Mind the Door-Nixon Wins in 1960

Nixon's victory was the smallest margin of victory seen since 1916. It was widely agreed that his robust performance in the televised debates, holding the charismatic Kennedy to a draw, had been a factor, but that his vigorous campaigning had also been decisive.

A bone of contention on the ticket, and one that would become apparent again in later years, was Henry Cabot Lodge Jnr.'s total failure to make a dent in Massachusetts, the home state he shared with Kennedy.

Eisenhower was broadly pleased. Nixon had been hard work for him, but at least he had kept the more radical Republicans in check for another four years.

The Democrats went into reflection that night. Kennedy would never lead the ticket again, many vowed. Yet many had been impressed by the sheer vote delivery of Lyndon B. Johnson. Talk was already circulating of pressing for a Johnson-Humphrey ticket for 1964.

Wow! An actual timeline where Nixon wins in 1960! Im gonna watch this one!

Whilst waiting to take over in January, Nixon was already busy and often overshadowed Eisenhower. He jetted off to Europe during this downtime and met various important leaders: Harold MacMillan, Charles de Gaulle, Konrad Adenauer and Jan de Quay of the Netherlands. He even went to Ireland to meet Eamon de Valera.

Meanwhile, the Democrats were in disarray. Some of them were openly blaming Kennedy for the defeat now, but Kennedy himself was keeping his own counsel. In the South, some Democrat leaders blamed Kennedy's support for Civil Rights; yet others blamed his Catholicism. At any rate, it was clear that the Party needed some time to reflect and regroup.

But it was becoming clear that the Party was splitting between Southern conservatives, Northern liberals, and the others trying to keep the peace.

One early change would be a less aggressive space program, particularly when it comes to landing on the moon. But that could unfold differently, perhaps with a joint US-Soviet project.

Now, what happens with civil rights and Vietnam?

Cool Start for the TL, cant wait to see how it develops...

Forget another run by JFK. 1960 was his only chance. For health reasons, he might leave the senate when his term expires in January 1965, and hand the job to Teddy, a couple of years after OTL.

To answer questions:

Maverick-absolutely right, and you've also given me food for thought there...

Mark E. -Vietnam I'm working on. Civil rights are going to be an issue here, and they may well tear the Dems asunder.

Historico/Mr. Hola- glad you're interested, I hope this will continue to interest!

Didn't Kennedy suffer from a chronic back pain? In that case, he would probably die in 1965 or something.

On 20th January 1961, Nixon was sworn in by Chief Justice Earl Warren. In a well-received speech, Nixon spoke of "keeping America working" and "giving America confidence". Optimism was in keeping with the spirit of the times, and Nixon promised that he would govern as Eisenhower had but with a new spirit of dynamism.

The next morning, Nixon received his first visit by a head of state, Harold MacMillan. MacMillan was accompanied by the Foreign Secretary, Lord Home, and the Pentagon received a visit from the British Defence Secretary Harold Watkinson and the War Secretary, John Profumo.

NB: This important visit means that Profumo is unable to accept an invitation to Cliveden. I think we all know what this implies...

However, in MacMillan's absence, a major scandal erupted. The Minister for Transport, Ernest Marples, was reported to the Inland Revenue for alleged tax fraud on slum properties that he owned.

When journalists arrived at his Wallasey constituency home, they found only a distraught maid who had received a letter sacking her. In return for cash (and who could blame her?), she explained that the Marples had fled to Monaco. Marples himself submitted a resignation letter to Parliament a few days later.

MacMillan flew back from the States and into a political nightmare.

NB: This actually happened in 1975 when Marples was a peer-but Marples was rather dubious and this could have come out at any time, especially when he was a Minister. So slight poetic licence here, but hopefully not unrealistic.

Hugh Gaitskell, the Labour leader, was rubbing his hands with glee. A win in a Wallesey by-election would be superb for his chances in the next election.

However, MacMillan was as shrewd as ever and knew this well. He decided to act quickly and yet slow things down.

He had the writ moved for the by-election so that it would be on Thursday 23rd February, a month away. In the meantime, he appointed the well-known MP and journalist Bill Deedes to Marples' ministry. Deedes, known as a competent man with a sociable air and scrupulously honest to boot, was an inspired choice and got straight down to work.

MrHola said:

Didn't Kennedy suffer from a chronic back pain? In that case, he would probably die in 1965 or something.

Click to expand...

Yes, JFK was a sick man. A book published in 1998 stated that he was taking several medications that would have grounded him had he been a military pilot. Kennedy's career would have ended in January, 1965.

Now, let's talk about civil rights. JFK and RFK took a keen interest in the cause and developed a rapport with Martin Luther King. There was an incident, around 1962, when King and his activists were in a church in Alabama, and found themselves surrounded by anti-civil rights demonstrators. Attorney General Bobby Kennedy got through to the church and told King to stay inside and stay quiet until the national guard could be deployed.

Dr. King was a little skeptical at first, but complied. When order was restored, the magnitude of the threat was visible. Had King and his followers emerged from the church as planned, they could have been lynched by men in white hoods. The Dream Speech would never have been heard.

Attorney General RFK went on to author the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the law that desegregated public places and businesses. Would an earlier Nixon administration have been as interested in the cause? Could the republicans, in the white house since 1953, feel a political blow from the issue?

Looks very good, also like how it will change Britian as well!!!!

With MacMillan flying home, Nixon announced his new Cabinet. Many of those in the new Cabinet were veterans of the Eisenhower administration, but there were some new faces-notably the successful and popular carmaker, George Romney of Michigan.

VP- Henry Cabot Lodge
Secretary of State- Christian Herter
Secretary of the Treasury- George Romney
Secretary of Defence- Thomas Gates
Agriculture- Ezra T. Benson
Commerce- Caspar Weinberger
Labour- Robert Anderson
Health, Education and Welfare- Frederick H. Mueller
Housing- James P. Mitchell
Transportation- Winton M. Blount

Mixing old and new, Nixon hoped he was sending the right signals.

On the 23rd February, Wallasey was unexpectedly held with a hugely reduced majority. Labour were baffled- how had they not managed to win this seat?

MacMillan was relieved. On the 25th, in a no-doubt orchestrated move set for after the by-election, Marples was extradited from Monaco, which was embarrassed by the huge publicity around the case.

There was huge embarrassment for Belgium on the 27th February 1961 when Patrice Lumumba escaped and appeared in Prague. He told of how he had nearly been executed and that the Belgians had been behind it.

The Belgian Prime Minister Gaston Eyskens was in a tight corner. He could claim that it was just a Communist lie, but it seemed highly unlikely. The outlook for his government was bleak.

in a TV Doku about Nixon i heard this:

that Henry Cabot Lodge declare one of the new Cabinet members
had to be a African American !

is this true ?

Michel Van said:

in a TV Doku about Nixon i heard this:

that Henry Cabot Lodge declare one of the new Cabinet members
had to be a African American !

is this true ?

Click to expand...

Yes, apparently so-but Nixon wasn't consulted first!

In the South, trouble was brewing between the Republicans and the Democrat governor of Mississippi, Ross Barnett. The Mississippi state authorities had conspired to have one Clyde Kennard arrested for burglary to stop him enrolling at university and thus forcing desegregation. Kennard had developed colon cancer to boot.

Nixon was not overly concerned about Kennard himself but WAS worried about the damage this was doing to his PR. But, Nixon being Nixon, he had a deeper motive.

On the 1st March 1961, Nixon gave a speech denouncing the Democratic Party for "inhuman treatment" and demanding that the Democratic leadership respond. It was calculated perfectly. The Chairman of the DNC, John Moran Bailey, was petrified at what might now happen. And with good reason.

Breaking rank, Hubert Humphrey announced that the Mississippi Democratic Party should be expelled from the Party at large until it released Kennard for treatment. John F. Kennedy followed suit. Lyndon B. Johnson kept quiet, although he was disgusted by the state of affairs.

Ross Barnett hit back furiously, denouncing the Northern Democrats and the Republicans alike in an unbelievably abusive tirade. Across the South, segregationist Democrats flocked to defend him.

Kennard meanwhile had become a cause celebre. On the 14th March, after a decision by the Mississippi Attorney General's Office, he was flown to Cincinnati.

SteveW said:

Nixon's victory was the smallest margin of victory seen since 1916. It was widely agreed that his robust performance in the televised debates, holding the charismatic Kennedy to a draw, had been a factor, but that his vigorous campaigning had also been decisive.

Click to expand...

If you don't already have a simple POD, I suggest Nixon's "50-state" pledge. Without that he'd probably be well rested, would not injure his already-injured leg on the car door going into the debate, and thus would almost certainly come off the debate better. Also, obviously, he'd spend more time in key states.



As for the timeline, I'm interested. Comments:

On Johnson: He knew that his only chance of winning the Democratic nomination was as VP. Non-Southern delegates were not going to vote for a Southern contender in that time period which left his vote ceiling too low. Nor could he satisfy the Northerners on civil rights without leaving a wide opening for Wallace (or another Southern politician). Simply put: he can't win the nomination.

On Goldwater: He's still nursing a grudge over the Rockefeller-Nixon deal on civil rights in the '60 party platform. He might challenge in '64, but he's almost certain to run in '68.

On Reagan: butterflied.

On RFK: Deeply interesting. Considering how callow Teddy was as a youth, RFK almost certainly sees his duty in politics. I'm not sure of what, but the Senate seat from Massachusetts if JFK retires is probable. It won't be '68, but a vigourous RFK in the Senate is a likely future Democratic nominee. Importantly he, unlike the reforming liberals of the McGovern school, understands class and both the black and blue collar communities—by simply existing he probably alters the course of the Democratic Party from OTL (they'll lose the South, but should keep a hold on "Reagan Democrats").

On JFK: Odds are he retires, buys the Boston Globe and takes a run at making it a rival to the NYTimes. Although his health was never good, it wasn't life-threatening in the general sense. I could easily see him become a key figure in the Democratic Party from the outside—a counter to conservative foundations and organizations?

On 1964: A probable Nixon win, against whoever the Democrats muster. Scoop Jackson is a good contender, Humphrey is probably in there, Johnson is probably in there (but, as I outlined, he ain't gonna win), Mo' Udall might give it a shot, and so forth.

On 1968: gonna be a lot of fun. Goldwater, Rockefeller, Lodge, maybe a few others just on the Republican side….