alternatehistory.com

Lee Harvey Oswald apparently committed suicide today. As the accused assassin was being prepared to be moved to Leavenworth. As he was being led to the armored personnel carrier to take him to the airport, to fly him to Ft. Leavenworth, he was sat down by a deputy on a chair as they tried to manage the crowd of reporters, onlookers, and other jail personnel. Oswald suddenly said to the Texas Marshal standing beside him, "Tell Buelly I loved him. I didn't want him to get hurt or involved." With that the Marshal heard a crunch and saw Oswald immediately start to gag and fall over. An autopsy later learned Oswald had the entire time had a false tooth in his mouth that was filled with a concentrated potassium cyanide. Pandemonium ensued but by the time Oswald was loaded onto a stretcher the heartbeat had stopped and brain activity a few minutes later. Oswald was DOA at Parkland Hospital where he was taken. Frazier wept in his jail cell and was feeling guilty, believing his betrayal of his lover caused him to commit suicide.

Meanwhile in Washington, D.C., the Kennedys decided that the lighting of the Christmas Tree and beginning of the Winter Social Season was a chance to restore some glamour to a tulmultuous weeks. Arriving to light the National Christmas Tree, the President had some remarks to make.

The President intoned his message, while the First Lady looked on. She had asked to be joined by two other women, not new to Washington, D.C., but new to their positions, both widows, and both Senators Nancy Kefauver of Tennessee and Lady Bird Johnson of Texas.

"Lady Bird and Nancy, I am so glad you could join me this evening," said the First Lady. She chatted with Johnson and her efforts to start a nationwide effort to beautify highways with flowers and other plants indigenous to the various areas. She also spoke with Kefauver about her efforts to bring art to various public schools around the nation.

After the President spoke, the First Lady congratulated him on a well-spoken and delivered speech.

In what had to be the most astounding constitutional changes, the Kefauver-Keating proposal for the 25th Amendment was voted on. Joined it with the Bayh-Celler bill, a conference committee ironed out the differences. Suddenly, 10 different members of the Senate and 28 members of the U.S. House went on whirlwind tours attempting it's passage as soon as possible. It was decided to try to get the states to ratify it by February, that way the President could name a Vice President before the primaries began. Though Senator Kefauver had pushed it through with Senator Keating, she was focusing more on her bill for the Art Lend Lease program to schools, whereby the public schools would be leased or lent works of art by Picasso, Van Gogh, Cezanne', Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, etc. The U.S. Senators getting really involved in trying to get this ratified were Senators Birch Bayh of Indiana, Henry "SCOOP" Jackson of Washington State, Hubert H. Humphrey of Minnesota, and Al Gore of Tennessee, all considered potential new Vice Presidents whom Kennedy could appoint.

Then suddenly, Senator Keating reversed course. His actions shocked even his co-sponsor Senator Kefauver. Keating announced this was an attempt by the Kennedys to pick who they wanted and he had been duped. He said the process was moving too fast. Since Keating was up for reelection, three men suddenly emerged as potential U.S. Senators to challenge Keating. They were former U.S. Congressman Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., U.S. Congressman Samuel Stratton, and the President's brother and current, U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. They were also joined by another dark horse candidate, New York City Council President, Paul Screvane, whom New York City Mayor Robert F. Wagner, Jr. had been strongly promoting.



And the one Christmas gift awaiting the nation was what promised to be a huge Presidential race in 1964.