Could Kennedy Avoid Assassination?

[Emperor Norton I]

I'm glad this was brought up, because I ran across an article from an old magazine recently where someone close to Kennedy related a question I think George Smathers asked of whether JFK would drop Lyndon in 64, and Kennedy said something to the effect of "Are you crazy, George? Do you know how that would look with this Bobby Baker business going on? They'd interpret it as us dropping Lyndon over a scandal when there isn't any scandal".

I really just do not believe Kennedy would actually have dropped Johnson. LBJ may have dropped dead of depression after being stuck in a powerless position, but I don't see Kennedy actually dropping him from that position.

 

[Bob in Pittsburgh]

Going back to the original question Kennedy surviving could have been as simple as not going to Dallas. It was a political trip that could easily have been avoided. From there any number of alternative lines could flow:

• Vietnam pullout
• Failed Civil Rights legislation
• No rehabilitation of Tricky Dicky
• Increased racial violence
• Greater prosperity

 

[GarethC]

Jackie is looking at Kennedy when the first shot hits him. She was in position to throw herself over him to protect him from further shots, had she realized what had happened (which is unlikely, to be fair).

Not sure how that would play out in 1963 America though - a woman taking a bullet for a man. The fact that Zapruder would have it on film that Kennedy had been hit already would help the spin on that to some extent.

 

[deejay45]

Well the easiest way is to have him listen to the secret service. I saw a documentary on them and they consider the Kennedy assassination to be their darkest day. There were numerous security issues that were brought up and ignored as they wanted the president to be seen. Some had to do with the path being chosen, not having secret service runners with the car, having a car open to the public, etc..... I forget them all but there were a number of issues they have with his drive through Dallas.

 

[Emperor Norton I]

Going back to the original question Kennedy surviving could have been as simple as not going to Dallas. It was a political trip that could easily have been avoided. From there any number of alternative lines could flow:

• Vietnam pullout
• Failed Civil Rights legislation
• No rehabilitation of Tricky Dicky
• Increased racial violence
• Greater prosperity

Civil Rights is an unstoppable reform. It may take different forms, may be more piecemeal and one piece at a time, but it's going to come.

Jackie is looking at Kennedy when the first shot hits him. She was in position to throw herself over him to protect him from further shots, had she realized what had happened (which is unlikely, to be fair).

Not sure how that would play out in 1963 America though - a woman taking a bullet for a man. The fact that Zapruder would have it on film that Kennedy had been hit already would help the spin on that to some extent.

You don't even need that. Just have the driver not slow down and speed up instead, or just have Oswald plain old miss or hit a non-fatal area when the driver pulls away.

 

[Zacoftheaxes]

At the time Oswald did fire, he was either incredibly lucky or incredibly skilled to actually hit him. Oswald missing entirely, hitting another passenger instead, and not being able to pull off a fatal shot are all entirely possible.

 

[Cook]

At the time Oswald did fire, he was either incredibly lucky or incredibly skilled to actually hit him.

He wasn't actually and he didn't need to be, it wasn't a difficult shot; his target was moving at a walking pace, in a straight, predictable path and less than one hundred metres from him when he fired the first shot. He could have made a hash of it, but it wouldn't be becuase it was a difficult shot.

 

[Emperor Norton I]

It's easy enough to avoid, really. It's all action and reaction and action again, ad infinitum, not to mention the little details of a day which will always be different every time if you could pull it back and play it out again and again. Assassinations are one of those areas of history that are so very fickle.

You could have Oswald's bullets hit a non-lethal area both times, or miss at least the lethal shot, have the driver not slow down and the fatal shot find itself hitting the back of the car, you could have Oswald decide to shoot at a different time when Kennedy was at an even slightly different area along which could totally alter things, you could have Oswald hesitate when he didn't or have him mistake a non-lethal shot for a fatal shot and let JFK get away, you could have Kennedy manage to duck down or to the side, you could have the shot be different which warns Kennedy or the Secret Service to get everyone to shield themselves and the car to drive off, etc, etc, etc, etc. It's really anything could be done to prevent it. All it takes for it to be a failed assassination is for it to not be a successful one.

I was actually thinking of doing a short story on the many little changes that could have been on November 22nd, but the array is just too vast frankly.

 

[BigWillyG]

Civil Rights is an unstoppable reform. It may take different forms, may be more piecemeal and one piece at a time, but it's going to come.



You don't even need that. Just have the driver not slow down and speed up instead, or just have Oswald plain old miss or hit a non-fatal area when the driver pulls away.

On Civil Rights do you even need the Johnson era legislation? Everything I've read describes the later Civil Rights Acts as rather redundant. The social changes of the '60s which made racism anathema were more important. So were the SCOTUS rulings which are unlikely to change in a full JFK administration.

On JFK avoiding assassination what about having it be a rainy day so roof is up on the limo?

 

[New Deal Democrat]

Jackie is looking at Kennedy when the first shot hits him. She was in position to throw herself over him to protect him from further shots, had she realized what had happened (which is unlikely, to be fair).

Not sure how that would play out in 1963 America though - a woman taking a bullet for a man. The fact that Zapruder would have it on film that Kennedy had been hit already would help the spin on that to some extent.

This is a fascinating idea for the culturial implications alone. Jackie would become a martyr unparralled in American History or folklore.

 

[BigWillyG]

This is a fascinating idea for the culturial implications alone. Jackie would become a martyr unparralled in American History or folklore.

Thinking of that if a little of topic from the OP. What happens if both JFK and Jackie are killed?