alternatehistory.com

On August 2, 1943, Lt. John F. Kennedy was killed when a Japanese destroyer rammed into his navy patrol boat, PT-109. The impact threw Kennedy across the deck, injuring his already-troubled back. Despite all efforts to save his life, Kennedy died. He was 26.

A year and 10 days later on August 12, 1944, his older brother, Naval Aviator Joseph P. Kennedy Jr, died when the plane he was piloting detonated in the skies over England during Operation Aphrodite. His body was never recovered. He was 29.

Their father, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., never recovered from losing his two sons and had hoped that Joseph Jr would enter politics and become the first Catholic President but it was not to be.

In 1946, Harvard University student Robert F. Kennedy was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives a month before his 21st birthday. He was the youngest state legislator in Massachusetts history. Four years later, Bobby was elected to Congress.

But, what if Jack Kennedy survived and Joe did not? Would Jack have pursued elective office and would he have been elected President? According to his Harvard classmate Benjamin Smith, Jack wanted to pursue a career as a journalist. Ultimately, it was Ted who became a journalist and TV news reporter.

To paraphrase Paul Harvey, we all know the rest of the story.
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