All the Way for LBJ: An LBJ Wins 68' Collaborative Timeline

True, but he wanted to get to the White House somehow, just like Johnson. Besides, he'd acknowledge that their chances would be better together than apart.

That's incredibly ASB. You truly have no idea about how much Kennedy despised him for his attacks during the 1960 primary. Under no circumstances would he accept.
 

dcharleos

Donor
That's incredibly ASB. You truly have no idea about how much Kennedy despised him for his attacks during the 1960 primary. Under no circumstances would he accept.

And under no circumstances would LBJ offer. LBJ hated RFK even more than RFK hated Johnson, if that's possible.
 
In order to get LBJ elected, this TL needs to have a better public response to the Tet Offensive. Having Johnson actually talk with people about it helps, but what would help even more is if the Offensive is even more of a victory for the USA than IOTL, and followed up not long after by peace talks.

If Vietnam can be resolved by November, you're looking at a much more winnable election. And if it looks like it's going in that direction, heavy hitters like Nixon may well drop out, making Johnson's job even easier.
Peace talks are a red herring, IMO; OTL, there were indeed peace talks starting in May 68, but there was no way to negotiate a victory out of the war the way Johnson was fighting it. Le Duan and co were absolutely intent on the conquest of the South, and cynically used peace talks to get bombing halts and prepare for the next offensive. The only way to get an acceptable peace deal is to destroy the Communist Base Areas along the borders and bomb North Vietnam without restriction or respite, and to enforce the armistice by indefinite continued aid, advisors, and airpower support for the South Vietnamese.

Johnson was not going to take the necessary measures to win, because his intervention had been designed from the word go around being able to extricate himself and not inhibiting the Great Society program. Maybe the military can use the victory to convince McNamara to (instead of resigning) pressure Johnson into taking a more active strategy. Define the end state as ~eight divisions holding a permanent fortified and cleared line from the sea to the Mekong on the border with Thailand; as the interior of the country is pacified and the border sanctuaries in Laos and Cambodia destroyed, ARVN can take up an increasing share of the line. If reserves have to be mobilized to make an offensive into Laos and seal off RVN from the communists, the aftermath of Tet is the time to do it if Johnson finds the strength of will to shape public opinion and lead in times of crisis.
 
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