

[statichaos]

Crossposted from DW under the advice of fellow board members. I'm starting off with the first few entries, and will add more later:

All of this effort on the part of Eisenhower's campaign came to a disappointing end one month before the beginning of the [1952 Republican] convention. The General suffered a minor heart attack while campaigning in Detroit, MI. While the episode never put his life in immediate danger, pre-existing questions regarding his health could not be easily swept under the table anymore. Instead, following the advice of his physicians, General Eisenhower bowed out of the campaign one week before the convention itself, but without pledging his delegates to either Taft or Dewey, his two nearest competitors. Dewey was barely up for consideration by the movers and shakers in the party: Having shown himself unable to beat an unpopular president previously, he was seen as damaged goods. Taft, while a more sympathetic character, lacked the essential charisma for the new media environment. Also, his anticommunist credentials were not considered powerful enough for the McCarthyite faction.

Eisenhower attended the convention with all of his delegates uncommitted. This threw the GOP into turmoil. After three ballots, it looked like the tide was turning towards Earl Warren, Governor of California. Eisenhower's political differences with Warren made this state of affairs unacceptable to the General. Calling together some of the most influential men in the party behind closed doors, he informed them that he was open to suggestions.

-From Supreme Commander: A Life Of General Dwight David Eisenhower, McGraw-Hill, 1973


Fact is, I wasn't even supposed to be there. I had paperwork to go through for the Committee, and the Senator knew how to crack the whip. But he also knew an opening when he saw it.

"Here's what I want you to do, Roy," he said. "Now, that son of a bitch Ike can't be seen with me after his Green Bay speech, since those boys at the Times got a hold of what he wanted to say about my crusade. But that's fine. What I want you to do is go as my personal representative. Let 'em know that Tailgunner Joe is there in spirit," He winked there. He always did that before he pulled me in close, like he was telling me a secret. "Let 'em know that I still hold the cards at this table." The fumes on his breath nearly made me drunk, but I got the message.

That's how I got to meet the general. I have to admit, even after the run-ins we had with him years later, and even though he was just out of the hospital, he was an impressive man...gravitas. That's the word I want. He sat there at the head of the table, surrounded by people whose names I'm not at liberty to reveal almost thirty years later. I'll say this much: If a bomb had gone off in that room, then the GOP would have gone out of existence as a party.

Other than the stakes we were playing for, it was like any other political get-together back then. Cigars were passed around, Cuban, and plenty of whiskey. The typical assortment of dirty jokes and fishing lies that we'd all heard dozens of times. Then business: Taft's people didn't want Dewey, and Dewey's people didn't want Taft. Neither wanted Warren. After some shouting, we all came to the conclusion that we needed someone new. Well, they came to that conclusion. I sat near the end of the table and recorded my observations.

Someone saw me writing, and asked me to start taking notes. Well, I figured, why not? I didn't have anything to say for once, and I figured there were worse things than playing secretary to my political future. They came up with the ideal candidate: An outsider, like the General, either from the world of the military or business. Strong anti-communist...a well-placed glance from me to one of our allies in the room put that at the top of the list. Well-known. Successful. Able to reach out to a major audience on television as well as radio. Smart as a whip. Already popular.

"Walt Disney," one man joked.

Now, a lot of people have tried to take credit for that joke over the years, and most of 'em weren't at that meeting. I don't remember who it was, and even though I know what the reds in the press have said about me, Mrs. Cohn's little boy isn't enough of a liar to take credit, either.

So it was just a joke at first. But if you've ever been in a meeting like that, sometimes someone'll make a joke like that just to test the waters. Then it picks up steam, and after a while, people are discussing the ins and outs of it. Me? Hell, he'd testified before HUAC as a friendly witness, and named names. Not a touch of pink on Walt. Joe was going to be like a pig in slop. They all went back and forth. You could see Dewey's lobbyists giving in, then Taft's people slowly backing down as the tide turned pretty obviously. Finally, there was a knocking sound. Made me jump. We all looked up to the head of the table, where the General was rapping on the wood.

"Make the call," he said.

-Retired Senator Roy Cohn (R-N.Y.), quoted in Magic Kingdom: America in the 50s, by Studs Terkel


"It was...interesting."

Ward Kimball leans back in his chair, fingers steepled, as he looks to the ceiling as if the memories are playing across its stucco surface. Railroad ephemera surround him, along with several of his more famous creations. By the tone of the man's voice, you'd think that he was speaking of a movie he'd seen once, or a pleasant song he'd heard, perhaps one he'd played on the trombone in the corner. But no, this is Ward Kimball, one of Walt Disney's famous "Nine Old Men" animation team, and a witness to a pivotal moment in history.

"Walt and I were outside the studio," he says, his brow furrowing. "He could be a bear at times, and sugar sweet at others. I'd managed to get him on a good day. He was having a cigarette, and we were talking trains. He'd been going on about the ideas for the park for years, and was explaining in detail about how he planned to have a train running all the way around it. That's when a messenger popped up out of nowhere with a telegram. Walt took it, I tipped the boy. I never saw Disney as confused as he was on that day. He read it and scowled.

"'Walk with me to the office, Ward, someone's playing a damned joke.' he said. What could I do? We went to his office. He picked up the phone and asked for a Chicago extension. He talked for a while...I wasn't really listening, instead I was glancing at some doodles of Mickey he was doing while he talked. Finally he looked up at me. I knew that look, and skedaddled out of the office to the waiting room. He walked out a few minutes later. Never seen the man quite that shook up.

"Walt walked over, shaking his head, and clapped me on the shoulder like he needed me to steady him.

"'Well, Ward,' he said after a bit. 'Looks like I've got a new job offer.'"

-"Ward Kimball's World Of Whimsy", Animation Age Magazine, v.1 issue 9


"And so, my fellow Americans, I urge us to look neither solely to the future nor the past, but rather to find the best in our own spirit, and to determine with God's good will what we shall take with us on this distinctly American journey. From the past, we have the frontier spirit. From our own minds and hearts, we have the gift of fantasy and imagination to create our own destiny. And with these American traits, we shall build the world of tomorrow upon these shores, until every city is a shining example of democracy, every town a community where god-fearing citizens may live in peace and prosperity, every street the Main Street where industrious merchants may sell their wares unimpeded by the corruption of those who claim to represent their workers, or the heavy burdens of an onerous government.

"In the eternal struggle for justice and freedom in America, towards a more perfect union, we have but one goal that unites us in brotherhood: To make this nation not only great, for great it is, but to create in our land the happiest place on Earth."

-Excerpt from Walter E. Disney's speech accepting the Republican nomination for President.


STEVENSON GRABS DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION, SLAMS GOP PICK

CHICAGO-Gathered in the same city where their political rivals met only a few weeks ago, delegates of the Democratic party listened as their nominee Governor Adlai Stevenson of Illinois took the opportunity to denounce the Republican Party for their nomination of famed businessman, artist, and entrepreneur Walt E. Disney as their standard-bearer.

"We stand today at a crucial moment in our nation's history," the nominee stated in his acceptance speech. "We face domestic uncertainty as we attempt to secure rights for Americans as a whole without trampling upon the rights of Americans as individuals. On foreign shores, a nation claiming devotion to the rights of workers instead turns to dreams of empire. In Korea, our brave soldiers and sailors fight and die in the name of keeping the world safe for democracy, and not allowing a continent to fall to the madness of a few.

"At this time, in this moment, when the nation cries out for serious leadership, who did our colleagues in the Republican party nominate? Was it a general who could lead us to victory abroad while ensuring domestic security? It was not. Was it a statesman skilled in diplomacy and the workings of Washington? It was not. Was it a man who could stand atop the tide of history, guiding us towards greatness? It was not.

"To the American people, I say this.

"You asked for wisdom, and you were given glib charm.

"You asked for leadership, and you were given a nickel show.

"You asked for strength, and you were given a cheap joke.

"You asked for a man to represent America, and you were given Mickey Mouse.

While Governor Stevenson's speech received a positive response, there have been questions regarding the party's ability to adapt to what many observers are calling a "curveball of a candidate".....

-Associated Press bulletin, 8/26/52


CONFIDENTIAL

ANIMATION DEPARTMENT TO BEGIN WORK ON PATRIOTIC SHORTS FEATURING MICKEY, DONALD, GOOFY, AND ENTIRE STABLE OF CHARACTERS ASAP. MARRY THE DAMNED MOUSE AND THE FLAG. WALT MAY NOT BE RUNNING THINGS AROUND HERE FOR NOW, BUT WE'RE NOT LETTING THE BASTARDS SLAM HIM AND MICKEY AT THE SAME TIME. DESTROY AFTER READING, DO NOT REDISTRIBUTE.

ROY O. DISNEY

-Internal memo of Disney Corporation, August, 1952


Further proof of the capitalist tendency towards corruption of the political system can be seen by the American Presidential election of 1952. Anti-union businessman Walt Disney ran against Governor Adlai Stevenson of Illinois. After accepting the nomination of his slightly less odious political organization, Stevenson commented that a man known best for creating a cartoon mouse was hardly qualified to lead such a powerful nation. Rather than respond directly to these accusations, Disney exploited his workers to create fascist propaganda, which he then placed in every movie theater in the country. Also, his financial influence over the news media was enormous, and he leveraged this influence to undermine the independence of editorial pages across the country, and slant supposedly "objective" news coverage in a manner favorable to him.

-University essay by "Laura B.", recovered from her psychiatric file in 1980 during a class-action suit against the government on behalf of hundreds of former college students committed to asylums under the 1960s mental hygiene acts.

More later.

[statichaos]

DISNEY MAKES ANOTHER ELEPHANT FLY - GOP Surges In Polls.

-New York Daily News Headline, 9/13/52

"While we would be loath to accuse Mr. Disney of using his influence over the corporation he founded to promote his own candidacy, the recent spate of Disney cartoon shorts promoting patriotic ideals do come close on the heels of Mr. Stevenson's mockery of his opponent's credentials."

-Sacramento Bee editorial, 9/15/52

The month of October was make-or-break time for the Stevenson campaign. With Walt Disney ahead in the polls, and Vice-Presidential candidate Everett Dirksen effectively neutralizing many of the experience arguments put forth by the Stevenson camp, the Democrats decided on a bold strategy: Convinced that Disney's California lead was weaker than the newspapers were predicting, Stevenson made a mad dash along the Golden State, giving speeches during a grueling week at the from the third of October through the tenth. Political observers of the time saw this as a useless gesture, a crazed attempt at gaining media attention against his more charismatic and folksy opponent.

Despite the naysayers, Stevenson's plan seemed to work. While he was still far behind in the rural areas of the Central Valley, and the conservative Orange County, highly populated urban centers such as Los Angeles and San Francisco flocked out to hear his speeches. Even the conservative Los Angeles Times under the stewardship of the Chandler family gave grudging acknowledgment of the effectiveness of Stevenson's Hail Mary pass.

However, Stevenson's campaign didn't account for the effectiveness and adaptability of the Disney organization. Far more than the GOP itself, Disney's people took all of the imagination and marketing genius that they had originally dedicated to the benefit of the company, and focused it towards the election of a single candidate.

When Governor Stevenson returned to California later in the month for another round of campaign stops, it was already too late. Every scheduled campaign stop of his from San Diego to Crescent City was suddenly in competition with a parade being held on the Main Streets of towns across the state. Promoted by newly-created "Mickey Mouse Clubs" made up of youths between the ages of 6-15, the parades combined all of the most attractive features of a carnival, a midway, a zoo, and a day watching Disney cartoons. The Democrats cried foul, to be sure, but more than one Democratic official in the state could be seen guiltily attending these events, dragged by his children insisting on a day of fun and frolic over one of dry speeches and hoarse cheers.

The local media simply ate it up. Newspapers, radio stations, and the fledgling local television stations all gave top coverage to the Disney parades, and short shrift to the comparatively dull political news of the day. In this manner, Walt Disney became the first presidential candidate of the day to effectively promote his own candidacy in a state without ever mentioning a word about politics. Not that the implications were subtle: One of the most iconic photographs of the era is of an obviously uncomfortable Senator Richard Nixon smiling gamely at the camera, arms around two beaming tykes as he wears one of the recently-developed Mickey Mouse hats.

In an example of unintended success in marketing, the Mickey Mouse Club concept soon spread far beyond the borders of California. Requests came in from children asking how to start their own chapters from Michigan, Ohio, Florida, and nearly every other state and territory in the union. Soon after that, airmail arrived from Canada, then England, then Germany....

-Magic, Mice, and Marx: The Campaign Trail, 1952, Craig Cassidy, 1994.


"It was all very patriotic and solemn when the meetings started. First we'd have the Pledge of Allegiance, then we'd sing the Star-Spangled Banner, and sometimes we'd have a prayer. I mean, of course we looked awfully silly in those hats and sweaters, but we were just kids, for gosh sakes! Then we'd sing the song, you know the one, someone in Burbank came up with it in about an hour, I learned later: "Who's the leader of the club that's made for you and me....". Then we'd have some sort of game or organized sports activity, and sometimes we'd do charades or shadow puppets. And of course the talent shows, and square dances, and hayrides every so often, and every week we got to see a Mickey Mouse cartoon! I loved it. Highlight of my life, no matter what they said about it all later on."

-Former "Mouseketeer" Barbara "Babs" Lehmann, quoted in Let Us Hold Our Banner High, Documentary Prize winner at the Cannes International Film Festival, 2002.


DISNEY IN LANDSLIDE: GOP Picks Up Senate and House Seats, Leadership Promises "New Day For America"

-Washington Post headline, 11/5/52

My fellow Americans,

I just received a phone call from Governor Adlai Stevenson.

(Scattered boos)

Please, please. As I was saying, I just received a phone call from Governor Stevenson in which he graciously conceded the presidential race to me...

(Loud cheering)

...and, more importantly, to you, all of you who have worked so hard and so tirelessly to re-establish on our nation's shores our values of individual liberty, the work ethic, and the constant progress towards a bright future, one that our founding fathers envisioned in which we would all have the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

For far too long, we have been held hostage to the aims of those well-meaning souls who have said that the American working man must sacrifice his hard-earned money to the whims of the bureaucracy, even if it means putting less food on the table for his family. To those who have said to the successful entrepreneur that he must be punished for his success, so that those who have not shown the same spirit, the same courage, the same ability may eat, live, and play as he does. I say, no more!

(Cheers)

A new day is dawning in America, my friends. A new day. These social experiments in which we have entangled ourselves, we have seen where they inevitably lead. We have seen it in the totalitarian empire of the Soviet Union. In the fields of China, now sadly lost to the world. And even now, we fight it on the hills and in the rice paddies of Korea, where at this very moment our fighting men are laying down their lives in service to the noble ideal of democracy and freedom.

While we shall continue to press on in the service of freedom internationally, we cannot relax our eternal vigilance at home. It has been conclusively proven in congressional hearings that fifth columnists within the United States itself have taken advantage of our system to rise to high ranks within our government. Therefore, my first order of business as your president....

(Cheers)

...my first order of business will be a thorough review of all personnel in the State Department and other governmental institutions to ensure that their loyalty to our country is unquestioned and beyond reproach. In this administration, there will be no room for the fellow-traveler, the foreign sympathizer, the dupe of alien interests.

My second order of business, once we are confident in our diplomatic security, will be to address the Korean conflict in a manner that leaves no doubt as to our moral and military superiority.

My third order of business will be to ensure the superiority and constant progress not only of our scientists and manufacturers, but also of our consumers. To that end, I am proposing tax and other incentives to our businesses so that they will be able to provide the highest-quality goods at the lowest possible prices. I will additionally propose to congress that we select certain communities that most exemplify the American spirit as test grounds for the latest in technological wonders, to be held up as inspirations for the rest of the country

My fourth order of business involves a prodigious leap of imagination, to the heavens themselves. I propose that we accelerate our exploration of space....

-Excerpted from President-Elect Walter E. Disney's acceptance speech, delivered in Burbank, CA, 11/4/52

And so, my kids and kidettes, let's poke our ever-so-nosy noses into the house the mouse built: Exclusive! It seems that while the (head) cat's away, the mice will play! Even though big bro Walt is off to be our fearless leader, keeping us safe from the pinks and the punks, Roy boy has having a hard time casting off the shadow of the man upstairs (and we don't mean God, though some in Burbank don't see the difference!). No, instead Roy's moving ahead with Walt's big plans for some acreage down in the land of Orange, in the Nazi-lovin', beer-swillin' town of Anaheim! Think they can get the military tots in the mouse ears to build it for lollipops and Mickey's autograph? Would anyone say "boo" if they tried? Hollywood Dirt says no way, my lovelies, since that company is now connected from the bottom up! However, since the kids have to be in bed by nine, it's more likely that they'll use scab labor, with a payoff to mob boss o' bosses for L.A. Mickey Cohen to keep the unions on the QT....

-"Hollywood Dirt" column, Celebrity Secrets, December, 1952

[maverick]

Yes, its here! :)

[statichaos]

Yes, its here! :)

Yeah, had to wait for my registration to be approved.

More:

"My God...to think that this is going to be in the hands of the man who did 'Steamboat Willie'"

-Harry S Truman, 1/7/53 to an anonymous aide immediately before announcing that the United States successfully tested a Hydrogen Bomb on 11/1/52. Quoted in "Geopolitical Ramifications of the Uncontrolled Dissemination of the American Image In The Media In The Atomic Age," by the Rand Corporation.

"It begins with a single idea. By holding on to this idea, the America we dream of shall come to pass."

-From the inaugural speech of President Walt Disney

ALL EMPLOYEES ARE REQUIRED TO REPORT TO LOYALTY SCREENING SESSIONS. YOUR IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR WILL INFORM YOU OF THE TIME AND DATE OF YOUR SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT. PLEASE ARRIVE ON TIME AND BE PREPARED TO ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS FULLY AND HONESTLY.

-Memo to State Department employees, 1/23/53


It was such a thrill! President Disney had all of these important places that he could visit, all these large towns, and he decided to visit our sleepy little housing development in Nassau County instead! We all gathered at the local park to hear him, and of course the children in the mouse ears got to stand in front as an honor guard. Little Billy Rawlings got to hold the flag, and let me tell you, he was beaming for weeks! President Disney got up there, with all sorts of Secret Service agents around him, and he gave his speech. The President said that Levittown was the ideal community for the new America, and that we would be an inspiration to the whole country.

That's when we found out that we were going to be the first "community of the future". What an honor! It was like winning the sweepstakes! All of a sudden, we had trucks pulling up to our homes with a brand new garbage disposal, and a modern television set, and a hi-fi, and all sorts of new gadgets! And of course the Mickey Mouse clubs just took off like gangbusters after that, with every child wanting to join.

Our own Timmy joined up after that, and we were pleased as punch with the values that he was learning. It was on the very first day that he came back from a meeting that he told us he wanted to be an FBI agent when he grew up, since the local field office has sent around an agent to give a lecture on the dangers of Communism. Pretty soon, he was seeing Reds around every corner and under every bush!

-Madge Evans, quoted in Levittown: The Future Is Now


As Americans, we should all be supporting the President. Thank the stars that we've found one so easy to support. President Disney is the first political figure in years who truly seems to comprehend the possibilities inherent in space exploration, and how vital it is that we stay several steps ahead of the Russians and their allies in our scientific and technological progress.

-Science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein, personal correspondence with fellow author L. Ron Hubbard

"It is with great honor that find myself once again called to serve my country. I shall do my duty faithfully and completely, and entrust that each and every one of you shall do the same"

-General Douglas MacArthur (Ret.), addressing his staff upon his confirmation as Secretary of Defense.

Joe was ready to dance when Disney got the job. His power had been slipping for a while: The newspapers were on his ass, and his old friends in the Senate suddenly had other things to do when Joe wanted to get together for a drink. So when we suddenly got someone he saw as one of "our boys" in the Oval Office, it was a real triumph. And he was right. Unlike the insiders who claimed to know better, Disney had no problem being seen with McCarthy, or inviting him to the White House for private conferences. The senator's stock was rising from his association with the president, and the president's stock was rising among the anti-red crowd from his association with Joe. What's that word? Symbiotic, yeah.

Joe came back one day from one of these conferences with a funny gleam in his eye. He said "Roy, we're gonna talk about your future here. Now, I know you don't plan to get hitched anytime soon, and I know why." Which, uh, had to do with my enjoying the bachelor life. "But I'm saying this, my friend: Get yourself a girl now, and get her to the altar lickety-split. If you manage to get married soon enough, I've got a real future for you."

-Retired Senator Roy Cohn (R-N.Y.), quoted in Magic Kingdom: America in the 50s, by Studs Terkel.


KHRUSCHEV AND MALENKOV ASSUME POWER IN SOVIET UNION FOLLOWING STALIN'S DEATH

-AP Bulletin, 3/6/53

We barely had the time to catch our breath before the world demanded our immediate attention. You have to understand: Running a government is simply unlike any other enterprise in existence. First, of course, we had to get our technology bills through congress. We were worried that the President wouldn't know how things work inside the Beltway, but he was a quick study. His business acumen was invaluable in the wheeling-and-dealing that we had to do in order to get the bills passed. The South got a good chunk of the aerospace industry despite the fact that most of our scientists were in the north. Fine, they could move. Then we had to give and give to the industrialists in order to get them to sponsor our Levittown experiments, which we'd code-named "EPCOT" under orders from the Oval Office. They only wanted one thing, and that was the weakening of labor protections. Problem was, they wanted that one thing over and over again, and there was only so far that the President and Congress could go. However, we managed to get half a loaf where we were expecting none, and three-quarters where we were expecting half, and finally G.E. and Westinghouse and Ford and all the rest of the companies realized that they were saving millions in advertising what the media attention they were getting from all of the major networks and the newsreels.

Also, events were moving quickly on the international front. Stalin died shortly after the president took office, an event that caused some dark humor considering how quickly the one historical event had followed the other. Then, in June, Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of England. We tried to talk the President into sending a representative, but he seemed tickled pink by the idea. "Jimmy!" he said to me. "When I was just a boy in Missouri, I used to dream of going off to foreign lands and meeting all the high muckety-mucks, and nabobs and such. Now that I'm president, what makes you think I'm going to pass up the chance?" He laughed. Disney was a serious man, to be sure, but at times like that you could see the childlike wonder that had somehow led him along a winding path to the very top of American life.

-The Truth of Fantasy: A Washington Memoir, Former White House Press Secretary James Dodd


A Mousketeer Is:

Patriotic: This means that a Mousketeer loves his country. When a Mouseketeer sees his flag, he salutes, and when he hears the national anthem, he stands respectfully. A Mouseketeer will always rise to the defense of his nation, whether the enemies be around the world or just down the block.

Reverent: A Mouseketeer believes in God, and is humble before him. He attends his church on a regular basis, and says his prayers before he goes to bed.

Obedient: A Mouseketeer obeys the law at all times, and reports it to the local policeman when he sees someone breaking the law. He understands that a safe community is his responsibility.

Polite: A Mouseketeer respects his elders, and is kind to those younger than him....

-The Mouseketeer Handbook, 1953 edition.


"White House, White Mouse. Got Hope? You Dope!"

-Graffiti spotted in Harlem, July, 1953

DISNEY PROPOSES NATIONAL SPACE AGENCY: CONGRESS LIKELY TO AUTHORIZE CREATION.

-Sacramento Bee, 8/1/53


Secretary Dulles:

Submitted for your approval and per your instructions, we have taken the liberty of terminating 153 individuals from the State Department for insufficient loyalty and/or suspected ties to left-wing and otherwise untrustworthy organizations. Additionally, 89 more employees are currently under investigation, and may be have their employment discontinued at our discretion if it is determined that they pose any type of security risk.

Our legal department has informed us that we are unlikely to be held actionable for this, as national security is at stake, and departments besides our own including Defense, Veterans Affairs, Justice, and Treasury are undergoing the same rigorous scrutiny.

Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, acting under direct orders from Director J. Edgar Hoover, have been made available to me and my staff in order to continue to root out troublesome elements in State. This has caused some minor interdepartmental friction, but I trust that it will be resolved quickly. My experiences with my former employers at the Agency have shown me that anything is possible in the service of one's nation.

Please let me know if I may be of any further assistance.

Sincerely,

E. Howard Hunt
Undersecretary for Internal Affairs

[Bmao]

Very fun and original timeline. I really like the part where Richard Nixon was 'obviously uncomfortable wrapping his arms around two toddlers with Mickey Mouse hats'.

Keep at it!! I'm looking forward to seeing more.

[grdja83]

Further proof of the capitalist tendency towards corruption of the political system can be seen by the American Presidential election of 1952. Anti-union businessman Walt Disney ran against Governor Adlai Stevenson of Illinois. After accepting the nomination of his slightly less odious political organization, Stevenson commented that a man known best for creating a cartoon mouse was hardly qualified to lead such a powerful nation. Rather than respond directly to these accusations, Disney exploited his workers to create fascist propaganda, which he then placed in every movie theater in the country. Also, his financial influence over the news media was enormous, and he leveraged this influence to undermine the independence of editorial pages across the country, and slant supposedly "objective" news coverage in a manner favorable to him.

-University essay by "Laura B.", recovered from her psychiatric file in 1980 during a class-action suit against the government on behalf of hundreds of former college students committed to asylums under the 1960s mental hygiene acts.


Oh dear, it does seem it will end in tears.

[statichaos]

In many ways, Walt Disney can be considered to be the first president of the media age. Not only did he use the traditional print, newsreel, and radio outlets to full advantage for his political platform, but he also had a specific knack for television. This was shown on the one hand with his constant appearances on the relatively new medium, and on the other hand with his push to place more television receivers in more American homes. This served a purpose above and beyond Disney's visions of a space-age technological utopia: While he legally had no authority over the Disney Corporation, having handed over the reins of the business to his brother Roy, it was well-known that the President kept informed as to the progress of his corporation through a select group of unofficial advisers, and that his thoughts and opinions were sent back through the same people. This meant that anytime the Disney corporation had a financial hold or other controlling interest in an outlet, it automatically became a mouthpiece for the current administration.

Walt Disney himself also knew how to play to the cameras. When he originally visited the ruins of Waco, Texas following the decimation of the town by tornado on May 11, 1953, he contacted congressional representatives to see if emergency funds could be made available for the reconstruction of the town through his EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow) program. When Congress balked at the extra expense, President Disney invited the national networks to view the rubble of the once-vibrant town, and gave a speech from the ruins in which he asked Congress for the same funds without mentioning his previous request.

Within a week, the financial outlay was approved. Waco joined Levittown, NY under the EPCOT program.

-Our American Leaders, 1995, Scholastic


Even as the Korean War meandered to a conclusion based largely on General Eisenhower's constant and welcome advice to the President, we had domestic security issues to contend with. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, already mentioned, were slated to die. President Disney was receiving international pressure for clemency for at Ethel Rosenberg at least, as many in the world community refused to believe that the United States would intentionally make orphans of their children.

The President was steadfast. As he saw it, the Rosenbergs had betrayed their nation for the false god of communism, and had to pay the ultimate penalty. I had my own, differing opinions, but I also knew to keep them to myself lest I be seen as somehow less than fully supportive of the administration. Disney was more perceptive than I thought, though.

It was June 18th. We were in the President's private office. He'd invited me to sit as we went over the press releases for the following day. The first one had to do with the Rosenbergs. He glanced at me as I read it off, then held up his hand in a signal to pause.

"You don't think that we should kill them." he said softly.

My tongue was tied. I'd thought that I had done a better job of masking my thoughts. While I don't recall exactly what I said in response, I must have come across as stammering in terror.

"It's okay, Jimmy." he said softly and sadly. I took the risk of glancing at his eyes for a split second. They were slightly bloodshot, with thick dark circles under them, showing how little sleep he'd managed to get since he'd moved into that house. "I know that you have your doubts about this." With that, he reached into a desk drawer, pulling out a thick sheaf of letters and documents.

"You're in good company," he said. With nimble fingers, he turned over the first letter. I saw the red seal. "The Pope." he mumbled, placing it to the side. "Here's Einstein, and a number of other scientists. Nobel Peace Prize winners. Clergy. Doctors. Politicians. And thousands of citizens just like you." He looked at me sharply. "You can always be honest with me, Jimmy. And I'll always be honest with you. The fact is this: These two people, given all of the benefits of the finest system of government in the world, and trusted with the most sensitive secrets of that government, chose to sell out their country in the most insidious manner possible. For that, there is no punishment great enough. Death is all that we have. And that, Jimmy, that's why tomorrow they're going to be led down a hall, and hoods will be placed on their heads, and a switch will be pulled, and they will die as thousands of volts of electricity are shot through them. And that's why tomorrow," He seemed to steel himself. "Someone is going to have to walk up to their children, and kneel down, and try to explain to those two poor boys that they don't have a mother or father anymore."

The strength seemed to leave his body, and he slumped, dismissing me with a wave of the hand. I left. Closing the door behind me, I heard a slight sound, and thought that it was a hiccup, the result of stress and overwork.

It was only some hours later that I realized that I'd heard a sob.

-The Truth of Fantasy: A Washington Memoir, Former White House Press Secretary James Dodd


When asked what the major factor was in the North Koreans' willingness to call for an armistice, an anonymous diplomat said "Officially? MacArthur scared the living hell out of the bastards after he got Defense. Unofficially? Their leader's kid is a cartoon freak, and didn't understand why they were fighting Mickey and Donald."

-The Korean War: A People's History, McGraw/Hill

"...and all the ships at sea. Washington! The Kinsey Report, controversial bestseller, has been banned from the White House. Any employee found with it in his office is subject to serious disciplinary action. Two secretaries have already been reassigned! Broadway! The Caine Mutiny Court Martial is scheduled to open...."

-Walter Winchell's weekly radio broadcast, September, 1953


While this newspaper thoroughly agrees that Governor Warren will be a fine choice as Chief Justice during a time in which our nation faces such great challenges, this selection does raise questions regarding President Disney's independence from the Eisenhower wing of the Republican party. It is well-known in Washington circles that despite the political differences between the military man and the Governor, it was General Eisenhower and his advisers who suggested Governor Warren's name to the President....

-Los Angeles Times Editorial, 10/6/1953


I set up my shop that day, just like I did every other day. I'd been selling Playboy for about a week as a favor to Hef, who I'd known for a while as a customer. I suppose that it was about 3 p.m. or so on Friday, shortly after the local schools let out. Was standing outside the shop and having a smoke break. That's when they all came down the block, ears bobbing above their heads, all fresh-scrubbed and beaming. They'd been around for about a year, the Mouse Clubs, almost right after the whole nonsense got started in California during the elections.

Anyway, I didn't think much of it. They were singing their theme song real loud, so I figured it was just some sort of impromptu parade, like kids will do. But then I saw the signs they were carrying: "Stop the Filth", "Keep Our Neighborhood Clean", "A Mouseketeer is Pure", and all that garbage. They stopped right in front of my stand. One of 'em took a photograph, I saw it later, of my expression at the time. Downright comical I looked, with a cigarette dangling out of my ugly mug, and my eyes nearly popping out of my head. This one girl walks up to me and says "Mr. Jablocki, my name is Mary Beth Goodling, and I represent the local Mickey Mouse Club. We have heard that you are selling obscene material at this stand, and we ask you on behalf of the youth of this neighborhood to stop it immediately." They all cheered. Well, I sputtered and said that I'd call her parents, but it turned out that her parents were across the street applauding. So I called the cops, but they said that as long as they weren't blocking my doorway, there wasn't a thing that they could do.

I tried to sell them over the weekend, but hell, even my stubborn streak only goes so far. Finally gave up when I found out that pretty much every newspaper and magazine stand outside the ghettos was getting a bunch of apple-cheeked kids politely telling people that they were visiting a house of perversion if the store was selling Playboy. I'll tell you, when Mrs. Panek down that block heard that when she was coming by to pick up her Good Housekeeping, she nearly fainted right there on the street! So I gave up, and handed all the issues off to the club, and they thanked me real politely and said that they'd burn 'em right away.

Course, I saw a couple of the boys stuffing copies under their sweaters when they thought that no one was looking, so I guess maybe they weren't so innocent as all that.

Poor Hef never spoke with me again. He went back into advertising, I heard, and never tried to start another magazine. Said that the times just weren't right for it, and that America was what he called "Incurably puritanical".

-Oscar Jablocki, retired Chicago newsstand owner, quoted in Let Us Hold Our Banner High, Documentary Prize winner at the Cannes International Film Festival, 2002.

[statichaos]

Very fun and original timeline. I really like the part where Richard Nixon was 'obviously uncomfortable wrapping his arms around two toddlers with Mickey Mouse hats'.

Keep at it!! I'm looking forward to seeing more.


Thanks! What a lovely welcome to the board.

[maverick]

I think you're gonnat fit just right:)

At least I hope so, I love this TL...

[statichaos]

When asked about the claims that President Disney's administration was, as claimed by Governor Adlai Stevenson, "The Eisenhower Administration with the Disney brand", White House Spokesman James Dodd replied "While General Eisenhower has provided invaluable advice to this administration along with many other prominent leaders in political, military, and civilian life, he and the president do politely differ on certain issues relevant to the American public. As we all know, the General has lobbied for an extensive highway system to be built as part of the nation's infrastructure. President Disney approves of this, but believes that a national mass transportation system must be part and parcel of this effort, whether it involves an expansion of our existing train system, or a more advanced technology. Towards this end, he has instructed the Department of Transportation to press for research into how such a project may be accomplished at the lowest cost and greatest benefit to the American people."

-Washington Post, 12/15/1952


7:00 p.m.: Entrance of President and Mrs. Disney. Remarks to the nation by President Disney.

7:15 p.m.: Lighting of White House Christmas Tree.

7:30 p.m.: Performance of Christmas standards by entertainer Bing Crosby, backed by Mickey Mouse Club choir.

-White House Christmas Celebration Program, December, 1953


And so with the moral mouse malcontents popping their peepers over the scandalous salacious pics of one Miss M., it seems that her days of winsome wedded bliss will wait! Joey D., he of the furious fans, has decided that his best gal's appearance in the late and unlamented Playboy skin mag out of Chicago means that he has a choice between a shining reputation (read: money!) or a sinful honeymoon (read: sex!), and a man can always use the former to get more of the latter, but not the latter to get more of the former outside of the lavender crowd! Also, the Terrible Tots are joining forces with the Catholic League to boycott each and every film that Miss M. appears in, saying that she sets a "bad example" for the youth! Look, kiddies! It's a falling star!

-"Hollywood Dirt", Celebrity Secrets, December 1953


MOUSE MAKES HOUSE AT CBS-Disney Corp. To Bring "Disney's Wonderful World" to Network

-Variety, 3/1/1954


"It is therefore with a heavy heart that I submit this resignation. For far too long, we of the fifth estate have been forced to answer to the moneymen, to those who would betray the public trust in the name of the almighty dollar. Despite your protests of your desire to avoid legal action, it is obvious to those of us who make it our business to notice such things that your refusal to allow See It Now to broadcast our investigation of Senator McCarthy reeks of political opportunism and the odious scent of financial incentive...."

-Resignation letter of Edward R. Murrow to CBS President William Paley


"Mr. and Mrs. Stanely Weinberg of New York, N.Y. are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Priscilla to Mr. Roy Cohn of Washington, D.C. The wedding ceremony will be on June 6th at the home of the bride. The couple plans to reside in Georgetown, where the groom currently makes his residence as a staff attorney for Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-WI)."

-Social Page, Washington Post, 3/15/53



Shortly following the [Puerto Rican Independence] attack on Congress, security clamped down hard in the White House. Guards who would once wave me through the gates on sight would now politely stop my car, ask for my identification, and check it closely before allowing me to proceed to work.

My major concern beyond my job was the state of the President himself. It wouldn't be too much to say that I saw him as a sort of father figure; The man seemed to invite such through his demeanor and general kindness to those in his immediate circle. However, as the year progressed, I grew concerned for him. The pressures of the office were not too great for this man, and yet he visibly aged before my eyes.

Two major issues preoccupied the President during the early part of the year: The first was the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Now, I hadn't thought of the Negro issue much previous to my entering politics, and while I was somewhat well informed regarding the various actions and boycotts taking place around the country, I didn't see this as something that would effect my life in a direct manner.

President Disney took a longer view than my own. His major concern was that this would lead to complications regarding what he saw as the uneasy mix of two essentially different cultures. A product of his time and his place, the President had little contact with the Negro population. He was especially sensitive to accusations of racism since the negative reaction of the NAACP to Song Of The South in 1946. However, while not an ardent segregationist at the time, he did see the potential for trouble on the horizon in the form of clashes between the white and black populations.

"That damned Warren laid down the law," he snorted to me once. "Let him enforce it."

Then, of course, Senator McCarthy decided that he wanted to stir up some trouble....

-The Truth of Fantasy: A Washington Memoir, Former White House Press Secretary James Dodd


Neither Prissy nor I wanted the traditional marriage. She stayed in New York with her parents and concentrated on her charity work. I stayed at my townhouse in Georgetown. Most days I spent with the Senator working on research for the committee. Recently, we'd uncovered evidence of communist sympathizers in the United States armed forces. Our initial feeling was that this had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the light. With the assistance of my friend David Schine, who had been so helpful during my tour of American Embassies and Consulates in Europe, we managed to put together what I thought would be a powerful indictment of the current and past military leadership.

The White House caught wind of what we were doing rather quickly. That's when the Senator was invited to one of the President's informal get-togethers in the Rose Garden. He and Joe sat and talked for quite some time while I cooled my heels near the appetizers and made small talk with various Washington hostesses. Finally, the Senator came back and whispered in my ear.

"The Army hearings are off," he told me. "Don't worry, we've given all of the evidence to MacArthur, and he'll take all the necessary steps. The president says he's concerned about the effect this would have on the morale of the Army. Bullshit. He's concerned about the effect this'll have on his camera-loving ass. But Roy, this ain't about him, or me. It's about your future. I'm not planning on running again, and it's time that you started thinking about where you're going from here."

I took a look at Joe. My friend and mentor was beginning to show the signs of too many late nights, too many sips from the flask that he always had on his person. His eyes were yellow, his nose a permanent state of red. I wasn't a doctor, but it was pretty obvious to anyone looking that he didn't have too many more years ahead of him.

"Understood, Senator," I told him. "Just tell me where I go from here."

"Well, Roy, first you're packing your stuff into a box," he replied. "You've got a new job waiting. Just a temporary berth for you, since I've got a deal that you're moving up right quick."

-Retired Senator Roy Cohn (R-N.Y.), quoted in Magic Kingdom: America in the 50s, by Studs Terkel


ROY COHN WILL BE LEAVING SENATOR MCCARTHY'S OFFICE TO TAKE A NEW POSITION AS ASSISTANT CHIEF OF STAFF AT THE WHITE HOUSE. WE ALL WISH HIM WELL.

-Internal Memo to the staff of Senator Joe McCarthy (R-WI)

[Redem]

Way better than most celebrity president TL

So if the Mickey Mouse Club become like the Hitler Youth, I'd hate to see how Britney Spear turn out in that time line

Damn it they took on playboy! They have no honor, however I will say this will probably horribily backfire because now the youth no longer have any way to handle horniness into masturbation

[statichaos]

Way better than most celebrity president TL

So if the Mickey Mouse Club become like the Hitler Youth, I'd hate to see how Britney Spear turn out in that time line

Damn it they took on playboy! They have no honor, however I will say this will probably horribily backfire because now the youth no longer have any way to handle horniness into masturbation

Yes. Because before Playboy, youth masturbation was nonexistent! My God, Falwell and the rest were right!

Heh.

Okay, more:

"And, oh Lord, we are truly grateful for President Disney, who has so courageously insisted upon your acknowledgment in our nation's pledge so as to boldly state that the forces of atheism and communism have no place within our country's borders...."

-The Reverend Billy Graham, opening invocation of the first national Mickey Mouse Club convention, 7/4/54


ACLU Lawsuit Against Mickey Mouse Clubs Thrown Out of Court: Justices Defend Right of Free Speech of "Private Organizations"

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The Supreme Court awarded a victory to the Mickey Mouse Club youth group on Thursday, stating that while President Disney's former company may have sponsored their creation, his lack of any official standing within the society means that the group must be considered a private organization, allowing it to continue public protests against materials deemed obscene or politically undesirable by the organization's leaders.

In a stinging dissent, Chief Justice Earl Warren stated that as the group is named after a character originally created by President Disney in his former capacity as a private citizen, and now inextricably linked with his name, the protests carry with them a de facto "seal of approval" from the current administration.....

-Los Angeles Times, 7/11/54


"The recent testing of an atomic weapon by the Soviet Union shows that despite their supposed desire for peace and amity, their true motivation is to expand their military power until the entire world falls to their totalitarian madness. The President has therefore asked congress to approve an increased military budget for next year, with an eye towards improving our defensive capability in the case of an atomic war. Currently, we are behind in our capabilities. The President has stated that this is unacceptable.

"Additionally, the President has instructed that our space exploration research be placed under military jurisdiction for the time being. The Soviets have indicated an enthusiasm towards exploring this frontier, and we cannot allow them to stake a claim before America does. Towards this end, President Disney has asked members of the scientific community to take part in a joint advisory panel with several noted futurists in order to create a plan for our future beyond this globe."

-White House Press Secretary James Dodd, press conference, 9/21/54


Of course, the President used the term "noted futurists" because it sounded better than "pulp science fiction writers". I learned three things at grandpappy's knee: Never draw to an inside straight, never draw your weapon unless you mean to use it, and never work for Washington. However, my country needs me in a fight against the greatest menace this world has ever seen, and they have promised me time to write enough to pull in checks from the magazines....

-Personal correspondence of Robert A. Heinlein to Hugo Gernsback


"It was hard on Dad. He'd been fighting for civil rights all his life, and was especially interested in opportunities for minority children. When the Boy Scouts desegregated, he naturally assumed that other youth organizations would follow suit. The Mickey Mouse Clubs were probably the most popular organization in the country for children, so he asked for a meeting with their leadership. Nothing. No response. He went to the press. They didn't care. He spoke from the pulpit. It was like preaching to empty air. He finally decided to save his energy for boycotts and the like.

"Sure, they weren't officially anti-Negro. They let you make your own chapter for your own race. But when you looked at the white neighborhoods, you saw the kids with the ears holding all sorts of fun events and enjoying themselves, with whoever was running the local organization showing up to help out. When my brother tried to start a chapter in our neighborhood, they sent him a handbook, but said that any financial assistance would have to come from local churches and civic organizations. Fine. We got together a few dollars and some space in the church basement. Then we'd hold meetings and try to talk with the local Mickey Mouse Club representatives to get cartoons for the events, or hats for our uniforms, or anything that we needed in order to be a functioning club. We couldn't even get in the front door. Finally we gave up. Dad told us not to let it get us down, that we were still Americans, but you know what? I had to quit when I couldn't live up to 'A Mousketeer is patriotic' with any sincerity in my heart. Finally, the club just folded. We never tried again."

-Yolanda King, quoted in Let Us Hold Our Banner High, Documentary Prize winner at the Cannes International Film Festival, 2002.


COFFEE HOUSE RAID: Bohemian Artists at Vesuvio's Held On Marihuana Charges

Vesuvio's, a popular social setting for members of San Francisco's so-called "Beat" artists, was raided last night by members of the San Francisco Police Department's Narcotics division. Among the arrestees was artist Wally Hedrick....

-San Francisco Chronicle, 1/15/55


The President had gone through about three or four Chiefs of Staff in his administration. Disney was a bright man, shrewd, but tempermental. They'd work for him anywhere between eight months and a year, then the message would go out that they wanted to pursue opportunities in the private sector, or needed to spend more time with their families, or some bullshit story like that. The fact was that Disney blew through them like crazy. Here's what I figured: You've seen the old tapes of him on the news and such. Nice enough gentleman, right? Even when the reporters would ask him the rudest questions possible, he'd wave them off with a shrug and a smile. Masterful. But, see, you can only do that for so long before you start to pay a price. The price Disney paid was that he started getting difficult to deal with once the microphones and cameras were off. He'd get short with his staff, snapping at them and asking them to do the impossible.

Me? Hell, I worked for Tailgunner Joe. I knew how to deal with difficult personalities. Stroke the ego a bit, and if they're confused about what to do next, then just come up with a brilliant idea and act like it's theirs. Child's play. Of course, Disney was used to the business world where he got things done in a snap, and Washington moves like a turtle. But there are ways around that, too....

So anyway, the last in the line had just resigned. I'd been writing speeches and playing advance man here and there for a while, biding my time. Finally, the President called me into his office. The Oval Office, not his private one. Sat there behind the desk, staring at me as I stood there calmly. Trying to make it clear who was in charge. Hah! There isn't a politico out there who can impress me with the razzle-dazzle. So he sits some more, and stares some more, and finally says "Okay, Roy. I know this is what Joe brought you in for, and you've finally got it. Chief of Staff."

I was thinking of acting surprised, but I didn't want to insult the man's intelligence, so I just nodded and said "I'll get to work immediately, Mr. President." He dismissed me with a wave, I gave the "Thank you, Mr. President," and went back to my office to pack my things.

The second call I made was to my Mom. The first was to the Senator. Hey, she brought me into this world, but he gave me life.

-Retired Senator Roy Cohn (R-N.Y.), quoted in Magic Kingdom: America in the 50s, by Studs Terkel


While I hadn't agreed with the President in all ways at all times, we had generally managed a good working relationship based upon mutual respect and (I must admit) a certain awe of the man on my part. Certainly, he'd shown himself as fallible, giving in to fits of temper, or making decisions based more upon what I saw as pipe dreams than political realities. However, I could never fault the man's sincerity or desire for the best for the American people.

Unfortunately, we now entered what I still somewhat uncharitably refer to as the "snake in the garden" years in the White House: Roy Cohn was named Chief of Staff. I am well aware that my opinions regarding Senator Cohn are well-known, and have caused me and my family to be targets of the most scurrilous attacks from the radical right. Be that as it may, I cannot be less than honest regarding Cohn's unfortunate influence over the President, and also regarding the overtly manipulative behavior he engaged in in order to gain and maintain power within the Executive branch.

Roy Cohn cut his teeth as a member of Senator Joe McCarthy's staff. While Senator McCarthy is a figure of sainthood to the right wing and a demon to the left nowadays, at the time he was seen as just another politician on the make within the Beltway. He had done us a great service by ferreting out undesirable influences within the State Department, but recent investigations of his record seem to indicate that he also managed to persecute some innocent citizens as well. McCarthy finally had overrreached when he decided to investigate "red" influence in the Army. The President had talked him out of it, and in return for the Senator dropping the subject, had agreed to take on Roy Cohn as his Assistant Chief of Staff.

Frankly, the President was outmaneuvered. It took me several years to realize that Cohn had made the job of Chief of Staff impossible from the moment that he set foot in the White House. Bills that we were attempting to push would suddenly be stalled in committee, important documents would turn up missing, and scheduled appointments would suddenly fall through at the last minute. After I left the White House to return to the private sector some years later, I learned through contacts in Washington that Cohn's fingerprints had been all over this series of events. Instead of using his influence on the Hill to promote the President's agenda, he was using it in order to score points against his own bosses.

I should note that Cohn himself pleads innocence to this day, and claims that the various COSes that preceded him left due to President Disney being difficult to work for. Bah. I worked for the man for several years, and found him to almost always be a pleasure to deal with.

The wolf was loose among the lambs, and I was spending all of my time trying not to smell like mutton.

-The Truth of Fantasy: A Washington Memoir, Former White House Press Secretary James Dodd


ROCK AND ROLL RIOT: Juvenile Delinquents Damage Theater During Movie, Police Called, Several Injured.

LOS ANGELES- Police responded to reports of a riot at the Rialto Theater in Pasadena on Monday night during a showing of the new "rock and roll" film Blackboard Jungle. Pasadena Police Department spokeman Mitch Connelly stated that two officers and an undetermined number of youths were injured in the ensuing melee.

According to eyewitnesses, the trouble began during a performance of the song "Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley and the Comets, when several teenagers began dancing in the aisles of the theater. When they refused entreaties from the management to return to their seats, the projector was turned off in response, leading a pack of delinquents to begin causing damage to the theater....

-Los Angeles Times, 3/27/55


11:00 a.m.: Meetup at the Clubhouse.

11:15 a.m.: Recitation of Pledge of Allegiance. Singing of National Anthem. Singing of Mickey Mouse Club Anthem. Opening benediction led by Rev. Charles Wright, First Presbyterian.

11:45 a.m.: Review of demonstration plans.

12:00 Noon: Lunch provided by Kathy Johnson's family. Cold chicken, macaroni salad, punch, and pie. Signs handed out after eating.

1:00 p.m.: Walk to Bijou Theater. Keep your partner in sight at all times!

1:30 p.m.: Demonstration during ticket sales for first showing of "Blackboard Jungle". March and protest to continue until closing of theater, or until management agrees to stop showing film.

6:00 p.m.: Junior members return home.

10:00 p.m.: If management has taken no action, Senior members return home.

Please remember to obey all laws during the demonstration, and be polite and cheerful to passers-by. Respect your elders. If a member of the press approaches you, please politely guide him to your chapter leader or other adult associated with the demonstration. Do not give a quote of your own!

-Mickey Mouse Club "Fun Activity Schedule!" for St. Louis, MO, Club Chapter #342, 4/3/55

[Redem]

Yes. Because before Playboy, youth masturbation was nonexistent! My God, Falwell and the rest were right!


Well its already too late the magazine was on the stash! the youth is now filthy and corrupted! no wonder they become nazi!

[David bar Elias]

A very interesting (and original) timeline. I especially look forward to seeing the long-term ramifications of the Disney Administration's policies in greater detail.

[Japhy]

The Rise of Roy Cohn is an interesting aspect, he'll go into the Senate after Disney is gone I guess? One wonders how he'll keep his homosexuality hidden durring the era. Or how an archconservitive will make it in a New York race.

All and all a great work and I cant wait for more, Nachos. :D

[Wendell]

I am anxiously awaiting an update to this timeline.

[statichaos]

I am anxiously awaiting an update to this timeline.

Hey there! Good to see you again!

DOWTOWN FRACAS: Young Hoodlums Attack Mickey Mouse Club Rally, Dozens Injured.

-St. Louis Post-Dispatch headline, 4/4/55


"It is therefore the policy of this office that considering the unprovoked attack by delinquent elements of society against our membership, all Mickey Mouse Clubs will be required to encourage self-defense training, and provide qualified instructors for such, preferably trainers with a military background. If you are having difficulty finding a qualified individual in your community, please contact the Main Office in Burbank, CA for assistance."

-Nationally distributed memo to Mickey Mouse Club Leaders, 5/7/55


DISNEY MEETS WITH BIG CITY MAYORS TO PUSH FOR LOCAL MONORAIL SYSTEMS

-Washington Post, 5/8/55


Mr. President,

Thank you for your thoughtful letter. I know that I can speak for all of us in the space program when I say that your constant efforts to encourage scientific research and progress in this field have been greatly appreciated.

Per your suggestion, we have settled on "Davy Crockett" as the name of the satellite scheduled for launch next year.

My best to you and Mrs. Disney.


Sincerely,

Robert A. Heinlein
Advisor For Communication Protocol
National Space Research Council

DISNEYLAND OPENS TO GREAT FANFARE-President, Mrs. Disney among honored guests.

-The Orange County Register, 7/18/55


"For quite a while now, boys and girls across America have been joining the exciting new Mickey Mouse Clubs. Well, folks, the good folks at Disney have realized that not every child has the opportunity to share in the magic of this experience, so we're using the wonderful medium of television to bring the clubs to you personally! In just a minute you're going to meet my friends Tommy, Annette, Cubby, Darlene, and a whole bunch of wholesome, patriotic children just like you...."

Head Mouseketeer Ronald Reagan, host of The Mickey Mouse Club, first broadcast.


There were those who accused President Disney of being detached from domestic matters, especially those regarding the Negro issue. Nothing could be further from the truth.

On August 28, 1955, a young Negro named Emmett Till was killed in Money, Mississippi for the alleged "crime" of flirting with a white woman. Some say he directly accosted her with crude comments, others claimed that he simply whistled at her. Whatever the case may have been, the results were swift and deadly: Mr. Till was taken that night, killed, and sunk in the Tallahatchie River while weighted down with the fan from a cotton gin.

Mr. Till's grieving mother insisted upon an open casket funeral against the advice of her local mortician. The pictures made national news, and reached the President's desk. It was during our morning briefing that I gingerly approached the subject about how best to address this issue, if at all.

"Jimmy, my boy," he sighed. "This one weighs on me. Used to be that I didn't give the matter much thought one way or the other. Growing up in Missouri, the Negroes had their place, white folks another, and I figured that this was just the way that the world worked. Then I finally came out to California, where they're still separate, but more by their own choice. Never thought that it would make much difference if they finally got their full share of rights. Now I'm rethinking it. Take a look at this." He tossed a photograph of Till's badly mangled body into my lap, then stood and faced away from me. "That poor boy made a single stupid mistake, and paid the price for it. When something like that can happen, when one race gets the death penalty for a childish mistake towards another race, you have to ask one question: Are we really ready to live side by side as Americans?" The President seemed to shrink into himself. He'd been doing that a lot lately.

"Jimmy, I don't think that we're within a mile of being ready. I don't think that we ever will be. If I ever make the mistake of thinking that integration of anything will lead to peace and amity, all that I have to do is take a look at that picture to remind myself of the bestial depths of bigotry, and of what chaos would inevitably result."

-The Truth of Fantasy: A Washington Memoir, Former White House Press Secretary James Dodd.


Be advised that CI [REDACTED] has informed this office that the arrest of Mrs. Parks was planned in advance by Negro agitator and so-called "clergyman" Martin Luther King, Jr. Subject is currently under surveillance per orders from the office of the Director, and has been observed agitating for the creation of a communist-inspired "civil rights" group to be formed under the name "The Montgomery Improvement Association".

-Excerpted from FBI Memo, 12/7/55


SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BUSINESSES: TAKE THE BUS TODAY!

-Flyer distributed by Montgomery, Alabama Mickey Mouse Clubs


BURBANK, CALIFORNIA CLEARED FOR EPCOT FUNDING

-Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, 12/15/55


"...[T]hat was when they brought up the subject that had been weighing on their minds. Of course they knew the answer, or thought that they did. All the bosses were there for him. They all knew that the governor wanted the White House so bad that he could taste it, understand? So one of them, a big fat fellow, he leaned forward and said 'So, Governor, exactly when are you planning to announce?'"

And the Governor? Never heard the man cuss till that day, when he says "Go to hell. Get yourself another stooge." So they all say "Adlai!" in shock, and he just gets up in disgust and walks out of the room."

-Washington Banks, former butler to Governor Adlai Stevenson, quoted in Magic Kingdom: America In The 1950s


ESTES KEFAUVER ANNOUNCES "READINESS TO LEAD", CANDIDACY FOR DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION

-Washington Post, 1/2/56


And that's it so far...further updates later on.

[Wendell]

Kefauver...now there's a winner:rolleyes: I'll be interested in seeing who else runs.

[Historico]

This is an utterly fascinating and original timeline...Things are changed so fast Im not sure where things are going but Im definatley in for a ride lol btw who is Disney Vice President?

[statichaos]

This is an utterly fascinating and original timeline...Things are changed so fast Im not sure where things are going but Im definatley in for a ride lol btw who is Disney Vice President?

Everett Dirksen. He seemed the most plausible choice.

[Japhy]

I really enjoy the oral biography feel of the story, especially the two very different views we get from Cohn and Dodd. Whom is more in line with the reality of the administration?

[Jape]

Loving this! Its extremly entertaining.

Also Ronald Reagan as host of the Mousketeer Show? So perfect its creepy :D

[Redem]

I really enjoy the oral biography feel of the story, especially the two very different views we get from Cohn and Dodd. Whom is more in line with the reality of the administration?

Can' t you see Cohn going to restore america liberty and be america first openly gay president :D

Yea the oral history really fun, nearly feel that now were they at is making itself:D

[Historico]

Can' t you see Cohn going to restore america liberty and be america first openly gay president :D

Yea the oral history really fun, nearly feel that now were they at is making itself:D

hah, Cohn was so deep in the closest, he couldn't even find the lightswitch:D, but on a serious note, This Timeline is really getting good and I wonder how Kennedy will adapt his idea of a New Frontier to that of Walt Disney's Tommorowland themes. Keep it comming

[Goldstein]

Wow, that is just great beyond measure. This is AH in its finest form and it deserves a Turtledove so far.

Consider me subscribed to this. Keep on the awesomeness.

[I, Guangxu]

This has been one of the best TLs I have ever read. I eagerly await further updates.

[Ofaloaf]

Lemme get this straight-- this Mickey Mouse Club demonstrations include both adults and kids, correct?

'Cos if they do, that's eventually gotta backfire pretty badly some day. There are so many possible ways to traumatize a child during protests like that.

[Nicomacheus]

Ronald Reagan as a Mouseketeer; the Mouseketeers becoming...well, something far too close to the Hitler Youth for comfort; Waco, TX getting a wave of Federal redevelopment funds; the Interstate Highway System (correctly IMO) paired with support for mass transit; monorails promised for major American cities; Levittowns to become a national policy; Robert Heinlein in government; Richard Nixon wearing Mickey Mouse ears...

...and all this before we got to the second page of posts!!! Eegads, man, fantastic start! For the TL, that is. For the USA...well, time will tell, I suppose.

[Redem]

Lemme get this straight-- this Mickey Mouse Club demonstrations include both adults and kids, correct?

'Cos if they do, that's eventually gotta backfire pretty badly some day. There are so many possible ways to traumatize a child during protests like that.

just imagine if protest turned into a riot

Well apparently Mickey Mouse going to turn a lot like its hamas version and soon mouse ear will be forbidden like swastika in Germany

But on the plus size it make Bug Bunny and Looney Tunes look ever better in comparaison

wonder what going to happen to the comic code

[Nekromans]

This is fantastic! The President has his own theme park. The President is Walt Disney! No, wait. Let me repeat that. Walt Disney is the most powerful man on the face of the planet. Walt Disney has access to a thermonuclear arsenal. (Goodbye Warner Bros...)

I'm so posting this in the Link thread.

[statichaos]

I really enjoy the oral biography feel of the story, especially the two very different views we get from Cohn and Dodd. Whom is more in line with the reality of the administration?

The only man who knows for sure is Disney, and he'd be dead by now. Or at least frozen.

[statichaos]

Lemme get this straight-- this Mickey Mouse Club demonstrations include both adults and kids, correct?

'Cos if they do, that's eventually gotta backfire pretty badly some day. There are so many possible ways to traumatize a child during protests like that.

There are adult observers and guardians, but no more than you'd find at a Boy Scout camping trip.

[statichaos]

As I've stated before in these pages, President Disney was very much a product of his upbringing. While this was a great boon to the country in that he held on to the most basic ideals of liberty, independence, the work ethic, and the power of imagination, it also meant that he had occasional blind spots when it came to matters outside his personal experience.

This became evident during the first part of 1956. On the whole, the President was feeling upbeat. His approval ratings were at a record high, largely due to the infrastructure programs that he had managed to get through an initially reluctant Congress. I should state that despite my differences with Chief of Staff Cohn, I had to admit that his contacts in the legislative branch were invaluable when it came to getting our bills passed. Also, Disneyland was doing a booming business, meaning that President Disney's company seemed to be in good hands.

Unfortunately, General Abdal Nasser of Egypt was making noises regarding Israel, or "Palestine". All of our intelligence indicated that the General was an up-and-coming figure in Egyptian politics, and President Disney's advisers warned him of a possible instability in the Middle East if the United States did not take a strong stand regarding the defense of Israel. Sadly, the President remained unconvinced.

It was during a semi-official meeting in the Oval Office that he slipped into one of his unguarded moments. "Folks, I'm a big supporter of the United Nations," he started. This was true. The President wasn't a fan of the idea of one world government, but he did like the idea of peaceful agreements among different cultures. "I have to say, though, that the idea of Israel never did sit well with me. Oh, don't get me wrong, we're their allies, and we'll do what we must in order to make sure that things go well. However, I'm not going to let the Jews dictate American foreign policy. We're talking about a people that will take a mile for every inch you give them. I'll let our embassy in Egypt know that they need to keep an eye on Nasser, but I'm not going to lose sleep over the Arabs wanting their land back."

I sneaked a peek at Cohn during the President's comment about Jews. He stared straight ahead, unblinking, like he didn't recognize the insult. Or maybe he didn't see it as one. It was always hard to tell with Roy.

-The Truth Of Fantasy: A Washington Memoir, Former White House Press Secretary James Dodd.


Dear Col. Parker,

We regret to inform you that due to further input from our sponsors, we have determined that your client Elvis Presley is not an appropriate act for our television program Stage Show. Naturally, you and Mr. Presley will be compensated for the inconvenience as per your contract with CBS.

We apologize for the inconvenience, and thank you for your time and interest.

Sincerely,

Donald Frith
Bureau of Standards and Practices
Columbia Broadcasting Corporation


FORMER ACTRESS FOUND DEAD

LOS ANGELES- Former actress Norma Jean Mortenson, aka Marilyn Monroe, best known as the former fiancee of baseball great Joe DiMaggio, was found dead last night from an apparent intentional overdose of barbiturates. While no note was found at the scene, friends of the deceased Miss Mortenson stated that she had been unusually depressed lately following a string of career difficulties....

-Los Angeles Times, 2/24/56


"My fellow Americans, we have been on a disastrous course for the past three years, led by a showman, a carnival barker. Oh, he'll give you sights that are wondrous to behold, but they're little more than fantasy. Get close enough to the President's policies, and you will see the glue on the bearded lady, smell the greasepaint on the Wild Man of Borneo. These are serious times, my friends, and they call for serious men of good will to solve them."

-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, announcing his candidacy for the Democratic nomination.


"We now go to our reporter on the scene, Howard Riggs. Howard?"

"Jim, I'm standing in front of what was once the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in downtown St. Louis. Firemen valiantly battled the blaze, which nearly consumed the entire two-story structure. From what we have been able to determine, this tragedy began during the club's weekly meeting, when according to witnesses, several youths described as "tough-looking" blockaded the door from the outside and threw Molotov cocktails through the windows into the lower levels of the building. One moment, Jim, we're getting some movement through the door, the firemen may be bringing out some of the children...

"Oh. Oh, no. Oh, this is a tragedy. Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, I...

"I'm so sorry. The firemen are bringing out the bodies of the victims. There may be some small hope, but the blaze has taken what looks like at least five children so far. From what I'm overhearing, there may very well be no survivors at all."

-Breaking News Report from St. Louis radio station KTRS, 2/28/56


PRESIDENT PROPOSES THAT "STRONG NEW MEASURES" BE GIVEN TO FBI TO BATTLE RISE IN JUVENILE DELINQUENCY

-New York Times, 3/5/56


"Look at that bastard GO!"

-Overheard at launching of satellite Davy Crockett on 3/15/56, quoted in Land of Tomorrow: The Space Race In The United States.


MOUSEKETEER RALLY DRAWS THOUSANDS AT STATE FAIR TO WATCH SATELLITE LAUNCH -Ronald Reagan Featured Speaker

Calling the launch of the satellite Davy Crockett "A triumph for America against the forces of Communism," Mickey Mouse Club host Ronald Reagan entertained a crowd of thousands of youths from all over the state at yesterday's state fair.

-Little Rock Democrat-Gazette, 3/16/56

[Japhy]

wow, interesting, and dark... Even with the US beating the Russisans into space. Dead Kiddies (Even if they were in the Hitler Youth), a darker tone to the US-Israel relationship... you actually have me rooting for LBJ now

[Historico]

Hmm, Itll be interesting to see how far Disney actually pushes Nasa ITTL...I am wondering however based on how thorugh this tl is, are you planning on taking this timeline all the way to the Present Day or is the just going to be an indepth look into the Disney adminstration?

[statichaos]

Hmm, Itll be interesting to see how far Disney actually pushes Nasa ITTL...I am wondering however based on how thorugh this tl is, are you planning on taking this timeline all the way to the Present Day or is the just going to be an indepth look into the Disney adminstration?

I'm definitely going past the current administration. How far? I haven't decided yet.

[Redem]

"My fellow Americans, we have been on a disastrous course for the past three years, led by a showman, a carnival barker. Oh, he'll give you sights that are wondrous to behold, but they're little more than fantasy. Get close enough to the President's policies, and you will see the glue on the bearded lady, smell the greasepaint on the Wild Man of Borneo. These are serious times, my friends, and they call for serious men of good will to solve them."

-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, announcing his candidacy for the Democratic nomination.

Well I feel that LBJ won't win, but still I like rooting for him (what with me with rooting for texans in that TL)

[Wendell]

I'm rooting for the author of this timeline:p

[statichaos]

I'm rooting for the author of this timeline:p

Heh.

I should mention that Wendell is largely responsible/to blame for my writing up this TL. I ran across a picture of Walt Disney online, and posted it on another AH-oriented site with the description that it was GOP candidate Walt Disney taking a break from the campaign trail in 1952. Wendell said that I should actually create the TL. I groaned (I'm notorious for leaving them unfinished), but got to work.

Now I'm having too much fun to stop.

[maverick]

Dead children and Disney standing to the world and calling the jews thieves...


but I'm not going to lose sleep over the Arabs wanting their land back."



Though he has a point...

At least the Space Race is looking better...

[statichaos]

"The President accepts the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education as the law of the land. However, he also accepts that the signatories to the Southern Manifesto have legitimate concerns regarding their various states and districts, and does not wish to make any sort of statement against them or the Manifesto at this time."

-White House Press Secretary James Dodd, 3/18/56


"Now I'm going to tell you about an exciting opportunity for all of the Mickey Mouse Club chapters out there. Roy Disney has teamed up with J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI, and your local police force to create the Disney Defenders! Yes, the Disney Defenders will work with local law enforcement authorities to keep our streets safe from the criminals who prey on helpless Americans. Only the top level of our Mouseketeers will be accepted into this group, but you can all play your part by obeying the law, and by reporting those who don't!

"Now it's time for the New Adventures of Spin and Marty. When last we left off, Spin had uncovered a Communist agent at the R and R Ranch, and was rushing off to tell Marty about this new danger...."

-Ronald Reagan on The Mickey Mouse Club, 3/30/56


ELVIS SNUBBED BY TELEVISION, GOES GOLD ANYWAY

-Music Maker Magazine, 4/12/56


I couldn't believe the incompetence of Disney's people when I first took over the COS job. I mean, my God, I was tempted to check for signs of Red infiltration at first, but I slowly came to realize that the man had buffons working for him. Oh, the old crowd like Dulles, they weren't too bad. But the staff? Jimmy Dodd? Who the hell puts an actor out front as press agent? And poor Walt was actually taking this clown into his confidence! Yeah, yeah, I know that Dodd did okay during the campaign, and that he didn't sign up for the press agent job so much as he had it thrust on him, but really...you gotta know your limits.

Anyway, word from State had it that Nasser was thinking of recognizing Red China. Ouch. Last thing we needed was a Red-leaning government in the area, what with the Soviets already sniffing around. So I took Disney aside. He was letting the office get to him, so it was just a matter of stroking his ego at first, then laying the groundwork.

"Look, Mr. President," I said to him. "You have a choice here. You can listen to Dulles spout off his threats and take it as advice, and you'll have a nice little crisis on your hands. Or you can get Nasser on the phone, talk to him man-to-man, and see what the hell he wants. If I learned anything working for the Senator, it's that there's a time to attack, and a time for sweet talk. The Senator didn't know how to sweet talk the people who mattered. You're smarter than that, sir."

He looked annoyed by me, but I guess he took my advice, 'cause he was on the phone to Egypt for a couple of hours after that, and he walked out smiling. Disney says "Well, Roy, looks like we might be okay. It cost us some money, but nothing we can't afford."

"How so, Mr. President?" I say back.

"We're picking up the price tag on the Aswan Dam, or at least more of it than we were. It's a bribe, but hell, I don't mind greasing the skids if it gets us where we need to go to. Push this one through Congress. Tell them that it's vital to our national interests and to stability in the region. Drop a word to our friends at the Big Three car companies, and let 'em know that without oil, no one's buying their machines. They'll put pressure on the right people to fall into line."

For the first time since I'd set foot in that godforsaken place, I understood just how Disney had managed to make it to the top.

-Retired Senator Roy Cohn (D-N.Y.), quoted in Magic Kingdom: America In The 50s, by Studs Terkel

DISNEY DEFENDERS STORM POOL HALL, MAKE CITIZENS' ARRESTS OF LOCAL HOODLUMS

DOWNTOWN-A number of badly bruised and bleeding members of a local street gang were brought before a local judge today after having been placed under citizens' arrest by members of the Disney Defenders, an offshot of the popular Mickey Mouse Club. Facing charges ranging from possession of an illegal switchblade knife to narcotics use, most of the arrested youths were released into the custody of their parents....

-St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 4/20/56


"Hey, hey, LBJ! Beat the mouse and show the way!"

-Campaign slogan, 1956 Presidential race


"It's bad no matter where we go or what we do, dig? With the mouse in the house, this man's on the lam. Ginsberg and I, we tried going down south across the border, but the cops are crazy, and we spent more than a couple of nights in jail with some mean characters before skipping town across the ocean. So Ginsberg, he gets this Hemingway/Gertrude Stein thing going and decides that we have to go to Paris. But, see, they don't like Americans in France anymore, since we're barbarians to them, which is sad, because you should see what they're doing with movies nowadays. So we try the Netherlands, and Italy, and we skip Spain of course, and here we are now in Berlin, where believe it or not, it's all hip. There's a new scene developing here, and I think it would be cool if you could find your way over. Bring a thousand or two of our nearest and dearest. America is dead. Berlin is the future of art, literature, reefer, and all the other things that make life worth living."

-Personal correspondence of "Beano" to Wally Hedrick


INTERSTATE TRANSPORTATION BILL SIGNED: Federal Highway System To Be Built Alongside Expanded Commuter Rails.

Washington Post, 5/29/56

[Redem]

You know what's worst in that univers they actualy got fascism coming with a smiley face (something keep pretending is going on in our world but ain't the case)

What could be even worst is that Disney pull a pinochet and manage to have a following even after he get off power

[maverick]

Good to see that Disney knows what he is doing...

And its not like Disney is Mussolini...the Space Race, better relations with Egypt...and I'm sure the Disney Administration will have other successes to brag about.

[Japhy]

The Beats are Going to Berlin... Nice :D

[Historico]

"The President accepts the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education as the law of the land. However, he also accepts that the signatories to the Southern Manifesto have legitimate concerns regarding their various states and districts, and does not wish to make any sort of statement against them or the Manifesto at this time."

-White House Press Secretary James Dodd, 3/18/56


"Now I'm going to tell you about an exciting opportunity for all of the Mickey Mouse Club chapters out there. Roy Disney has teamed up with J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI, and your local police force to create the Disney Defenders! Yes, the Disney Defenders will work with local law enforcement authorities to keep our streets safe from the criminals who prey on helpless Americans. Only the top level of our Mouseketeers will be accepted into this group, but you can all play your part by obeying the law, and by reporting those who don't!

"Now it's time for the New Adventures of Spin and Marty. When last we left off, Spin had uncovered a Communist agent at the R and R Ranch, and was rushing off to tell Marty about this new danger...."

-Ronald Reagan on The Mickey Mouse Club, 3/30/56


ELVIS SNUBBED BY TELEVISION, GOES GOLD ANYWAY

-Music Maker Magazine, 4/12/56


I couldn't believe the incompetence of Disney's people when I first took over the COS job. I mean, my God, I was tempted to check for signs of Red infiltration at first, but I slowly came to realize that the man had buffons working for him. Oh, the old crowd like Dulles, they weren't too bad. But the staff? Jimmy Dodd? Who the hell puts an actor out front as press agent? And poor Walt was actually taking this clown into his confidence! Yeah, yeah, I know that Dodd did okay during the campaign, and that he didn't sign up for the press agent job so much as he had it thrust on him, but really...you gotta know your limits.

Anyway, word from State had it that Nasser was thinking of recognizing Red China. Ouch. Last thing we needed was a Red-leaning government in the area, what with the Soviets already sniffing around. So I took Disney aside. He was letting the office get to him, so it was just a matter of stroking his ego at first, then laying the groundwork.

"Look, Mr. President," I said to him. "You have a choice here. You can listen to Dulles spout off his threats and take it as advice, and you'll have a nice little crisis on your hands. Or you can get Nasser on the phone, talk to him man-to-man, and see what the hell he wants. If I learned anything working for the Senator, it's that there's a time to attack, and a time for sweet talk. The Senator didn't know how to sweet talk the people who mattered. You're smarter than that, sir."

He looked annoyed by me, but I guess he took my advice, 'cause he was on the phone to Egypt for a couple of hours after that, and he walked out smiling. Disney says "Well, Roy, looks like we might be okay. It cost us some money, but nothing we can't afford."

"How so, Mr. President?" I say back.

"We're picking up the price tag on the Aswan Dam, or at least more of it than we were. It's a bribe, but hell, I don't mind greasing the skids if it gets us where we need to go to. Push this one through Congress. Tell them that it's vital to our national interests and to stability in the region. Drop a word to our friends at the Big Three car companies, and let 'em know that without oil, no one's buying their machines. They'll put pressure on the right people to fall into line."

For the first time since I'd set foot in that godforsaken place, I understood just how Disney had managed to make it to the top.

-Retired Senator Roy Cohn (D-N.Y.), quoted in Magic Kingdom: America In The 50s, by Studs Terkel

DISNEY DEFENDERS STORM POOL HALL, MAKE CITIZENS' ARRESTS OF LOCAL HOODLUMS

DOWNTOWN-A number of badly bruised and bleeding members of a local street gang were brought before a local judge today after having been placed under citizens' arrest by members of the Disney Defenders, an offshot of the popular Mickey Mouse Club. Facing charges ranging from possession of an illegal switchblade knife to narcotics use, most of the arrested youths were released into the custody of their parents....

-St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 4/20/56


"Hey, hey, LBJ! Beat the mouse and show the way!"

-Campaign slogan, 1956 Presidential race


"It's bad no matter where we go or what we do, dig? With the mouse in the house, this man's on the lam. Ginsberg and I, we tried going down south across the border, but the cops are crazy, and we spent more than a couple of nights in jail with some mean characters before skipping town across the ocean. So Ginsberg, he gets this Hemingway/Gertrude Stein thing going and decides that we have to go to Paris. But, see, they don't like Americans in France anymore, since we're barbarians to them, which is sad, because you should see what they're doing with movies nowadays. So we try the Netherlands, and Italy, and we skip Spain of course, and here we are now in Berlin, where believe it or not, it's all hip. There's a new scene developing here, and I think it would be cool if you could find your way over. Bring a thousand or two of our nearest and dearest. America is dead. Berlin is the future of art, literature, reefer, and all the other things that make life worth living."

-Personal correspondence of "Beano" to Wally Hedrick


INTERSTATE TRANSPORTATION BILL SIGNED: Federal Highway System To Be Built Alongside Expanded Commuter Rails.

Washington Post, 5/29/56


Hmm...Itll be interesting to see how West Germany develops into the future as the capital of the Counterculture. I just hopes this doesn't mean Disney's america gets stuck in the fifties. Sorta like Pleasantville meets Disneyland lol. I loved the tidbit about the Disney Defenders, there turning into SSLite. I hope LBJ is able to clinch the nomination, and goes against Walt in the General. I think Lyndon's distinct populist style would be epic against Disney's manipulation of the Media. Keep it comming.

[Redem]

Hmm...Itll be interesting to see how West Germany develops into the future as the capital of the Counterculture. I just hopes this doesn't mean Disney's america gets stuck in the fifties. Sorta like Pleasantville meets Disneyland lol.


I wonder what that mean to David Hassleoff :D

well if it turn plesantville that U.S.A will be worst than DoD usa*

[bm79]

Absolutely fascinating!

Subscribed.

[SeanPdineen]

I have the sense uncle walt will help out our Hungarian brothers.
Nagy won't be left to rot this time.
Since we are promoting benign neglect on civil rights, Would there be an attempt to find a latter day booker t washington, to keep the good negros happy?

[Gonzaga]

Absolutely fascinating!

Subscribed.

Agreed! This is one of the finest TLs on AH.COM.

Keep the good work!

[tukk323]

This is one of the best alternates President TL's I've seen, keep up the good work!

[Susano]

Hmm...Itll be interesting to see how West Germany develops into the future as the capital of the Counterculture.
Well, techncially Berlin(not even West Berlin) wasnt part of West Germany. But I hope this swaps over to West Germany... however, West Germanys OTL government at the time will probably get along with Disney just splendidly, and my god were the German fifties bad in the social regard, too...

[qute]I just hopes this doesn't mean Disney's america gets stuck in the fifties.[/quote]
I must admit, Im smiling gleefuly reading this TL and thinking on how about the USA destroys itself :D

Great TL in any case!

[Nekromans]

America's fascism-lite has... Mickey Mouse ears.

And the 60's have protesters arrested under mental health issues... >.<

[Redem]

America's fascism-lite has... Mickey Mouse ears.

And the 60's have protesters arrested under mental health issues... >.<

Well you sir are a mouseketter!

[stalkere]

Fascinating - I'm subscribed
This is a fascinating period of time to me, to look at my childhood with the eyes of an adult is fascinating, especially in the what-might-have-been...or in this case, I'm-glad-it-wasn't....:eek:

[SeanPdineen]

Since we are using the mental health system to lock up those who aren't falling into line, What does this provide subjects for Ewen Cameron, whose allready working with the CIA in our timeline?
Could he sell Walt on Manchurian canidate stuff?
I think so.

[Bobindelaware]

Just read the whole thing: Amazingly fascinating . . . eerie . . . . frightening . . . most unsettling.

Bobindelaware

[Historico]

So when should we be expecting the next installment of this awesome tl Stat?

[Faeelin]

Jeez, can Disney do no wrong?

[Faeelin]

Good to see that Disney knows what he is doing...

And its not like Disney is Mussolini...the Space Race, better relations with Egypt...and I'm sure the Disney Administration will have other successes to brag about.

So he's more like a competent Mussolini?

So far, we have:

-A worse civil rights movement.
-A youth group that pretty clearly is unconstitutional (I have to say, this doesn't square at all with what I think the SCOTUS would decide).
-McCarthyism.

[maverick]

I'm curious...why is the Disney Youth inconstitutional?

They're just kids that protest things and have some combat training...is it because of Segregation? well, probably...


So he's more like a competent Mussolini?

Its not like there's a cult of personality, attempts to change the constitution and allow a third term, or any disbanding of Congress to give him absolute executive power.

If anything, civil rights are in a worse state of development because he's a do-nothing as opposed to Eisenhower's and Kennedy's "federalize the National Guard" approach...


I'd be more concerned by the fact that protesters and radicals can be committed to psychiatric institutions in the 1960s...

[Faeelin]

I'm curious...why is the Disney Youth inconstitutional?


A corporate back youth group designed to support the president, sponsored out of the President's pocket? It certainly skirts the bounds of legality, if it's not outright unconstitutional.

Furthermore, bear in mind that several of these justices served at Nuremberg.

[Redem]

Well strangely enough we are just a few years after WWII and nobody in that world think of making hitler parralells

[mrmandias]

A corporate back youth group designed to support the president, sponsored out of the President's pocket? It certainly skirts the bounds of legality, if it's not outright unconstitutional.


No, it doesn't. Unfortunate, but the Constitution isn't the Perfect Instrument of Governance that solves every possible political problem. President Obama has been working to use his campaign volunteer network on an ongoing basis and no one has even hinted that this is unconstitutional, nor should they.

[Faeelin]

No, it doesn't.

I'm not as certain as you are, but this will require some thought.

[maverick]

Indeed...

Let's consider that the Disney youth corps are not run by the man himself, and that the company is run by his brothers, as Walt severed all legal ties in order to get the Presidency.

So, its not out of the President's pockets since he is no longer CEO etc of Disney, and they're not supposed to fanatically support Disney, but the country, since the point is blind patriotism and promote civic responsability and other stuff...even if the lines are a little blurry, since Disney is President of the United States, to which the kids make their oaths...thus loyalty to the Presidency is loyalty to the country.

Whether its constitutional to train kids in combat, or allow them to be segregated, its a matter of another discussion...

[pieman3141]

A fantastic TL, certainly. Well-balanced, with both darker aspects of 1950s America, as well as the more successful ones. The space race and more support for public transit (isn't this a left-wing idea?) is something I can't disagree with.

[SeanPdineen]

What would the role of women, be in this timeline?
I can picture the rise of Marbell Morgan, Philis Schafely types

[Wendell]

So he's more like a competent Mussolini?

So far, we have:

-A worse civil rights movement.
-A youth group that pretty clearly is unconstitutional (I have to say, this doesn't square at all with what I think the SCOTUS would decide).
-McCarthyism.

I'm not sure why the Disney youth would be any more unconstitutional than federal handouts to anything not enumerated in the constitution, the Boy Scouts, or any number of other issues/organizations.

[statichaos]

A corporate back youth group designed to support the president, sponsored out of the President's pocket? It certainly skirts the bounds of legality, if it's not outright unconstitutional.

Furthermore, bear in mind that several of these justices served at Nuremberg.

Concerns understood, as well as the skepticism.

However, Walt has resigned as the President of Disney, and has no official control over the company or the clubs. Also, they rarely (if ever) mention the President, instead concentrating on nationalism, moralism, and red-baiting wrapped up in the flag. Despite their White House appearance at Christmas, they do not support any specific political party or candidate. Therefore, they're constitutional, though they do (as you say) skirt the bounds.

[statichaos]

What would the role of women, be in this timeline?
I can picture the rise of Marbell Morgan, Philis Schafely types

That's an excellent question, and I'm mildly annoyed with myself for not taking it into consideration yet. Thanks.

[statichaos]

Grieving gamester Joey D seems to be sadly socking it to the sappy sycophants and mangy mousters of Burbank! The ex-fiancee of the Divine Miss Monroe has come to Tinseltown to drum up support for a Free Speech League! Flash, Mr. East Coast Athlete! Out here in Hollywood, one thing pops louder than the crack of a bat, and that's the sound of the cash register! Or don't you remember that's why you left your former flame in the dust? Poor Joey D! Shoved out of the limelight by one Mickey, and loses his love to the toppermost popularity of another! So, Joey, unless you plan on putting your money into a new studio, you can forget your politics, because the Mouse is squeaking louder than you!

-Confidential Magazine, 6/8/56


JOHNSON SURPRISE WINNER IN CALIFORNIA PRIMARY, KEFAUVER WITHDRAWS

-Sacramento Bee, 6/8/56



"My fellow Americans, for far too long we have been led down a road of pie-in-the-sky promises, of dreams and fantasies with no basis in reality, no stake in them for the common man. Domestic strife has been met with fancy gadgets and talk of rockets to the moon. We have turned our back on our closest of allies in the Mideast in order to canoodle with a military dictator sworn to their destruction. In our streets, despite endless empty promises, our youths run rampant with a total disregard for the rule of law.

"I say this to you: In a Johnson administration, you will see all of our cities treated equally in regards to government funds, rather than seeing a few fortunates receiving manna from on high while the infrastructure crumbles in the rest.

"In a Johnson administration, we will not forget those for whom we sacrificed much, for whom we suffered so much in the name of freedom, nor shall we sacrifice them to the plots and schemes of mad sheiks

"In a Johnson administration, we shall see all Americans afforded their full share of Constitutional rights, regardless of their relgion, race, or color."

-Excerpt from Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson's speech upon receiving the Democratic nomination.


"Aw, hell, who put the Negro comment into the speech? I want his ass fired now!"

-Robert F. Kennedy, heard backstage at the 1956 Democratic National Convention


Hell, it was like the Democrats didn't want to win! Sure, of course the civil rights mumbo-jumbo played well to the comsymp libs up north, but you would have thought that they'd learned their lesson a couple of elections before that. But Johnson ok'd it.

I was watching the speech with the President when LBJ made the "full share" comment. Disney groaned. It was almost like he felt sorry for Johnson. Not sorry enough to not sit back with some glee as the Southern contingent bolted the party for the second time in ten years, mind. You could hear the boos start in the convention hall that night, and they pretty much didn't stop till November. If a Northerner had said it, hell, they wouldn't have cared. But one of their own? I think it took all of a day before the "Lyndon Baines Judas" buttons started appearing.

-Retired Senator Roy Cohn (R-N.Y.), quoted in Magic Kingdom: America In The 50s by Studs Terkel


SEVEN INJURED IN MOUSEKETEER/STREET GANG BRAWL

-Miami Herald, 7/1/56


In the wake of recent adverse publicity, the Central Office has deemed it advisable to withdraw Disney Defender groups from active patrol until such time as a more comprehensive training process can be completed. Said training will include but not be limited to: Unarmed combat, baton combat, and a thorough grounding in legal matters related to self-defense and the correct manner in which to perform a citizen's arrest. Firearms training may be appropriate in some areas of the country, but it is important to state for the record that Disney Defenders must never be armed on patrol unless all legal matters have been cleared with the local authorities, and unless the Defenders bearing arms are well-trained in their use and over the age of 16.

The training should be complete by the end of November, at which time we hope to resume active patrols.

-Mickey Mouse Club Memo, 7/6/56


SECRETARY OF STATE DULLES MEETS WITH NASSER: Nasser Calls Canal Nationalization Rumors "Zionist Propaganda"

-The New York Times, 7/26/56


SEN. JOHNSON: Therefore, I believe that it is in the best interests of this great nation to take a close look at both candidates before you, and make your decision based on the simple facts. You have before you a President who has done many great things for this country, as I will be the first to admit. He did these great things in his home of Hollywood, California, among the glitz and glamour of that town. Now he's attempted to run an entire country on the same moonshine and fairy dust.

PRESIDENT DISNEY: Before I respond to the rest of the honorable Senator's comments, I would like to make one minor factual correction: The Senator referred to Hollywood as my home. Now, it is true that I worked near there for quite a while, though I was actually in Burbank. However, my home is in Kansas City, Missouri, and it's from that fine city that I draw the dreams, values, and inspiration that drive me every day of my life. I'm sure that the Senator remembers Missouri: It's where my predecessor President Truman came from. The land of Mark Twain, of simple times, happy dreams, and ice cream socials. That's the America I grew up with. That's the America I believe in to this day, no matter where I may live, whether it be in Burbank or the White House."

-Excerpt from first Presidential Debate, 1956


"Tell this Colonel Whoever-he-is that I don't show pornography on this program."

-Ed Sullivan, quoted in Mad, Bad, And Dangerous To Know: Rock And Roll In America

[statichaos]

Well strangely enough we are just a few years after WWII and nobody in that world think of making hitler parralells

As much as I love my country, there is a sad tendency towards thinking "Well, if we're the ones doing it, then it's obviously not wrong."

[David bar Elias]

Interesting update.

A tiny nitpick: Roy Cohn should be marked as (R-NY) right?

Keep up the fantastic work!

[Fearless Leader]

Wow...just...wow

I'm definitely impressed, probably the most original TL I've seen in a long while...

I'm eagerly anticipating the next update!

[Geekhis Khan]

:eek: THIS...IS...GENIUS!! :eek:

This is so well written, so tragicomic, and so well paced and thought out that I just want more and more.

I love how the TL "feels" like an ATL 1950s. So very few TLs, even good ones, retain the "feel" of the setting for too long.

A+ as AH, A++ as Creative Writing, A+++ as Satire.

I'd recommend seeking publishing, but I'd be afraid of black sedans filled with black-suited, mousekateer-eared bruisers appearing at your door one night. :p

Still, though, I can't help but imagine this as a coffee table picture book with photoshoped images to acompany the "excerpts". The Nixon-Mouskateer image alone would sell it.

Maybe if you disguised it along the "quite similar to but legally distinct from" lines, ala "Brisby Land" in Venture Bros...

[Redem]

As much as I love my country, there is a sad tendency towards thinking "Well, if we're the ones doing it, then it's obviously not wrong."

The U.S also has a tendency to use the Godwin's law too , however back in those days however back in those days it probably more about Stalin than Hitler, so its more useful to Disney:D

Anyway I'm curious as to how Canada/ U.S relationship going to turn in the long term probably something close to train wreck

[maverick]

This is excellent...

"Aw, hell, who put the Negro comment into the speech? I want his ass fired now!"

-Robert F. Kennedy, heard backstage at the 1956 Democratic National Convention

This is in reference to a speach JFK did and nobody noticed, or to LBJ's speech?:confused:

[Historico]

Great update Stat, So who does LBJ pick for his Vice President? Stevenson maybe to balance the ticket? Is there any way we can get an electoral map along with the results of the '56 election? and always keep this awesome tl comming!

[statichaos]

Interesting update.

A tiny nitpick: Roy Cohn should be marked as (R-NY) right?

Keep up the fantastic work!


Oops. Corrected.

And thank you.

[statichaos]

:eek: THIS...IS...GENIUS!! :eek:]

I'd recommend seeking publishing, but I'd be afraid of black sedans filled with black-suited, mousekateer-eared bruisers appearing at your door one night. :p



Well, I live in Pasadena and work in Venice, so they wouldn't have far to travel either way.

[statichaos]

This is excellent...



This is in reference to a speach JFK did and nobody noticed, or to LBJ's speech?:confused:

The last line of LBJ's speech, in which he mentioned civil rights.

[Hendryk]

Count me among your growing fan base. This is a very well-written TL, and you've made the premise quite believeable despite its unlikelihood. Your style is incidentally reminiscent of James Ellroy's fiction, especially American Tabloid, which features several of the same figures you depict.

About Roy Cohn: on top of being a self-hating homosexual, was he also a self-hating Jew? One wonders if there's anything about himself he didn't hate, and make someone else pay for it.
As we all know, the General has lobbied for an extensive highway system to be built as part of the nation's infrastructure. President Disney approves of this, but believes that a national mass transportation system must be part and parcel of this effort, whether it involves an expansion of our existing train system, or a more advanced technology.
Well, at least President Disney did something right.

So Ginsberg, he gets this Hemingway/Gertrude Stein thing going and decides that we have to go to Paris. But, see, they don't like Americans in France anymore, since we're barbarians to them, which is sad, because you should see what they're doing with movies nowadays. So we try the Netherlands, and Italy, and we skip Spain of course, and here we are now in Berlin, where believe it or not, it's all hip. There's a new scene developing here, and I think it would be cool if you could find your way over. Bring a thousand or two of our nearest and dearest. America is dead. Berlin is the future of art, literature, reefer, and all the other things that make life worth living."
I see why you needed to make Paris unattractive, but I don't think that reason would be a good one. There still was, in the 1950s, a fairly vibrant community of American expatriate artists in Paris, though of course in was nothing like the interwar period. Perhaps Ginsberg wants to go someplace more original?

[Gonzaga]

Good work statichaos!

Just a question, how had Disney dealt with the problem of Mossadegh in Iran?

[statichaos]

Count me among your growing fan base. This is a very well-written TL, and you've made the premise quite believeable despite its unlikelihood. Your style is incidentally reminiscent of James Ellroy's fiction, especially American Tabloid, which features several of the same figures you depict.

Yes, in fact I'm directly referencing Ellroy's take on the purple prose of the gossip sheets of the time when I do the Hollywood entries. Good eye.


About Roy Cohn: on top of being a self-hating homosexual, was he also a self-hating Jew? One wonders if there's anything about himself he didn't hate, and make someone else pay for it.

He's the Mikey of the Cold War.

Well, at least President Disney did something right.

Yeah, I don't want him to purely be a "bad guy", and with his love of trains, I could see this as being a pet program of his.


I see why you needed to make Paris unattractive, but I don't think that reason would be a good one. There still was, in the 1950s, a fairly vibrant community of American expatriate artists in Paris, though of course in was nothing like the interwar period. Perhaps Ginsberg wants to go someplace more original?

Point taken. However, considering the shifts going on in American politics, and the French nationalism of the day, I was thinking that the Gallic take on a bunch of scruffy, dope-smoking beatniks would be a decidedly negative one.

[statichaos]

Good work statichaos!

Just a question, how had Disney dealt with the problem of Mossadegh in Iran?

Much the same as in this one.

[jeff]

Don't stop! Keep going! I must see more of this TL!:D

[Major Major]

One wonders what Cyril Kornbluth's "The Advent on Channel Twelve" (Star Science Fiction No. 4, November 1958) will be like. [It's a thinly disguised story of how Mickey Mouse became real . . . and God.)

[Redem]

One wonders what Cyril Kornbluth's "The Advent on Channel Twelve" (Star Science Fiction No. 4, November 1958) will be like. [It's a thinly disguised story of how Mickey Mouse became real . . . and God.)

To the Alaskian Goulag!

[statichaos]

After the polls came out a couple of weeks before the election, you would have thought that President Disney would have been on top of the world. You would have been incorrect in that assumption. Instead, on October 23rd, 1956, riots broke out in Hungary. The Soviet backed government looked as if it was going to topple. Cohn was beside himself with glee, but the rest of the President's advisers were more hesitant.

One major, if unofficial adviser was General Eisenhower. He was now recovering from his most recent heart episode. His advice was to hold off: The Soviets were bound to interfere at some point, and an invasion could lead to a nuclear showdown in Europe. When Cohn heard of this, he went insane with rage. The Chief of Staff pulled out all of the stops to get the President away from the General, but Eisenhower was too canny and too well-connected for that. Therefore, the President now had his two most trusted advisers at odds with each other, with the General advising caution and his right-hand man advising something close to an invasion in support of the uprising.

A compromise was reached wherein the United Ståtes publicly supported the new government of Hungary, but took no military action to defend or support the revolutionaries. However, I was reasonably certain that our intelligence people were working night and day to assist our Hungarian brothers and sisters in their struggle for liberty.

-The Truth Of Fantasy: A Washington Memoir, Former White House Press Secretary James Dodd


SOVIET ARMY CROSSES BORDER INTO HUNGARY, SABOTAGE RAMPANT

-Washington Post, 10/27/56


"We shall not stand idly by as our friends in Hungary are brutalized by the forces of International Communism. We shall not turn our heads as the flower of youth is crushed in the streets of Budapest."

-President Walt Disney, address to the nation, 11/1/56


"The peace-loving people of the Soviet Union are not intimidated by the empty rhetoric of the fascist showman who runs the United States."

-Pravda Editorial, 11/3/56


"And I'll tell you Wally, it's wild and wooly out here in the streets of Berlin. On the one side you have the young and crazy Communists, and I mean Communists, not what President Mouse and his gang call a Red, the so-called parlor pinks who vote union and bust open the heads of scabs. No, these are the real McCoy, or real MarxCoy, cats and chicks who'd rather read Engels than get laid. They're out in the streets yelling about "imperialist aggression", and I can dig, but they're so into the revolution that they forget about what comes next, or even what comes now. Then on the other side you have the old folks who'd put on a swastika right now if it wouldn't mean a kick in the ass from the Army folks who still walk around like Uncle Sam owns the place, which he does, and who's caught in the middle but yours truly. So Alan's heard of this cat Elvis who does some crazy things with Negro music, and I'm hip, because we hear that he's going to be in London any time now for a series of shows since he can't get booked even into a jail cell in the U.S. since the Mouse Clubs came along. So if you get to Berlin before we get back, talk to Jack, since he's over here till the heat dies down from that auto theft rap."

-Personal Correspondence of "Beano" to Wally Hedrick


DISNEY IN LANDSLIDE-Johnson strong in Northeast, but fails to capture home state of Texas.

-New York Times, 11/5/56


SOVIETS BOGGED DOWN IN HUNGARY-Western Powers call for ceasefire.

-Washington Post, 11/24/56


Hey, the Reds knew that they were screwed. They didn't want it spilling over into the neighboring states, since they weren't any more fond of all out atomic hell than anyone else. But if they stayed in Hungary, there was no guarantee that they'd get anywhere, and they just didn't want to deal with being bogged down for years...the army had lost their taste for it, for all their talk of solidarity and defeating the imperialist aggressors. So they called in their people, and we called in our people, and we managed to work something out where they were still kind of part of the Warsaw Pact in name, but didn't actually add diddly squat to the defense forces, and they sure as hell weren't NATO. And Nagy's people just sat in the background and stewed. But they knew that they had a choice between getting their asses kicked five ways from Sunday by a fuckload of divisions, or going along with the plan like good little boys and getting some breathing room from the Kremlin.

Hell, it worked out for the Soviets, since they could always point to the free and fair elections in Hungary to prove that they were all for these things. Never mind Poland, or Yugoslavia, or Romania, all still under their thumb....

But at least we got the Army out, even if they were still right on the border. That's probably the proudest moment of the administration.

-Retired Senator Roy Cohn (R-NY), quoted in Magic Kingdom: America In The 50s by Studs Terkel


"As many of you know, we here at Disney have been keeping a pretty close eye on America lately, since we've been faced with all sorts of challenges. We've come out on top, though, so we're ready to announce the National Mickey Mouse Club American Pride Day! Yes, boys and girls throughout this great land will be holding parades and get-togethers up and down the Main Streets of places from the smallest of towns to the biggest cities. We'll even have special appearances from the Disney Defenders, and from all of your favorite characters, including Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and all the gang! So watch for the parades coming your way on December 15th!"

-Ronald Reagan, The Mickey Mouse Club Hour, 11/30/56

[Fenrir_Angerboda]

I gotta say...
I've been reading this entire thing, and it' Brillient Bloody Brillient.
Great job.

[Historico]

Great last update, However I just wanted 2 point out, that I seriously doubt LBJ would be able to pick up anything in the Northeast withough a Northern running mate...His map probably looks alot like Stevenson's 56 electoral map. Btw, did you mention who was LBJ's running mate?

[statichaos]

Great last update, However I just wanted 2 point out, that I seriously doubt LBJ would be able to pick up anything in the Northeast withough a Northern running mate...His map probably looks alot like Stevenson's 56 electoral map. Btw, did you mention who was LBJ's running mate?


No, I did not. Unfortunately, it wasn't in any of the research material I posted. Fear not, it will be mentioned in subsequent posts. And you are correct in regards to the Northeast.

[Geekhis Khan]

Another great update! Love this TL! :D

Oh hell, this just came to mind and I had to post it before it burns a hole in my skull. Please forgive my tresspassing on your TL, Stat.



"So join the Fuhrer of the band,
fight for the Ayran race!
H-I-T, L-E-R, Y-O-U-T-H!"

- Graffitti seen on desk in a University of California, Berkley classroom

[Fenrir_Angerboda]

Another great update! Love this TL! :D

Oh hell, this just came to mind and I had to post it before it burns a hole in my skull. Please forgive my tresspassing on your TL, Stat.



"So join the Fuhrer of the band,
fight for the Ayran race!
H-I-T, L-E-R, Y-O-U-T-H!"

- Graffitti seen on desk in a University of California, Berkley classroom

that's acctualy quite catchy.

[Geekhis Khan]

that's acctualy quite catchy.

I know...it's been stuck in my head for the past hour! I'm half afraid I'll involuntarily sing it in public and get lynched. Damn my sick li'l mind.

[maverick]

I know...it's been stuck in my head for the past hour! I'm half afraid I'll involuntarily sing it in public and get lynched. Damn my sick li'l mind.

And in today's top story, a white kid walking in a black heighborhood in Washington D.C. was unsuspectively assaulted and lynched by a joint black, latino and white gang while singing neo-nazi anthems to the tune of Mickey Mouse music...find out why, at 11!

:p

[statichaos]

"I'll tell ya, it was quite a sight and a real thrill when we marched down Pennsylvania Avenue right in front of the White House. President Disney was out there as an honored guest. As a Disney Defender, I got to wear the special uniform with the Mickey armband, and my buddies and I all snapped off our salutes in unison as we passed by.

"That's when all hell broke loose. A bunch of scruffy looking red protesters came up through Lafayette Park. We couldn't see them right off, but we could see the signs they were holding: "No Fascist U.S.A." "Get Your Mouse Off Of My Bookshelf!" "You're Not Defending Me, Disney!". You know. That sort of nonsense. They were yelling and shouting, and trying to break through the crowd watching the parade. One of them managed to shove through, and bumped into Timmy, who was a few rows in front of me. Now, we were taught self-discipline, but we were also taught that a fellow who throws the first punch probably isn't ready to sit down and talk reasonably. Timmy figured that he'd been attacked, so he socked the fellow a good one in the jaw. The other guys with the pickets, they let up this huge howl, and stormed right through the spectators to get at us. I heard someone yelling 'Get the President out of here!' and saw a bunch of Secret Service agents surrounding him and shoving him off the grandstand. Then one of the reds came up to me screaming and swinging a picket sign, so I took out my baton and used the self-defense techniques Sergeant Watson had taught me to bop him a good one on the side of his skull..."

-Harold "Whitey" Whitmore, quoted in Let Us Hold Our Banner High, Documentary Prize winner at the Cannes International Film Festival, 2002.


PRESIDENT SURVIVES ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AT DISNEY PRIDE CELEBRATIONS IN WASHINGTON: Other, Lesser Protests Also Evident At Nationwide Celebration

-Los Angeles Times, 12/16/56


"Our evidence will show the following: That my clients sitting here before you were peaceably exercising their constitutional rights as guaranteed under the First Amendment when they were set upon by corporate-sponsored paramilitary youths acting under the protection of the United States government. Also that the gun supposedly owned by Mr. Kunstler here, a respected attorney from New York, was not only not in his possession at the time of his arrest, but was planted by overzealous agents of the same federal government..."

-Opening Statement in United States v. Kunstler, Dwight, and Lange


"We're pleased to announce that due to the January 6th show meeting such a powerful response from the English listening public, we're going to be adding a few more dates and going out on a national tour. He'll also be at the opening of the Cavern Club in your fine city of Liverpool. Of course, Mr. Presley will be giving interviews to established and respectable journalists, as he's an established and respectable performing artist."

-Col. Tom Parker, press conference, 1/8/57


CONGRESS PASSES ANTI-RIOT LAWS: ACLU Promises To Fight Law "To The Highest Court"

-Washington Post, 1/22/57


ISRAEL PROTESTS INCREASED FOREIGN AID TO EGYPT, MIDEAST

-Washington Post, 2/14/57


"Yes, I believe that this trip is appropriate. As the foremost fighters of fascism in the world today, the peace-loving people of the Soviet Union naturally support those who suffered the most at the hands of the madmen who nearly destroyed Germany. As my first act as foreign minister, I am looking forward to visiting Israel, and to improving relations between our people and the Jewish people."

-Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, 2/21/57


KUNSTLER GUILTY OF ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT, INCITEMENT TO RIOT: Facing Life In Prison, Defiant Lawyer Vows Appeal

-The New York Times, 3/6/57


The President was in as bad of a condition as I'd ever seen him in. He'd always had some nervous tics, but ever since the assassination attempt, he couldn't stay at his desk for more than half an hour before getting up to wash his hands. Also, his drinking had increased noticeably. I'd thought that his typical lunch of fresh doughnuts dipped in whiskey to be an amusing affectation brought over from California. Then he started drinking the whiskey afterwards. Then I noticed that the bottle was being pulled out somewhat regularly, though he did his best to keep it from the rest of the staff.

Somewhat worried, I took the unusual step of approaching Roy about the situation. He snorted derisively when I brought it up. "So what?" he snapped back at me. "A bunch of 'em drank. Truman. Roosevelt loved his martinis. Hell, Grant's remembered for it, and not badly, either. Think his drinking is a problem? Unless we get the Soviets and Israel to stop acting like schoolchums, I'm going to have to look at getting my name changed if I want to keep working here."

-The Truth Of Fantasy: A Washington Memoir, Former White House Press Secretary James Dodd


KUNSTLER ERUPTS DURING APPEAL HEARING, HELD FOR PSYCHIATRIC OBSERVATION

-The Washington Post, 3/17/57

[maverick]

CONGRESS PASSES ANTI-RIOT LAWS: ACLU Promises To Fight Law "To The Highest Court"

-Washington Post, 1/22/57


ISRAEL PROTESTS INCREASED FOREIGN AID TO EGYPT, MIDEAST

-Washington Post, 2/14/57


Interesting, but how does this prevent the 1956 Sinai war? So this led to Eden remaining in power? and isn't it odd for Disney to be so friendly with near-socialist regimes in the Mideast?

Of course, maybe Nasser is less socialist ITTL, thanks to US Aid

[statichaos]

Interesting, but how does this prevent the 1956 Sinai war? So this led to Eden remaining in power? and isn't it odd for Disney to be so friendly with near-socialist regimes in the Mideast?

Of course, maybe Nasser is less socialist ITTL, thanks to US Aid


Eden is in power, and Nasser is less socialist due to increased foreign aid, including some under-the-table military aid. Disney isn't a foaming at the mouth anti-Semite, but while he has an intellectual dislike of communism, his dislike of Jews is instinctual and tends to inform his worldview.

[David bar Elias]

"

ISRAEL PROTESTS INCREASED FOREIGN AID TO EGYPT, MIDEAST

-Washington Post, 2/14/57


"Yes, I believe that this trip is appropriate. As the foremost fighters of fascism in the world today, the peace-loving people of the Soviet Union naturally support those who suffered the most at the hands of the madmen who nearly destroyed Germany. As my first act as foreign minister, I am looking forward to visiting Israel, and to improving relations between our people and the Jewish people."

-Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, 2/21/57

Oh boy...I don't want to imagine what's going to happen in the Middle East in the coming years. :eek:

[Redem]

Oh boy...I don't want to imagine what's going to happen in the Middle East in the coming years. :eek:

Well if it is shitty it ain't that much different from otl, it just can be another kind of shit

[statichaos]

HOFFA ARRESTED ON BRIBERY CHARGES

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Union Leader James Hoffa was arrested by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation yesterday on charges of bribery....

...Speaking for his client, Attorney Raymond Seale stated "This is obviously a politically motivated arrest on the part of an anti-union administration. President Disney was well-known as a union-buster during his time in the private sector, and he is now using the powers of his office in a manner designed to cripple them once and for all."

-Chicago Tribune, 3/14/57


"Now, I won't speak as to the charges regarding Mr. Hoffa. I will say this, though: The President has been given every opportunity in the world to be a great leader. Some of his projects have even leaned towards greatness, such as the space program. However, when given the opportunity for moral leadership, he has consistently refused to rise to the occasion. We still have riots in our streets between underprivileged youths and the youngsters in the so-called "Disney Defenders". In the face of open and honest disapproval of his policies, he has shoved unconstitutional measures through congress, measures certain to not be upheld by the Supreme Court. And, yes, millions of American citizens down south are still denied their rights to vote, their rights to shop where they will, to attend school where they will, to drink from the same fountains and use the same facilities as those of lighter skin.

"In all of these matters and many more, the man who brought us some of the most delightful creations of animation has, quite oddly, suffered a total failure of imagination."

-Speech by Senator John F. Kennedy (D-MA) to the American Civil Liberties Union


"It is therefore the opinion of this court that Mr. Kunstler is mentally incapable of defending himself or assisting in his own defense, and will be remanded to the State Hospital for the Criminally Insane until such time as he has been determined to not be a danger to himself or others..."

-Judge Horace Wright, 3/27/57


Problems? Hoo, boy, I'll say we had problems. They had to put extra security on me after the Anti-Defamation League started calling me a traitor. They were comparing me to the Jews in Germany and Poland who sold out their neighbors for a little protection, calling me "Walt's pet Jew". See, I didn't see myself as Jewish. I'd even started going to the Episcopalian Church and getting religious instruction. It didn't matter. Because of my last name, they saw me as a turncoat.

On the other hand, I did have one of my better inspirations during this time, even if the eventual repercussions couldn't have been foreseen. See, at first Walt was mad because Kunstler had gotten off with his lawyers calling him crazy, paranoid, seeing a frame job where there wasn't one, which is a better defense than his first team gave him. The President would rant and rave about how being a communist didn't make someone crazy, it just made 'em idiots.

It hit me then: The President was wrong. Of course it was crazy to be a communist. Of course it was the sign of a mental defect. I mean, maybe not when you're poor and uneducated, but when you're a successful professional? It's like being a fashion designer who advocates nudism, or a cop who advocates crime. Communism was a mental illness, and Kunstler was in a hospital getting treated for it. Beautiful.

Of course I didn't bring any of this up to him immediately, but I did bide my time until he calmed down a bit. In the meantime, he was letting the pressures of the office get to him, and I needed to isolate him from the staff members who were causing distractions.

-Retired Senator Roy Cohn (D-NY), quoted in Magic Kingdom: America In The 50s, by Studs Terkel


The first change that I noticed was that Cohn was always there. Morning briefings, staff meetings, walking through the halls, he never gave the President a moment alone. He'd even speak up during the times that I asked President Disney a direct question, like the man couldn't speak for himself

During one such meeting, I brought up a simple question regarding the space program. We were slated to send a man into space for a short hop, and I wanted to know if the President had any specific words to say on such an occasion. Instead of answering me directly, he looked at Roy.

"Make up something and the President will sign his name" Roy said.

"I thought..." I managed to get out before he interrupted.

"Next item" he snapped.

I went through the remainder of the morning meeting, a bit taken aback by the President's uncharacteristic lack of communication with me. As I said goodbye, I leaned forward slightly as I arose from my chair. The answer came to me then and there as I caught the scent of whiskey on the President's breath.

Cohn had already managed to manipulate one drunken politician. Now he was pulling the strings of the most powerful one in the world. I was aghast at the prospect. Disney had been a father figure to me for some years, as I'm sure I've established by now.

I was able to get him alone just once, when the President graciously invited me over to the private residence to watch Julie Andrews in Cinderella on television one night. I tried to talk with him then, but he just smiled at me blankly, said "Jimmy, my boy, can't you ever think of anything but business?" and sat enraptured by Miss Andrews' performance for the rest of the evening.

-From The Truth Of Fantasy: A Washington Memoir by Former White House Press Secretary James Dodd


Dear Sir:

It has come to the attention of Mickey Mouse Clubs nationwide that you are planning to export a book to the United States called Heulen, by the so-called "poet" Alan Ginsberg.

Having been informed of the contents of this book, we are sworn and determined to not allow this degenerate and obscene material to touch the hallowed shores of our great country. Ginsberg and his cronies have left the United States to spread their filth elsewhere, and quite frankly, we are happy that they left.

We therefore ask you to reconsider your intent to sell this book in the United States, as you will be met with every legal means at our disposal to stop you.

Sincerely,

Anita Bryant
Youth Morals Director
Mickey Mouse Clubs of America

[grdja83]

Hell, it worked out for the Soviets, since they could always point to the free and fair elections in Hungary to prove that they were all for these things. Never mind Poland, or Yugoslavia, or Romania, all still under their thumb....

But at least we got the Army out, even if they were still right on the border. That's probably the proudest moment of the administration.

-Retired Senator Roy Cohn (R-NY), quoted in Magic Kingdom: America In The 50s by Studs Terkel

Oh my God!

How can you write a ATL and be so uninformed. Tito (and Yugoslavia with him) never listened to Stalin too much, and send him to hell and told to him fuck off in 1948. In 1948-1953 (and couple years afterward) Tito's Yugoslavia was so far outside of Soviet Sphere of influence that it looked like a dot. Even after normalization of relations in late 1950'es it was just light ecconomic cooperation and nothing more. Both in 1956. and 1968. Yugoslavia supported Hungary and Chekoslovakia as much as it safely could. Those two actualy wanted to be as "free" as Yugo was. Yugoslavia was communist, but pretty much neutral, it freaking founded the entire Non Aligned Movenment with Naser and Nehru. Ann while some idological reaproachment happend when Tito in his last years personaly was reverting to more "hard core" communism... well the rest of leadership and entire country wernt any more listening that much.

From late '60es and onwards you had significant personal economic liberties and rights, could travel to Evil Decadent Capitalist countries with very little fus... And even in '80es when ecconomy started dying from mismanagement and murderous IMF debt repayment schemes country was far closer to a consumer market ecconomy and society than any comunist country anywhere, ever. OK, 21st century China not counting.

[maverick]

It hit me then: The President was wrong. Of course it was crazy to be a communist. Of course it was the sign of a mental defect. I mean, maybe not when you're poor and uneducated, but when you're a successful professional? It's like being a fashion designer who advocates nudism, or a cop who advocates crime. Communism was a mental illness, and Kunstler was in a hospital getting treated for it. Beautiful.


Lovely...reminds me of Futurama, with one judge filling the psychiatric institutions after declaring that being poor was a mental illness:p

[maverick]

I can't tell if the socialist newb was being serious or not, but he has a point, yugoslavia was far from being under Socialist control...

Of course, this is part of


Retired Senator Roy Cohn (R-NY), quoted in Magic Kingdom: America In The 50s by Studs Terkel


So, we can say that since this guy is the one being quoted, he made the mistake and not the author of the TL...that's what we call an unreliable narrator, newbie

[statichaos]

Oh my God!

How can you write a ATL and be so uninformed. Tito (and Yugoslavia with him) never listened to Stalin too much, and send him to hell and told to him fuck off in 1948. In 1948-1953 (and couple years afterward) Tito's Yugoslavia was so far outside of Soviet Sphere of influence that it looked like a dot. Even after normalization of relations in late 1950'es it was just light ecconomic cooperation and nothing more. Both in 1956. and 1968. Yugoslavia supported Hungary and Chekoslovakia as much as it safely could. Those two actualy wanted to be as "free" as Yugo was. Yugoslavia was communist, but pretty much neutral, it freaking founded the entire Non Aligned Movenment with Naser and Nehru. Ann while some idological reaproachment happend when Tito in his last years personaly was reverting to more "hard core" communism... well the rest of leadership and entire country wernt any more listening that much.

From late '60es and onwards you had significant personal economic liberties and rights, could travel to Evil Decadent Capitalist countries with very little fus... And even in '80es when ecconomy started dying from mismanagement and murderous IMF debt repayment schemes country was far closer to a consumer market ecconomy and society than any comunist country anywhere, ever. OK, 21st century China not counting.


One hint when reading this specific timeline: Check the source of the information, and consider how he or she would see the situation. To Cohn, communism is communism is communism, and it can all be traced back to the Kremlin.

[statichaos]

I can't tell if the socialist newb was being serious or not, but he has a point, yugoslavia was far from being under Socialist control...

Of course, this is part of



So, we can say that since this guy is the one being quoted, he made the mistake and not the author of the TL...that's what we call an unreliable narrator, newbie

I love simultaneous posting, especially when we say essentially the same thing.

[maverick]

Indeed...

Now, seriously...

While the Johnson/Kennedy was predictable (that's what you get after three years dedicated to history and alt-history, you've seen it all...and then you get President Disney and President H-P Lovecraft and the such)...I will say that this is by far the most original dystopia set in the USA...

I will say the disney armbands might have been a tad too much (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything)...:p

Now, Socialist in Psychiatric institutions, anti-riot legislation, cartoon inspired youth movements that an actually hold political power and enforce censorship without much doubts about their constitutionality...well, the effort is really shown and appreciated

[Redem]

Indeed...

Now, seriously...

While the Johnson/Kennedy was predictable (that's what you get after three years dedicated to history and alt-history, you've seen it all...and then you get President Disney and President H-P Lovecraft and the such)...I will say that this is by far the most original dystopia set in the USA...

I will say the disney armbands might have been a tad too much (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything)...:p

Now, Socialist in Psychiatric institutions, anti-riot legislation, cartoon inspired youth movements that an actually hold political power and enforce censorship without much doubts about their constitutionality...well, the effort is really shown and appreciated

Should have stick to the Mickey Mouse ear as fascist symbol

[grdja83]

One hint when reading this specific timeline: Check the source of the information, and consider how he or she would see the situation. To Cohn, communism is communism is communism, and it can all be traced back to the Kremlin.


Ah sorry then, haven't payed attention that it was Cohn signed under that and the implications on that...

[Historico]

Great last updates...Having Cohn taking the driver's seat while Walt becomes a Drunk is fantastic. We will be in for quite a ride during the late 1950's:D

[statichaos]

I will say the disney armbands might have been a tad too much (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything)...:p


Yes. I can only say the following in my defense:

I just couldn't resist it.

[statichaos]

Ah sorry then, haven't payed attention that it was Cohn signed under that and the implications on that...

No worries. I've done the same thing when skimming a TL.

[statichaos]

Wally, my pal, I am in London and it is hipsville here, though we seem to be at odds with a group of kiddos calling themselves "Teddy Boys", even though I can't see where or how or why we offended them. They all show up at concerts for Elvis and worship him like the golden calf or one of those Oriental idols Alan's always drooling over. But what is done is done, and as long as we stick to a couple of Jewish neighborhoods in the East End where we have some youngsters calling themselves "Mods" on our side, we're safe, nay, we're nearly idolized since they want to know all about our beat lifestyle and take bennies with us. So it's been rap session after rap session, though Alan keeps tugging at his beard and whining that the distinctly non-groovy mouse kiddies have ruined him, and it's downhill from there till we remind him that great artists are never appreciated in their own time then send him upstairs with a bottle of cheap muscatel and a young boy with green eyeshadow. Hope you got in touch with Jack and please let him know that he's sure to find a publisher for his magnum opus if he can just get someone to sit down with a giant roll of paper without wanting to wipe his ass with it first.

-Personal correspondence of "Beano" to Wally Hedrick


ANTI-AMERICAN RIOTS ERUPT IN TAIWAN

-London Times, 5/25/57


ISRAEL, USSR TO INCREASE TRADE, CULTURAL EXCHANGES

-Jerusalem Post, 5/27/57


The former governor stops and looks down, as if this most obvious of questions has taken him by surprise. "No," he says softly. "No, I do not believe that I will enter government service again at any point in my life. Quite frankly, having seen what they are capable of inside the Beltway, I am loath to ever approach politics again. Instead, I expect to remain in my law practice for the rest of my working life, and to occasionally fight for the rights of the oppressed when an interesting enough case crosses my desk."

-"Stevenson In Repose," Look Magazine, 5/57


"President Disney's attempt to build bridges with the Jewish community may have been dealt a fatal blow today during his speech to the Chamber of Commerce in Baltimore, Maryland yesterday afternoon. During his opening remarks, the President was interrupted by demonstrators in the back of the room who loudly protested his support for Egyptian leader Nasser. Sources have informed this reporter that as the protesters were removed by security personnel, the President could be heard leaning over and saying in a joking manner to Chamber President Clancy Johnson 'Tell your security men to watch their wallets on the way out.'

"The White House has not confirmed or denied the President's comments, but a highly placed administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity stated 'If the President said that, it obviously had nothing to do with the religion or heritage of the protesters, but was rather an expression of concern for the well-being of the security guards.'

"In response to this alleged incident, the Anti-Defamation League has issued an official protest with the White House."

-Reporter Tyrone Lansing, WBAL Baltimore


"It was a lovely time to be alive. You had Elvis coming to Liverpool, and that was all that we needed to go stark raving mad. Think I put so much grease in my hair that I could have stood on my head and slid all the way to the Cavern Club to see him. Don't know how they managed to book the man, since he was the hottest ticket in England, no, in Europe. So I showed up with stars in my eyes and lust for the birds in my heart, but instead of making time with one of them, who should I meet but a young incorrigible named Paul. He refused to leave me alone when he found out that I played guitar, though to be fair, he says that I refused once I found out that he played guitar. It's all a bit murky, truth be told. But that's how we met up, as Elvis sang "Jailhouse Rock" on the stage above and the girls around us in the balcony screamed their lovely little lungs out."

-Musician John Lennon quoted in "Mods, Rockers, and Those Bloody Beatniks". Major Music Magazine, 12/10/94


"And now, here's Pat Boone with 'Kiss Me Again', the number one song on our charts!"

-Dick Clark, American Bandstand premiere


GOVERNOR FAUBUS PROMISES TO CALL UP NATIONAL GUARD TO PREVENT INTEGRATION

-Arkansas Democrat Gazette, 8/30/57


"Please note that the President is very concerned about the developing situation in Little Rock, and wishes to find a way to resolve the issues involved within the rule of law while maintaining a respect for the unique traditions and culture of the South."

-White House Spokesman James Dodd, 9/1/57


There was no way around it. If we weren't going to look like fools, then we had to go up against Faubus in the courts. Hey, I'm all about states' rights, but the Civil War determined that you don't get to pick and choose the federal laws you follow. At least not if you're a governor.

-Retired Senator Roy Cohn (R-NY), quoted in Magic Kingdom: America In The 50s by Studs Terkel


Please note that while the Mickey Mouse Clubs take no specific position regarding the issue of integration, we are mindful that various members in certain regions have strong opinions on the matter. Therefore, we only ask that when exercising your right to free speech that you refrain from any clothing, action, or comment that would cause bystanders to believe that you are speaking on behalf of our organization.

-Memo to Mickey Mouse Clubs of Little Rock, AK from Head Office in Burbank, CA


GOVERNOR WITHDRAWS NATIONAL GUARD, NEGRO STUDENTS FORCED FROM BUILDING

-New York Times, 9/21/57


"Yes, we have received a request from the Mayor of Little Rock to provide federal troops for crowd control. The President has considered this request at great length. Unfortunately, while he sympathizes with Mayor Mann in this matter, President Disney also believes that the military has no place in enforcing laws within our borders. It is the position of this administration that the people of Little Rock will be best served by their local law enforcement officers. President Disney will keep a close eye on this developing situation, however, and act as it becomes appropriate.

[Question not comprehensible]

"Yes, he is aware that General Eisenhower has recommended federalizing the Arkansas National Guard. President Disney is mindful of the increased strain on the General due to his recent stroke, however, and understands that the constitutionality of such a move would be uncertain at best."

-White House Press Secretary James Dodd, 9/22/57


"It didn't seem to be that big a deal at the time. They were Negroes, though we didn't use that word, oh, no. We figured that they had no place among decent white folk. Didn't see why in the world they'd even want to be in one of our schools, or stray so far from their own. Didn't understand that "Separate but equal" is anything but equal. So we went down to join the crowd, but took off our uniforms and hats first, dressed like regular old students.

"We were at the back of the school, since they'd managed to sneak 'em in that door previously. Then a whisper went up, then a murmur, like the whole crowd was saying 'They're coming in the side!'. So we all surged around the building. I wasn't thinking at the time, none of us were, we were all just caught up in the excitement of protecting our state, or the virtue of white southern womanhood, or some kind of nonsense like that. Hell, for me it was probably just a day off from school, more or less.

"Somehow or another I got pushed around enough to be near the front, and got to see what happened next. First off was a ring of scared-looking local police, yelling at the crowd and telling them to stay back. Southern white folk protecting the black man. Didn't enter my head at the time, though, since I was too busy watching what happened next. First off, the police line broke when some yokel yelled out 'Lynch the niggers!' and there was a huge surge in the crowd. Most of the kids made it to the door. One of them, Ernest I found out his name was later, he pushed the others ahead of him, protecting the younger ones and the women. Someone clocked him on the back of the head. Don't know what the man was thinking when he turned around and hit back. Guess it had just built up too much for him.

"I saw the crowd rip him apart. Literally. I mean, they pulled him on each side like taffy, and what was left after five minutes wasn't recognizable as human anymore. Couldn't even tell what race he was.

"That day changed everything for me. Changed it even more for him."

-William J. Clinton, co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, quoted in Let Us Hold Our Banner High, Documentary Prize winner at the Cannes International Film Festival, 2002.


RACE RIOT IN LITTLE ROCK

-The New York Times, 9/26/57

[Redem]

"It was a lovely time to be alive. You had Elvis coming to Liverpool, and that was all that we needed to go stark raving mad. Think I put so much grease in my hair that I could have stood on my head and slid all the way to the Cavern Club to see him. Don't know how they managed to book the man, since he was the hottest ticket in England, no, in Europe. So I showed up with stars in my eyes and lust for the birds in my heart, but instead of making time with one of them, who should I meet but a young incorrigible named Paul. He refused to leave me alone when he found out that I played guitar, though to be fair, he says that I refused once I found out that he played guitar. It's all a bit murky, truth be told. But that's how we met up, as Elvis sang "Jailhouse Rock" on the stage above and the girls around us in the balcony screamed their lovely little lungs out."

-Musician John Lennon quoted in "Mods, Rockers, and Those Bloody Beatniks". Major Music Magazine, 12/10/94


For some reason I imagine a Elvis/Bealte band :D

but its cool nice to hear of Clinton

[Ofaloaf]

Thinking ahead a little bit, you previously mentioned the "mental hygiene act of the 1960s." Now, unless there was some previous POD that armwaved away the 22nd amendment, Ol' Walt can't run again in '60- and by the account of things, probably shouldn't. So who the hell becomes President in 1960 and enforces the Mental Hygiene Acts? Can't be Cohn- there surely would've been some mention of it by now. On the other hand, the Acts sound like they're his baby and brainchild, so whoever does get elected to office probably is just as manipulated by Cohn as Walt has been.

Who the hell could that person be?

[statichaos]

Thinking ahead a little bit, you previously mentioned the "mental hygiene act of the 1960s." Now, unless there was some previous POD that armwaved away the 22nd amendment, Ol' Walt can't run again in '60- and by the account of things, probably shouldn't. So who the hell becomes President in 1960 and enforces the Mental Hygiene Acts? Can't be Cohn- there surely would've been some mention of it by now. On the other hand, the Acts sound like they're his baby and brainchild, so whoever does get elected to office probably is just as manipulated by Cohn as Walt has been.

Who the hell could that person be?

Stay tuned....

[Fenrir_Angerboda]

Dear lord, Disney's a decent entertainer, but a shitty Politition.

and Nice to hear Elvis and Lennon bit. I'm hoping we're gonna see a version of the Beatles, and Lennon's still alive in 1994? does that mean Paul's dead?

[Hendryk]

Of course it was crazy to be a communist. Of course it was the sign of a mental defect. I mean, maybe not when you're poor and uneducated, but when you're a successful professional? It's like being a fashion designer who advocates nudism, or a cop who advocates crime. Communism was a mental illness, and Kunstler was in a hospital getting treated for it.
There are still people in 2009 who seriously argue that liberalism is a mental defect--they regularly make that claim at WorldNetDaily. So it's certainly not far-fetched that someone as shady as Roy Cohn would push the idea in the 1950s.

Nice to hear Elvis and Lennon bit.
One thing I'm thinking about Elvis--without the need to tone himself down for the sake of American media, since he's persona non grata on American TV anyway, and without the manager he had in OTL, he may well show a more radical, hipster side of his music and his personality.

I'm hoping we're gonna see a version of the Beatles, and Lennon's still alive in 1994? does that mean Paul's dead?
Why would that have to be an either/or? It's not like John's death in OTL had anything to do with Paul.

[Fenrir_Angerboda]

Why would that have to be an either/or? It's not like John's death in OTL had anything to do with Paul.

I didn't mean that the two were connected, It should have been like this:

Lennon's alive in 94? that means he wasn't killed?

is there gonna be something poking fun at all the 'Paul's dead' BS?

[maverick]

Yeah, that was really fucking horrible...

Odd case when not putting the army on the streets results in more deads...

**************************************
'Tell your security men to watch their wallets on the way out.'

:D

"Mr. President, the mic is still one"

"Shit, I need a scotch"

[grdja83]

"Mr. President, the mic is still one"

"Shit, I need a scotch"

Nothing will ever compare to "bombing in 5 minutes" speech. I cant even begin to imagine the expressions on faces of Soviet delegates

[Historico]

Interesting, after looking back at the last installment...I think the best Presidential Candidate the Democrats could muster up in 1960, after the Johnson/Kennedy loss, the Dem's should look toward the conservative wing of the party....Scoop Jackson, just think about, he pulls in the Jewish vote with his strong support of Israel as well as painting Walt as not being strong enough against communisim. Although he lacks Kennedy's charisima or Johnson's populisim...I think he could very well win it.

[SeanPdineen]

Thanks for giving the orange juice queen her stripes.
Question, what's going to happen to the disabled?
Are we going to see attempts for Acess or bobathite style "treatment" designed to keep us calm in our own safe sections.

[LordMoogi]

This is a great TL, but damn, is it nightmare fuel. The idea of a fascistic Disney chills me to the bone. I suppose the idea of taking something one remembers from their childhood and combining it with something sinister is far scarier than any ordinary 'fascist USA' time line.

[DAv]

This is a great TL, but damn, is it nightmare fuel. The idea of a fascistic Disney chills me to the bone. I suppose the idea of taking something one remembers from their childhood and combining it with something sinister is far scarier than any ordinary 'fascist USA' time line.

On the bright side, this might distract him from butchering Peter Pan. Great TL so far, will it just focus on the 50's/60's?

[Geekhis Khan]

"And now, here's Pat Boone with 'Kiss Me Again', the number one song on our charts!"

-Dick Clark, American Bandstand premiere

NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! Damn you, rat, damn you damn you damn you!

The Horror...the Horror...

[statichaos]

On the bright side, this might distract him from butchering Peter Pan. Great TL so far, will it just focus on the 50's/60's?

I haven't decided yet. Knowing me, I'll stop writing it when it stops being fun.

[statichaos]

"A six p.m. curfew is in effect for the entire city of Little Rock. I have also instructed the National Guard to shoot to kill anyone found rioting, looting, or otherwise causing a breach of the peace. I have the full assurance of the President that the administration will be providing whatever support and assistance is required by our great state of Arkansas, and I promise that this situation will be resolved shortly."

-Governor Orville Faubus, 9/26/57


"Don't know exactly what happened. We'd been told by the local NAACP that we had to stand tall, politely demand our rights, and make everything nice and legal. So we did that. Then we were told to ignore the rednecks who were yelling at and spitting on our children, and that the truth would win the day. So we waiting for the truth to come save us, and put our faith in God, and prayed every day for deliverance.

"Then they killed our boy.

"There was a meeting at First Baptist after we heard the news. It was kind of the center for anyone who was keeping up with the integration movement, the kind of place where nice old ladies would print up leaflets and we'd hold real civilized meetings on how to politely confront the white folk. Walked in that day, though, and the whole church was full to busting with folks crying and wailing and screaming to the heavens. So Reverend Walker, he gets up there and says 'Let us pray,' and we bow our heads but there's still sniffling and sobbing all over. And then the NAACP head--I forget his name, he was an old fella and a cousin of someone high up in the community--he stands up and starts to talk about healing and love and forgiveness. And he's halfway through the opening, and there's this feeling that I've never felt in the church, like a burning. So he says something about acting with dignity, but the words ain't hardly out of his mouth before some young man in the back stands up and shouts at the top of his lungs 'They killed him! They ripped him apart!'

"There's this shock, then it's like the whole crowd moans at once. Something's getting released, something ugly, like we cranked that Jack in the box to the last note, and now a demon's popping up. The NAACP man, he says something about Christ's love and forgiveness, and reasoning with people, but the sounds, they hit the air, and no one's listening.

"So the man in the back yells 'They tore 'part his body! Ain't no reasoning with these people!' And when he says people, it's like he almost laughs, but in an ugly way. 'I'm goin' out there and showin' them that we ain't backin' off this time! I been scrapin' and bowin' my whole life to the crackers! I'm standing up!'

"And then there's this chorus of 'Amens', but with a real harsh edge. So the NAACP man, he stands up straighter, and reaches out his arms saying 'Brothers...sisters', but he can't hardly get above a whisper as the crowd gets louder and starts shouting. And then somehow one person marches out of the church, and another, and another behind him, till I find myself getting pushed along. And when I get outside, it's like every colored person in Arkansas is walking down the street, yelling and screaming as they make their way towards the white section of town."

-Reginald Lyman, quoted in For Want Of A Nail: Race, Riot, and Revolutionaries, 2006


At one point, Cohn and the President were arguing so stridently that I believe that they forgot that I was in the room. Cohn kept restating his position that we could still salvage something, that the Reds had instigated the riots, that the President had done nothing wrong. Finally, seeing the fury in President Disney's eyes, he made an uncharacteristic slip-up when he said "Look, Mr. President, this is an opportunity...."

I'd seen the President lose his temper before, but never to this degree. Picking up an ashtray from the desk, he flung it at Roy, who ducked. He was unable to avoid being covered with cigarette ashes in the process, though.

"Opportunity?" the President yelled. "A boy just got ripped apart by a mob. You want to see the pictures?" He grabbed Cohn by the shoulders, his face twisted into something maniacal, then shoved him towards the desk. Much as he'd done during the Till situation, the President had asked for photographs of the carnage. "Look at this!" he snapped, physically pushing Cohn's head downwards. I thought of attempting to restrain him, then realized that the Secret Service was only a shout away, and besides, I didn't much care of Roy got injured in the process.

Cohn stood there, breathing hard as the President gripped him by the neck. "Look at this, you kike bastard. Look at this." Disney growled. "The goons down there did this to that poor boy. And do you know why? Because when you said that we needed to keep out of it, I was fool enough to listen to you. And now this is on my hands. My hands. Now I'm tempted to let that city burn to the ground." The strength seemed to leave him. Crossing around his desk, he collapsed into his chair as Cohn stood there, paralyzed, for once at a loss for words.

"Get out of my sight," he snapped hoarsely, then looked up and saw me with my back pressed against the wall. "You, too, Jimmy," he said in a softer voice. "We'll have a...a statement of some sort later. Condolences to the family. Support for that idiot governor while he tries to get it under control."

He glanced over at Cohn, who was still leaning against the desk, eyes wide. "Didn't I dismiss you?"

Cohn left without a word. "Thank you, Mr. President," I murmured, nodding to the stone-faced Marines flanking his office as I left. As the door closed behind me, I heard the clink of a bottle.

-The Truth Of Fantasy: A White House Memoir, by Former Press Secretary James Dodd


Yeah, the President and I, we had some heated discussions over the whole Little Rock thing. I finally got him around to seeing things the right way by asking Hoover and his boys to show Walt the evidence that Reds were behind the rioting. I mean, yes, maybe it would have been better to send in the army, but hell, that would have raised a whole new set of issues. The genie was out of the bottle. Best to let Faubus settle things his own way.

-Retired Senator Roy Cohn (R-NY), quoted in Magic Kingdom: America In The 50s, by Studs Terkel



AT LEAST 45 DEAD IN THIRD DAY OF LITTLE ROCK RIOT

LITTLE ROCK-At least forty-five people have been reported killed in the fourth day of rioting that has gripped the community of Little Rock. The riots began after the alleged murder of high school student Ernest Green at the hands of segregationist protesters.

According to eyewitness reports, while the official death toll stands at forty-five, this does not include numerous rioters allegedly killed at the hands of National Guardsmen. Sources have indicated that these incidents could conceivably bring the death total past one hundred.

-AP report, 9/30/57


"They're shooting us down in the street! Please help!"

-Anonymous caller to Washington, D.C. branch of the NAACP, allegedly from Little Rock


"Yes, this Reverend King has offered to provide his assistance in calming down the community. No, we have not accepted his supposed assistance, as he is a well-known agitator among his people"

Governor Orville Faubus, 10/1/57


KING STAY OUT. WE AIN'T TURNING ANY MORE CHEEKS.

-Graffiti spotted during Montgomery riots


The BARBARIC ACTS perpetrated by the INFERIOR RACES backed by INTERNATIONAL COMMUNISM show that SEGREGATION must now and forever remain the POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES.

-Leaflet distributed in Jackson, Mississippi


127 ESTIMATED DEAD AS LITTLE ROCK FIGHTING CEASES-Much Of City In Ruins, Governor Requests EPCOT Funding

Arkansas Democrat Gazette, 10/4/57


COLORED SECTION OF MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA BESIEGED BY WHITE VIGILANTES

Montgomery- The Negro communities of Montgomery, Alabama were placed under a state of siege today by numerous self-proclaimed representatives of White Citizens' Councils. Speaking for the councils, spokesman Wilbur Edison stated "Montgomery has suffered enough due to the red agitators coming into our communities to stir up our coloreds. We're telling the residents that if they stay indoors and have no history or association with the recent boycott, then they have nothing to fear. It's simply the troublemakers that we're eliminating from the neighborhood. We ain't seeing another Little Rock around here."

New York Times, 10/1/57


KLAN ACTIVITIES, MEMBERSHIP INCREASE IN NUMBER

-ACLU Bulletin, 10/57


In the wake of recent unrest in the Negro communities spilling over into the white areas, Disney Defenders in the southern areas of the United States are now encouraged, whenever possible, to provide assistance to local law enforcement organizations upon requests. Said assistance should include, but not be limited to, patrols, report of serious crime, and citizens' arrests of agitators when and where appropriate.

Additionally, we will be releasing a new set of "Fun Activity Guide" suggestions targeted towards communist and communist-inspired front groups. Tell your kids to get ready for a whole new challenge!

-Mickey Mouse Club Memo, 10/57

[Redem]

Additionally, we will be releasing a new set of "Fun Activity Guide" suggestions targeted towards communist and communist-inspired front groups. Tell your kids to get ready for a whole new challenge!

-Mickey Mouse Club Memo, 10/57

For some reason this is one of the fear-inspiring thing I've read

[Thomas]

For some reason this is one of the fear-inspiring thing I've read

I think the whole last post was fear-inspiring.

The race riots and National Guard gunning them down, followed with "KING STAY OUT. WE AIN'T TURNING ANY MORE CHEEKS." In particular.

This will not end well. At all.

[maverick]

Excellent...and morbid

This cannot possibly have a happy ending...

Oh, and the Faubus quote says 67 instead of 57

[statichaos]

Excellent...and morbid

This cannot possibly have a happy ending...

Oh, and the Faubus quote says 67 instead of 57


Er...time traveling racist governors, maybe?

Yeah, yeah, I'll fix it. Thanks.

[Bobindelaware]

This is getting more and more frightening . . .

Excellent work, though.

Bobindelaware

[Japhy]

I feel like the Disney Defenders/Disney Youth national orgainzation decideing to take an almost paramilitary roll in the defence of Segregation is a bit out there... especially with the Little Rock riot. But does go with the eery tone of the story.

Also, as much as Im hateing his administration, and as much as I dislike what has been occuring, I find a (possilby false) ray of hope in the fact that Disney was truely hurt by the deaths, prehaps he'll take some kind of decisive action down south?

[Historico]

Solid installment, With Civil Rights going so bad, I don't know what will happen, all I know somehow Cohn ends up becoming Senator of New Yrok, but the way things I don't know how annyone from this adminstration will ever get into elected office again.

[Fenrir_Angerboda]

I think the whole last post was fear-inspiring.

The race riots and National Guard gunning them down, followed with "KING STAY OUT. WE AIN'T TURNING ANY MORE CHEEKS." In particular.

This will not end well. At all.

this is getting more and more intresting.
good job.

Excellent...and morbid

This cannot possibly have a happy ending...

I'ld be surprised if it does.

[statichaos]

Yeah, even I don't know how this is going to end. I just keep asking myself "Okay, so what happens next?" and writing from there.

[I, Guangxu]

I was actually hopeful there for a moment that Disney had seen the error in his policies when he browbeat Cohn, but then I read that Cohn still managed to manipulate him in the end. While it may or may not happen, given the tone of the TL, I really hope that Cohn gets some decent comeuppance at some point.

I also agree that while the Disney Defenders are interesting, they are starting to push the bounds of plausibility a little. I enjoyed them more as a kind of cult of informants than as a borderline-paramilitary group. They aren't quite into absurd territory yet, but they can see it. Certainly they are going to be taken apart piece by piece once the Democrats manage to get the White House back.

[Redem]

Yeah, even I don't know how this is going to end. I just keep asking myself "Okay, so what happens next?" and writing from there.

Hum I know that's maybe out of time by a few years but couldn't Disney manage to expand the comic book code to expand censorship to other media?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comic_book_code

I was actually hopeful there for a moment that Disney had seen the error in his policies when he browbeat Cohn, but then I read that Cohn still managed to manipulate him in the end. While it may or may not happen, given the tone of the TL, I really hope that Cohn gets some decent comeuppance at some point.

he end up a drag queen living with LBJ and their neighbour think they are lesbian

[Hendryk]

Yeah, even I don't know how this is going to end. I just keep asking myself "Okay, so what happens next?" and writing from there.
My advice would be to at least have an outline of the TL up to the present day, to avoid having to retcon details later on as you think of improvements or spot inconsistencies. This changes so many things on the world stage, keeping track of the butterflies will be easier if you know where you're going.

[maverick]

.

I also agree that while the Disney Defenders are interesting, they are starting to push the bounds of plausibility a little. I enjoyed them more as a kind of cult of informants than as a borderline-paramilitary group. They aren't quite into absurd territory yet, but they can see it. Certainly they are going to be taken apart piece by piece once the Democrats manage to get the White House back.

You don't get Dystopias, do you?:p;)

It has already been stated that the Democrat to succeed Disney, whether its Kennedy, Jackson or some unknown and shadowy character, is gonna pretty much continue down the same path, at least with the whole declaring Communists to be mentally challenged...

[statichaos]

I'll say this much: The person I have in mind for '60 (and I'm not saying if he's Democrat or Republican) will gain the office based almost entirely in response to how things go down over the next few years. It's not a firm decision, though, and if I told you the name before setting the groundwork, I'd get a lot of puzzled posts in response. So patience.

As far as the Disney Defenders go, they're not going to be playing a major role over the next few years...my thought with them has always been "What if the Explorer Scouts went a little nuts?" and after a couple of more mentions in the TL I think that I'll have had enough fun with them. The Clubs will definitely continue, though.

[statichaos]

My advice would be to at least have an outline of the TL up to the present day, to avoid having to retcon details later on as you think of improvements or spot inconsistencies. This changes so many things on the world stage, keeping track of the butterflies will be easier if you know where you're going.

Generally good advice. However, I've found that many ideas that I originally had simply didn't make sense once I got to point where they were supposed to occur. I'd rather start from A, and let B lead me to C rather than trying to shoehorn B into X, or Y, or Q. However, I do have a couple of issues that will be coming up (as I already hinted), and they do seem to be an organic fit.

[SeanPdineen]

You have a unique, vision friend.
We are all inback of you.
Have you thought about the Congo?
The segergrationists for some reason, adopted Tshombe, as there example of a responsible African leader. Will our new leader do the same?
Sorry, don't mean to bug, Your giving me a lot, wanted to express my gratitute.

[SouthCarolinian]

Quite an interesting timeline, very enjoyable read. Looking forward to more.

[statichaos]

I was sitting behind and to the side of Martin during his speech that day. It was rather warm for November, and I had loosened my collar slightly, wishing that I could take off my blazer. Instead, I concentrated on listening to his speech, though I'd heard numerous repetitions of it on the previous night as he practiced. He'd told me that it was the speech of his life, and that if he couldn't make people see the need for real peaceful change, then he didn't see what else he could do for the movement.

He had just quoted the words of Jesus Christ, "Blessed are the peacemakers", when I saw the object flying through the air. My mouth gaped open, I can tell you, but I had no time to react before it hit Martin. Egg splattered all over the good Reverend's face. The crowd was shocked, but they didn't seem surprised, if you understand the difference. Indeed, while security was escorting out the silent troublemaker--a young black man, defiance on his face, something that we were seeing more of as the days passed--the audience seemed to lose interest in Martin's words.

Martin himself, he simply wiped the egg off of his face after a second and continued as if nothing had happened. Unfortunately, everything had changed at that moment. Others say that it was Till, or the integration of the Army, or Little Rock. Personally, though, it was a previously respected reverend standing there dripping with egg yolk while a crowd looked on in silence that did it for me. On that day, the movement as we'd known it was finished. A younger, angrier generation wanted to speak its piece now, and we were only standing in the way.

-Ralph Abernathy, quoted in For Want Of A Nail: Race, Riot, and Revolutionaries, 2006


ROCK AND ROLL RIOTS! TEDS, MODS CLASH IN EAST END!

-London Guardian, 11/2/57


JAVITS CLAIMS ISRAEL, CIVIL RIGHTS "TOP PRIORITIES"-Junior Senator Unable To Find Traction With Colleagues

-New York Herald, 11/2/57


SEVEN KILLED IN MONORAIL DERAILMENT IN LOS ANGELES -Fifteen Injuries as "African Brotherhood" Claims Responsibility

-Los Angeles Times, 11/5/57


"The Honorable Elijah Muhammed tells us that we cannot serve the white man at the same time that we serve ourselves. It is only through self-sufficiency, pride in our great African heritage, and humility before Allah that we know who we are as a people. Let me say this: They may call us violent. They may call us savages. But it is no more savage to stand up to those who mutilate and destroy our youth than it would be savage to put down a mad dog threatening our children."

-From The Collected Speeches Of Malcolm X


Reverend King,

I read with great interest your concerns regarding recent IRS activity focused towards your organization. I am well aware of the progress that the Southern Christian Leadership Conference has made in the advancement of civil rights, and would, if such a thing were possible, make every effort to assist you in this matter.

Unfortunately, tax law is not my area of expertise, and I would prefer that you be represented by someone well versed in the subject. I have taken the liberty of forwarding your name to several prominent tax attorneys in your immediate area in the hopes that you will be able to find good representation among them.

-Personal correspondence of Adlai Stevenson to Martin Luther King, Jr.


KING, OTHER MINISTERS ARRESTED ON TAX EVASION CHARGES

-Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 12/13/57


The Cohn-Hoover relationship can be seen as one of the most perfectly symbiotic connections in the history of American politics. Whereas Roy Cohn had the direct and unfiltered ear of the President, J. Edgar Hoover had access to whatever scandalous dirt Cohn needed in order to sway the president his way, whether or not said dirt had any basis in reality. In turn, Hoover saw in Cohn the perfect vehicle to maintain his position as the nation's top law enforcement officer, and to increase his influence over American politics and culture.

-A Secret History Of The FBI by Carl Bernstein, Revolution Press, 2008


Momma,

I'm sorry for how this has got to hurt. Prison is not so bad, though, and I am making good use of my time. I am not sending this through regular mail because it would be censored and I do not want the Warden or the screws knowing what I am writing to you or what I am thinking.

Right now I am busy taking a course in writing from one of the white ladies who teaches classes here. She is very nice but nervous. Whenever she looks at me or any of the other black inmates she has a look in her eyes like she's wondering where the nearest exit is. I would try to put her at ease but I have resolved to not talk to white folks at all unless I have to.

I forgot to mention that. Currently I am with a small study group of other black inmates. We are talking about the best way to improve our lives. A couple of the older ones want to go the King route but it looks like he might be just another con soon so I do not see the point. We have a Muslim here who makes a lot of sense but I like pork so that isn't for me either. What we have decided is that this is not the time for us to be ripping off our own. Instead we will concentrate on striking a blow for the black man when we are out until the old white power structure is overthrown completely. So far we have a couple of the prison gangs on our side and have negotiated a peace treaty between the black leaders. Things are happening pretty fast and I have hopes for when I am out.

-Personal correspondence of Eldridge Cleaver


Wally, my man, by the time you get this I will probably already be in Berlin with you, and will have updated you on all of the latest crazy cuckoo antics of the British bobbies, so let's just put this down to keeping it for posterity if you haven't been using my letters as rolling papers when you run shy. It seems that Her Majesty's Government is getting antsy about all these fine young Yanks bopping about London and affecting and infecting their precious youth, so there's been a bit of beat bopping going on at the end of the constables' nightsticks against the noggins of yours truly, Alan, and a couple of others. Alan had to spend a night in the clink when he was caught with his trousers down in a public restroom with the son of an M.P., but they've promised not to press charges if he leaves. He's tempted to stand his ground, but I've been getting him to see the point in the amscray by accusing him of being jealous of Wilde, and telling him that Ballad of Reading Gaol has already been written. So back to Berlin, and kill the fatted calf (though make it a carrot for Alan, what with this vegetarian kick).

-Personal correspondence of "Beano" to Wally Hedrick


INCREASED ATTACKS ON POLICE IN WATTS-Chief Parker Denounces Actions of "Hoodlums", Promises Increased Patrols

-Los Angeles Times, 12/17/57

[Jape]

I'm loving the little beatnik exiles 'sub-plot', possibly because its the only moderately cheerful thing to be read!

Disney is certainly a fascinating character the scene were he attacks Cohn was brilliantly written by the way, but the little excerpt were he's watching Cinderella I think says volumes about your TL's President. He wants to change things, even wants power, and not nessecarily for good but he's ultimately the a bit of a big kid. Add to that what he wants and what happens and he's certainly a complex figure

[Historico]

Hmmm, An earlier radical black movement with the early death of the nonviolence movement will have dramatic effects of civil rights. Most likely no Civil Rights Act, and stronger backlash against Radical Blacks. If Goldwater can win the nomination in '60 or even '64 after a one term Democratic President, I can see this happening in the long run.

[Hendryk]

Since you mention other artists, what happens to Ray Charles in TTL? In OTL he was one of the most famous "crossover" musicians, with a style that appealed to black and white audiences alike. But it doesn't look like the white mainstream isn't going to be into black music--though no doubt hipsters and assorted intellectuals will enjoy jazz and blues all the more. Ironically, I could see Ray Charles becoming more famous in Europe than he is in white America.

[statichaos]

Since you mention other artists, what happens to Ray Charles in TTL? In OTL he was one of the most famous "crossover" musicians, with a style that appealed to black and white audiences alike. But it doesn't look like the white mainstream isn't going to be into black music--though no doubt hipsters and assorted intellectuals will enjoy jazz and blues all the more. Ironically, I could see Ray Charles becoming more famous in Europe than he is in white America.

Interestingly, I am planning on a Motown migration to Europe. Good call.

[statichaos]

MERCURY LAUNCH SCRUBBED

CAPE CANAVERAL- Plans for the first suborbital launch of a human being were canceled shortly before takeoff today when anti-government demonstrators outside Cape Canaveral created what a military spokesman called an "untenable security situation" near the base....

-Miami Herald, 1/5/58


SENATOR MCCLELLAN TO PRESIDENT: "LEAD OR GET OUT OF THE WAY"

LITTLE ROCK- Standing on the ruins of what was once Little Rock High School, Senator John McClellan (D-AK) gave a speech in which he attacked the Disney administration's record on combating the recent unrest in the Negro community.

"It is obvious that the President seems incapable of rising to the occasion," Senator McClellan stated while surrounded by both American and Confederate flags. "We are at a point of crisis between the races in this country, and we require strong leadership to protect our white citizens from the violence of Negro mobs with no respect for the law. The current administration sat by helplessly as our city burned. If it had not been for the noble actions of our brave governor, Little Rock would no longer exist as a city. Therefore, with respect, I must say this to President Disney: Please, either lead us with strength, or step aside for someone who can."

-Arkansas Democrat Gazette, 1/15/58


CITY ON FIRE- Riots Break Out In South Central, Watts

WATTS- The city was awakened to the sounds of sirens this morning as reports came in of developing unrest in Watts and South Central Los Angeles. According to witnesses, the unrest began during a raid on Bosco's Tavern on Normandie, a local saloon popular with the Negro community. During the raid, one customer allegedly stated that an officer had assaulted him while he lay helpless on the ground. A crowd soon gathered....

-Los Angeles Times, 1/18/57


Wally baby I am sorry like a sap to have missed you while you were in Berlin. Don't take Jack personally, he's just sad, mad, and bad because you get to go hopping around the world whilst he sits and broods in the back room, popping bennies and mumbling about Gestapo tactics (but not too loud lest the locals take that the wrong way), but I can certainly see why you'd feel the need to beat your feet and see what wonders the Continent has to offer. We'll be getting Neal over here soon, since it's not looking too cool for any white cat into the jazz scene, what with each of the races looking at each other like schoolkids sizing each other up on the yard. So we're trying to see what we can do otherwise.

-Personal correspondence of "Beano" to Wally Hedrick


Oh, God, when McClellan made that grandstanding play, I thought that I'd go nuts. I'd never been a fan of the man. In fact, when I worked for Senator McCarthy, he'd gone so far as to complain about the tactics we were using against the Reds. Like we were supposed to feed them tea and cookies or some such thing. And this was the same guy whining that the President wasn't doing enough? My God, what the hell? Hey, I've done my share of backroom deals, but I'm not a hypocrite, no matter what the parlor pinks have said about me.

-Retired Senator Roy Cohn (R-NY), quoted in Magic Kingdom: America In The 50s, by Studs Terkel


I am not recommending violence, oh no. I am not condoning violence. But the violence that I am not condoning can be seen hanging from the branches of trees down South. It can be seen in the eyes of our women as they are forced to degrade themselves into prostitution. It can be seen in the damage done to our crumbling communities.

Against violence such as this, there can be no defense too extreme.

-From The Collected Speeches of Malcolm X


NATIONAL GUARD CALLED OUT AS WATTS RIOTS ENTER SECOND DAY

-Los Angeles Times, 1/21/57


SENATOR KENNEDY APPEALS FOR CALM AS BOSTON NEGROES PROTEST CONDITIONS

-Boston Globe, 1/25/57


Yes, that's when it started to get scary. At first, we were just being patriotic citizens. But then all of the racial issues started coming up. See, I thought that I was safe from that sort of thing. I'm not sure that I'd ever seen a black person in my life except the school janitor and a couple of others like him. But we were told that it was time to start protesting Communists, and that the organization that we were going to be going up against was a front group for them.

So we all had our lunch, then carpooled a few miles away. I was confused. It looked like we were going to be protesting a church. Now, I wasn't really religious...mostly a go to Sunday school then forget about it the rest of the week type of girl. But it didn't seem right to be doing that. But we were told that the church, even though it was in the white section of town, was doing work for the Communists who were stirring up trouble in Boston. Also, they were Unitarians, which wasn't really Christian. Or at least that's what we were told. So we stood up there and started singing "God Bless America".

The minister...we were told he was the minister later, he looked more like one of those expatriate beatniks the newsreels were always having fun with...the minister came out and looked at us sadly. Then a group of young black people a few minutes later. The minister talked to them. They seemed to argue. Then the man who looked like he was in charge walked over to us. They stood in front of our club staring us down.

I lost my place in the song. It was five or six big black men staring at us. I mean, right in the eye, which I'd never seen before. The adults finally corralled us together and took us home kind of quickly after that. Pretty soon the word came down that we were going to stick to the moral issues, and stay out of the whole race thing.

-Sally Procter, quoted in Let Us Hold Our Banner High, Documentary Prize winner at the Cannes International Film Festival, 2002.


GALLUP POLL SHOWS INTEGRATION, CIVIL RIGHTS LOSING SUPPORT IN NORTH

-New York Times, 1/28/58


Looks like we're losing some major market share. If we don't want to start signing the likes of Patti Page and Doris Day, we may have to look overseas for sales. Chuck's already thinking about picking up and taking off to London.

-Unsigned internal office memo, Chess Records

[Historico]

MERCURY LAUNCH SCRUBBED

CAPE CANAVERAL- Plans for the first suborbital launch of a human being were canceled shortly before takeoff today when anti-government demonstrators outside Cape Canaveral created what a military spokesman called an "untenable security situation" near the base....

-Miami Herald, 1/5/58


SENATOR MCCLELLAN TO PRESIDENT: "LEAD OR GET OUT OF THE WAY"

LITTLE ROCK- Standing on the ruins of what was once Little Rock High School, Senator John McClellan (D-AK) gave a speech in which he attacked the Disney administration's record on combating the recent unrest in the Negro community.

"It is obvious that the President seems incapable of rising to the occasion," Senator McClellan stated while surrounded by both American and Confederate flags. "We are at a point of crisis between the races in this country, and we require strong leadership to protect our white citizens from the violence of Negro mobs with no respect for the law. The current administration sat by helplessly as our city burned. If it had not been for the noble actions of our brave governor, Little Rock would no longer exist as a city. Therefore, with respect, I must say this to President Disney: Please, either lead us with strength, or step aside for someone who can."

-Arkansas Democrat Gazette, 1/15/58


CITY ON FIRE- Riots Break Out In South Central, Watts

WATTS- The city was awakened to the sounds of sirens this morning as reports came in of developing unrest in Watts and South Central Los Angeles. According to witnesses, the unrest began during a raid on Bosco's Tavern on Normandie, a local saloon popular with the Negro community. During the raid, one customer allegedly stated that an officer had assaulted him while he lay helpless on the ground. A crowd soon gathered....

-Los Angeles Times, 1/18/57


Wally baby I am sorry like a sap to have missed you while you were in Berlin. Don't take Jack personally, he's just sad, mad, and bad because you get to go hopping around the world whilst he sits and broods in the back room, popping bennies and mumbling about Gestapo tactics (but not too loud lest the locals take that the wrong way), but I can certainly see why you'd feel the need to beat your feet and see what wonders the Continent has to offer. We'll be getting Neal over here soon, since it's not looking too cool for any white cat into the jazz scene, what with each of the races looking at each other like schoolkids sizing each other up on the yard. So we're trying to see what we can do otherwise.

-Personal correspondence of "Beano" to Wally Hedrick


Oh, God, when McClellan made that grandstanding play, I thought that I'd go nuts. I'd never been a fan of the man. In fact, when I worked for Senator McCarthy, he'd gone so far as to complain about the tactics we were using against the Reds. Like we were supposed to feed them tea and cookies or some such thing. And this was the same guy whining that the President wasn't doing enough? My God, what the hell? Hey, I've done my share of backroom deals, but I'm not a hypocrite, no matter what the parlor pinks have said about me.

-Retired Senator Roy Cohn (R-NY), quoted in Magic Kingdom: America In The 50s, by Studs Terkel


I am not recommending violence, oh no. I am not condoning violence. But the violence that I am not condoning can be seen hanging from the branches of trees down South. It can be seen in the eyes of our women as they are forced to degrade themselves into prostitution. It can be seen in the damage done to our crumbling communities.

Against violence such as this, there can be no defense too extreme.

-From The Collected Speeches of Malcolm X


NATIONAL GUARD CALLED OUT AS WATTS RIOTS ENTER SECOND DAY

-Los Angeles Times, 1/21/57


SENATOR KENNEDY APPEALS FOR CALM AS BOSTON NEGROES PROTEST CONDITIONS

-Boston Globe, 1/25/57


Yes, that's when it started to get scary. At first, we were just being patriotic citizens. But then all of the racial issues started coming up. See, I thought that I was safe from that sort of thing. I'm not sure that I'd ever seen a black person in my life except the school janitor and a couple of others like him. But we were told that it was time to start protesting Communists, and that the organization that we were going to be going up against was a front group for them.

So we all had our lunch, then carpooled a few miles away. I was confused. It looked like we were going to be protesting a church. Now, I wasn't really religious...mostly a go to Sunday school then forget about it the rest of the week type of girl. But it didn't seem right to be doing that. But we were told that the church, even though it was in the white section of town, was doing work for the Communists who were stirring up trouble in Boston. Also, they were Unitarians, which wasn't really Christian. Or at least that's what we were told. So we stood up there and started singing "God Bless America".

The minister...we were told he was the minister later, he looked more like one of those expatriate beatniks the newsreels were always having fun with...the minister came out and looked at us sadly. Then a group of young black people a few minutes later. The minister talked to them. They seemed to argue. Then the man who looked like he was in charge walked over to us. They stood in front of our club staring us down.

I lost my place in the song. It was five or six big black men staring at us. I mean, right in the eye, which I'd never seen before. The adults finally corralled us together and took us home kind of quickly after that. Pretty soon the word came down that we were going to stick to the moral issues, and stay out of the whole race thing.

-Sally Procter, quoted in Let Us Hold Our Banner High, Documentary Prize winner at the Cannes International Film Festival, 2002.


GALLUP POLL SHOWS INTEGRATION, CIVIL RIGHTS LOSING SUPPORT IN NORTH

-New York Times, 1/28/58


Looks like we're losing some major market share. If we don't want to start signing the likes of Patti Page and Doris Day, we may have to look overseas for sales. Chuck's already thinking about picking up and taking off to London.

-Unsigned internal office memo, Chess Records

I loved the line from Cohn about not being a Hypocrite:D, but with JFK having to actually deal with the Civil Rights question in Massachusetts, might actually hurt his chances in the '60 election...If he takes a hardline against insurgent blacks, than he looses his northern support but if caters to them, he will just stir up memories of appeasment from his father. Interesting indeed.

[statichaos]

Yeah, the Kennedy arc is going to be very different this time around.

[LordMoogi]

I am very impressed with this TL. Maybe I should get started on one of my own soon...

[Historico]

So when should we expect the next installment Stat?

[statichaos]

Right now. Sorry, RL took precedence, but today's rain gave me a chance to get some things down:

HARLEM MUSLIM TEMPLE RAIDED BY FBI- Police Report One Agent Dead, Nation of Islam Founder In Critical Condition, Numerous Injuries

-New York Times, 2/4/58


Cohn had spent his time in the doghouse, and now he was slowly working his way back into the President's favor. The first hint that Cohn was back in the game came in early 1958, when the President pulled several military advisors out of Indochina and sent them to assist the Batista regime in Cuba. This had Roy's fingerprints all over it: I knew from reading his files that he had some low-level contacts with the "gentlemen" who ran various casino enterprises around that area. Also, Director Hoover was more concerned about Cuba's revolutionary potential, and Cohn gave him the chance to express this indirectly to the President when his domestic sphere of influence made it inappropriate to state his concerns directly.

Of course, Cuba was just beginning to heat up, and we barely had a clue as to what was to become of that. The major concerns were domestic, mostly due to the increased rioting and other racial unrest that had been occurring for the past several months.

The one positive thing that could be said about our party's response to the crisis was that whatever our differences, we were attempting to make up for lost time, and attempt to understand the point of view of the Negroes. Not so much Cohn, but several other prominent leaders from the liberal wing of the party. Nelson Rockefeller, candidate for Governor of New York, spoke movingly of us as being the "Party of Lincoln", and of the need to couple tough anti-riot measures with a hand extended in friendship towards the Negro community.

Then Hoover sent his agents into the Harlem Mosque of the Nation of Islam. Ten wounded, one dead. One by the name of Elijah Muhammad, head of the Nation of Islam. The information that we received at the White House was that as the FBI moved in to arrest Mr. Muhammad on various federal charges (since thrown into legitimate dispute), a bodyguard drew his weapon. An FBI agent shot in self-defense, killing the bodyguard immediately, but also wounding Muhammad in the process. The aged cleric was already in poor health, and the extra trauma caused him to perish the next day despite heroic efforts on the part of paramedics and doctors.

Of course, the facts of the situation mattered little to Muhammad's followers. After a brief power struggle, a single young minister named Malcolm X rose to lead the Nation of Islam, and immediately set his people on fire with a series of speeches laying the blame squarely at the feet of a conspiracy including President Disney, Roy Cohn, Director Hoover, and all white people for that matter. Also, a single word was now being introduced into his speeches, one that the Attorney General's research indicated as having never appeared in any Nation of Islam material in the times before the unfortunate death of Mr. Muhammad. Our operatives even had to go to a translator to find the exact meaning of the term (it had several definitions, as it turned out).

That single word, soon to set America on fire, was jihad.

-The Truth Of Fantasy: A Washington Memoir, by former White House Press Secretary James Dodd


One thing that all boys and girls should keep their eyes out for is the "front group". Unfortunately, many otherwise intelligent people will join an organization claiming to promote peace, or equality, or to fight for the rights of the unfortunate. Sadly, many of these organizations are nothing more than methods by which young and impressionable people can be corrupted into supporting Communist ideals.

Before you join any group like this, ask yourself the following questions: Are the people who surround me generally pro-America? Do they support the government, or do they criticize it unfairly? When they talk of peace, do they really mean that, or are they really saying that America should be defenseless? When they talk about equal rights, are they giving rights to one group at the expense of the freedom of another?

A Mouseketeer knows what the answers to these questions should be. If you have any problems regarding a group that you have joined, or are suspicious of one in your community, then immediately speak to a trusted advisor such as your minister, teacher, parent, principal, or Mickey Mouse Club Group Leader.

-Mickey's Guide To Patriotism, 1958 Mickey Mouse Club Pamphlet, by Youth Morals Director Anita Bryant


The American Zone of Berlin has many fine sights and unusual places to see. One of the most popular recent additions for homesick Americans has been Emma's Place, a jazz club and cafe reminiscent of the former Bohemian nightlife that could be found in New York City and San Francisco. Located next to the bookstore Jack's Stacks, Emma's Place combines excellent coffee, good wines, and some of the best up-and-coming jazz musicians in the world. Owned by American expatriate Wally Hedrick. For a more unusual experience, attend the Friday night poetry readings hosted by Alan Ginsberg, but do not under any circumstances bring the children to this event. Adults only!

-Berlin On Pfennings A Day, 1958


SLAY TWO IN NEGRO TERRORIST RAID

-Los Angeles Herald, 3/19/58


"Well, what are they going to do? They say that they're for freedom of speech? Great. I'm saying that they're communists and should go back to Russia. Are they going to defend that?"

-Anonymous Mousketeer, archival footage of anti-ACLU protest, quoted in Let Us Hold Our Banner High, Documentary Prize winner at the Cannes International Film Festival, 2002.


PRESLEY TO GIVE ROYAL COMMAND PERFORMANCE

-News release from Colonel Tom Parker, 3/58


It was approximately 8:30 a.m. when J. Edgar Hoover's car rounded the corner and pulled up in front of the headquarters of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a group to which he was scheduled to give a speech on the threat of alleged communist influence on the American labor movement. As Hoover's driver opened the door and the Director lifted himself from the car, a man stepped forward, managing to fire two shots before Hoover's FBI bodyguards shoved the Director back into the car, firing enough shots to immediately kill the would-be assassin. Struck in the lower stomach and the left upper thigh, the Director was immediately transported to Bethesda Naval Hospital where he underwent life-saving surgery.

The attempted assassin was Harvey Lange, a sharecropper's son originally from Norfolk, Virginia. Lange was well-known to local law enforcement authorities as a drunk and a braggart who had been run in several times for vagrancy and public intoxication. Recently, he had claimed to have given up drinking as a member of the Nation of Islam, though no records existed of his membership, and no FBI reports of the period mention him as belonging to the organization in any capacity whatsoever. Additionally, The Nation of Islam itself disavowed any knowledge of Lange's plans, and stated that while he had been seen at a few of Minister X's talks, he had never taken steps to become a member of the faith.

All of this was lost on a vengance-ridden Director and increasingly fretful President Disney, both of whom found themselves taking drastic steps as the Spring of 1958 turned into a racial crisis unseen in the United States since the Civil War.

-Our America, Scholastic Books, 2002

[Nekromans]

Malcolm X has launched a jihad against the United States. I believe this is the point at which one must say, "Fuck".

[Hendryk]

For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.

[tantric]

Malcolm X has launched a jihad against the United States. I believe this is the point at which one must say, "Fuck".

actually, with all due respect to my southern ancestors and with a firm sense of irony, i'd say YEEE HAWWW! Git 'em boyz!

[Redem]

Right now. Sorry, RL took precedence, but today's rain gave me a chance to get some things down:



*Hide weather Dominator*

[Historico]

Right now. Sorry, RL took precedence, but today's rain gave me a chance to get some things down:

HARLEM MUSLIM TEMPLE RAIDED BY FBI- Police Report One Agent Dead, Nation of Islam Founder In Critical Condition, Numerous Injuries

-New York Times, 2/4/58


Cohn had spent his time in the doghouse, and now he was slowly working his way back into the President's favor. The first hint that Cohn was back in the game came in early 1958, when the President pulled several military advisors out of Indochina and sent them to assist the Batista regime in Cuba. This had Roy's fingerprints all over it: I knew from reading his files that he had some low-level contacts with the "gentlemen" who ran various casino enterprises around that area. Also, Director Hoover was more concerned about Cuba's revolutionary potential, and Cohn gave him the chance to express this indirectly to the President when his domestic sphere of influence made it inappropriate to state his concerns directly.

Of course, Cuba was just beginning to heat up, and we barely had a clue as to what was to become of that. The major concerns were domestic, mostly due to the increased rioting and other racial unrest that had been occurring for the past several months.

The one positive thing that could be said about our party's response to the crisis was that whatever our differences, we were attempting to make up for lost time, and attempt to understand the point of view of the Negroes. Not so much Cohn, but several other prominent leaders from the liberal wing of the party. Nelson Rockefeller, candidate for Governor of New York, spoke movingly of us as being the "Party of Lincoln", and of the need to couple tough anti-riot measures with a hand extended in friendship towards the Negro community.

Then Hoover sent his agents into the Harlem Mosque of the Nation of Islam. Ten wounded, one dead. One by the name of Elijah Muhammad, head of the Nation of Islam. The information that we received at the White House was that as the FBI moved in to arrest Mr. Muhammad on various federal charges (since thrown into legitimate dispute), a bodyguard drew his weapon. An FBI agent shot in self-defense, killing the bodyguard immediately, but also wounding Muhammad in the process. The aged cleric was already in poor health, and the extra trauma caused him to perish the next day despite heroic efforts on the part of paramedics and doctors.

Of course, the facts of the situation mattered little to Muhammad's followers. After a brief power struggle, a single young minister named Malcolm X rose to lead the Nation of Islam, and immediately set his people on fire with a series of speeches laying the blame squarely at the feet of a conspiracy including President Disney, Roy Cohn, Director Hoover, and all white people for that matter. Also, a single word was now being introduced into his speeches, one that the Attorney General's research indicated as having never appeared in any Nation of Islam material in the times before the unfortunate death of Mr. Muhammad. Our operatives even had to go to a translator to find the exact meaning of the term (it had several definitions, as it turned out).

That single word, soon to set America on fire, was jihad.

-The Truth Of Fantasy: A Washington Memoir, by former White House Press Secretary James Dodd


One thing that all boys and girls should keep their eyes out for is the "front group". Unfortunately, many otherwise intelligent people will join an organization claiming to promote peace, or equality, or to fight for the rights of the unfortunate. Sadly, many of these organizations are nothing more than methods by which young and impressionable people can be corrupted into supporting Communist ideals.

Before you join any group like this, ask yourself the following questions: Are the people who surround me generally pro-America? Do they support the government, or do they criticize it unfairly? When they talk of peace, do they really mean that, or are they really saying that America should be defenseless? When they talk about equal rights, are they giving rights to one group at the expense of the freedom of another?

A Mouseketeer knows what the answers to these questions should be. If you have any problems regarding a group that you have joined, or are suspicious of one in your community, then immediately speak to a trusted advisor such as your minister, teacher, parent, principal, or Mickey Mouse Club Group Leader.

-Mickey's Guide To Patriotism, 1958 Mickey Mouse Club Pamphlet, by Youth Morals Director Anita Bryant


The American Zone of Berlin has many fine sights and unusual places to see. One of the most popular recent additions for homesick Americans has been Emma's Place, a jazz club and cafe reminiscent of the former Bohemian nightlife that could be found in New York City and San Francisco. Located next to the bookstore Jack's Stacks, Emma's Place combines excellent coffee, good wines, and some of the best up-and-coming jazz musicians in the world. Owned by American expatriate Wally Hedrick. For a more unusual experience, attend the Friday night poetry readings hosted by Alan Ginsberg, but do not under any circumstances bring the children to this event. Adults only!

-Berlin On Pfennings A Day, 1958


SLAY TWO IN NEGRO TERRORIST RAID

-Los Angeles Herald, 3/19/58


"Well, what are they going to do? They say that they're for freedom of speech? Great. I'm saying that they're communists and should go back to Russia. Are they going to defend that?"

-Anonymous Mousketeer, archival footage of anti-ACLU protest, quoted in Let Us Hold Our Banner High, Documentary Prize winner at the Cannes International Film Festival, 2002.


PRESLEY TO GIVE ROYAL COMMAND PERFORMANCE

-News release from Colonel Tom Parker, 3/58


It was approximately 8:30 a.m. when J. Edgar Hoover's car rounded the corner and pulled up in front of the headquarters of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a group to which he was scheduled to give a speech on the threat of alleged communist influence on the American labor movement. As Hoover's driver opened the door and the Director lifted himself from the car, a man stepped forward, managing to fire two shots before Hoover's FBI bodyguards shoved the Director back into the car, firing enough shots to immediately kill the would-be assassin. Struck in the lower stomach and the left upper thigh, the Director was immediately transported to Bethesda Naval Hospital where he underwent life-saving surgery.

The attempted assassin was Harvey Lange, a sharecropper's son originally from Norfolk, Virginia. Lange was well-known to local law enforcement authorities as a drunk and a braggart who had been run in several times for vagrancy and public intoxication. Recently, he had claimed to have given up drinking as a member of the Nation of Islam, though no records existed of his membership, and no FBI reports of the period mention him as belonging to the organization in any capacity whatsoever. Additionally, The Nation of Islam itself disavowed any knowledge of Lange's plans, and stated that while he had been seen at a few of Minister X's talks, he had never taken steps to become a member of the faith.

All of this was lost on a vengance-ridden Director and increasingly fretful President Disney, both of whom found themselves taking drastic steps as the Spring of 1958 turned into a racial crisis unseen in the United States since the Civil War.

-Our America, Scholastic Books, 2002

Wow, that was frickin Awesome Stat:D, Now we have A Malcom X led Nation of Islam versus Dewey and Hoover(Both groups fuled by respective vengence). All I know is it's not going to be pretty and we might begin to see some of the internment camps from WWII opening back up again.

But even more important is what this will have on the 1960 election on the GOP Side. VP Dirksen is two old to try to go for the nomination so that probably leaves Nixon, Rockefeller and Goldwater battling it out. If Rocky's liberal message manages to catch fire(that seems less and less likely as TTL goes along) then he's a shoe in...As he was pulling in bigger crowds than JFK in otl during the late '50's.

But if they decide to stay the course and follow the Disney doctrine then I say its more Nixon vs. Goldwater. Without a Checkers speech, and being VP for eight years I think it will be harder for Tricky Dick to show that he is "Trustworthy:rolleyes:" enough to President. So Goldwater to me is turning in the '60 nominee as the US creps further toward a racial war.

[Faeelin]

Could you please stop posting so much? It's making it hard for me to keep up on the awesomesauce that is this TL.

I really, really like the alternate civil rights movement.

[Nekromans]

Could you please stop posting so much? It's making it hard for me to keep up on the awesomesauce that is this TL.

I really, really like the alternate civil rights movement.

I guess the answer to your earlier question of "Can Disney do no wrong?" is "Yes. Yes, he can."

[grdja83]

What makes you people so certain that next election will be held?

[Nekromans]

What makes you people so certain that next election will be held?

Because, even in this TL, if the President mentioned the words "election" and "postponed" in the same sentence then he would be rewarded for his courage with a new orifice. Preferably one that goes all the way through. And people in this TL don't just throw rocks at their enemies, they physically rip them apart.

[catboy637]

I just love the ides of Walt Disney as POTUS!

[Hashasheen]

Statchios, you are from hence-forth declared King-Emperor of Post-1900. May your rule be fruitful and plentiful. *crowns Statchios with the Sceptor of Hamburger and the Crown of Faeelin*

[grdja83]

Because, even in this TL, if the President mentioned the words "election" and "postponed" in the same sentence then he would be rewarded for his courage with a new orifice. Preferably one that goes all the way through. And people in this TL don't just throw rocks at their enemies, they physically rip them apart.


And if there are wide scale violent racial riots and rebellions throughout the country, as a consequence of J.E.Hoover's brute force solutions? People were accusing GWB of planing a near dictatorship. (don't want to discuss about how those were based in reality or anything). If there is (or it seems there will be) a racial / religious civil war in the making, do you think people would blink twice if someone decied to postpone ellections.

[Nekromans]

And if there are wide scale violent racial riots and rebellions throughout the country, as a consequence of J.E.Hoover's brute force solutions? People were accusing GWB of planing a near dictatorship. (don't want to discuss about how those were based in reality or anything). If there is (or it seems there will be) a racial / religious civil war in the making, do you think people would blink twice if someone decied to postpone ellections.

They would blink several times. And then they would complain. Loudly. And violently.

[LordMoogi]

This TL is so wonderfully horrific. It's one of the best ones that I've seen on here, to be honest (though I haven't read too many).

[Hashasheen]

This TL is so wonderfully horrific. It's one of the best ones that I've seen on here, to be honest (though I haven't read too many).
Read Mine then, its on the first page of the ASB forum for now.:)

[statichaos]

AMERICAN TROOPS ATTACKED BY CUBAN REBELS OUTSIDE HAVANA

-Washington Post, 4/4/58


You may tell me, my brothers and sisters, that you are uneducated. That the schools of the white man have left you barely able to read, unable to do math beyond one plus one, ignørant of the unspeakable evils committed by the white devil in the name of "democracy" or "liberty". I say to you, good! The less brainwashing you underwent at their hands, the more open your minds will be to the truth. And here is one important truth: Since World War II, the United States has not sent a single soldier out to fight another white man. They've divvied up the pieces amongst themselves. Now a group of Cubans has decided to say "No more!", and to fight against the United States-backed criminal government in their land.

Now, they say that these soldiers are communists. That they go against the ideals of freedom. I say to you this: If they are against the exploiters and white businessmen currently running Havana, then they are on the side of Allah, whether they recognize it or not.

If you are a Black soldier in the White man's army, I only ask that you think. Think about who you are fighting against. More importantly, think about who and what you are fighting for. If you walk away from your post, they will call you a criminal and traitor. A criminal by whose standards? And a traitor to what? To a people who have enslaved us, who have raped our women, and who are to this day murdering our children and martyring our prophets.

Think about this, and think about what God has commanded us to do.

-Taped message from Malcolm X distributed in black communities, 4/58


MALCOLM X TOPS "MOST WANTED" LIST

-New York Times, 4/10/58


Wally, you know that I think that politics of any sort is a drag, but I had to get out for what I thought would be the greatest show I've seen since I walked in on Alan, the rent boy, and that mechanical toy he'd bought in the Village. So I took a hop up to London to check out the swinging scene thinking that some chicks would be around the march and that I'd be able to quote enough Sartre and Camus to get them back to the fleabag hotel room I'd found. Instead, I found myself in the middle of a distinctly ungroovy scene as a bunch of professor-looking squares started marching with their anti-nuclear weapons signs and chanting rhymes that must have made the Bard spin in his grave in despair. I was flying off too many bennies, no sleep for a couple of days, and some powerful grass I'd smoked before the march, so when the trouble started, I thought that it was just paranoia. But like a Zen man I heard say once, it's all in that first thoughtless thought that you find truth, and sure enough it wasn't too long before we were set upon by some all-too-familiar leather jacketed rough trade yelling and screaming about how we weren't going to be pushing that sort of thing in their neighborhood, and I'll be damned if I didn't see a couple of mouse ears being worn off to the side on their squiffs before I caught a crowbar across the mouth So it looks like Der Maus has made it over here in a big way, and as soon as my jaw sets I am beating feet back to the old homestead where I can listen to jazz and whisper "ich liebe dich" into the whispers of the buxom locals all night long.

-Personal correspondence of "Beano" to Wally Hedrick


PAUL ROBESON ANNOUNCES "RETIREMENT" AFTER PASSPORT REFUSED AGAIN

-The Hollywood Reporter, 4/58


Wow, that was a hell of a time after that crazy radical took a pop at Hoover. First off, J. Edgar always had this specific sort of walk, kind of prim and proper, really fast. Once he got a cane, it was like he was a whole different purpose, like all of that energy that used to go into the steps was going towards something else. I told this to Schine, and he said "Yeah. Revenge. Slow, deliberate revenge." David always had a poetic thing going. Anyway, we'd all get together in the private office, me, Edgar, and Walt, and they'd stare at each other then get to work. First off was the executive order about integration. Disney wasn't much for jokes, but he used to call his animators at the company "The Nine Old Men" after the Supreme Court. Now he'd repeat "I dealt with the Nine Old Men back in Burbank, and these Nine Old Men aren't any scarier."

Hey, I said it was a joke, not that it was any good.

Anyway, the executive order. Yeah, he shoved that one right down the public's throat, and they begged for more. No more integration till the "time of crisis" had passed. Existing laws to be reviewed. States to implement their own programs depending on the needs of the locals. All recent civil rights decisions to not be implemented in the interim. Kind of like Lincoln freeing the slaves, one Negro leader said, only in reverse. No review by congress, no fighting it to the Supreme Court, just BAM! Take that, Martin. Take that. Hell, we actually begged him to do more, but he said he'd hold off till he saw what the results were. National emergency and all, though, no one over in legislative or judicial was going to say "Boo!"

Man could have run for another term if he'd wanted it, or even put off elections if he'd played his cards right. I suggested it to him, though, and you'd think that I suggested that he hop into bed with his dead mother. Said that it wasn't necessary for the functioning of America, that there was a reason for the 22nd amendment, and that he was getting sick of the job, anyway. Disney was a great guy and a decent president, but he lacked the killer instinct.

-Retired Senator Roy Cohn (R-NY), quoted in Magic Kingdom: America In The 50s by Studs Terkel


PRESIDENT DISNEY REQUESTS MORE TROOPS TO BE SENT TO ASSIST BATISTA REGIME

-New York Times, 5/9/58


ACLU IN CRISIS, BOARD OF DIRECTORS RESIGNS

WASHINGTON, D.C.-With all of their main offices beset by demonstrators from the Mickey Mouse Club and other organizations, the entire governing board of the American Civil Liberties Union resigned yesterday morning, stating in a press release that the group was in need of "new leadership".

-AP Bulletin, 5/13/58


It was below the dignity of the Executive Branch of government to get involved in a criminal trial, not to mention that it was utterly inappropriate on every conceivable level. Of course, dignity was a term unfamiliar to Roy. I could never prove anything, but the expert witnesses testifying that Kunstler was insane due to his beliefs at the time that he shot the president had all been part of his social circle in Washington. The one thing that I couldn't fathom was his motivation in encouraging the court system to see the President's would–be assassin as anything more than a common criminal. However, as Cohn never tired of pointing out, I can be woefully naive at times.

The Supreme Court refused to hear the case. Due to the fact that Kunstler had attempted to assassinate the president with a motivation of socialist beliefs, he was declared mentally unfit to stand trial. Kunstler himself was under a regular Thorazine regimen at this point, so his opinion on this matter went unstated. Roy even had the brilliant idea of involving Dr. Fredrick Werthram as a witness. Best known for the seminal work Seduction of the Innocent, no one could accuse the aged civil rights advocate of being beholden to the right wing.

Cohn played politics like chess, willing to make a minor sacrifice in exchange for an aggressive move five turns down the line. None of us could see where he was going with this, and by the time we found out, there was little that we could do.

-The Truth Of Fantasy: A White House Memoir, by former Presidential Spokesman James Dodd


MASSACRE AT DISNEYLAND: Amusement Park In Turmoil Following Moslem Attack On Visitors

ANAHEIM- Disneyland, the amusement park that has come to be the symbol of the success of President Walt Disney's former entertainment company, was attacked yesterday by five armed Negroes who claimed to be acting on behalf of the terrorist group The Nation Of Islam. Seventeen people are thought to have died in the attack, including two children and the gunmen themselves.

Carrying automatic weapons, the alleged terrorists are thought to have gained entry to the park by posing as members of the janitorial staff. According to police sources, the attack began when one of the team shouted "For Elijah Muhammad!" before opening fire near the Sleeping Beauty Castle attraction....

-Los Angeles Times, 5/19/58

[Fenrir_Angerboda]

and now....the Point of no return.
it's getting good and frightening now.

[maverick]

Sir, you continue to top yourself...

[Japhy]

Oh MAN this is getting good. How big will the NoI's terror campaign go?

Also, interesting to see the begining of the "Mental Hygene" means of law enforcement arriveing...

[Faeelin]

I think that they've overstepped, now. Far too many Americans have memories of this kind of shit to be okay with a government harassing the ACLU.

[statichaos]

Technically, the government isn't doing a thing, although I admit that any attempt on Disney's part to raise that defense would probably fall on deaf ears.

[Faeelin]

Technically, the government isn't doing a thing, although I admit that any attempt on Disney's part to raise that defense would probably fall on deaf ears.

But everybody knows what's going on. These people happen to show up wherever dissidents of the mouse do?

Oh. My. God.

There's a joke coming up about "The Mouse that Roared," isn't there?

[SeanPdineen]

You know your stuff, as a historian I am very intriged.
Mosie Tshombe, head of the conservative Katanga republic, held up as a good african, once expressed in real life a desire to meet mr disney, maybe the collabators might be cultivated. Even in the segregated south, there were some african americans who coperated.
The missisppi sovernigty comission had 100 ministers on the payroll.
There may need to be a few carrots along with sticks.

[statichaos]

And thus the deaf ears. However, between the race riots and the other issues the country is dealing with, the mouse clubs also have wide-ranging support from a cross-section of society.

[Historico]

Hmm...The Jihad campaign of the Nation of Islam has taken it to another level, who know's what they will try next. So am I to assume that the Nation is significantly larger than it was during OTL, since young blacks have skipped the preachings of Nonviolence by MLK and went straight to Huey Newtonism? Has MLK attempted to reason with Malcom to try to tone down the violent messages? Im afraid to see what happens next so Keep it comming:D

[statichaos]

There's a joke coming up about "The Mouse that Roared," isn't there?

Well, now there is.

[statichaos]

Hmm...The Jihad campaign of the Nation of Islam has taken it to another level, who know's what they will try next. So am I to assume that the Nation is significantly larger than it was during OTL, since young blacks have skipped the preachings of Nonviolence by MLK and went straight to Huey Newtonism? Has MLK attempted to reason with Malcom to try to tone down the violent messages? Im afraid to see what happens next so Keep it comming:D

King was marginalized following the Little Rock riots. His nonviolent message didn't resonate with those who had seen one of their own literally ripped apart by a violent mob. Since then, things have only escalated, and the general take of the black community towards him can be summed up by the egg in the face that Abernathy observed in a post of mine upthread.

Also, while the Nation is only moderately larger, it is quite significantly angrier.

[Faeelin]

And thus the deaf ears. However, between the race riots and the other issues the country is dealing with, the mouse clubs also have wide-ranging support from a cross-section of society.

I dunno. I ask myself, where are the Northern Democrast who supported the Civil Rights Act? The Moderate Republicans? Where are all the whites to took part in freedom rides in the sotuh?

Fundamentally, I have more faith in the American people and political process. But YMMV.

[statichaos]

I dunno. I ask myself, where are the Northern Democrast who supported the Civil Rights Act? The Moderate Republicans? Where are all the whites to took part in freedom rides in the sotuh?

Fundamentally, I have more faith in the American people and political process. But YMMV.


The Northern Democrats who would normally be supporting the Civil Rights act in a few years are seeing it as political suicide at the moment.

The Moderate Republicans and Freedom Riders I have plans for.

[Nebogipfel]

Great (and scary). I wonder what the impact will be on Europe on the longer term... regarding the UK, do you know the What if Gordon Banks had played timeline (www.btinternet.com/~chief.gnome/) ?

Andreas

[statichaos]

My thanks for the numerous comments and suggestions. You've given me much to consider.

More:


There once was a cartoonish mouse
Who lived in a large and white house
He dealt with attacks
From angry young blacks
By staying perpetually soused

-The Big Book Of Political Limericks, 1998


While this university is mindful of its duties to ensure the Constitutional rights of all students, staff, and faculty, the recent proliferation of posters with the face of wanted criminal Malcolm X on dorm room walls, common walls, and various public spaces cannot be considered as appropriate for an institute of higher education, especially considering certain recent violent acts carried out by his organization. The trustees of this institution have therefore issued a directive prohibiting the display of any material that could be considered to glorify criminal behavior and/or terrorist acts.

-Chancellor's Office, University of California, Berkeley, 5/25/58


All that we knew that night was that the president had been taken to the hospital complaining of shortness of breath at three in the morning. I'd been awakened out of a sound sleep by some random assistant of Roy's to put something together for the morning briefing. I blearily wrote out the typical reassuring words that somehow said nothing in particular over three cups of coffee and countless cigarettes (a nasty habit I'd picked up since working there), went to my office, and waited for the morning papers. They were full of follow-ups to the terrorist attacks on Disneyland. The reward for Malcolm X had blossomed to a million dollars, an unheard of sum for the capture of a criminal.

Roy showed up at six and tossed some papers on my desk before turning to walk out. I stopped him.

"What are these?" I asked.

"Things that the President wanted you to look over. In case you couldn't tell," he sneered at me. "Disney's preoccupied right now."

I opened my mouth, then shut it again with a shrug. They were the typical announcements of various social events, most of which would obviously have to be postponed at some point. However, at the moment, it was important to give the impression that we were going ahead as if nothing was wrong. I gave the morning briefing, glossed over the nighttime incident as simple hyperventilation, and kept a calm and happy face on at all times.

Early in the afternoon, the word came down that the President was allowed to receive select visitors, with family coming first. First Lady Lillian Disney and their girls were on the top of the list, with select staff and cabinet officials following close behind. The Vice-President was at the top as well, but as he was currently making nice with some recalcitrant sheiks in the Mideast, this wasn't a relevant matter. I wasn't on the list, but my duties demanded that I go to the hospital so that I could find out just what in the world I was supposed to be telling people.

After an extensive Secret Service check by agents who already knew me (another bit of fallout from the recent attacks), I was let into a waiting room filled with cabinet officials, all of whom were trying to pump each other for nonexistent information. Whenever one of them came up to me, I'd simply give a sincere helpless shrug. This response satisfied no one, least of all myself. Finally, Roy entered the room, looking around as various VIPs crowded around him. He spotted the person he was looking for: Me. He crooked a finger imperiously at me, I stood, and he ushered me out the door, down a hallway, and into a broom closet. Closing the door, he turned to me, his face inches from mine.

"The President's sick. Really sick." he said simply. I nodded in return.

"How bad?"

He threw up his hands. "No idea. But the disease itself is bad if the doctors' suspicions are right, and he's dealing with a world of shit already. I'm telling you so that the fucks in there don't start jockeying for power before we can figure out how we want to run with this, and so that you can make sure that the press doesn't get wind of it."

This made sense. Maybe ten percent of my job involved giving information to the press. The other ninety percent involved putting our own take on bad news, or holding back on it entirely while plans were made.

"Got it" I said. His eyebrows raised. He put his hand on my arm, and got the cunning look in his eyes again.

"Look, Jimmy," he started, and I refrained from flinching. Only the President got to call me the hated name. "The world's going down the can right now. We can't let anyone know that we're weak, and you know that the people in that room all want to be the top dog. That's chaos. We don't need chaos in the White House right now. You've heard that shit runs downhill? Yeah. That's what we're looking at right goddamn now." His eyes gleamed, words shooting rapid fire from his lips, running off of caffeine, nicotine, and adrenalin. "So here's the thing, Jimmy-boy. You keep a wall between us and the public, especially the press. The president just had a false alarm as far as they know. I'll handle the schmucks in the other room. Hell, we can't even have Dirksen involved, since he'd want to kiss the ass of every damned Negro radical till they shut up."

I paused as he looked at me expectantly, and remember thinking that there should have been a smell of brimstone. But Roy was right. The country needed to know that the leadership was strong, and couldn't afford its leaders engaging in a power struggle.

I nodded in reluctant agreement. What else was I supposed to do?

-The Truth of Fantasy: A Washington Memoir by Former White House Press Secretary James Dodd


FIVE HELD IN MUSLIM BOMB PLOT

-Tacoma News-Tribune, 5/31/58


PRESIDENT DISNEY RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL FOLLOWING ASTHMA ATTACK

-Washington Post, 6/3/58


Well, boys and girls, it's been a pleasure to have this chance to come into your living rooms every day and have a chance to talk with you, and maybe bring a smile to your face every once in a while. Now, I'm still going to be doing wonderful things with Mickey and the gang, so don't worry about me. Now I'm going to introduce you to a lovely young lady who's going to take over for me on this stage as the head of the Mouseketeers: Boys and girls, let's have a big hand for Anita Bryant!

-Ronald Reagan, Mickey Mouse Club Hour, 6/6/58


REAGAN VICE-PRESIDENT IN CHARGE OF PRODUCTION FOR DISNEY STUDIOS

-Variety, 6/10/58


ROCKEFELLER MEETS WITH NEGRO LEADERSHIP-Governor, Reverend King Appeal For Calm

-New York Times, 6/10/58


CHESS: CAN YOU PLAY THE GAME?

-Promotional Material for Chess Records, London, 6/58


Hey, yeah, we had a lot to deal with, and I don't think that anyone really knew how sick Disney was. Jim? Hey, I read that trash he called a memoir, and I'm not the kind of guy to do my business in a closet. The President didn't know how to tell us he was sick, since he was a private guy, but I kind of figured that something was wrong since he wasn't as active as usual. But I did my job, the cabinet was there to pick up the pieces, and we were off and running. No problems.

-Retired Senator Roy Cohn (R-NY) quoted in Magic Kingdom: America In The 50s by Studs Terkel

[Bobindelaware]

ITTL, my parents moved to New Zealand about now . . .

Anything coming on what's been happening in the rest of the world?

Bobindelaware

[statichaos]

ITTL, my parents moved to New Zealand about now . . .

Anything coming on what's been happening in the rest of the world?

Bobindelaware

That's an excellent question, and I admit that I've been so involved in figuring out how the dominoes are falling on the domestic front (with some things that even surprised me) that I've given international matters short shrift. I'll try to make that up at some point over the next few posts.

[Hendryk]

I'm not the kind of guy to do my business in a closet.
I wonder what kind of nutjob Roy Cohn aged into in TTL, and whether one should consider this a slip of the pen :D

[statichaos]

Let's just say that I can only turn down the obvious joke for so long.

[Historico]

I absolutley loved the '90's Political lemerick about Walt and the thing about Roy not doing his business in the closet:rolleyes:. It's nice to see Rocky and Martin trying to put their heads together to try to calm the insurection, if they can pull it off then Rocky is a shoe in for the '60 nomination. Yeah what has old VP Dirksen really been up 2 in the Middle East? I just cant see such an outspoken man on Civil Rights in OTL being so quiet when all Hell's breaking loose? Also with Symington and Humphrey gunning up for the 1960 run, what stance do they take on this issue?

[statichaos]

Dirksen is shutting up and putting up. They've been sending him to the Mideast (and all over the world) in order to keep him out of the papers, and to keep him from "accidentally" shooting off his mouth to any D.C. reporters.

The battle for the Democratic nod is going to look very different this time around.

[David bar Elias]

While this university is mindful of its duties to ensure the Constitutional rights of all students, staff, and faculty, the recent proliferation of posters with the face of wanted criminal Malcolm X on dorm room walls, common walls, and various public spaces cannot be considered as appropriate for an institute of higher education, especially considering certain recent violent acts carried out by his organization. The trustees of this institution have therefore issued a directive prohibiting the display of any material that could be considered to glorify criminal behavior and/or terrorist acts.

-Chancellor's Office, University of California, Berkeley, 5/25/58

I sense that Malcolm might be appearing on some shirts in a few years...:eek:

[statichaos]

I sense that Malcolm might be appearing on some shirts in a few years...:eek:

Yeah, that was a bit of an anvil (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Anvilicious), but hopefully a forgivable one.

[maverick]

Damn, I was just gonna say that:D:p

[Japhy]

How long until Miss Bryant gets hit with a pie?

[TNF]

Very good timeline. I'm interested in seeing how you're going to use Anita Bryant in the near future. She seems perfect as a cohort of the quasi-fascist Mousketeers, considering her activism in OTL against gays and lesbians.

[Fenrir_Angerboda]

Very good timeline. I'm interested in seeing how you're going to use Anita Bryant in the near future. She seems perfect as a cohort of the quasi-fascist Mousketeers, considering her activism in OTL against gays and lesbians.

the Mousketeers: fighting Blacks, Islamics, gays and commies.

dear lord that's a fucked up though.

[Historico]

I had totally forgot to put this in my last reply but here is what I imagine Disney looking like before delivering a nationally televised address about his health and the riots...:D

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/98/Walt_Disney_Presents_title_image.jpg

[Redem]

For some reason Ronald Reagan sound to me like Camp Concellor and its really unbeliably creepy if you ask me

[statichaos]

Historico, I love that!

Redem, I was going for a mix of Reagan's speeches as I remember them combined with the original host of the Mickey Mouse Club in that era.

Five points to the first person who can tell me what role that host is playing in this timeline (no cheating...if you guessed it on the other two sites where I have this posted, you're disqualified from competition).

[Redem]

Historico, I love that!

Redem, I was going for a mix of Reagan's speeches as I remember them combined with the original host of the Mickey Mouse Club in that era.

Five points to the first person who can tell me what role that host is playing in this timeline (no cheating...if you guessed it on the other two sites where I have this posted, you're disqualified from competition).

Putting mind-altering drug into orange juice! She become an Evil Oprah! Heh I don't know she does some stupid scandal

[statichaos]

Okay, hint: In the actual Mickey Mouse Club show of the 50s (our TL), the host was male. I've given him a role in this timeline.

[Fenrir_Angerboda]

Okay, hint: In the actual Mickey Mouse Club show of the 50s (our TL), the host was male. I've given him a role in this timeline.

Jimmy Dodd?
wait.....You made Jimmy Dodd White House Press Secretary?
damn....didn't catch that untill you mentioned it.

[statichaos]

Jimmy Dodd?
wait.....You made Jimmy Dodd White House Press Secretary?
damn....didn't catch that untill you mentioned it.

Five points! I indulged myself. Not realistic, but I handwaved it with Cohn's complaint that an actor never should have been thrust into the role of press secretary, no matter how much he may have helped during the campaign.

[Ofaloaf]

You know, since we're already raping old children's TV shows for political fodder, I'm kinda of curious about a certain Presbyterian from Pittsburgh who was just starting his TV career in OTL...

[Fenrir_Angerboda]

You know, since we're already raping old children's TV shows for political fodder, I'm kinda of curious about a certain Presbyterian from Pittsburgh who was just starting his TV career in OTL...


Mr. Eastwood's Neighborhood? :D
er..Roger's. Mr. Roger's Neighborhood.

sorry. in the FPiAR timeline we made Clint Eastwood the host of a children;s show and Fred Roger's a crack sniper. i keep getting them mixed up.

[TheSevenLeggedFallyDowner]

This timeline is awesome! I've been reading stuff on this web-site for months and this was the first one that made me care enough to actually join. Keep up the good work.:)

[Hendryk]

I had totally forgot to put this in my last reply but here is what I imagine Disney looking like before delivering a nationally televised address about his health and the riots...:D
I always thought that someone should have told him that half of his cartoon characters go pantsless in public. It's all the more blatant since the other half do cover their nether regions. What kind of message was that getting across to children, that it's okay to be naked from the waist down? :D

[Geekhis Khan]

Nation of Islam Jihad?

Cohn-Hoover shadow-presidency?

Pat Boone on Bandstand?

Anita Bryant?!?!?

Gads, this gets better and better...and scarier and scarier!

[statichaos]

CUBAN LEADER CASTRO CAPTURED BY AMERICAN FORCES

-Miami Herald, 6/15/58


FBI DIRECTOR HOOVER REQUESTS EMERGENCY FUNDS TO FIGHT MOSLEM TERRORISM

-Washington Post, 6/21/58


So, Wally, as you know I decided to take the stir crazy Jack on the lam across Europe to see what we could see as the song goes. He's had to keep it cooler than usual since we have folks in some countries that will make the craziest Southern Sheriff look like Gandhi in comparison. Case in point: We decided to take a hop through Italy to check out the sights. Went down, down, down, to the places where the grapes grow thick on the vine and the sun beats down on you till the world is spinning in a glorious green wave of heat. Jack and I, we stopped by the side of the road for some wine and some sandwiches. One of the locals came by. Rifle in his hand, he looked at me a long while through squinty eyes, looked at Jack, spit on the ground.

"Communista?" he asked, and there is no mistaking that word, and no mistaking what someone thinks when they say it. This wasn't the secret, kind of shameful gleeful way that some say it, like they say "Do you smoke tea?" This was half question, half accusation based on our work shirts and blue jeans, with the underlying message that the rifle would be pointed in our direction if we started yapping about the rights of oppressed workers. Jack started to open his mouth, but I spoke up, yelling "No, no! American!" and started singing the Star Spangled Banner with Jack looking at me like I'd gone buggy on him. The man, he looked at me, then cackled and showed a mouth of yellow teeth. He gestured for us to come with, and we both know that it is bad mojo to refuse the man with the gun, so off we went traipsing through fields of bright purple grapes to a little vine-covered shack that was old enough for one of the Medicis to have used it as an outhouse.

We went into the shack, which was one bed, a desk, a trunk, a stove, a chair, and about twenty cases of wine stacked against the back wall. Topping it all off was a picture of our very own President hanging right above his bed. He popped open a bottle, grabbed three glasses that had seen better days, poured us all a good tote, and said some gibberish as a toast that I responded to with a smile and an "Up yours!" which he took nicely. So we drank glass after glass of good Italian red with this old reactionary, and he starts going off with the only word I understand being "Disney". So we smiled, and we nodded, and the next thing you know Kerouac and Iwere up on our feet dancing and singing "I Got No Strings" which is the only Disney song I know by heart, having taken my nephew to see it every day for a week when my sister needed time alone with her new man. Then we're several glasses into the night, and the old man feeds us some sort of stew from his stove, and it was so good that I didn't have the heart to ask what was in it. Finally, to top things off, he took out a picture from the trunk and looked at it, and started weeping, and then took out an old army uniform, and I know my World War history well enough so that I knew it was an old Italian army uniform. He sat on the chair looking at the picture, and it slipped off to the side, and there was Benito M. staring up at me while his follower to this day sang the Italian National Anthem, and so Jack and I said our goodbyes and went off to sleep in the fields....

-Personal correspondence of "Beano" to Wally Hedrick


WALT DISNEY PICTURES is proud to present a new series of patriotic feature length animated pictures that will portray the lives of famous American heroes. The first on the list is The Tale of George Washington, the story of our first president, and how he became the figure beloved by young and old alike.

-Press Release from Disney Pictures, signed by Ronald Reagan


Man, it was 'round about that time that the police were showing up in our neighborhood all the time, acting crazy. Now, we were used to them stopping us and searching us without any real reason other than wanting some fun, but it was always kind of casual cruelty, just boys out for a good time. Didn't like it, wasn't nice, but we all figured that'd pass someday. It was different now. Cars were stopped on every corner, people in 'em got rousted out, heads got cracked if we looked at 'em sideways.

Colored folk and the police never got along, but most of us, we just wanted to keep our heads down and stay out of the fight. Now they weren't letting us do that. So it got real bad real quick, and the young folk started gettin' ugly looks in their eyes, even the ones who used to want to go to school and make something of themselves. Didn't look like a possibility no more.

Worst thing was the Uncle Tom program, what they called "Community Outreach". What this meant was that if you informed on your black brothers or sisters, said that you saw 'em goin' into a mosque, or heard 'em talkin' about blowing shit up, you got fifty bucks for talkin' to the police about it. Lot of folks took the money, lot of folks wished they hadn't when people found out what they'd done. I ain't saying that they died, I ain't saying that they didn't.

-Ulysses Wilder, quoted in For Want Of A Nail: Race, Riot, and Revolutionaries, 2006


CHE GUEVARA PROMISES TO CONTINUE "FIGHT FOR LIBERATION" IN CUBA

-Miami Herald, 7/2/58


SEN. MCCLELLAN TO BE FEATURED SPEAKER AT NATIONAL MMC CONVENTION- Arkansas Senator To Encourage "Clean Living, Clean Thinking"

-Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 7/4/58


Cohn would take the bills into the President.

Minutes later, he'd walk out. The President's signature would be on all of the bills, except for the vetoed ones.

Who was to say that anything was wrong?

It was on or about this time that I would look at the guitar in the corner of my office, and wonder what might have been. All of my dreams of acting, of singing, of the record deals...instead, the only song I'd written that anyone had heard was a little ditty that I'd whipped up for the clubs during the campaign. Now the tune echoed nightmarishly in my head as I read of the latest atrocious activities that they were involved in.

-The Truth Of Fantasy: A Washington Memoir, by Former White House Press Secretary James Dodd


GOVERNOR ROCKEFELLER: PRESIDENT HAS FAILED THE COUNTRY, RENEGED ON GOP PRINCIPLES.

New York- During a speech to the Rotary Club of Manhattan, Governor Nelson Rockefeller accused President Walt Disney of having failed in his leadership of the country, and of having abandoned Republican principles of freedom and equal opportunity for all Americans.

His words, the strongest yet from a member of the President's own party, are only the latest in a series of controversies surrounding the Disney administration....

-New York Times, 7/11/58

[Geekhis Khan]

Wow.

Only 13 years past VE Day and the US is becoming the new light of the Fascist cause while Berlin is the capital of freedom, art, poetry, and jazz.


Hmmm...I'm wondering what will happen with Hunter S. Thompson. OTL he'd just be getting out of the Air Force and into journalism/writing. ATL he might have gotten booted from the AF even sooner and been even MORE radicalized! :eek:

[maverick]

Rockefeller is governor 4 years earlier? Awesome...that way he can lose to the evil law and order democrat bound to replace Disney...although I'd also like Rockefeller to win and make everything good, in the "black-people-not-being-torn-to-shreds-by-white-mobs" kind of way...

It's a pity, to think that I could have started the civil rights war in 1957 instead of 1963 in my old dystopian TL...this is truly inspired, and a better dystopia...

[Historico]

Uh-oh it seemes dipping in to that sauce isn't the only thing that Disney's got his hands in. But didn't Disney run patriotic cartoons around this time like Icahbod Crane or was a tad bit earlier? Oh...That's who James Dodd is, he's Jimmie Dodd from OTL the original Micky Mouse Club. That is some transformation stat, hat's off:D

[Fenrir_Angerboda]

wait......Castro's captured and Guevara fighting for Cuba?
oh boy...
An i would love to see Hunter S. Thompson and 'Night of the Living Dead' are gonna be taken.

[statichaos]

Okay, weird thing? I was curious about Thompson last night. Great minds converge (mediocre minds think "alike"). I may include him, but aping the writing style will involve injuring my brain. See the sacrifices I'm willing to make for this TL?

Romero's an interesting question. We'll have to see how the 60s develop.

[Redem]

wait......Castro's captured and Guevara fighting for Cuba?
oh boy...
An i would love to see Hunter S. Thompson and 'Night of the Living Dead' are gonna be taken.

Well if say at the end White Zombie would tear Ben appart its kinda like what happen in Arkansas, less symbolic but who know

[Fenrir_Angerboda]

Romero's an interesting question. We'll have to see how the 60s develop.

All i can see is the movie being exactly the same, except maybe produced in Germany.

[statichaos]

All i can see is the movie being exactly the same, except maybe produced in Germany.

I'm thinking of what happens if it's filmed in the U.S, and the same shot-by-shot movie comes across as overtly political rather than subtextually so.

[Fenrir_Angerboda]

I'm thinking of what happens if it's filmed in the U.S, and the same shot-by-shot movie comes across as overtly political rather than subtextually so.

With a Heroic Black lead charactor?
that's definitly gonna make some heads roll in TTL.

[Redem]

All i can see is the movie being exactly the same, except maybe produced in Germany.

Well interestingly enough European during the 60's and 70's did crappy low budget version of movie american movie, plus in itself Berlin ain't exactly the best of place to make movie (sure you got the city, but you got to get outside)

maybe it would be more spread to Western Europe

[Nebogipfel]

I was curious about Thompson last night. Great minds converge (mediocre minds think "alike"). I may include him,

Hells Angles vs. Disney Youth ? :eek: OR ... Mouse Bikers :D

[Redem]

Hells Angles vs. Disney Youth ? :eek: OR ... Mouse Bikers :D

and with space exploration...From Mars

[Fenrir_Angerboda]

Well interestingly enough European during the 60's and 70's did crappy low budget version of movie american movie, plus in itself Berlin ain't exactly the best of place to make movie (sure you got the city, but you got to get outside)

maybe it would be more spread to Western Europe

You're Talking about Zombi 2?
how is that crappy, they have Shark vs Zombie scene!

[statichaos]

and with space exploration...From Mars

Minus five points. :p

[Redem]

You're Talking about Zombi 2?
how is that crappy, they have Shark vs Zombie scene!

Well I was speaking of the genre more than a specific movie

Minus five points. :p

How dare do you deny the right to reference obscure Cartoon

[statichaos]

How dare do you deny the right to reference obscure Cartoon

You actually got ten points for the obscurity, minus fifteen for making me wince so hard that I had to use a crowbar to get my face back in the proper position. So minus five.

[Redem]

You actually got ten points for the obscurity, minus fifteen for making me wince so hard that I had to use a crowbar to get my face back in the proper position. So minus five.

and if I gave you a free crowbar if that would ever happen again

[Geekhis Khan]

Okay, weird thing? I was curious about Thompson last night. Great minds converge (mediocre minds think "alike").

Bad Craziness... :cool: <-- (Needs cigarette holder)

I may include him, but aping the writing style will involve injuring my brain. See the sacrifices I'm willing to make for this TL?You can always practice with a GSOT (http://alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=115549) or two...

[/shamelessselfpromotion]

[Redem]

Heh I don't know maybe Thompson would write about Mickey Mouse Club, seem like the writer to write about that kind of madness

[SeanPdineen]

Purple Panda works for the FBI.
Neighborhood of Makebelive bastion of the free world.

[Bmao]

I'm getting this feeling that something bad is going to happen to Gov Rockafeller when most of the country is out for Negro-Communist-Muslim blood. Hoover, in his paranoia, would probably see Rockafeller as a traitor and have him suffer some unfortunate accident.

Here's what I think. Regardless of who is going to be elected president in 1960, its Hoover who is basically the 'Director of the United States'.

[SeanPdineen]

pleased to see someone took up my informants plan.
Got the idea from the south african broderbond.
t gave homeland offices to good, managable Bantu

[Fleetlord]

Rockefeller is governor 4 years earlier?

Could we get some clarification on this? Earlier in '58 Rockefeller was introduced as a candidate for governor...so he shouldn't be governor yet, right?

[maverick]

GOVERNOR ROCKEFELLER: PRESIDENT HAS FAILED THE COUNTRY, RENEGED ON GOP PRINCIPLES.

New York- During a speech to the Rotary Club of Manhattan, Governor Nelson Rockefeller accused President Walt Disney of having failed in his leadership of the country, and of having abandoned Republican principles of freedom and equal opportunity for all Americans.


-New York Times, 7/11/58

He seems to be governor as early as July...maybe without all the work that the Eisenhower administration gave him IOTL, he can run for Governor in 1954...

[iopgod]

ROCK AND ROLL RIOTS! TEDS, MODS CLASH IN EAST END!

-London Guardian, 11/2/57




Sorry for posting nit-picks at this late point, but as far as I am aware, the "London Guardian" has only ever been, at best, a local rag... certainly in the 1950s, the national UK newspaper called the The Guardian was the Manchester Guardian (According to Wikipedia, until 1959 (which is earlier than I thought), when it was renamed just plain "The Guardian")...

[statichaos]

Sorry for posting nit-picks at this late point, but as far as I am aware, the "London Guardian" has only ever been, at best, a local rag... certainly in the 1950s, the national UK newspaper called the The Guardian was the Manchester Guardian (According to Wikipedia, until 1959 (which is earlier than I thought), when it was renamed just plain "The Guardian")...

Thanks! Will correct!

As far as Rockefeller goes: Meant to type "candidate". Jumped the gun a bit. Will correct that too, and thanks for the quick eye.

[SeanPdineen]

If Rocky, gets the nomination, I wonder if he might give Adam Clayton Powell, a prominant role. Charles Diggs hasn't come to prominence yet.

[katanbuilder3]

This certainly is a nice read. Interesting to see an America stuck in the 50s and the implications of that. Also interesting whats happening in Germany.

[David bar Elias]

Bump!

Will the next update be soon? I can't wait to see what happens next.

[Bobindelaware]

Bump!

Will the next update be soon? I can't wait to see what happens next.

I heartily agree! PLEASE hurry!

Bobindelaware

[jeff]

Please sir, may we have some more?

[Cromm Crúaich]

Joining the chorus.

[Fenrir_Angerboda]

Joining the chorus.

Strike up the band!
the conductor is beckoning,
come congragation, let's sing it like you mean it!

update please?

[David bar Elias]

Actually, I do have a question: what's up with Edward D. Wood, everyone's favorite Grade Z director? The content of his films (especially stuff like Glen or Glenda) wouldn't go over well in TTL's America.

So perhaps Ed becomes an expatriate himself, along with his merry band of misfits and collaborators? Could make for an amusing POV.

[Hendryk]

So perhaps Ed becomes an expatriate himself, along with his merry band of misfits and collaborators? Could make for an amusing POV.
You raise an interesting point. If enough American moviemakers pack up and leave because they can't take the stifling ideological control, it would be interesting to see them resettle in France like earlier generations of American artists, since the New Wave was just taking off around that time. French creativity plus American technical savvy could make for a promising mix. The question is, will the funding follow? Though I suppose, given the administration's well-publicized antisemitic tendencies, that a number of Jewish movie producers may financially endorse the move.

[Fenrir_Angerboda]

so it looks like Wood, New Wave, and Romero will be incredibly contoversial in TTL's America?

[Redem]

You raise an interesting point. If enough American moviemakers pack up and leave because they can't take the stifling ideological control, it would be interesting to see them resettle in France like earlier generations of American artists, since the New Wave was just taking off around that time. French creativity plus American technical savvy could make for a promising mix. The question is, will the funding follow? Though I suppose, given the administration's well-publicized antisemitic tendencies, that a number of Jewish movie producers may financially endorse the move.

Oh just imagine a world were Ed Wood does the exact same movie but somehow they are smash hit :D

but I think it might actually not be concentrate to France but to Europe overall

wouldn't the British have a better chance at it considering they have the same language making working on a film set that much easier