Long Live the King: An MLK Survives Collab TL

April 11th, 1968- Taking a slow walk, aided only by a cain in his right hand, Richard Nixon, makes his first public appearance since the attempt on his life.
Although viewers could imagine the pain he was in, the face and body language of Nixon showed a strong and stable man.
“Good afternoon America. I would like to firstly say a massive thank you to everyone for their kind words to my family and myself over these last view days.
I would also like to offer a heartfelt appreciation to doctors and medical staff, who have offered the same care and support to me as they do with all patients at this high class hospital.
Although I do have to apologise as well, as my doctor wanted me to stay in my wheelchair to address you today, but I felt able to do what I’ve been doing for years, standing up for America.
I will be rest for a couple of weeks with family after this traumatic event, but will be joining back into the Republican primaries.

April 11th, 1968- California Governor, Ronald Reagan, withdrew himself from, the primary and endorsed Richard Nixon, stating that the Republican Party needs a united front and that seeing Nixon’s determination has proved who has the ability to lead this nation. Reagan would use his time to campaign on behalf of Nixon.
 
April 12th, 1968 - Still in recovery, Nixon drafts a letter to Martin Luther King for the first time in a decade. The two had previously corresponded with frequency during his tenure as the Vice-President. In the letter, Nixon asks that the two meet to discuss the Civil Rights movement, and possible positions on the Vietnam war.

April 13th, 1968 - Independent candidate George Wallace makes an appearance in Atlanta Georgia to a large crowd. He speaks about America's need to crush the communist threat in Vietnam. "Its time to s**t or get off the pot". He advocates for a quick and decisive strike into North Vietnam, something no candidate has yet to suggest. The crowd receives him well.

April 14th, 1968 - As a memento, the operating doctor presents Nixon with the bullets removed from his chest and leg. Nixon is photographed laughing while holding the medical jar the bullets are housed in.
 
Last edited:
April 14th, 1968 - Member of the New York state assembly, Shirley Chisholm, meet with Martin Luther King to ask him to run like her for political office.
“We are both ‘unbought and unbossed’ so can really make a difference inside of government rather than shouting from outside.
I believe you have the ability to even beat Senator Herman Talmadge, from being re-elected.”

She left without a definite answer but asked King to let her know either way.
 
April 5th 1968: (After midnight) Robert F. Kennedy calls King to ask if he is okay. Kennedy asks for his support in the upcoming primaries and general election. King promises to support Kennedy, but says that he will whole heartily support Humphrey if he wins the nomination.

The next morning, King receives calls from President Johnson and Humphrey asking for support.


I'm a little skeptical that if MLK had survived
he would have backed RFK for President. True, one of RFK's biographers does state that MLK did intend to EVENTUALLY support
RFK in 1968 IOTL. But in general King strove
mightily to keep himself- & the Civil Rights
movement- out of partisan politics. For example, when in 1960 IOTL JFK(with help
of course from Bobbie)sprang MLK out of
jail, MLK expressed his gratitude, but declin-
ed to formally endorse JFK(though his actions did persuade many voters- including
MLK's own father- who had been rather
skeptical about the Senator to vote for him).
MLK certainly must have known that when
RFK was AG he did not think highly of King,
regarding him as a pain-in-the-ass trouble-
maker. RFK also allowed J Edgar Hoover to
wiretap MLK, even though he must have known that Hoover intended to use what-
ever information he thus discovered to utterly destroy MLK(both politically & per-
sonally).

In short, the RFK-MLK relationship was never
warm or close. In fact upon learning of MLK's
death RFK shrugged: "After all, it's not the
greatest tragedy in the history of the Repub-
lic." (In fairness to RFK, he did later tell
activist Allard Lowenstein that he was sorry he had never gotten to know MLK)*

What I think MLK would have done if he hadn't died was double & re-double the efforts he was already putting into his Poor
People's Campaign. MLK envisioned this as a
giant march by the poor, both black & white,
upon Washington D.C. to demand justice.
MLK had high hopes for this effort. Many of
his aides weren't so sure; nonetheless after
MLK's death they went ahead with the PPC but it turned out to be an embarrassing failure.Whether IOTL it would have succeeded if MLK had lived is just impossible, I think, to say.

*- King supporting RFK, "After all---" & RFK
to Lowenstein from Evan Thomas, ROBERT
KENNEDY: HIS LIFE(2000)(a book I cannot
praise highly enough), pp. 367 & 368.
 
Last edited:
April 15th 1968 - Almost 20 days after announcing he would not seek another term of office, President Johnson collapses during a cabinet meeting. While at first reported as a possible heart attack, the episode is instead diagnosed as a case of severe exhaustion. Johnson returns to the White House later in the evening after being cleared by doctors.
 
April 18, 1968- In a show of solidarity with Nixon, Nelson Rockefeller cancels all campaign activities until the former Vice President is back on the trail.
 
Last edited:
April 16, 1968- After yesterday's health scare, and remembering his father's death at 60 from a heart attack, as well as his own near-fatal incident in 1955, Johnson and Humphrey begin discussing plans to slowly shift day to day operations to the latter, partly to decrease the President's workload, and partly to give the Vice President more experience, and, in turn, hopefully more support in his run
 
April 12th, 1968 - Still in recovery, Nixon drafts a letter to Martin Luther King for the first time in a decade. The two had previously corresponded with frequency during his tenure as the Vice-President. In the letter, Nixon asks that the two meet to discuss the Civil Rights movement, and possible positions on the Vietnam war.

April 13th, 1968 - Independent candidate George Wallace makes an appearance in Atlanta Georgia to a large crowd. He speaks about America's need to crush the communist threat in Vietnam. "Its time to s**t or get off the pot". He advocates for a quick and decisive strike into North Vietnam, something no candidate has yet to suggest. The crowd receives him well.

April 14th, 1968 - As a memento, the operating doctor presents Nixon with the bullets removed from his chest and leg. Nixon is photographed laughing while holding the medical jar the bullets are housed in.
April 15th, 1968 - A Nixon supporter mails a copy of the photograph to the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego County, where Sirhan Sirhan is being held, as a way to mock the would-be assassin for his failure
 
April 18th, 1968 - Following Rockefeller's suspension of his campaign, both Humphrey and Kennedy announce that they will do the same. A brief but colossal show of solidarity in a political landscape currently shaped by tragedy and divisiveness.
 
April 18th, 1968 - Following Rockefeller's suspension of his campaign, both Humphrey and Kennedy announce that they will do the same. A brief but colossal show of solidarity in a political landscape currently shaped by tragedy and divisiveness.
April 18, 1968- Eugene McCarthy and all the favorite son candidates do the same
 
April 23, 1968- Senator Eugene McCarthy wins the Pennsylvania Democratic primary, whilef former Vice President Richard Nixon wins the state's Republican primary
 
April 13th, 1968- Aretha Franklin single "Respect" is brought back into the No. 1 spot of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles.

April 20th 1968- While the single "Getting Better" from the Beatles, 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, reached the No. 1 spot of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles.
 
May 6th 1968 - Richard Nixon makes his first official campaign appearance since the shooting. While still making use of the cane for support, he appears infinitely healthier than his last appearance in which he appeared to be in a significant amount of pain. With spirits high and security even higher, Nixon speaks without notes to a crowd in Cleveland, Ohio.

May 7th 1968 - Robert Kennedy wins the Indiana primary

May 8th 1968 -
Nixon wins in the Indiana and Ohio primaries still riding rocket high approval following his shooting. While he wins Indiana with 100%, he narrowly beats Ohio native James Rhodes with just over 50%. Rhodes, a favorite son candidate, does not make a statement.
 
April 7th 1968 After the assassination attempt on Richard Nixon, and the call by Senator Kennedy for greater protection for those at risk for assassination, President Johnson orders the Secret Service to provide protection to all presidential candidates and asks Congress for emergency legislation to formalize the practice. He signs a bill within a week.
 
(and looking ahead to July . . .

There’s still the meeting organized by John Mitchell in Nixon’s New York apartment in which the South Vietnam ambassador is told that Anna Chennault will be the channel for information between the campaign and the government of South Vietnam.
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21768668

Later, businessman Louis Kung is also used as a secret channel.

But . . .

Better man Nixon thinks better of it. He later privately tells Mitchell, this is exactly the kind of thing which can come back to bite us in the ass, Big time.)
 
Last edited:
April 12th, 1968 - Still in recovery, Nixon drafts a letter to Martin Luther King for the first time in a decade. The two had previously corresponded with frequency during his tenure as the Vice-President. In the letter, Nixon asks that the two meet to discuss the Civil Rights movement, and possible positions on the Vietnam war.

April 13th, 1968 - Independent candidate George Wallace makes an appearance in Atlanta Georgia to a large crowd. He speaks about America's need to crush the communist threat in Vietnam. "Its time to s**t or get off the pot". He advocates for a quick and decisive strike into North Vietnam, something no candidate has yet to suggest. The crowd receives him well.

April 14th, 1968 - As a memento, the operating doctor presents Nixon with the bullets removed from his chest and leg. Nixon is photographed laughing while holding the medical jar the bullets are housed in.
April 16th, 1968 - King sends a letter back to Nixon urging him to disavow the support of Strom Thurmond and the segregationists, and pledge to uphold civil rights
 
April 17th 1968- Nixon meets with campaign staff to discuss the possibilities of abandoning the southern strategy. Memories of MLK's roll in kennedy's victory 8 years prior spurs him to make the move
 
May 8th, 1968- After his victories in Indiana and Ohio, Nixon offers to abandon the southern strategy in a phone call with Governor Rockefeller in exchange for his endorsement
 
Top