35. John F. Kennedy(D-MA)
Jan. 20, 1961-Jan. 20, 1965
Jan. 20, 1961-Jan. 20, 1965
President Kennedy’s term started off horribly, just four days after he was inaugurated a B-52 carrying two 3.8-megaton Mark 39 nuclear bombs broke up in mid-air. One of the bombs went off.
Well over 33 thousand were injured while over 23 thousand died in the blast. Kennedy fearing the worst immediately declared DEFCON One. Thankfully after several tense and frantic phone calls between the White House and the Kremlin cooler heads prevailed and nuclear armagedoon had been adverted.
Now Kennedy was left with the disaster slammed into his lap, despite not wanting to take drastic action for fear of causing mass hysteria the overwhelming panic forced his hand. Martial law was declared in DC and federal troops were dispatched to Wayne County to aid the National Guard which Governor Sanford had already dispatched.
President Kennedy addressing the Goldsboro Disaster
President Kennedy’s approval ratings skyrocketed along with Governor Sanford’s. Kennedy used his high popularity to get a fair amount of legislation passed. Social Security benefits were expanded, Medicare was established, and education grants were expanded.
However, as time went on Kennedy’s approval rating slowly climbed down to the mid to high 50s though it would spike after his excellent handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Soon everyone forgot all about the Goldsboro Disaster.
Eventually in late 1961 citizens of Wayne County that were evacuated were given the go-ahead to return home.
Everything seemed okay… except it wasn’t.
In mid to late 1963 women who returned to Wayne County reported experiencing miscarriages, stillbirths, and genetic abnormalities in their children. Children as young as eleven died of cancer that was later linked to radiation exposure.
Federal troops and National Guardsmen were reportedly getting sick and dying of what was later found to be radiation poisoning. Scientists studied the Goldsboro area and learned more and more about radiation poisoning, the effects it caused, and the havoc it could wreak on the human body. Soon a report came out detailing the effects that radiation poisoning was having on the people of Wayne County and in late 1963 the people of Wayne County were once again evacuated and the Goldsboro Exclusion Zone was once again set up this time lasting well into the modern day.
Though Kennedy’s approval ratings took a hit the true death blow would come a bit later.
In early 1964 documents were leaked to the press that revealed the government understood the risk of return and yet still ordered the Exclusion Zone to be deemed safe. Not only that but once the true effects of radiation poisoning were discovered the administration tried to have it covered up and tried to stifle the report.
The fallout was immense. The public was outraged at Kennedy’s crass mismanagement of the situation and his approval ratings dropped.
Pretty soon the press began to look into any tiny juicy detail about the young President that they could find.
Soon Kenndy’s rather exotic private life was brought into the light as numerous affairs were revealed. The press also began to reexamine the Cuban Missile Crisis and what led up to it with some members of the press stating that it was President Kennedy's fault for getting the United States into the crisis in the first place. All in all the Goldsboro Disaster created a massive dark gloomy cloud over the Kennedy administration.
Things got even worse for the administration heading into the 1964 election when Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson announced that he wasn’t running for reelection and instead wanted to “retire” back home to Texas. Johnson probably left the ticket due to a combination of wanting to leave before his indiscretions were exposed as well as trying to distance himself from the now-unpopular Kennedy for a later Presidential run. President Kennedy fearing a primary challenge called up the still popular Goevnor Sanford to see if he was interested in the number two spot.
Sanford politely declined saying that he wanted to take a short break from politics. However, Kennedy did receive a primary challenge. But it did not come in the form of Governor Sanford instead the challenger was Alabama Senator J. Lester Hill.
Sen. J. Lister Hill(D-AL)
Kennedy quickly moved to kill Senator Hill’s bid by bringing up his arch-segregationism which worked. However soon after Kennedy was renominated at the 1964 DNC Hill stagged a walkout with several Southern Senators and Governors announcing that he would run third party in the upcoming election with the former Missippi Governor Ross Barnett as his running mate.
Kennedy named Tennesse Senator Albert Gore Sr. as his new running mate. Gore was one of the few Southerners who did not walk out with Hill.
For most of the campaign season, Kennedy trailed the Republican challenger in the polls. His only hope of being reelected was Arizona Senator and arch-conservative Barry Goldwater being nominated by the Republicans. However, a conveniently timed gaffe about lopping a nuclear bomb into the bathroom of the Kremlin along with one about privatizing the TVA and cutting Social Security ended his campaign.
After losing reelection Kennedy returned home to Massachusetts where he remained hidden away from the public until his death in 1974.
John F. Kennedy the man elected off of a promise of hope and change is now today regarded as an average to below-average President. His defenders will point out the good of his administration such as his handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis, his push for Civil Rights, and Medicare. His detractors point out his numerous affairs, his lukewarmness on Civil Rights, and most importantly the Goldsboro Disaster.
Kennedy's defenders when asked about Goldsboro will point out that knowledge of nuclear radiation was not quite as good or well-known as it is today and that Kennedy did the best he could with what he knew at the time. If you told someone about that back then they probably wouldn’t care. They would simply pull the lever for either the Republican Party ticket or the American Independent Party ticket.
Nowadays Kennedy is looked at by some historians such as Newt Gingrich as the man who kicked off the decades of instability that rocked both the nation and the world.
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