Kentucky Fried Politics: A Colonel Sanders Timeline

Chapter 18: January 1964 – April 1964
Chapter 18: January 1964 – April 1964

“Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.”

– St. Francis of Assisi



“During the Christmas break, I talked with my family over an idea that I’ve had for quite a while now, and they agree with me that is sounds like a real good one and I hope you all agree. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am declaring myself a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. I’m running because, America, we need a leader with a plan. We need a leader who will reverse the big money and big business domination of government. We need a courageous leader who will stand up and fight the necessary political battle [1] to protect the checkbooks of the average American and remove corruption from our markets. And we need a leader who will and can assure peace at home and abroad, and without falling back on bloodshed to do it. President Johnson has failed at all of these endeavors… As President, I will to withdraw troops from Cuba within 90 days of being sworn in. I will instigate a Senate investigation into Wall Street’s action to determine the true causes of this Salad Oil Recession. I will take a stand in the name of peace and national defense and meet with Soviet Premier Shelepin to work on an agreement to scale back our mutual buildup of nuclear weapons. I will not falter in upholding a national mission of allowing nations to prosper freely and determine their own futures for themselves, without pressure from foreign nations attempting to pull puppet strings. But I cannot do it alone. I will need your support if we are to make the peace of Washington listen to the voices of all of the American people demanding for peace abroad and peace at home. Together, we will make a difference. Together, we can win this. ...Thank you all, and remember – vote Morse, or it’ll only get worse!”

– U.S. Senator Wayne Morse (D-OR), 1/2/1964



PATTERSON CHALLENGES LBJ FOR DEMO. NOMINATION

Birmingham, AL – John M. Patterson has announced his decision to run an active campaign to challenge President Johnson for the 1964 Democratic nomination for President of the United States. Patterson, the fiscally moderate, socially conservative Governor of Alabama from 1959 to 1963, proclaimed “patriots never cower in the face of the toothless snarls of Washington’s fat cats.” Patterson’s national profile was raised in 1961 by his opposition of the Civil Rights Act, and has repeatedly criticized the President since then. The former lawyer and state politicians, who has many connections to the state's biggest political donors, has claimed nationwide integration was “a mistake,” citing last year’s Xenia Riots as an example of “forced legal integration lead[ing] to voluntary social segregation.” Patterson also stated that parts of the country are not yet ready for segregation, and that other regions of the nation “work better with segregation.” A major platform of his campaign is his pledge to “allow segregation to be returned and retained in the places that need it most.” Patterson plans to run in the Democratic primaries in order to “prove that the Democratic voters are not happy with how their party is being run,” and is also reportedly planning to woo over delegates at the Democratic National Convention scheduled for early July.

The Birmingham News, Alabama newspaper, 1/3/1964



"I ran on the platform purely because I thought it was the only way that I would be able to defeat Johnson at the Convention, become President, and bring our boys home from The Cuban Quagmire unless the island could be won by the Fourth of July, 1965."

Do you regret it?

"I'm an old man. I have lots a things to regret. That's one of them."

– John Patterson, 2001 interview



“I support fairness and equality among the races that make up this great nation of ours, and I support Lyndon Johnson for President.” (public)

“If I play my cards right, 1968 or 1972 will be our year, Lurleen!” (private, according to Lurleen Wallace in a 1981 LBS interview)

– Governor George Wallace, 1/4/1964



5 January 1964: On this day in history, Pope Paul VI of Rome and Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople meet in Jerusalem, marking the first time since the 15tth century that the leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches meet in the same room; they discuss strengthening relations and ways of addressing universal concerns in was is described as a “respectful [and] professional” discussion and meeting.

– onthisday.co.uk



Father had been flying in the Cuba War since 1961, but was shot down and captured in 1962 after being part of the operation that took out the Cuban communist leaders Fidel and Raul Castro. In the POW camp, my father was subjected to intense physical and psychological torture, but after months of imprisonment, he orchestrated an escape plan with the other prisoners-of-war, and successfully fled into the jungle wilderness of the Cuban interior. He finally made it back to American territory in 1963, but was in serious need of medical attention. Due his courageous service he was awarded the Purple Heart, and sent to recuperate at The Chester Nimitz Medical Center at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, which opened in April of 1962 after President Lyndon Johnson expanded medical services available to military personnel in Oahu. Father, still serving in the US Navy, could have easily retired – he had done more than had been asked of him – but, as he would often say, “I was not leaving until the job was over, and defending America is a job that’s never over.”

In January 1964, my mother, Ann Dunham, having finalized her divorce from my biological father (Barack Obama) about one month prior, was set to begin a new set of classes at the University of Hawaii’s East-West Center when she first met Father. They told me they met at a busy water fountain in a park off of the base. Father had been lightly jogging to redevelop his muscles and mother was taking me out for some fresh air. They ended up making small talk with each other while waiting for their turn to drink.

“Cute kid,” he commented on her two-and-a-half-year-old (me).

“Nice medal,” she spotted it around his neck, peaking out from under his white sweat-covered cut-off.

“I usually never went out with men like him,” Mom would later explain, “I hated war and tended to avoid anyone who contributed to it. But John was different. We kept talking and we soon discovered we had a great deal in common – we both came from families that moved around a lot, we both wanted to take charge of our own destinies, we both liked the same things here and there. And he had a great smile. We soon they felt this spark, I guess, and before leaving he convinced me to give him my number.”

Father would later confess that when he first met us, he had assumed Mom was my babysitter. Him “sticking around after learning the truth,” as Mom put it, was a major factor in her going out on more than just one date with him…

– Barack McCain’s Lessons From my Fathers, Sunrise Publishers, 1993



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– John McCain and Ann Dunham in Hawaii, c. early 1964



On January 8, 1964, Johnson gave his third State of the Union address, which, along with producing a few notable quotes such as “unity will lead to prosperity, and prosperity leads to societal greatness,” focused largely on his thoroughly-researched economic plan to combat the sudden national recession. Prior to the speech, he confided to Jenkins that “[A president] making an economic speech is like a fellow peeing down his leg. It makes him feel warm but nobody else knows what the hell he’s doing.” [2] Indeed, polls taken shortly after the address showed that most polled were still very worried about their jobs and the cost of goods and services. These results demonstrated that Johnson was slipping on domestic policies as well as on foreign policies, including fiscal and economic concerns. Thus, the speech, while receiving fairly positive reviews from pundits, was considered a "failure" by the White House's inner circle for failing to comfort or reassure a worried public…

– Robert Caro’s The Years of Lyndon: Book Four: The Pursuit of Power, A. A. Knopf Inc. New York, 2012



Johnson was facing a massive public loss of faith in the market combined with major companies failing left and right - and all because of one swindler from New Jersey and his lies concerning oils used for salad dressings and mayonnaise. American Express was facing hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuits and had been forced to place its subsidiary into bankruptcy (reimbursement calls were still being explored at the time). …Eventually, after further, less important details were sorted out, Amex was forced to take a massive loss on their warehouse contracts. Trading firms that were smaller in size but still fiscally wounded by the scandal were eventually snapped up by larger players... The foreign markets that had been closely tied to the US, such as Canada, the U.K., and to a lesser extent France, suffered as well, in an economic version of the Domino Effect. The U.K. suffered a minor recession, along with Canada, because the leaders of those two countries, Douglas-Home and Diefenbaker, respectively, had tightened economic ties with the US under L.B.J.; conversely, other Western states such as the Netherlands and Italy were less affected, especially Germany, due to the 1961-1963 Chicken Tax War... While economists believed the economic struggle’s conditions would lead to a relatively quick recession, it would still be a rather difficult (yet still not unsolvable) recovery…

– Robert Caro’s The Years of Lyndon: Book Four: The Power of the Presidency, A. A. Knopf Inc., 2018



CONGRESSMAN GILLIS LONG WINS DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION FOR GOVERNOR

…Long, 40, achieved roughly 53% of the vote against John J. McKeithen’s 47%. ...Gillis William Long is a member of the famous Long political family of Louisiana; he is a nephew of Governor-turned-Senator Huey Long; when Gillis was in high school, another uncle of his, then-future Governor Earl Long, was running for Lieutenant Governor, and young Gillis gave campaign speeches at Gillis’ school on Earl’s behalf… Long served his country valiantly during WWII, receiving a bronze star, five campaign stars, and the Purple Heart before serving at the Nuremburg trials and retiring at the rank of captain in 1947; military service delayed his graduating from law school by roughly a decade… McKeithen was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from the 20th district from 1948 to 1952, and has been a member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission since 1955. McKeithen also served his country during WWII, rising to the rank of first lieutenant while in the 77th Infantry Division in the US Army's Pacific Theater of Operations; for his service, he was awarded two Bronze Star Medals and the Distinguished Service Cross…

– The Times-Picayune, Louisiana newspaper, 1/11/1964



12 January 1964: On this day in history, the Zanzibar Revolution results in the predominantly Arab government of Zanzibar being overthrown by African nationalist rebels; occurring in less than 24 hours, the revolution ends 200 years of Arab dominance over the island region in eastern Africa, and heightens fears among western powers that communism is slowly spreading into Africa; the new government’s alleged communist ties lead to British and American citizens being evacuated from the territory, with a United States Navy destroyer evacuating 61 U.S. citizens.

– onthisday.co.uk



…1964 started with San Francisco Giants announcing on the 15th their decision to make champion outfielder Willie Mays the highest-paid player in baseball by signing him on to a new $105,000 per season contract…

– John Helyar’s Lords of the Realm: The Real History of Baseball, Ballantine Books, 1994



Conservative pundit William F. Buckley is the one most often credited with coining the term “Jell-O,” as its first recorded use was when the political commentator appeared on Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network on January 18, 1964. Buckley denounced the shoutniks as being “as soft in the brain as the Jell-O their generation grew up on,” only for activists such as Diana Oughton and Bern Sanders to begin using the phrase in a positive manner to suggest that the younger generation was not as "rigid and...stiff as the intolerant leaders of yesteryear," in a jab at continued anti-integrationist politicians (Tumbleweed Magazine, February 1964 issue). Jell-O had reached peak popularity by the start of the decade thanks to its consumption by children born in the 1940s, during and immediately after World War Two. During this time, young mothers didn’t have the supporting community structures of earlier generations, so marketers were quick to promote easy-to-prepare prepackaged foods [3] like Jell-O. The label “Jell-O generation” soon became nationally known, and actually helped the Jell-O company’s earnings, as Jell-O’s sales had begun to significantly decrease in 1962 and 1963 due to multiple factors, including economic issues and changing societal tastes. This boost, however, was only temporary, as sales returned to declination at the start of the 1970s as society's preferred foodstuffs continued to change and evolve. Many Jell-O dishes, such as desserts and Jell-O salads, became special occasion foods rather than everyday items. Marketers blamed this decline on decreasing family sizes, a ‘fast-paced’ lifestyle and women’s increasing employment [3]. In response to this apparent “rejection” by more politically-liberal consumers, many producers of gelatin dessert (with Kraft Brands, holders of the “Jell-O” trademark, being a very noticeable exception) began to appeal to more conservative demographics and in turn develop pro-conservative atmospheres in their workplaces and advertisements, leading to some controversy later on...

– pointlessfacts.co.usa/why-were-shoutniks-sometimes-called-the-jello-generation-question-mark



“A CHOICE, NOT AN ECHO” – GOLDWATER ANNOUNCES BID FOR THE PRESIDENCY

Phoenix, AZ – At a planned press conference held outside the patio of his surprisingly modest ranch home, US Senator Barry Goldwater officially announced early today that he will run in the Republican Presidential primaries, calling for limited government and for Americans to uphold personal responsibility. “We are a strong, independent, and determined people, and the government has no right to hold us back.” The two-term Senator from Arizona also discussed his view on foreign policy, claiming “Cuba is in an awkward state of limbo,” and informed reporters that he supports “increasing military action in Laos to cut off the military activities carried out there by members of P.L.A.F., or People’s Liberation Armed Forces. This is the army branch of the North Vietnam political entity known as the National Liberation Front, also known as the Viet Cong. Their activities in South Vietnam include arming communist insurgents, seeking out American sympathizers, and sneaking troops and various supplies into South Vietnam in order to undermine and destroy democratic and freedom-loving institutions across those areas. The people in control of the White House also need to address the fact that the North Vietnamese government and military are being supplied by Communist China.” …Goldwater concluded the press conference by telling voters to “beware the empty promises of the radical left. The biggest lie you'll ever hear get spewed out of D.C. is 'The Feds are here to help.” ...Polls from Gallup and other polling institutions suggest that Goldwater is a top-tier candidate, and that his biggest opponent in the upcoming Presidential primaries may be Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York, or possibly even Governor George W. Romney of Michigan or former Vice President Richard M. Nixon of California...

Associated Press, 1/20/1964



Our 579 locations worldwide produced a net total of US$[REDACTED] in all 1963 sales, giving the company a net gain of US$[REDACTED] from 1962. …Our least successful outlets were the 37 in Mexico, the 3 in Brazil, and the 25 in France. Solutions for rectifying this situation, as suggested by the respective regional managers, are as follows:

Option 1: refocus advertising expenses from well-established regions to Mexico, Brazil and France.

Option 2: perform survey to better understand local wants and needs.

Option 3: cut our losses and close the least productive of these outlets.

– Annual KFC beginning-of-year sales report, KFC headquarters in Florence, KY, 1/21/1964



Execute Options 1 and Option 2. Option 3 would leave those employers jobless and those customers without a high-quality source for quick, hearty food. I’d rather make less profit than no profit at all. Make the people happy, and that will lead to fortune for all.

– Colonel Sander’s response to above report, private memo, KFC headquarters in Florence, KY, 1/21/1964



GOVERNOR ROCKEFELLER MAKES PRESIDENTIAL BID OFFICIAL IN SPEECH

...recent hypothetical polls have suggested that the New York moderate (in the Governor's seat since 1959) could narrowly or comfortably defeat President Johnson in a November head-to-head matchup. Some critics of Rockefeller, though, believe that he will have greater difficulty winning the Republican party's nomination at this summer's GOP National Convention at the Cow Palace in California...

– The New York Daily News, 1/25/1964



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– Colonel Sanders celebrating Australia Day in a commercial for KFC Australia, 1/26/1964



INTERVIEWER: Well what about Gordon Lightfoot? The two of you did jam together a few times, yes?

CHONG: Yeah, only a few times. The guy had a lot of talent, we did some collaborations in early 1964 and onwards, but he wasn’t into smoking. To him, music itself was a powerful drug. At least that’s how it started out at first. I mean, Gordie loved what he was doing, but he actually struggled with actually making a lot of his songs. We’d tell him to let loose, but we meant with tokes. Instead Gordie became quite a womanizer as the years went on. But who am I to talk?

– usarightnow.co.usa/culture/interview, 2014



With Pat’s permission, Nixon began 1964 by quietly creating a staff of workers, specialists and advisors to help him run for the US Senate, seeking incumbent Democrat Clair Engle’s seat. At the same time, he supported the notion of a possible Draft Nixon movement in the Republican Presidential race. The Senate primary had just been scheduled for August to redirect focus in the state to both parties’ presidential primary in June, while the R.N.C. was set for July. This scheduling meant that if Nixon put off the Senate run in the face of a rising draft movement, he could jump into the race for the Senate nomination as late as the last minute if the bid for the Presidential nomination failed. Despite losing the gubernatorial primary in an upset two years ago, Shell’s loss caused some Republican supporters to express interest in backing a Nixon-Johnson rematch, given the experience of "buyer's remorse" paired with how close Nixon got to winning just four years prior. Personally, though, Nixon did not believe that any incumbent would lose at a time of war, which is what he called the situation in Cuba even if the Johnson administration refused to acknowledge that Communism still plagued the island. Furthermore, Nixon surmised that Johnson would seek to develop a rally-around-the-flag effect of some kind to overshadow the “buyers’ remorse” type of campaign that Nixon agreed he would most likely run on; still, Nixon wanted to keep all of his cards on the table, and did not confirm or deny any decisions in a concrete manner for a good while. Instead, he simply waited to see how things unfolded along further first…

– John Ehrlichman’s Witness: What Went on Behind Closed Doors, Folkways Books, 1998



THREE MORE STATES RATIFY PROPOSED 24TH AMENDMENT

Washington, DC – …The legislature of President Johnson’s home state of Texas narrowly approved ratification over the weekend, brining the total number of states to 33. …Congress proposed the 24th Amendment on February 10, 1963 and submitted it to the states 30 days later. Only five more state legislatures need to ratify the amendment in order for it to become part of the US Constitution. While the state legislatures of South Dakota, Maine, New Hampshire, Delaware and Missouri and even Georgia are set to attempt ratification later this year, Governor George Wallace is seeking to make Alabama become the next state to ratify despite heavy opposition from his state house of representatives …If ratified, the Amendment will ban poll taxes from all U.S. election, and reinforce the conditions of the 1962 Civil Rights Act and the 1963 Voting Rights Act, “making them rightly ingrained into the U.S. Constitution…” according to US Vice President Hubert Humphrey, whose home state of Minnesota has already ratified the amendment… Poll taxes are still not illegal in Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, South Carolina and Virginia; this fact means that 38 states must ratify a US Constitutional Amendment because five state governments refuse to pass basic state laws to benefit American voters in those states…

– The Washington Post, 1/29/1964



After surviving the experience of getting shot, Johnson was determined to implement gun reform, only to face a myriad of problems concerning such an endeavor when discussing the idea with several congressmen in late January. First of all, when Congressman Emmanuel Celler brought up mental health, it was shot down by most in his own party as being a moot point, as suspected mentally unwell individuals were kept far away from society and guns via asylums.
Secondly, mail order weaponry would require a strong centralized handling of purchases and transports made across state borders. Conservative congressmen believed that such government overreach would be a severe invasion of privacy and a suppression of businesses. "Attacks" on the most common form of gun purchasing, local purchases at stores, were seen as unnecessary to them due to an assumption the conservative congressmen made – that businessmen would be held responsible for selling weapons to an unwell individual by their other customers shifting to other places of business in the US's free markets.
Finally, the most prevalent obstacle to Johnson's gun reform efforts was a general disinterest in such reform. While Johnson had become the first sitting U.S. President to survive a bullet entering his body, the fact remained that he had survived; in the end, nobody had to mourn. Nevertheless, Johnson’s vocal support for a “nationwide analysis” of America’s gun policies persevered, with its most immediate legislative victory being the Interstate Firearms Shipment Regulation Act, introduced by Senator Thomas J. Dodd in 1965 and signed into law in 1967. But in 1964, the best Johnson could do was focus on the mental well-being of veterans. The President surmised that his would-be killer was unbalanced and argued that Vallee, as a former Marine, should have been more regularly checked on by appropriate medical personnel.
Thus, while gun control measures remained as-is for the time being, the US Veterans Department ultimately saw its 1964-1965 budget double for veterans treatment.

– Journalist Rachel Joy Scott’s The American Gun: A Love-and-Hate Story, Technic Publishing, 2021



February 1, 1964

To: The President

From: Director Dulles

Our men have confirmed that General Nguyen Khanh prevented an assassination attempt on South Vietnam President Ngo Dinh Diem at 2300hrs yesterday. The perpetrators reportedly belonged to the Viet Cong, and Khanh has pursued them into the central highlands. Capture or destruction is likely as Khanh knows the terrain well. I suggest we convince Diem to promote Khanh, as this is the third plot to remove Diem that he has successfully deflected…

– Private telegram from the Pentagon to the White House; discovered, declassified and disclosed in 1992



I said to Lyndon, “It’ll be best for this administration to avoid making the rising conflict in Vietnam another American War. This is their war, the Vietnamese people. We can give them aid, we can even give them advisors and experts. But they must win it or lose it themselves. If it was up to me, I’d be fully prepared to let this be something they lose instead of something that we lose.”

“And let the Chinese take another step in taking over that entire region? F@#k that!” was his response.

“Johnson, if we go in there, we’ll drive the nationalists right into the arms of the communists. We can’t afford to internationalize the conflict by attacking or invading or even bombing the north, [4] because that won’t work, Lyndon. It won’t work.”

Johnson replied, “If we handle the Viet Cong the right way, it will work, Jack. It will work, I tell you!”

Clifford interjected before another shouting match began with “Well first we have to unite the South Vietnamese behind a leader they all like. Diem’s in our pocket, but he’s not in their hearts, so we can either find another stooge or try to win the people over.”

I backed the first choice, but the President went with the second, believing Diem to be too valuable to oust. The situation was precarious, and any changes in command could disrupt alliances and trust, he reasoned.

"So how deeply do you want us to get involved, Cliff," I asked Johnson's advisor when Lyndon wasn't around.

"For the time being, we're going to try and keep the levels of our boys over there as is," he said. I couldn't tell if it was a lie.

– Jack Kennedy’s On the Precipice of Change: The Complete Memoirs of Jack Kennedy, Tangent Writer’s House, 1983



By February, the upcoming trial of Tino De Angelis had become a media circus. Paparazzi invaded De Angelis' home life, hounding his relatives for the inside scoop on "Tino the Trickster," the man that the major companies he had duped were happy to dub a one-man market-wrecker. Photographers and reporters hovered around court houses and lawyer offices like vultures keeping their eyes on a dying animal lost in some hopeless desert, waiting for their next chance to flash their bulbs and barker out their questions. ...De Angelis faced multiple charges, the largest of which were counterfeiting receipts, attempted bribery, and commodities fraud. When bail was set at $200,000, De Angelis claimed he did not have that kind of money. Just weeks later, however, an investigation led by the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey David M. Satz Jr. revealed De Angelis had hidden over $500,000 in a Swiss bank account. This led to a charge of contempt being tacked onto his list of crimes, since he had already declared bankruptcy. The press ate up the story, along with the follow-up that De Angelis was looking for a new defense attorney after his previous one left over Tino's tendency to lie and deceive even the people who were on his side, either out of mistrust or sheer stupidity...

– John Kenneth Galbraith’s The Salad Oil Recession: The Causes and Effects of the Black Weekend of 1963, Excelsior Publishers, 1971



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– De Angelis’ reaction to hearing the charges brought against him, c. February 1962



EXTRA! MLK AND ASSOCIATES SHOT, WOUNDED IN ATLANTA

– The New York Times, 2/10/1964



Host WALTER CRONKITE: …we take you live to our CBS correspondent in Georgia, who is now at the scene of the melee. Hello? How are things down there?"

CORRESPONDENT: Walter, people are in a state of panic here after snipers began firing at civil rights leaders, uh, Reverend King, and several members, including members of the NAACP and other Civil Rights groups [pause]. Oh, just a moment, Walter, hold on. [pause] I have an update, Walter: according to the medical personnel, Dr. King, and organizers Hosea Williams and James Forman were hit by sniper fire alongside two security guards, whom reportedly moved to protect them during the shooting. That's according to an anonymous source who works at the hospital. Now, it is still unclear, however, how severe each of their injuries are, but they all have been taken to the Atlanta Medical Center, uh, hospital, uh, which you can see behind me, um, and, uh, we’ll soon be heading over there to learn the latest developments in this terrible turn of events. Walter?…

– CBS broadcast, 2/10/1964



…our correspondents in New York City; Washington D.C.; Oakland, California; and other cities are reporting escalating incidents of civil unrest as the nation anticipates the hospital releasing more information concerning the health conditions of the three Civil Rights leaders… In St. Louis, hundreds are taking to the streets in outrage, with peaceniks leading a sit-in at the city's local colleges, and a small riot developing in the northern side of the metropolitan area...

– NBC broadcast, 2/11/1964



“I was walking in the back… Dr. King got nicked in the shoulder thanks to his bodyguard’s ribcage affecting the bullet’s trajectory. Forman survived his bullet to the chest because it slipped right on past the vital organs. But Hosea…Hosea was walking ahead of all of ’em, eager to return to H.Q. to set up plans for combating continuing unfair employment and housing policies. He never got to see how that’d play out.”

– retired politician A. J. Young, ABC interview, 2014



“Hosea Williams was an inspiring and courageous champion for Civil Rights, and the actions of his fierce bravery, his consistent pragmatism, his undying patriotism, and his tragic sacrifice will be felt for generations to come.”

– President Lyndon B. Johnson in a Special Address to the Nation, 2/12/1964



“People who say that violence isn’t the answer aren’t answering the same question as the rest of us! In order to communicate with savages who cannot speak your language, you need to speak their language. And violence is the language of the white man!”

– Malcolm X, 2/12/1964, multiple sources



RIOTS RETURN TO CITIES NATION-WIDE!: Rev. King Urges Peace as Rage Engulfs Urban Areas

...from coast to coast, from Los Angeles to Boston, flames are engulfing communities as civil disobedience takes a violent turn in response to the latest incident of race-based violence...

– The St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minnesota newspaper, 2/13/1964



In February, Jim returned from the Oasis. He saw the escalation of riots in US as a harbinger of the obstreperous rumpus yet to come, and soon called upon his followers to relocate the church to California, where he was certain we would acquire more followers, as the number of people willing to join to escape the turmoil unfolding across America was surely on the rise…

– Marceline Jones (1927-2018), 1990 interview



L.B.J. CREDITS KING, ABERNATHY WITH CALMING ACTIVISTS, ENDING RIOTS: Leaders Expected to Leave Hospital Soon

...the situation is de-escalating in a majority of cities as cooler heads prevail and communities look to what will come next - recovering from the damage brought about over the past several intense and troublesome days...

– The Star-Tribune, Minnesota newspaper, 2/15/1964



DEGAULLE OPENLY THREATENS TO WITHDRAW FRANCE FROM NATO: Demands France Be Given “More Equal” Say in Military Strategies

…Over the years, the French President has butted heads with almost every single founding member of NATO, though tensions with the US over the Suez Crisis have cooled ever since Eisenhower left office. …the announcement has led to some protests and counter-protests at universities in Paris and Nice, with many French students whom believe the nation’s funds should go to improving social programs, not weaponry, supporting the withdrawal. "I dare him to withdrawal," says one political science graduate student from Marseille, "I want to see him call his very obvious bluff"…

The Sun, UK newspaper, 22/2/1964



SENATE PANEL INVESTIGATION RULES AGAINST CONTRACTOR FOR CHEAP, FOREIGN MATERIAL IN NASA FIRE CASE

Washington, DC – US Senator Clinton P. Anderson, chairman of the US Senate Aeronautical and Space Sciences Committee, handed down a guilty verdict to the companies responsible for the production of NASA’s cockpit materials (primarily, North American Aviation), after the committee determined that the materials, not human error, produced the damage to NASA property and the hospitalization of astronaut Scott Carpenter via a fire that broke out at Cape Canaveral on February 7, 1962. The ruling settled a 24-months-long debate over whom was at fault for the fire… An inspection of the quality of materials agreed to in NAA’s contract with NASA, and a critical review of NAA’s management, delivery systems, and quality services, revealed inconsistencies with the qualities of materials promised and the qualities of still-unused materials that NASA had received… NAA and other companies will likely receive generous fines for what could be viewed as a breach of a federal government contract...

– The Miami Herald, 2/22/1964



MORE TROOPS TO BE SENT TO VIETNAM-LAOS BORDER: L.B.J. Vows to End North ’Nam Aggression; Exact Troop Numbers To Be Announced “Soon”

The New York Post, 2/23/1964



…In an astonishing move, President Johnson today doubled the number of American troops that will be stationed in Southeast Asia… Many of these soldiers are veterans of Cuba who have re-enlisted, but most of them are soldiers who are being transferred directly from operations in Cuba...

– Chet Huntley, the Huntley-Brinkley Report, 2/25/1964



"Cliff, you son of a bitch!"

– U.S. Secretary of State Jack Kennedy, 2/25/1964 (allegedly)



I’m not alone in worrying about Lyndon’s mental health. Ladybird confided in me today that, very recently, he has begun researching some strange rumor he heard about concerning Presidents dying in office - something called The Curse of Tippy-canoe [sic]…

– Excerpt from the Diary of Mildred Stegall, personal secretary to Lyndon Johnson, 2/29/1964 entry



…The 1931 edition of “Ripley’s Believe it or Not” is the earliest known treatise to document the 20-year peculiarity, and was discussed in newspapers again in 1940, 1945 and 1960. Additional writers, including Ed Koterba in his “Assignment Washington” column, suggested either seriously or in jest that the “curse” stemmed from then-Governor of the Indiana Territory William Henry Harrison’s actions against the Shawnee during the 1810s, culminating in the “prophet” Shawnee leader Tenskwatawa cursing Harrison. The prophet allegedly proclaimed that Harrison, and all future US presidents elected in a year ending with the same last number as the year in which Harrison wins election to the Presidency (1840, and thus the "number" zero), will die in office. The “curse” notion holds little water when one considers how Tenskwatawa had no way of knowing Harrison would become President in thirty years unless he truly was prophetic.

Nevertheless, the "curse" was, at the very least, an imaginative explanation for a real-life statistical curiosity, as everyone who had ever won a U.S. Presidential election in a year ending in zero had in fact died while still serving in that office. Harrison won the Presidency in 1840, then died roughly one month into office; Abraham Lincoln won the Presidency in 1860, then was assassinated while in office; James A. Garfield won the Presidency in 1880, and was assassinated in office less than a year later; William McKinley won re-election in 1900, and was assassinated while in office not too long after; Warren G. Harding won the Presidency in 1920 and died in office in 1923; and Franklin D. Roosevelt won a third time in 1940 and died in office in 1945. And most recently, Lyndon Johnson had won the Presidency in 1960.

The Shawnee, who mainly centered in the Ohio valley at that time that the alleged curse was cast, were then repeatedly relocated westward until ending up in Oklahoma by the end of the nineteenth century. While Johnson was typically a level-headed man when it came to superstitions, he nevertheless may have become convinced that the curse was real after surviving two assassination attempts in 1962 and 1963, and possibly came to believe that the only way to end the curse was to make right the wrong made to the Shawnee. These suspicions would explain Johnson’s major upheaval in federal-tribal relations.

In 1964, only two Shawnee tribes were federally recognized: The Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, and the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. The Loyal, or Cherokee, Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma was a contender for a third recognition. In early March 1964, President Johnson quietly met with Nipo T. Strongheart (5/15/1891-12/31/1966), a Yakama Nation Native American advocate whom played a role in the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, for undisclosed purposes. Soon after, for reasons not explicitly known, Johnson called for the federal recognition of four more Shawnee Tribes: the aforementioned "third" Oklahoma Tribe, plus the Piqua Shawnee Tribe of Alabama, the United Remnant Band in Ohio, and the Blue Creek Band of Indiana. This action was praised by politicians on the left, whom saw it as a return to the policy established under FDR and as a rebuke and reversal of Congressional efforts to assimilate Native Americans by terminating the legal standing of dozens of tribes via judging members to be ready to become independent American citizens (efforts that allegedly aimed to destroy Native American languages, histories, and cultures in an attempt to hide the atrocious anti-Native Americans policies and actions of past state and federal administrations).

Upon hearing about the President’s declaration, Congressman Ben Reifel (R-SD), the only Native American in Congress, was inspired to introduce with Congressman Emmanuel Celler (D-NY) the Indian Civil Rights bill. The bill called for the application of the U.S. Bill of Rights to “Indian Country,” a guarantee which Native Americans on reservations had not enjoyed; in short, it would make tribal government more akin to modern American court systems. The true impetus for the bill, however, was most likely efforts to address the noted corruption and disorganization of the tribal courts, and to correct a major legal oversight - that tribes were subjected to the US Constitution while their courts were not covered by the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment.

Regardless of its origin, Johnson was a vocal supporter of the bill and pushed for it to be passed before the year was out. It became law in early 1965…

– Presidential Skeletons: Paranoia, Secrets, Curses and Other Bizarre White House Tales, Penguin Publishing, 1993



DEFENSE SECRETARY REFUSES TO ANSWER VIETNAM QUESTIONS

Washington, DC – US Secretary of Defense Clark Clifford refused to answer questions at a press conference today concerning US military presence in Vietnam. Clifford refused to clarify the short- and long-term goals and purposes of American intervention in the “growing destabilization of the vital region,” as the Defense department has described the situation abroad. The growing split in troop deployment between Cuba and Southeast Asia led to reporters asking which country is “our current top priority.” Other reporters repeatedly inquired "when will our boys return home?” For many questions like these, Secretary Clifford uttered the phrase “I cannot answer that on the grounds of national protection” no less than seven distinct and separate times…

– Journalist Drew Pearson’s critical syndicated newspaper column “Washington Merry-Go-Round,” 3/1/1964



THE SHOUTNIKS GO TO COLLEGE: What Are The Issues Behind The Rise In Youth Protesting?

University of Berkeley, CA - From the conditions soldiers face in Cuba and the Laos-Vietnam conflict, to the rise in racial tensions such as the Xenia riots and Hosea Williams riots sparking nationwide accusations of police brutality, the Shoutniks are being heard. Where they are being addressed, though, depends on who’s hearing them.
For some, these issue are being brought up at the local government level, with sit-ins a mayors' offices or peaceful protests at state capitals. For more academic young minds, it's the many departments on college campuses that are attempting to diffuse tense situations with mediation, negotiating resolutions peacefully in a way one hopes can be replicated on larger scales.
Even sporting events being pulled into the melee. Just last week, shoutnik activists took the field during half-time at a football game at Rutgers University (which the home team, the Scarlet Knights, won 10-2) to demand the audience write to their representatives about defending civil rights.
For other young activists, their audience is of the more political persuasion. For example, this summer, activists David R. Rudd of New York (age: 25) and Mario Savio of California (age: 21) will attend the Democratic National Convention after canvassing swaths of counties to shore up potential Morse voters during the upcoming Democratic primaries.
“Change can begin to happen anywhere in American society, even in politics. At the very least, Morse should be able to influence the party’s platform to make it more pro-peace and less dangerous belligerent to other nations,” Savio explained. "Any small contribution to improving this country's treatment of its next generation of leaders can have a positive and long-lasting ripple effect, and so any little contribution at all is greatly appreciated by people like David and I."
Rudd described to us how even his younger brother Mark is getting involved: he’s running for student body president of his high school to oppose its allegedly "biased" history books and assignments. "He wants to be able to look back on all this with pride. Either pride that he helped change things for the better, or pride that he at least helped to try and change things."
Shoutniks and the political, economic, and social issues of their generation have also been dominating the music scene almost as prevalently as Elvis was not too many years ago, with young performers ranging from the simplistic notes of Tommy Chong and Company and the eloquent ballads of Gordon Lightfoot to the more aggressive energy of the newcomers Frank Zappa and Bob Dylan. These songs often touch on the value of human life, on the beauty of love, and importance of tolerence, history, and cultures around the world.
Regarding publications and literary movements, both musical and political angsts are being related to and expressed through a new journalistic publication called Tumbleweed, which puts the concerns of the young to print. Already catching the attention of the waning House Un-American Activities Committee, the magazine's co-founders express no fear of government reprisals. "We simply direct our critics to the language of the First Amendment," co-founder Bern Sanders curtly tells us in a brief discussion at his office. "These youth activists want to see systemic change to dismantle America's racist institutions and economic reliance on warfare. There is nothing anti-American about wanting to make America better off than it is right now, in this current climate."
Like in recent music recordings, the growing generational divide of our time is also being reflected in the films produced in this past year, causing many parents and older Americans to reject these films due to their unconventional aesthetics. One middle-class father of three explained, “I don’t let my children go to the movies alone anymore because I don't want my children exposed to that junk. You can tell the shoutniks are just socialists in disguise because they openly oppose American authority figures. Never before have I seen a generation behave so disrespectfully to the President, so unruly, so anti-American. Has any country ever had a generation so willing to turn traitor before?”
Bern Sanders offers a different view: “We are told, from the moment that we can comprehend it, that the United States of America is a land of opportunity, where anything is possible. And 'anything' includes making America a land of peace, love, and equality and no longer a land of war, hatred and systematic socio-economic oppression.”

Time Magazine, 3/2/1964 report



Louisiana gubernatorial general election results, March 3, 1964:
U.S. Representative Gillis Long (Democratic) – 446,478 (57.73%)
Shreveport oil businessman Charlton Lyons (Republican) – 307,964 (39.82%)
Mr. Thomas S. Williams (States’ Rights Party of Louisiana) – 18,948 (2.45%)
Total votes: 773,390
Notes/Trivia:
This was the first truly competitive gubernatorial general election in Louisiana since Reconstruction.
At 40 (but 41 on inauguration day (May 12)), Gillis Long was the youngest person elected Governor since Gillis' uncle, Huey Long was elected in 1928 at the age of 35.

– ourcampaigns.co.usa



LBJ, ROCKY SCORE VICTORIES IN N.H.

Concord, NH – In the first contest of this year’s Presidential campaign, US President Lyndon Johnson (Democrat) and New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller (Republican) won the first-in-the-nation primary elections of their respective parties earlier tonight. Johnson deflected two challengers – Senator Morse, running to the President’s left – and former Governor Patterson, running to the President’s right. Surprisingly, a write-in campaign for an undeclared candidate, former Senator Lodge, defeated Senator Goldwater for second place…

Democratic primary results:
Johnson – 80.11%
Morse – 14.54%
Patterson – 4.82%
Other – 0.53%

Republican primary results:
Rockefeller – 38.12%
Lodge – 36.71%
Goldwater – 20.25%
Nixon – 2.60%
Smith – 1.23%
Others – 1.09%

– The Los Angeles Times, 3/10/1964



…I established Muslim Mosque Inc. on March 12, 1964, just four days after leaving the Nation of Islam, much to the ire of my former allies…

– Malcolm X’s The Autobiography of Malcolm X, New York Grove Press, 1990



…Malcolm X’s life was repeatedly threatened. In February, Malcolm discovered a bomb strapped to the bottom of his car [5]. In March, Elijah Muhammad told Boston minister Louis X that “hypocrites like Malcolm should have their heads cut off,” [6]. The threats and intimidating escalated with threatening phone calls beginning soon afterwards. In March, Malcolm X's house was partially burned in a fire [7], causing Malcolm to relocate his family to a friend’s home for the sake of their safety. In light of these dangers Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. reportedly "saw what could be called 'karma,' but he but took no joy from it," according to his son Martin Luther King III. More directly, King expressed mixed feelings toward Malcolm X, agreeing with his style, calling it highly effective and articulate, but not with his substance, once commenting “I have often wished that he would talk less of violence, because violence is not going to solve our problem.” Furthermore, King believed that with only a message of violence, Malcolm was not “offering any positive, creative alternative…urging Negroes to arm themselves and prepare to engage in violence, as he has done, can reap nothing but grief.” [8] Meanwhile, Malcolm began purchasing more guns in preparation of the intimidation tactics rising even futher...

– Herb Boyd and Ilyasah Shabazz’s Malcolm vs. Martin: Violence and Peace After the End of Segregation, Chicago Third World Press, 2013



And here’s the latest from France… University student groups have organized demonstration across their country today in protest of the French government approving of French President De Gaulle’s move to send further military aid to Cuba’s attempts to quash remaining Communist guerilla fighters in the island nation’s jungle interior. The move comes weeks after De Gaulle ceased rhetoric critical of NATO, which had also stirred up activism reactions among France's academic student bodies earlier this year... With the French markets suffering from the US’s Salad Oil Stock Collapse in the form of numerous layoffs, many of these student activists believe that the De Gaulle government is ignoring the people who are most in need of federal assistance… De Gaulle has been critical of these protestors, and recently dismissed their calls for French withdrawal from assisting the US in anti-communist operations in Cuba by compared Cuba to WWII-era France. “We did not rest until every Nazi was out of France. We will not rest until every Communist is out of Cuba. France will never abandon its fellow lovers of freedom.” ...France’s withdrawal from Indochina aside, the French President remains confident that he still has the support of the people despite his significant drop in recent approval rating polls…

– BBC report, 3/17/1964



…According to Harley Sanders, “They were invited, along with other members of the press, to sample Colonel Sander’s Country Style Ribs--the first new entré” to the company’s standard “core” menu in three years [9]. Upon their overwhelming approval, the Sanders family got right to work releasing the new item to the rest of the populace. The [1964] introduction of the barbecue spare ribs in select KFC outlets saw “tremendous” operating problems [10] during the first few months, only for Harley’s sister Mildred Sanders to “turn things around” by the end of March by ordering newer machinery, developing quicker delivery methods, and utilizing worker input and suggestions to carefully micromanage the production process in order to discover how to best avoid sacrificing quality for efficiency.

Ray Kroc, not wanting to be outdone by the Colonel, sought to copy the Colonel’s ribs’ success, but because his uniform franchises were designed for mass production and not for the introduction of new foods or new food production methods, attempts to implement their own version of it were slow. Early forms of a McRib Burger were eventually released to limited test locations along the west coast in the fall of that year, missing the crucial summer season, when barbeque consumption rates are highest. When the McRib Burger received poor reviews, Kroc quickly cut his losses – he scrapped the entire endeavor, with the remaining McRib Burger meat being sold to local steakhouses and butcher shops for a slight profit…

– Josh Ozersky’s Colonel Sanders and the American Dream, University of Texas Press, 2012



iuO4nNl.png

[ pic: imgur.com/iuO4nNl.png ]
– A standard box of KFC Country Style Ribs, c. March 1964



STUDENTS BARRICADE STANFORD DEAN’S OFFICE OVER MILITARY FUNDS

Stanford University, CA – The biological sciences department at Stanford University is at the center of controversy as the dean of the department found himself unable to exit his office today due to a collection of shoutniks blocking the doors and windows. While no violence was reported, the dean nevertheless called the police to the scene of the "disruptive incident," as it was initially reported to police and campus security personnel …Last week, reports revealed that the dean had accepted funds from the US military for “biological research” to be conducted at the university's biological sciences department …The young activists are claiming that the “germ warfare money” is an act of “medical abuse” and have threatened to make a citizen’s arrest if the dean does not return the “blood money” funds. At the time of this publication, the standoff between the activities and local law enforcement is still ongoing…

– The San Francisco Chronicle, 3/29/1964



"I'm proud of those young men and women for actively protesting this academic mistake. They made their voices heard, and in a manner that has resulted in nobody getting hurt."

– US Senator Wayne Morse (D-OR), 3/30/1964



“I think that students definitely have a right to protest, that’s a right protected by the constitution, but like I’ve said in the past, I think they should learn how to compromise and behave in a civil manner when at the negotiating table. There’s something off about being violent for the sake of peace… I think the shoutniks should be more like the beatniks – reasonable and not disrespectful – or neither side will be able to get anywhere!”

– Colonel Sanders during a guest spot on Paul Harvey News and Comment, ABC Radio Network program, 4/1/1964



“It was not until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in Butts v. Virginia Board of Elections (April 1964) that all state poll taxes (for state elections) were officially declared unconstitutional as violating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, and eased the passage of the Twenty-Fourth Amendment.”

– From The 1960s: A History, Scholastic, 2007



PUB BOMB LINKED TO IRA: Act Possibly Influenced By Cuba’s “Cam Bomb” Campaign

…The IRA has increased its level of violence in recent weeks, largely over the U.K.’s financial investments in the Cuba War and quite possibly inspired by events unfolding in France and much of the United States…

– United Press International report, 4/4/1964



YOUTH ON THE WARPATH IN QUEST FOR PEACE: How America’s Next Generation Is Affecting Us Now

…Stanford’s Dean is being supported by the teachers and local community for the job creation, but is being heckled and jeered at by shoutniks for expelling the students whom orchestrated the barricading of him in his office last month. The dean has defended the action, claiming "these youngster must learn that now that they are legally adults, their actions have consequences"… In light of all charges being dropped against the first "round" of students that were arrested, and the return of controversial grant money being hailed as a victory by some on the left, some supporters of the shoutniks are calling the situation a "victory." For example, activist Bernardine Dohm remarked on April 5, “This is a movement not confined to this campus, or even to this state. This is a cultural phenomenon, and it will not go away any time soon.” Additionally, one of Dohm's fellow activists, Ted Gold, was bolder in his summation of recent years, predicting “only good things will come for us from here on out.”

Newsweek, April 1964 issue



"America is in crisis, folks, but just because President Johnson is doing nothing about it doesn't mean y'all shouldn't do something about it, neither!"

– John M. Patterson (D-AL), campaigning in Kenosha, WI, 4/6/1964



PATTERSON WINS PRIMARY, LIKELY IN REBUFF OF LBJ’S CUBA HANDLING

…In tonight's Democratic Wisconsin primary, former Alabama Governor John Malcolm Patterson won roughly 40% of the vote, defeating the state's "favorite son" stand-in for President Lyndon Johnson, state Governor John W. Reynolds, by 5%. This was possibly a rebuff of Johnson’s Cuba Policy, which reportedly has Johnson backers worried. “This victory,” Patterson declared earlier tonight, “Prove that the people disapprove of the actions of this administration, especially when it comes to the really important issues.” Senator Wayne Morse of Oregon was unable to get on the Wisconsin ballot, but nevertheless received 1.7% of approved write-in votes. …On the Republican side of the night, an “unaligned” favorite-son candidate, US Congressman J. W. Byrnes, surpassed leading candidates Goldwater and Rockefeller with a plurality of the vote…

– The Milwaukee State Journal, Wisconsin newspaper, 4/7/1964



TOM JONES, CELOPATRA DOMINATE OSCARS; Poitier The First Negro Ever to Win Best Actor

Santa Monica, CA – …The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium hosted the 36th Academy Awards last night and was hosted by Jack Lemmon. The film “Tom Jones” swept the categories with 10 nominations and tying for the most wins (four) with “Cleopatra.” …Bahamian-American actor Sidney Poitier won the award for Best Actor for his performance in “Lilies of the Field”… Surprisingly, Ub Iwerks won the Oscar for Best Special Effects for his work on the Alfred Hitchcock film “The Birds”…

– The Los Angeles Times, 4/14/1964



“Boy, what a turnout, huh? Folks, this isn’t the kind of night you see every day!”

– Barry Goldwater at a victory rally in Chicago, IL, 4/14/1964



JOHNSON, GOLDWATER WON BIG IN PRIMARIES LAST NIGHT

Chicago, IL – The President celebrated a resounding victory in last night's Democratic Presidential primary in Illinois by attending a function hosted by Mayor Daley of Chicago. Johnson won roughly 86% of the contest's vote, against Patterson’s 11% (almost entirely from the southern half of the state), and Morse’s 3%. Meanwhile, Republicans waged a battle that came down to the wire, as Goldwater edged out Rockefeller with a slim majority, marking the Senator’s first primary won. “This is a big moment for him. It could mean Midwestern voters could possibly stomach his dangerous brand of conservatism in November,” an anonymous backer of Rockefeller worriedly explained to our reporters at the Rockefeller campaign's state headquarters in Springfield. ...Tonight was also a big night for US Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine, who achieved roughly a quarter of all votes cast in the G.O.P. primary. "A percentage this generous demonstrates how greatly social views are changing for the better in this country," says one of her supporters in Peoria, "It shows that the idea of a woman becoming President is no longer a fantasy to be laughed at, but a real possibility that is taken more and more seriously with each passing day"...

Chicago Tribune, 4/15/1964



JOHNSON UNDERPERFORMS IN STATE PRIMARY; GOLDWATER SECURES SECOND WIN

Trenton, NJ – …The President secured the Garden State's winner-take-all DNC delegation with just under 55% of the vote tonight. The results are far from the landslide predicted in the latest polls. Johnson seemed to lose voters to Patterson, whom surged to 29% in the final results, which is a surprisingly strong showing for the south-based candidate. Factors may have included his strong grassroots support from the southern, more rural half of the state, especially from the more conservative “Pine Barrens” area, and from the state being “socially shaken,” according to Governor Hughes, by rioting in many areas after the assassination of Civil Rights organizer Hosea Williams back in February. US Senator Wayne Morse of Oregon won roughly 15% of the vote, nearly entirely from the urban areas of the state… In New Jersey's Republican primary, which was also held tonight, US Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona won over New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller and the undeclared candidacy of Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. of Massachusetts, with the latter’s write-in campaign coming in second place. With 40% of the primary vote, Goldwater may have benefitted from a split in the state’s liberal Republican voters, who were torn between Rockefeller and Lodge…

The Star-Ledger, New Jersey newspaper, 4/21/1964



“I respect Johnson because he is our President. But I have to seriously question his leadership skills. Our soldiers are getting killed 90 miles from home, and now we’re sending them off to get killed on the near-exact opposite side of the planet. Blacks and whites are fightin’ in the cities and laborers are livin’ in hell in the countrysides. What in h*ll’s name does Johnson think he’s doing right?”

– Colonel Sanders on Face the Nation, 4/23/1964



TONIGHT’S PRIMARIES: LBJ Bounces Back In M.A. Sweep; G.O.P. Draft Bids Surge In M.A., P.A.

Boston, MA – US President Lyndon Johnson was the runaway victor tonight thanks to his surrogate on the ballot, former Massachusetts Governor Endicott Peabody, predictably besting US Senator Wayne Morse and former Alabama Governor John Patterson. Massachusetts’ long history of espousing liberal philosophy led to Morse winning 25% of the Bay State's Democratic primary vote despite the work of pro-Johnson US Secretary of State Jack Kennedy of Massachusetts and his many statewide connections. Patterson received a paltry 3.9% in a regional rejection of his outspoken conservatism. …On the Republican side of the night, the Draft Lodge movement finally won a primary, with the former Senator winning a plurality in tonight's Republican Massachusetts primary. Undeclared Pennsylvania Governor William Scranton also won his home state’s primary in a write-in campaign. Scranton seems more open to accepting the nomination that Lodge; regardless, one Lodge support noted that the results are a clear sign that “the people are restless and disapproving of the current batch of Republican candidates. They want a new one.” …In the Democratic Pennsylvania primary, Johnson underperformed in the wake of Patterson managing to appeal to some of the rural conservative Democratic voters found across the state...

The Washington Post, 4/28/1964



[ video: IyRODm5_RXc ]
– KFC commercial, first aired 4/29/1964



“The youth rebellion is a worldwide phenomenon that has not been seen before in history. I do not believe they will calm down and be advertisement executives by the time they’re 30, as the Establishment would like us to believe.”

– William Burroughs, writer, 4/30/1964 interview [11]



SOURCE(S)/NOTE(S)
[1] These italic bits were pulled from a quote found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Morse#cite_note-51
[2] LBJ really did say this OTL!
[3] These quotes (italics) pulled from this interesting article: https://slate.com/human-interest/2012/08/jell-o-and-mormonism-the-stereotypes-surprising-origins.html
[4] This quote was spoken (by someone else) in the Vietnam Documentary “In the Year of the Pig,” starting at the 51:25 mark.
[5] Found in Karim, Benjamin; w/ Peter Skutches & David Gallen (1992). Remembering Malcolm. New York: Carroll & Graf, ISBN 978-0-88184-881-6; p. 159-160.
[6] Pulled from Kondo, Zak A. (1993). Conspiracys: Unravelling the Assassination of Malcolm X. Washington, D.C.: Nubia Press, p. 170
[7] Found here: Perry, Bruce (1991). Malcolm: The Life of a Man Who Changed Black America. Barrytown, N.Y.: Station Hill, ISBN 978-0-88268-103-0; p. 352-356.
[8] This MLK Quote is from OTL!
[9] This italicized passage was pulled from here: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1975/05/19/curmudgeon-ribs-chickens
[10] At least, according to Source 56 on the Wikipedia page for the History of Kentucky Fried Chicken.
[11] He said something similar to this in 1968 IOTL.
 
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Chapter 18: January 1964 – April 1964

“During the Christmas break, I talked with my family over an idea that I’ve had for quite a while now, and they agree with me that is sounds like a real good one and I hope you all agree. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am declaring myself a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. I’m running because, America, we need a leader with a plan. We need a leader who will reverse the big money and big business domination of government. We need a courageous leader who will stand up and fight the necessary political battle [1] to protect the checkbooks of the average American and remove corruption from our markets. And we need a leader who will and can assure peace at home and abroad. President Johnson has failed at all of these endeavors… As President, I will to withdraw troops from Cuba within 90 days of being sworn in. I will instigate a Senate investigation into Wall Street’s action to determine the true causes of this Salad Oil Recession. I will meet with Soviet Premier Shelepin and work to scale back our mutual buildup of nuclear weapons. Together, we will make a difference. …Thank you all, and remember – vote Morse, or it’ll only get worse!”

– U.S. Senator Wayne Morse (D-OR), 1/2/1964
M O R S E
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S
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McCain as Barack's stepdad...didn't see that coming, as they say, but interesting...

Good chapter...
That was one of the interesting things in this chapter. The other most interesting thing to me was the publication date of 1990 for Malcolm X's autobiography.
 
Chapter 19: May 1964 – July 1964
Chapter 19: May 1964 – July 1964

“Why not take a crazy chance… If you lose a moment, you might lose a lot, so why not? Why not?”

– Hilary Duff (sung); Charlie Midnight, with Matthew Gerrard (written)




VvJGRHf.png

[pic: imgur.com/VvJGRHf.png ]

– Official portrait of Governor Sanders for the gallery section of the state capital building of Kentucky, Frankfort, KY, c. May 1964



LBJ BURIES PATTERSON IN TEXAS PRIMARY

…85% of the voters voted for Johnson, 10% voted for Patterson, 5% wrote in Senator Ralph Yarborough, 4% voted for Morse, and 1% voted for other individuals. …In the Republican primary also held tonight, Goldwater won the delegate-rich primary with 70% of the vote, crushing Rockefeller (whom only won 12%) and several unofficial candidates, including former Vice-President Nixon (7%), who may or may not run a more active campaign soon, and former Governor Colonel Sanders (5%), the latest politician – after former Senator Lodge and Governor Scranton – that a draft movement urging a less divisive candidate to enter the race has formed behind…

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 5/2/1964



CAM BOMB KILLS GEN. GEORGE SCRATCHLEY BROWN!

“They’re Bombing Us Because Of You!”: Poll Suggests Most Cubans Starting To Resent U.S. Presence

Tallahassee Democrat newspaper headlines on 5/2/1964 and 5/3/1964, respectively



CLIFFORD COMPOSES CASE FOR CUBA CONUNDRUM; CABINET CALLS CLEAR-CUT ON VIET-CONG CONVICTIONS

Washington, DC – Secretary of State Clark Clifford said today that he is convinced that the communist world would miscalculate as weakness any disengagement now in Cuba or Indochina by the United States. Clifford agreed with Sen. Karl Mundt (R-SD) on the issue of military engagement abroad during a 5 hour and 20 minute interrogation of the Secretary before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Never before in history had a secretary of state been exposed to a probe of American foreign policy on nation-wide television.

Mundt led the proceedings with the query “Well, what exactly are we doing in Cuba and Indochina?”

Clifford defended President Johnson’s attitude and actions towards these two areas with the statement “The executive branch always has looked to treaties and other resolutions for major foreign policy guidelines. But the Communist groups assaulting the nations of Laos, South Vietnam and Cambodia have repeatedly refused to comply with diplomatic functions.”

“And Cuba? Please explain the latest rise in American troops deployed to an independent nation allegedly cleared of civil strife?”

“This administration has never officially announced the end of hostilities in Cuba. Renegade guerilla fighters led by Camilo Cienfuegos still terrorize the countryside hoping to spark a resurgence in violence on the island.”

“So the war is not officially over?” Mundt requested clarification

“Cuba is still recovering from the effects of the war – ”

“So the conflict – ”

“Is still ongoing, but Cuba has become stable. We do not believe Camilo can retake control of the island, but his guerilla fighters and their bombing campaign are a threat to a nation still recovering from the war which is why their interim President, Dr. Jose Miro Cardenas, has permitted American troops to remain in Cuba until – ”

“Who permitted the troops remaining, Mr. Secretary?”

“Cardenas and Johnson agreed to the move, sir.”

“Who came up with it? Who first suggested it?” Mundt insisted.

“That’s classified…”

The focus soon shifted to America’s standing on the world stage.

Clifford explained to the committee that “the executive branch is going to do its best to meet American commitments. If more troops are needed in either region, we will, as we have done in the past, consult with appropriate members of Congress.”

When questioned on the morality of defending a region as geography distant from the US as Indochina, Clifford remarked, “It is essential for Americans to search their souls and determine how or even if we can tolerate the suppression of the principles on which this country stands occurring in foreign lands. This is a morality test. For the sake of ourselves and the world, we must pass it.”

To discuss classified information, Clifford suggested and won from Committee Co-Chair Senator Fulbright the right to meet with the committee in executive session rather than in public. A censored version of their exchange was later released.

– The Chicago Tribune, article by Russell Freeburg, 5/4/1964



…Senator Goldwater is in hot water over comments he made last night at a campaign fundraiser, where he was recorded calling Republican Indiana Governor Crawford Parker a, quote, “all-time loser,” [1] unquote…

– NBC News, 5/5/1964 broadcast



“I’m not yet endorsing anybody in the primaries because I’m disappointed in the hostility I’ve been seeing in the primaries lately. I think if Republicans want to fight, they should be fightin’ the Democrats, not each other.”

– Colonel Sanders at a Republican breakfast function in Washington, D.C., 5/5/1964



COL. SANDERS WINS STATE PRIMARY WITHOUT EVEN TRYING!

Gary, IN – In a surprising turn of events, Colonel Harland Sanders, the former Governor of Kentucky and founder of the Kentucky Fried Chicken fast-food franchise, has won last our state’s Republican presidential primary as an undeclared write-in candidate. Sanders achieved a plurality of 29%, with Senator Goldwater coming in second with 26%, Governor Rockefeller with 25%, Senator Chase Smith with 10%, and undeclared candidate Richard Nixon with 6%, the remaining 4% being split among several other candidates. The upset over declared candidates Goldwater and Rockefeller is currently being contributed to the rise in draft movements in several states meant to convince a politician more palatable than Goldwater and Rockefeller to become a new viable candidate for the Republican nomination ahead of the party’s convention this summer. The Colonel’s opinion on this development remains unknown. When reached for comment outside his company’s headquarters in Florence, Kentucky, Sanders simply replied he was “flattered” before heading to a meeting in his private office. …The G.O.P. Ohio primary was held last night as well; it was won by the state’s favorite son candidate, Governor Rhodes… For the Democrats, the night was busier with an additional primary held for the first time ever in Washington, DC, along with their own primaries in Indiana and Ohio. Johnson secured all three primaries through favorite son candidates, though challenger John Patterson of Alabama won an impressive 40% in the Hoosier state due to grassroots connection in the state’s southern counties...

– The Indianapolis Star, 5/6/1964



I was genuinely surprised. The next day I went on TV and thanked the voters and said that I’d keep their preference in mind. Back in Florence, I was asking left and right how it had come about. Many of my people believed the idea sprouted up from my openness on Kentucky radio stations picked up in Indiana. But officially, the origin of the push for me to run remains unknown. My own guess is that some Republican Hoosiers that knew of my roots in the state thought it was a good idea. So did I, as time wore on. To be honest, the idea had crossed my mind from time to time, but only in jest. I first started to mull it around in my mind with more seriousness after that unplanned May 5 victory. But I was content with my position at K.F.C., and didn’t see a real reason to leave. Nonetheless, because I had won delegates from Indiana, I was invited to the Republican National Convention being held in July of that year, and I figured “Ah, heck, why not go?”

– Colonel Sanders’ Life As I Have Known It Has Been Finger-Lickin’ Good, Creation House publishing, 1974



“No way, Rob. I think Sanders orchestrated the whole thing, all of it. The old bastard tasted power in the ’50s and he wanted more, plain and simple.”

– Roger Stone, responding to a question by Robert Towne, 1975 interview



…Racial tensions are reaching what our analysts informally referred to as the breaking point after a 15-year-old African-American boy was shot and killed by police offices outside of St. Louis theater… The incident seems to have sparked a second wave of reactionary violence, which Governor Patterson of Alabama has described as “bitterness and violence are beginning their trip back to America’s cities and urban stores.” President Johnson has called for “calm and order,” while Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is urging peaceful protests instead of anger-fueled vigilantism…

– Walter Cronkite, CBS Evening News, 5/8/1964 broadcast



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Maddox (seen here at a rally for Governor Patterson during the 1964 Democratic primaries in Maryland, MD, c. May 1964), having lost his 1962 bid for lieutenant governor, sought to start a chicken franchise in the south to regionally compete with K.F.C., calling the enterprise “Georgia’s Best Chicken.” Hoping to establish a takeout-only marketing design (because “you can’t seat Blacks if there aren’t any seats at all” as he infamously put it), Maddox failed to branch out into other states. Several city governments in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama discouraged or even openly opposed Georgia’s Best outlets being set up in their city limits, over fear that Maddox’s divisive views would discourage other businesses and increase civil unrest. Attempts by Governor Bryant of Florida to support “the right to all forms of free enterprise” enraged shoutniks and beatniks already protesting across his state. As a result, Maddox’s franchise became largely confined only the most conservative (as whitest) parts of the Deep South.

Apart from Maddox’s endeavor, KFC’s closest fried-chicken national competitor during the 1960s was the Texas-based Church family’s “Chicken-To-Go,” which fed into the common saying of the Lone Star state by offering “Texas-sized” pieces of fried chicken that were bigger that KFC’s. However, Chicken-To-Go’s flagship offering was supplemented by far less menu options and a vastly inferior marketing department…

– Paul Ozersky’s Colonel Sanders and the American Dream, University of Texas Press, 2012



“It is my opinion that the draft is an inefficient and expensive way to build an army… people should become soldiers because they chose to.[2]

– Barry Goldwater, multiple sources, 5/11/1964




LBJ CHALLENGER SECURES W.V. PRIMARY; Barry Wins NE, Rocky Carries WV

…John M. Patterson, the former Governor of Alabama, won his second primary contest tonight with an impressive 42.5% of the vote. Johnson won 40.5%, while Senator Wayne Morse secured roughly 17% of vote. It appears that Morse may have siphoned enough votes away from the President to allow Patterson to win with a plurality… This is a large blow to the President, whom won West Virginia just four years prior by a narrow margin.

…In the Republican column, West Virginia’s Republican primary was won by Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York…

Over in Nebraska, Goldwater won that state’s Republican primary with 52%, with Rockefeller finishing in second with 35% and unannounced write-in candidate Colonel Sanders receiving 10%...

– The Baltimore Sun, 5/12/1964



SHOUTNIK FAVORITES SWEEP CATEGORIES AT THE GRAMMYS

Los Angeles, CA – Last night’s 6th annual Grammy awards ceremony saw several members of the “shoutnik” music scene win over classic favorites. …“Tommy Chong and The Others,” formally known as “Tommy Chong as His Gang,” “Tommy Chong and Company,” and “Tommy Chong and The Band,” won the Best Performance by a Vocal Group award for “Dave’s Not Here,” a ballot concerning a soldier named Dave returning from Cuba only to struggle to return to normal society, as he and his mind are “still over there.” …Gordon Lightfoot beat out Bob Dylan for Best Male Vocal Performance with his new single “Black Day in Ohio,” a melody reflecting on the Xenia Race Riots… Barbra Streisand won the album of the Year Award for “The Barbra Streisand Album,” Henry Mancini won the Record of the Year Award for “Days of Wine and Roses,” and Ward Swingle won the Best New Artist award over Gordon Lightfoot and Frank Zappa... The biggest surprise win of the night, though, was Paul, Peter and Mary winning the Song of the Year Award for “Blowin’ in the Wind,” which has been met with controversy as their version of the anti-war tune is actually a cover, or re-make, of a song originally recorded by Bob Dylan...

Variety, 5/13/1964



...Dick [Nixon] stood as an undeclared write-in candidate in Oregon, sensing that Goldwater or Rockefeller could fail to win enough delegates to win outright before the convention. Dick agreed with Ehrlichman and Haldeman that it was very advantageous for us that both of the leading candidates had sons eligible for the draft that had gotten out of it by medical deferments. Barry Goldwater Jr was a recent law school graduate working on his father’s campaign in California, while Michael Rockefeller, after spending, I want to say, 1961 and 1962 splitting his time between Pacific Island cultures and organizing Cuban refugee assistance programs, was now working for some sort of cultural promotion program at some college somewhere in California; I want to say Berkeley. Ah, no matter. Point being, Dick agreed that we would “shine light on these spots if we need to,” as I recall him saying. But on the night of the primary – May 15 – Dick lost. He came in third place behind Rockefeller and Goldwater; the loss was still very discouraging to Nixon. …On the Democratic side of that night, Morse predictably won his home state, pissing off Lyndon, or so I’ve heard…

– Bebe Rebozo, CBS interview, 1988



“A person’s job, their livelihood, shouldn’t be easy, but it shouldn’t be miserable. You shouldn’t ever let work crush your spirit. You got to like your work. You have got to like what you are doing, you have got to be doing something worthwhile so you can like it – because if it is worthwhile, then it makes a difference, it changes the worker from being a pawn or a cog into a person that matters. Small businesses, Mom and Pop stores, like the kind my own company was a few centuries back, heh, well small businesses understand the importance of working with their workers, they understand how that benefits both of them. …Don’t be against things so much as for things.” [3] For instance, don’t be against war so much as for peace, you see? Focus on the bright side to defeat the dark side of the problem. It’s that kind of positive thinking that leads to positive things!”

– Colonel Sanders at a breakfast-and-politics function in Frankfort, KY, 5/17/1964



“…In fact, I think returning to a policy of manned bombings could finally evict Communism from Cuba, and if that doesn’t work, sending some troops back to Cuba could work, too. My view on war is very clear – total victory; once it starts, we finish! But now, let me talk for a bit about lowering taxes and government spending. We need to balance the federal budget…”

– Barry Goldwater during a stump speech in St. Charles, MD, 5/17/1964



PATTERSON RATTLES PARTY LEADERS WITH LANDSLIDE WIN IN MARYLAND PRIMARY

…Patterson achieved 56% of the vote against President Johnson’s 34%, with Morse’s numbers declining back to the single digits with 9%. …In light of Goldwater’s latest controversial comments, it is not too surprising that the Draft Sanders movement achieved another victory in tonight’s Republican primary in Maryland. Sanders came in second place behind “uncommitted,” but ahead of Rockefeller and even farther ahead of Goldwater…

– The Chicago Tribune, 5/19/1964



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– Colonel Sanders appears in a scene with Jerry Lewis in the 1964 film The Patsy; a sequel to The Bellboy and originally called The Bellboy Returns, The Patsy was released on the 12th of August but was filmed in April and May



It is unclear when exactly the Colonel first met Jerry Lewis. A widely spread yet only partially substantiated story goes that in early 1963, KFC was ordered for the film crew of the Jerry Lewis film “Who’s Minding the Store?” just as the Colonel was visiting the studio grounds, leading to the Colonel volunteering to deliver the order himself as he wanted to meet “a big-name star” while he was in town. Regardless of any alleged serendipity, the fact remains that from their friendship arose the Colonel’s involvement in the fight against Muscular Dystrophy – a terrible diverse-in-variation muscle disease/genetic defect that wears down a person’s skeletal muscles and nerves system. Since 1956, Lewis had served as the National Chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, an organization founded in 1950 to fight the disease with research into understanding it better and possibly finding a cure, medical/community support, health education, and other means. Apart from generous donations from his own fortune, the Colonel quickly thought up how to get more people to fundraise this important research.

– Josh Ozersky’s Colonel Sanders and the American Dream, University of Texas Press, 2012



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– KFC poster promoting donations to the M.D.A., released early May 1964



COLONEL SANDERS PARTNERS WITH FUNNYMAN JERRY LEWIS FOR NOBLE CAUSE

– The Hollywood Reporter, 5/21/1964



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– Colonel Sanders and Jerry Lewis hugging upon reviewing the then-recent surge in M.D.A. donations, 5/26/1964



FLORIDA VOTES FOR SANDERS AND PATTERSON

…This latest surprise win for the unofficial “draft Sanders” movement is stirring up discussions on its viability in Republican circles... The Colonel received 35% of the vote; Rockefeller won 30%, Goldwater won 25%, and all other candidates combined make up the remaining 5%.

…Governor Patterson, strongly endorsed by Governor Bryant, trounced President Johnson in the Democratic primary. Patterson described Johnson’s handling of the War in Cuba as “foolish… we left before the War was even over, and in turn left behind an unstable island full of Communist guerilla maniac bombers that will not rest until every American city is petrified by the fear of another Cam bomb attack,” as Patterson declared at a rally in Tallahassee on Friday. Patterson won 55% of the vote to Johnson’s 30% and Senator Wayne Morse’s 10%...

– The Orlando Sentinel, 5/26/1964



SANDERS ADMITS IN INTERVIEW HE’S “INTEREST IN” RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT!

…“If I was President, I would do a lot of good for a lot of people, but I’m already doing that now making quality chicken and affordable prices. As President, though, I could do even more, so the idea is not a bad one…” Colonel Sanders said…

Associated Press, 5/27/1964



“Privately, Goldwater criticized the Colonel. He complained ‘I’m a superior version of him. Business experience? I started running my family’s department store when I was 20! And I have way more military experience. An honorary Colonel? I was in World War Two as an air force pilot and I’m now a major general in the Air Force Reserves; that’s better than any honorary title!’”

– lawyer and 1964 Goldwater aide William A. Rusher, unused interview footage filmed for documentary shown at the 1992 RNC, 1992



Malcolm X was a family man. He was protective of his wife Betty X (nee Sanders), and their seven daughters (born in 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, and 1971) and two sons (born in 1969 and 1974)… On the night of June 5, 1964, Malcolm’s five-year-old daughter, Attallah X, was shot in the right shoulder and arm in a drive-by shooting. Malcolm later described in his autobiography how “when I saw what they’d done to my daughter, her blood dripping onto the sidewalk, I knew I had to do to end the unholy crusade he was waging against my family.” Two days later, Malcolm X grabbed a pistol before leaving… According to police statements and his own account, Malcolm X approached Louis Farrakhan and emptied a pistol into his stomach before returning to his car and driving to the home a friend… Farrakhan died within minutes of the shooting… Two days later, on June 9, Malcolm X surrendered peacefully to police, claiming his actions were in self-defense… The race riots of the month before were very notable in that they were directed more at local mosques than at white neighborhoods. Nevertheless, the wanton bedlam was destructive and increased unease among middle-class voters.

Within days of the news breaking that Malcolm would be held without bail, a group of young black activists gathered in California to form a group of people who sought to carry out vigilante justice. Their unofficial leader, a “big man” known as Elbert X, declared upon its creation, “We are the Men who follow Malcolm X. We are the X-Men!”

– Herb Boyd and Ilyasah Shabazz’s Malcolm vs. Martin: Violence and Peace After the End of Segregation, Chicago Third World Press, 2013



The first early rays of morn ushered in the first of June, and with it the last day before the final round of primary voting… Goldwater’s more liberal Republican compatriots criticized him abrasively for his support of expanding military involvement in Cuba and Indochina despite the increasing casualty rates in both theatres. Independent Goldwater-supporting political organizations, meanwhile, sought to water down suggestions that Goldwater was too adamant in his “extremist” ideology to ever cooperate with Congress while President. One organization in southern California began circulating pamphlets showcasing Goldwater’s known friendship with U.S. Secretary of State Jack Kennedy, complete with photographs of the two men laughing and shaking hands. This however, seemed to only be as effective as a garden hose on an active volcano. At 9:00 PM, polls showed the Republican California primary was a toss-up. When the results were declared 6-and-a-half hours later, Rockefeller had edged out the outspoken Arizonan by a hair… South Dakota voted for an “uncommitted” delegate slate, with Rockefeller in second place and Colonel Sanders in third… In the California Democratic primary, the ambitious but uncharismatic Governor Pat Brown won the state as a favorite son over conservative Los Angeles Mayor Sam Yorty, who stripped votes away from Patterson. Morse, winning the adoration of beatniks and shoutniks across the state, had the loudest supporters, but as the Senator learned, decibel strength does not equal votes – Morse seized only 18% of the state as a plurality of California Democrats stuck by their popular two-term governor…

– Theodore H. White’s The Making of The President: 1964, Atheneum Publishers, 1965



...At the current standing, the odds favor the notion that Rockefeller will win the nomination, but unless delegates switch allegiance prior to the convention, Rockefeller will not win outright on the first ballot…

– Walter Cronkite, CBS Evening News, 6/3/1964 broadcast



SALAD OIL SLICKER SENT UP RIVER!

…the judge sentenced De Angelis to 25 years in prison, without the chance of parole until after the first 10 years served...

– The New York Daily News, 6/3/1964



NELSON ALDRICH ROCKEFELLER II

New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller and Margaretta Large “Happy” Rockefeller (nee Fitler, formerly Murphy) today announce the birth of their first child, a son. Nelson Rockefeller II arrived on June 2 [4] in New York City, New York. Weighing 9 pounds 6 ounces, the child…

– The Bangor Daily News, celebrations section, 6/3/1964



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Rockefeller – 390
Goldwater – 373
Sanders – 172
Lodges – 41
Rhodes – 29
Byrnes – 26
Scranton – 25

Judd – 15
Smith – 14
Stassen – 2
Other – 5
Uncommitted – 226
Delegate needed to win outright: 655
Total delegates: 1,308

– Republican primary victories (excluding “uncommitted” victories) and delegate count as of 6/4/1964



Chong first met Yoko Ono in the summer of 1964, when he was 26 and she was 31, at a music-themed art exhibit in Manhattan.[23] Ono was still married to art promoter Anthony Cox and raising their daughter Kyoko Chan Cox (b. 1963) in New York City. Chong was still married to Maxine Sneed, the mother of his children born in 1961 and 1965 (although Chong and Ono began having an affair in 1964, Chong “didn’t realize she was pregnant again, though I guess that explained her moodiness. That and me being out on the road so much of the time”).[24] Chong would later explain his initial attraction to Ono in a radio interview with Howard Stern: “I wanted to break the limits, go more out there than the rest of the band wanted to. Then I met Yoko after a gig in N.Y.C. and she had just wrapped up her latest piece of performance art. And man, she wasn’t like the beatnik groupies – she was smart, stoic, wise. She had her own ideas, and when we were together, it was like our ideas had sex and became one, you know? They created something more, something awesome. It was edgy, it was pounding, it was a powerful call for peace and love. One night when Gonzo [clarification needed] and I were stoned off our asses, came up with the name for it – Reeflex (as in Reefer, Love, and Sex) Rock!”[25]

– infopedia.co.usa/Tommy_Chong



On June 21, 1964, Lyndon Johnson issued an executive order that lifted graduate school deferments. This was considered to be a major mistake by July, as it led to many voting-eligible college students actually rallying behind the Republican Presidential nominee in the fall election...

– From The 1960s: A History, Scholastic, 2007



…In preparation of the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Illinois, young and organized Democrats are demanding a platform calling for complete military withdrawal from Cuba by Christmas 1965 to be adapted from Senator Morse’s campaign to the official party platform. Supporters of the Oregon Senator and even some polniks, or “politically-active beatniks,” are supporting the young organizers trying to meet with delegates and holding sit-ins outside of the officers of several leaders, including Mike Mansfield and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley...

– Walter Cronkite, CBS Evening News, 6/23/1964 broadcast



I first met Barbara during the Berkeley Protests of 1964, a combination residual anger to Lyndon Johnson’s expected re-nomination and his lifting of graduate school deferments, plus the recent controversial activities of one of the school’s dean. It was a massive star-studded anti-war event that I just had to attend. I also just needed some distance away from Colorado. My fiancé, Lyee Rogers, had just broken with me; after years of being engaged we still didn’t have a fixed wedding date, and she couldn’t wait any more. It was my own fault; I was so preoccupied with the shoutnik movement that I failed to think of her own needs. I packed up a suitcase and drove from Colorado to California, and soon found myself joining the protesters set to converge on the dean’s office. Close by, a spritely vixen fresh out of high school had taken the summer off to join the latest uprising of our generation. The young woman ended up pushed over during the subsequent ruckus, and as fate would have it, I was close enough to pick her back up. When the dust settled, she spotted me and thanked me. “Hi, I’m Wellington, and yes, it is my real first name,” I said. She smiled, “I’m Barbara Jean Hutt.” …Barbara would later profess, “It was a big step to take, transferring from Berkeley to Colorado-Denver, but when you care about someone, convenience takes a back seat.”

– Wellington Webb’s Wellington Webb: The Man and the Making of Modern America, Fulcrum Publishing, 2003



The post-primary birth of Rockefeller’s son led to some news sources returning unwanted attention to his recent divorce and remarriage in the weeks leading up to the RNC. By the end of the 13th, several delegates were threatening to vote against Rockefeller.

As expected, the New York Governor seethed with rage. He fumed, “I can’t believe the hypocrisy here! I could very well lose the nomination over my marital status? That’s ridiculous. Just look at all the other divorced people out there – Adlai Stevenson, Ronald Reagan, even Colonel Sanders! The Colonel is a divorcee just like I am, and he’s incredibly popular, at least enough for him to win over delegates! Jeez!”

The fact remained, though, that the Colonel didn’t create the image of breaking up a family with little children in it. I think his youngest was in her 20s when his divorce happened – and it happened 20 years ago. Rocky’s was only one year ago.

We only learned a bit later that the Colonel’s wife Claudia was a divorcee as well. “That makes sense,” I remember Rocky said, “The man often brags about how he always hires single mothers.”

– Political consultant Stuart Spencer, KNN Interview, 1982



…In other news, Mayor Richard J. Daley of Chicago has had peaceful organizers, participating in a massive sit-in outside his offices, arrested for “aggravated loitering”…

– NBC News, 7/5/1964 broadcast



The D.N.C. was held from July 5 to July 8, and for three nights and all four days, party leaders there experienced dual-fallout over party leaders’ response to the polniks and the Patterson backers, leading to a largely small riot breaking out on July 6 over claims of abuse, first over students arrested for sitting outside Daley’s office and then after word spread that one of the arrested organizers, a black student, was severely roughhoused while being brought in. The riot was quickly contained and few injuries occurred, but it was an embarrassing incident that aptly reflected the turmoil inside the convention. Patterson openly refused to endorse Johnson and instead encouraged Democrats “vote for whom your soul tells you to.” Only some of Morse’s platform were adapted, and while Morse spoke before the assembled masses, he stopped short of outright endorsing Johnson. To win Morse’s endorsement on the final day of the convention, Johnson ordered Daley to release the sit-in protestors...

– David W. Reinhard’s The Democratic Party: A 150-Year History of Revolution and Rebirth, Sunrise Publishers, 1978



LBJ RE-NOMINATED ON 1ST BALLOT AMID TENSION, CONTROVERSY AT DNC

– The New York Times, 7/6/1964



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– clickipedia.co.usa



…Daley could have ended his boast over how the riot did not get out of hand then and there, but he instead continued with the lamentation that “the cops didn’t get the chance to really bust some skulls.”

To this, the President snapped “Are you f@#kin’ crazy, Daley?! Any more bad press and we could have lost more delegates! Patterson and Morse were biting at our heels, calling us out-of-touch and insensitive, whatever the f@#k that means. Because we couldn’t keep this convention in order, we could lose law-and-order-centric voters in November!”

“You’ll be fine, Mr. President,” Daley rebutted, “At least we weren’t as divided as the Republicans still are.”

“Even still, we cannot take any risks. I will not have this end up like the 1960 Electoral College, only worse. I refuse it! If you want to bust some skulls, Delay, go find a graveyard or something!” Johnson rebuked in a huff.

...Even after the convention had ended, doubts over the campaigns’ messaging of key policy worried many near the President’s inner circle. At one instance, Dean Acheson cornered a new Johnson aide to tell him, “Things are going to hell in a hack in Cuba. If we don’t see some progress down there, we’ll go into this orgasm of a campaign period in which things will just have to stall.” …Johnson’s team soon came up with new phrase: “We seek no wider war.” [5]

– Robert Caro’s The Years of Lyndon: Book Four: The Pursuit of Power, A. A. Knopf Inc. New York, 2012




FARRIS BRYANT: “I’M RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT”; Controversial Governor of Florida Announces Third-Party Bid

Tallahassee, FL – In a sharp lambasting of President Johnson and the Democratic party platform established last week, Farris Bryant, the Governor of Florida since 1960, announced his own bid for the US Presidency. …Bryant declared, “Patterson put up a valiant fight, but his failure proves what we have feared for some time, that under Johnson’s yolk, conservatism has no home in the Democratic Party.” …At the announcement, Bryant did not announce a running mate, but he did reveal the party label under which he will seek to appear on state ballots in November: “This is a campaign calling for the protection of our Heritage and Independence. And so, we are calling the party the ‘Heritage Independence Party,’ or ‘H.I.P.’ for short.” Supporters of Bryant’s third-party bid are already calling themselves “H.I.P.ies,” pronouncing it “HIP-eez.”…

– The Washington Post, 7/10/1964



“So now I have beatniks on the left calling me an oppressor abroad, and hippies on the right calling me an oppressor at home. Thank God for the moderates – they’re quiet, but they’re the ones that actually vote!”

– Lyndon B. Johnson, multiple sources, 7/11/1964



R.N.C. STARTS TODAY WITH UNCERTAINTY

– The San Francisco Chronicle, 7/13/1964



The 1964 Republican National Convention was scheduled to start on July 13, with the actual ballot voting occurring throughout the 15th, well into the night if necessary. The final day of the convention – the 16th – would be for choosing the running mate and for finalizing the party platform.

In the weeks prior, delegates were harassed by a barrage of phone calls, predictably from the Rocky and Goldwater camps, and even from the Scranton, Sanders and Lodge draft groups still clinging to their narrow prospects. The RNC Chairman, William E. Miller, personally favored Goldwater, but was not entirely sure if he would be able to keep the party together or even win in November, and stayed publicly uncommitted while privately promising Goldwater to side with him “until the end,” making for a biased and later controversial chairman rule.

During the first two days, each candidate was allowed to speak before the convention, and both Goldwater and Rockefeller received cheers and jeers.

– Anne Meagher Northup’s Chicken and Politickin’: the Rise of Colonel Sanders and Rational Conservatism in the Republican Party, 2015



BALLOT BREAKDOWN:

BEFORE SHIFTS:
Nelson A. Rockefeller – 381
Barry M. Goldwater – 362
Harland D. Sanders – 199
William W. Scranton – 63
Richard M. Nixon – 32
Margaret Chase Smith – 27
Walter H. Judd – 14
Hiram L. Fong – 2
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. – 2
Uncommitted – 226

AFTER SHIFTS:
Nelson A. Rockefeller – 376
Barry M. Goldwater – 352
Harland D. Sanders – 215
Margaret Chase Smith – 80
William W. Scranton – 39
Richard M. Nixon – 25
Walter H. Judd – 3
Hiram L. Fong – 2
Uncommitted – 226

– RNC 1st Presidential Ballot, 7/15/1964



...Rockefeller has failed to win the Republican Presidential nomination on the first ballot. …Lacking delegates to win outright means that the delegates are now free to choose whomever they want to on the second ballot...

– ABC News, 7/15/1964 broadcast



Nixon hadn’t worried about his primary performances because they didn’t really matter back then. They worked more like preference polls in those days. Instead, Nixon was disheartened by the lack of what he considered to be an inadequate amount of support among delegates at the convention. The liberals, moderates, and conservatives all had a candidate or two to back, and there just didn’t seem to be any support for a compromise Nixon candidacy. His prospects weren’t looking too good, and Nixon knew it. So he figured, “well, if you can’t be on the throne, you can always hold some power behind it…”

– John Ehrlichman’s Witness: What Went on Behind Closed Doors, Folkways Books, 1998



I was eating lunch with Father and Claudia in their hotel room between the first and second ballot when there came a knock at the door. Convention co-leader and fellow Republican Kentuckian Senator Thruston B. Morton had stopped by with Nixon and a man I later knew to be F. Clifton White, a conservative political consultant for Goldwater.

“How do, fellas, what can I do for ya?”

“It’s funny you should say that, Colonel. May we come in?”

“Sure.”

“I think I know what this is about – you want me to release my delegates to ya, right?”

Soon after making themselves comfortable in the room, White went right for the bottom line. “You see, Colonel, in light of Patterson running a conservative third-party campaign and Johnson being popular among domestic-minded liberals but not foreign-policy-minded liberals, we need a candidate that will appeal to both, plus the moderates left out,” White stated.

“We also think that we can win over the dissatisfied voters in the South,” Nixon explained, “and Colonel…we believe that only you can pull off such a feat.”

Father’s eyes widened, “you fellas pullin’ my leg?”

“Yes,” Morton observed as he extracted such a limb from a nearby KFC bucket, “Oh, you didn’t mean this leg, did you?”

“We mean it, Colonel, we want you to be the nominee. That’s what you can do for us.”

I think he didn’t expect the nomination to be so easily handed to him. Father started to look about with a puzzled look on his face, “Fellas…I’m more than honored, but – ”

Morton was quick to intervene, and bluntly explained, “You’re not dealing with a divorce scandal like Rockefeller, you’re not an unreasonably conservative extremist like Goldwater – no offense, White – and you didn’t lose the 1960 election – no offense, Nixon.”

“Only some taken,” the former Vice-President replied.

“Hell, Goldwater himself is now saying he’s sick of that word! [6]” White shouted.

“Easy, Clifton, easy…” Nixon quietly remarked.

“Ooh, what do you think, honey, would you like to be First Lady?” he said with a half-confident chuckle.

“First Lady Claudia sure has a nice ring to it!” she declared with a smile.

But Father was still wary, and quickly his mind turned to his chicken. “Gentlemen, for a long time now, I’ve felt that my governorship was a fluke, an interruption. Before the governorship, I was involved in politics but mainly I sold chicken. And after the governorship, I was involved in politics but mainly I sold chicken. I think chicken is the main thing I was meant to do.”

“You can’t deny you were one hell of a good Governor, hun, and let’s face it, you’ve been talking more about the Presidency than the company for months now!” Claudia noted.

“Yeah, I haven’t shaken off the political bug since 1955, I will admit. And I have been paying attention to how our country is coming along, and frankly, it could be coming along much better.” He pondered for a moment “We do need a better President…But what about Barry? He’ll be out of a job!”

“Nah, he’s going to jump back into the Senate race for my seat. The primary’s in September,” White explained.

“Oh. That’s lucky...for him.”

“Why are so gung-ho for my dad to be the nominee instead of Goldwater,” I asked White.

“When the captain’s eyeing the lifeboats, it’s never for a bad reason,” the man answered before returning his attention to Father. I would only later learn about how Goldwater had dismissed White from his inner circle after losing the California primary.

Wanting to support his political ally and friend, Morton moved to sit in the chair closest to Father, “It is not like you do not have an impressive resume when it comes to public service.”

“That’s true. You know, before becoming Governor of Kentucky I was the secretary for the Chamber of Commerce for Columbus, Indiana back in 1920, or was it 1922? And I even ran for public office for a month in February 1925 in the Louisville area…” [7] Father trailed off for a moment before rejoining us. He confided in us that he feared he was not academically qualified due to his formal education ceasing at such a young age.

“So you quit school during seventh grade; you were a great Governor despite that,” White was quick to point out, “And besides, Grover Cleveland quit school at age 16 and he served two largely successful terms.”

“Really? I didn’t know that!” The trivia seemed to boost Father’s confidence.

“Your life journey is a real Horatio Alger Story!” White praised.

Father started shaking his head, like their positive quips were becoming a bit too overwhelming. He must have been really thinking now about all the weight that came with an entire nation relying on his decisions, and the weight was already giving him aches. “No, fellas, I just don’t think I could handle it, now, if you’ll excuse me – ” Father grabbed his cane and tried to leave for the bathroom.

White cried out, “But you could be destined for greatness!”

At this, Father stopped dead in his tracks and turned around. “What did you say?”

He sat back down.

“Destined… Heh, it’s so funny you’d say that…” Father sat back down and began to tell the visiting trio of his most harrowing dances with death. “Back in 1924, my home was connected to the highway by a swinging bridge. A few days before Thanksgiving I pulled my son’s car to get it started. Suddenly the bridge cables collapsed, and our cars plunged us nearly fifty feet below. There wasn’t a spot on my body that wasn’t bruised black and blue.” [8]

Morton nodded along, having possibly heard the story before but enjoying hearing it again.

I was thrown from the car. The car nosed into the water. Yet I survived without a broken bone.[9]

“That’s miraculous,” Nixon commented.

“And there was another time, too…” Father continued (as I spied White worriedly inspect his watch), “During World War II, I worked in a cafeteria at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and one time, I worked 48 hours or more without sleep. It caught up with me as I drove. I awakened to realize I was headed over a cliff. My car turned over three times, landed right side up next to a creek. And I stepped out without a bruise. I often wondered, ‘Why?’.” [10] And I thought I’d found the answer when K.F.C. became such a success. I figured that that must have been it. But now, I’m thinking, maybe you’re on to something, Mr. White. Maybe I’m on this Earth for more than just chicken-selling. Maybe I am meant to accept this challenge and do things even greater!” Finally, he said to Claudia, “Honey, let’s do this.”

After some further discussion as to the details of his nomination, he that the visiting politico ultimately came to an interim agreement – Father would run, and if he received the nomination, he would temporarily hand over all operations to Millie and I until the November election.

“Fair enough,” Nixon concurred, “Now let’s see if the Cow Palace is ready for the glory of the Chicken King!”

– Harland David “Harley” Sanders Jr., In the Thick of It: The Story of The Colonel and His Son, Sunrise Publishing, 1991



“It’s ridiculous, I tell you!” Stuart Spencer shouted. We were all huddled together in a large hotel room on the 15th floor, two floors below Goldwater’s [11], the Convention center in full view – if any one of us was to look out the window, that is. Instead of sightseeing, though, we were strategizing. Senator Everett Dirksen sat quietly in a chair alongside Senator Hugh Scott. On the edge of the one bed sat three Goldwater supporters – Dean Burch, Patrick Buchanan, and F. Clinton White – and on the other bed sat two Rockefeller delegates – Stuart Spencer, and a political neophyte whose name I never caught. I stood in the corner with my back to the view.

“Gentlemen, is there really any other option?” Scott now stood to address the group.

“There’s got to be a better option than what you’re suggesting,” Spencer retorted.

“Here, here,” chimed in his associate.

He must be so desperate to get on the Governor’s good side, I remember thinking about the neophyte when I heard the door creak.

“What are you men talking about in here?” RNC William Miller popped his head through the door crack.

“Mr. Chairman!” Buchanan practically jumped out of his seat from ebullience, “Just the man I wanted to see!”

“As did I. Come in, come in. Quickly.” Scott puffed his pipe as Miller closed the door.

“This better be good,” Miller said.

“Well, sir, there’s been a … well, a bizarre development,” Spencer blurted out, “Some of us like it but some of us still don’t.”

I told Spencer “Confound it, I don’t see any other way to win in November.”

“Gentlemen, gentlemen, what do you all mean?” Miller interrupted our quarrel.

Scott brought him over to the window, becoming the first of us to actually observe the picturesque view of the Cow Palace. “You saw the chaos out there today, William. This is becoming the most bitter and hostile convention I’ve ever seen.”

“Both Rocky and Goldie got vegetables thrown at them when they came in. Vegetables! Who even does that anymore?” the young Buchanan added in his annoying Southern drawl.

Scott continued. “We are split between two incredibly controversial and unpopular candidates here. On one side, there’s the Guys and Gals for Goldwater, a man who refuses to moderate on key issues and could be painted as a crazy loon when it comes to foreign policy despite Lyndon’s blunders. On the other side is Rockefeller, an alleged womanizer and now a publicly-known homewrecker who has been painted as immoral. We could send up Scranton or Lodge, but support for them is only at a regional level. Unlike the last option left.”

The upstart Buchanan interjected with a dramatic tone “We believe we just found someone.”

Scott responded with a half-audible “Yes, thank you, Buke, how perceptive” and returned to Miller, “By process of elimination we may have stumbled upon the ideal compromise candidate. He’s a man with a strong civil rights record but a supporter of deregulation. A man who has already done incredibly well in our primary races. A man who has staggered forward into the race without us ever taking him serious, but is a man who can lead us to victory in November, provided we hand him the nomination.”

Burch added “He’s incredibly popular with the media.”

Scott concluded with, “He’s a former Governor from a swing region, he already is a nationwide household name…”

Miller realized, “Wait, I know who this is!”

A figure then rose up from the dark, shadowed corner of the room near the door. The man had been largely ignored throughout most of the conversation, likely lost in thought, but now it was his time to speak. “How do?” he quipped as he boldly signed up for the greatest battle of his life.

Miller turned around to see Colonel Sanders looking back at him.

– Melvin Laird’s semi-autobiography Dining With Devils: The Inner Workings of American Politics in the Twentieth Century, 2001



6SiFRfS.png

[pic: imgur.com/6SiFRfS.png ]
– An anxious Colonel Sanders overlooks the large crowd at the Cow Palace, with RNC chairman William Miller to his left and farther into the foreground, 7/15/1964



Standing before the massive assembly of my fellow Republicans, all enthusiastic for the party of Lincoln – a man I would now have more in common with than just our time on farms and railroads – I suddenly felt a sense of trepidation.

Chairman Miller walked over to me, “Great turnout, huh, Colonel? And such fervor!” He smiled widely.

I began to think out loud, “Billy, what if I’m not the best man for this job in the end? What if I lose? What if I’m no good as President?”

“Well, Colonel,” Miller answered, “you’ll never find out until you try it out.”

– Colonel Sanders’ Life As I Have Known It Has Been Finger-Lickin’ Good, Creation House publishing, 1974



“Ladies and gentleman, I am officially announcing than I am a candidate for the Republican nomination for President of these United States… The leader that this party and this nation needs must be able to tackle the issues facing us today. We have soldiers getting blown up halfway around the world and soldiers getting blown up 90 miles South of Key West. We have a runaway government suffocating small businesses with federal programs that have more red tape than all of the nation’s department stores during Christmastime put together. And we have an administration turning a blind eye to the civil strife tearing apart communities across the country. As Republicans and Americans it is our duty to right these wrongs… The Government should persecute criminals and leave the rest of us alone. Americans need a leader that can wrangle in the chaos afflicting our streets, and rebuild confidence in ourselves and our neighbors. A leader who will bring our boys home and maintain the security of us and our allies. A leader who understands that we need the government’s actions to be limited to ensuring the rights and freedoms of every American regardless of color or creed, and to defend them without ever inhibitin’ ’em. A leader that understands how the economy works, and trust me folks, I know a thing or two about economics! …But most importantly, folks, we need a leader that will listen to conservatives and liberals, rich and poor, white and colored, and even beef-eaters and chicken-eaters! Only that way is how we can restore competence to the White House and restore stability and prosperity to the nation. We need this leader now, not twelve or eight or even four years from now, but right now! And ladies and gentlemen, with your permission, I would like to be that leader. I am humbly offering, for a limited time only, a really good, solid deal – for the next four years, a return to American prosperity, for only one nomination! You can’t get it better than that, folks!”

– Colonel Sanders at the RNC, 7/15/1964



The Colonel’s speech was decent enough to win over a fair portion of conservative of even moderate and middle-of-the-road centrist delegates. Prior to the second round of voting, Sanders enthusiastically stuck to the task of meeting with as many delegates as possible, which was “fun” for the extroverted Sanders, according to his autobiography. This makes sense, the man worked his salesmanship talent and turned on the charm. With the Hotel Room Deal made, Clifton White, Miller, and the rest of them contacted and mobilized powerbrokers and delegates ahead of the vote. In the second round, Sander’s delegate count increased, while everyone else’s diminished to various degrees. Dick could sense that we were going to end up nominating the Colonel, and so he figured, ‘I might as well get this over and done with.” The sooner the party nominated someone, the sooner the party could start focusing on defeating Johnson in the fall…

– Bob Halderman’s The Haldeman Diaries: Three Decades of Tough Decisions and Tricky Dick, Barnes & Noble Press, 1994



“…I believe that Colonel Sanders will lead us to victory in November and I support his candidacy for this nomination. …Here is man that can unite this bitterly divided party. A businessman who found success when confronted with the realization that a social welfare program would not provide him with an adequate retirement. A man of strong moral convictions who understands and addresses that issues that matter the most to the American people. A man I am proud to call my friend and will soon be proud to call my President!”

– Richard Nixon at the RNC, 7/15/1964



Nixon’s endorsement pushed our numbers up on the third ballot, but we were still short of the required amount: 655 out of 1,308. Soon after what I guess you could call recessing for the night, Goldwater dropped by our room. The Senator candidly told me, “Every time I pick up KFC for dinner, I ask for no left wings – only the chickens’ right wings.” I chuckled. “Colonel, the people of the nation are forgetting how to live lives of dignity, meaning, and autonomy. There is a stir in the land, Colonel, a mood of uneasiness. We need to restore inner meaning to every man’s life in a time too often rushed, too often obsessed by petty needs and material greeds.” [12]

“Well that’s a mighty fine speech, Barry, but I don’t think the edge of a hotel bed is the best place to give it,” was my reply.

Then Barry got right down to business. “Colonel, I can’t make amends with Rocky – too much bridge-burning – but I’m willing to let you be the nominee because you’re much closer to me ideology-wise.” Of course, the offer was not without a hitch.

“What’s the catch, Barry?”

“I’m willing to step aside in exchange for having a say in who gets chosen for Secretaries of Defense, State and Treasury.”

Now, as I have come to understand it, most politicians do not take kindly to this kind of assertin’. But I was knew to this, and saw these conditions as being fairly fair. I answered, “Hmm, I already got some strong ideas about State.”

Barry shook his head, “We need to have a conservative handling diplomacy to showcase to the world conservatism’s successes as they come.”

“Then how about Defense, Treasury and UN Ambassador?”

“Deal!”

We sealed the promise with a good ol’-fashioned classic handshake.

“You sure you don’t want to patch things up with Rocky?” I inquired.

Goldwater dismissively replied, “Hell, I don’t want to talk to that son-of-a-bitch.” [13]

Just minutes after he departed, there was another knock on the door.

“Oh, Nelson Rockefeller! How do?” [14] I remember exclaiming.

It turned out that Rockefeller was becoming more willing to “hand over” the nomination to me after one of my supporters told him about my past volunteering for President Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration – a cornerstone of the New Deal effort to put Americans back to work after the Great Depression – which is where I learned that a lot of men in the area working on the roads had pregnant wives but no money for doctors, leading to my time working as a midwife [15]. This connection to a liberal program gave Rockefeller hope that I would be more open to similar policies than Goldwater would be.

The Governor also got right to the point, that he believed that I was “less willing to make Indochina glow in the dark in the name of liberty” than Goldwater, but disagreed with my smaller-government proposals. I feared he was going to ask to have influence in my cabinet, so I cut him off with, “You want to pick my running mate for me, Nelson?”

Rockefeller saw it as a sign of compromise, and we shook on it. That’s where me and Goldwater differed; we were both temperamental fellas, but I knew from my experience as governor that compromise was necessary in practice. In order to win in the general, where only more liberals and conservatives would be voting, I needed to yolk at least some liberal Republicans into backing a “Sanders for President” campaign!

– Colonel Sanders’ Life As I Have Known It Has Been Finger-Lickin’ Good, Creation House publishing, 1974



“In these times we cannot allow bickering to stand in the way of victory. Our party’s principles are more important whoever carries out those principles. That is why I am withdrawing my candidacy for President and am endorsing Colonel Harland Sanders for President. I swore when I started this campaign six-and-a-half months ago that the man sworn into the office of the Presidency on January 20, 1965, would be a Republican, and with my fellow conservatives making their voices heard, that man will be Colonel Harland Sanders!”

– Barry Goldwater at the RNC, 7/15/1964



GOP NOMINATES KFC FOUNDER FOR U.S. PRESIDENT: Col. Sanders Is Picked As A “Compromise Candidate” At The R.N.C.

Cow Palace, CA – Colonel Harland Sanders, a chef and wealthy businessman famous for founding the Kentucky Fried Chicken food franchise, clinched the nomination on the fifth ballot after his primary opponent, Senator Barry Goldwater, dropped his candidacy, and another candidate, Governor Nelson Rockefeller, ceased activity at the convention. Sanders served as the Governor of Kentucky for four years and received substantial support as an undeclared candidate during the GOP primaries earlier this year.

Prior to the final round of voting, the last unpledged delegates from South Dakota, Maryland and Florida switched from “uncommitted” to “Sanders.” Next, Goldwater released his delegates to Sanders, allowing the Colonel to clinch the nomination with just 5 convention delegates to spare.

R.N.C. Chairman William Miller offered high hopes for the Colonel’s chances in November: “This is a historic moment – not since Eisenhower in 1952 have we seen such excitement over a nominee.”

Conservative political strategist Cliff White praised “the convention’s choice,” telling ABC “Sanders is a gaffe-free alternative to Goldwater who will bring just as much energy to the general election, if not more.”

The nomination comes after a contentious convention and a complicated primary process. Several candidates failed to rise to prominence in a competition dominated by Goldwater and Rockefeller. Walter Judd, the Republican nominee for Vice-President in 1960, failed to win the Wisconsin primary, continued on as an inactive candidate and ultimately released his delegates to Sanders. Margaret Chase Smith won more votes than him but received less delegates. Former Governor Harold Stassen received negligible attention. Ultimately, Sanders won 659 votes; Rockefeller came in second place with 325 vote; Goldwater came in first place in the primaries but in third place at the convention with 321 votes; of the other declared and undeclared candidates, only Scranton (with 2) and Chase Smith (with 1) won any votes.

In his acceptance speech, Col. Sanders touted the Republican Party’s ideals, and vowed to “end the chaos plaguing the lovers of democracy at home and abroad... Like a pressure fryer actin’ up, we’re going to pound at these problems with everything we’ve got.” ...Sanders, whom in the past has praised Johnson's passing of civil rights legislation, focused more on ending warfare overseas, but did mention "continuing the fight to get each other to treat each other equally, so someday soon we will, not because some law tells us to, but because we want to"...

The G.O.P.’s Vice-Presidential candidate will be chosen later tonight...

The New York Times, Extra, 7/15/1964



…The typists wrote up the speech so it could be used on the Teleprompter, and while we didn’t have enough time to give the newsmen an advanced copy, we did let Miller and Dean Burch look it over, and they liked it. “It hits all the points it has to,” he said, “And spoken by you, it’ll be really somethin’.”

– Colonel Sanders’ Life As I Have Known It Has Been Finger-Lickin’ Good, Creation House publishing, 1974



“This campaign is not just for Republicans. This campaign is for the folks who’ve been done plucked over during the past three-and-a-half years of LBJ & Company. By the strength of our conviction, we will free the White House from the muddled havoc that is the Johnson administration, and correct their wrongs of the past four years. We will reverse the tide of death overseas and end the fighting and rioting overwhelming our streets. We will end the chaos plaguing lovers of democracy at home and abroad. We will stand true to the Constitution and uphold the Jeffersonian decree of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. The Republican Party has saved this nation from despair many-a-time before, and by the grace of God and the will of the people, we shall save this nation from despair once more! Are you with us?!”

– Colonel Sanders’ acceptance speech, 7/15/1964



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[pic!: imgur.com/ZdW7ZLy.png ]
– Colonel Sanders greets the crowd at the RNC upon formally accepting the nomination for President, 7/15/1964



NOTE(S)
[1] Goldwater used this phrase IOTL, apparently: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Goldwater_1964_presidential_campaign#cite_ref-65
[2] Goldwater really said the italicized part according to page 411 of “Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus” by Rick Perlstein, which is available on Google Books.
[3] Italicized lines are quotes from OTL!
[4] Another butterfly!: Here, Happy’s baby is late, in that he stays in the womb an additional 3 days (maybe the campaign is less stressful on Happy ITTL or something), meaning Nelson Junior is born after the crucial California primary, not right before it.
[5] Italicized parts are from page 398 of the previously-mentioned “Before the Storm” book.
[6] Goldwater, by the start of the RNC, “was sick of the word” extremism according to page 390 of the “Before the Storm” book.
[7] Both events are according to the Colonel’s LinkedIn account, though other sources give conflicting dates as to when exactly he served as Commerce Secretary.
[8] Quote directly pulled from this site: fgbt.org/testimonies/colonel-sanders-story.html
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
[11] According to page 390 of the “Before the Storm” book, Goldwater’s personal quarters during the RNC were on the 17th floor.
[12] Italicized parts are from page 410 of the “Before the Storm” book.
[13] At the thought of answering a phone call from Rockefeller IOTL, Goldwater really did say this about Rocky! (Before the Storm, p. 389).
[14] The Colonel says this greeting/phrase in a few KFC commercials!
[15] This italicized bit is from this Buzzfeed Article on the Colonel: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/venessawong/the-real-colonel-sanders.

3/7/EDIT: added/fixed things in accordance with feedback.
 
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“They’re Bombing Us Because Of You!”: Poll Suggests Most Cubans Starting To Resent U.S. Presence

Stars and Stripes military newspaper headlines on 5/2/1964 and 5/3/1964, respectively
Great update although I do have a nit pick here: why is the US military magazine putting this on the front page? wouldnt they want something along the lines of "everythings awesome folks don't worry"
 
Conservative political strategist Cliff White praised “the convention’s choice,” telling ABC “Sanders is a gaffe-free alternative to Goldwater who will bring just as much energy to the general election, if not more.”
Got to say to cliff wow for being an Ass to Goldy, I mean I get compromising for Sanders but to publicly dump on him on television, thats just being a jerk.
 
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I'm not sure about Smith, it'd be 2candidates in their 70s. Who would be a good younger moderate to liberal Republican for Rocky to pick? Jacob Javits? (Admittedly, still 60 but not that old compared to Sanders, and the public has been rather used to older men as President with Truman and Ike.) The country's not nearly redy for Ed Brooke. (ANd he hasn't been in the senate as long anyway.)
 
#MorseOrBust
If It's Not Morse, It's Worse!
Great update although I do have a nit pick here: why is the US military magazine putting this on the front page? wouldnt they want something along the lines of "everythings awesome folks don't worry"
Excellent point! I'll change it to a Tallahassee-based paper. EDIT: fixed!
Got to say to cliff wow for being an Ass to Goldy, I mean I get compromising for Sanders but to publicly dump on him on television, thats just being a jerk.
IOTL, at least according to White's wiki page, Goldwater declined to make White the RNC's chairman, and was dismissed from Barry's circle of advisors. With less primary successes ITTL, a more heated dismissal may be behind White's anti-Goldy jab here! EDIT: went and added that bit to the chapter.
I wonder who Sanders goes for as VP?
I guess Nixon, Rockefeller, Goldwater are all out. Maybe Margaret Chase Smith?
I'm weighing the options but thinking of how the Colonel would view the situation.
I'm not sure about Smith, it'd be 2candidates in their 70s. Who would be a good younger moderate to liberal Republican for Rocky to pick? Jacob Javits? (Admittedly, still 60 but not that old compared to Sanders, and the public has been rather used to older men as President with Truman and Ike.) The country's not nearly redy for Ed Brooke. (ANd he hasn't been in the senate as long anyway.)
With Rockefeller getting a say in the VP pick, he could be under consideration.
Why not go for a few young stirling Conservatives or moderates like say: Gerald Ford or Bob Dole?
Maybe, maybe...
Thanks for the feedback @gap80 only two
more criticisms: Why is an extremely Conservativie guy like Buchanan backing a Pro Civil Rights supporting governor instead of Goldwater?
2. Rocky's foregin policy was actually rather similar to Goldwater, so his "Goldwater making Indochina glow in the dark" my guess is that he would of gone after him sloppe
1. Hmm, good point, maybe I should go back and replace Buchanan with someone else for that scene...
2. I wrote that bit because earlier before a primary Goldwater suggested increasing military activity abroad, and I figured that the two would end up developing different open FP stances to win over primary voters/delegates ahead of the RNC, leading to Rockefeller viewing Goldwater as more to the hawk side of things than he. Does this sound right?

Also: A million "thank you"s are in order for everyone who helped get this TL to the final round of voting for the Turtledove Award! What an honor! Thank you all!
 
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