My first Timeline: Alternate Presidents (1953-Present)

Wolfpaw

Banned
In 1956, Ike offered Nixon SecDef if he'd agree to not run for VP, something Dick obviously didn't agree to. You could conceivably have Warren swing that ITTL to appease the conservatives within the GOP, though it may be a difficult relationship since Warren and Nixon didn't...er, get along all that well.
 
Hey everyone! Just lettin you guys know that i'm still working on the timeline, from Warren's cabinet to the events of 1953-1954. It may be a few days because I will be vacationing starting this afternoon, but I will still be working so stay tuned!

GreatScottMarty: That's something i've actually been trying to figure out, to be honest. He's such a complicated figure that it's hard to determine just what he'd do in any situation, so it's been pretty challenging haha :p i'll keep thinking on it and see what happens! :D

Can't wait to see what happens in Warren's 1st Term...Keep it comming:D
 
Hey everyone!

I apologize deeply for the long absence. Turns out I became more busy than I expected, with work and school taking up the bulk of my time. However, I am determined to continue this timeline, no matter how long it may take me. I hope you all understand that updating this timeline may be a once-in-a-while event, but again, I am determined to continue this. :)

For this next update, I took a different route than I had planned. Instead of jumping straight into Warren's inaguration, I decided to start up a little earlier - The talks between Warren and Truman at the White House soon after the election. This would then jump into the inaguration. The format for this chapter is an a "recollection" formate, made up of exerpts from a later Warren interview. It's late here in the West and it's a school night, so i'm splitting the chapter in two parts, so I can post one now and another next time. Hopefully next time isn't four weeks like my last visit :p haha!

Well, here's the new chapter.

Transfer of Powers: From Truman to Warren (part 1)

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On his way to Washington from Sacremento, President-Elect Warren greets supporters.

Now that Governor Warren was the President-Elect, he had the upcoming months until January to prepare for the heavy tasks ahead. Warren planned to meet with departing President Truman on January 2nd, to discuss these very tasks. Eager to learn his new job, Warren approached this visit with an open mind, hoping to get as much as he could in the short time he had left before inaguration.

Warren arrived in Washington on a cold, damp January 2nd, and though somewhat nervous, anxiously awaited the meeting to come. In a 1969 interview, Warren recolected the events that would prepare him for the toughest job in the world.

"Oh gee, I was quite nervous. I can't imagine any president before now being anything less than nervous upon arriving at that moment. It wasn't so much intimidating, just a very strong reality coming upon me that in mere weeks, days - I would be the next president. It sunk in when I arrived at the white house grounds, a different feeling....a new sort of emotion, you could say, came upon me at that time. I looked up at this massive, massive building in front of me. I had seen it in pictures and newsreels, books, newspapers...but now I was seeing this with my very own eyes. The White House....I never imagined it would be so large. It simply blew me away!"

Warren then told about the moment he met President Truman:

"I was escorted into the entrance, a much better place for the fact that it was warmer than it was outside.....and standing there, right in front of me, is President Truman. Now, I hadnever met the President before this time. Never. So this was new, and with everything new, there is a feeling that comes along with it. Now, in all these pictures and newsreels I had seen of the president, he looked like a very simple man. He didn't look the type to be world leader. You just wouldn't have expected it. But seeing him standing in front me, I had a new impression. This little man with the thick glasses...I can't explain why, but he instead had the appearance of some sort of scholar. In just these mere seconds, my impression of President Truman went from a simple looking man to a very smart, educated man. I was quite suprised, I must say. I think that impression must have been inevitable to anyone who ever met him."

Warren was struck by this image of Truman that he did not expect. But it would be a simple handshake that would ultimately make the greatest impact on Warren:

"Well, I was mostly nervous about these meetings of course because of what I was about to intake, what I was about to learn. It would be quite the load to carry, I expected that. But aside from that, I knew Truman and Vinson were dear friends. I was afraid that there would be bad blood and that the meetings would stall somewhat. I of course, did not seek such a thing and didn't want it, but I could'nt help thinking of the possiblilty. Then the President extended his hand towards me, with this wide grin, and very warmly greeted me and welcome me. He asked how I was and how my trip went, and of course at that time I didn't know if he was playing politics with me or if this was genuine. But he did seem quite interested. And what would then don on me was something I hadn't yet thought about up to that point. It donned on me that this was more than a handshake - this was a peaceful transfer of power. I didn't revolt to get here, nor did he seek violence to keep me out. Here stood a man about to hand the power of the presidency to someone he disagreed with and opposed. But here we are, shaking hands, greeting each other. And I stood there thinking to myself, ' this is how the founding fathers intended it to be. This is the American way...' and It certainly was a beautiful thing."

By all accounts, the Truman-Warren talks were some of the most successful in the history of power transferral. All reports indicated that Truman and Warren got along well and that dispite differences, according to an Washington insider, "both were gentlement when approaching every issue and no matter what differences of opinion were, they still moved on to another subject without any quarrel."

When asked of his opinion of the talks, Warren, though limited as to the subjects he could openly talk about, went into good detail about the overall atmosphere.

"Unfortunately, I cannot really touch on some of the things we talked about, for those things were for the two of us to know. But it went very smoothly, I was very pleased with the talks....We had our dissagreements, of course. For example, I believed that a free market economy should run itself, and therefore I didn't want to intervene too much into domestic policy. He tried to convince me that it was the only way to keep the nation afloat. I wanted to start opening relations with Spain and for obvious reasons, as Spain was of course anti-communist, and it seemed like an important alliance to build. The president believed that this would be more harmful than strategic. Nevertheless, I left confident that all had gone well and that it was overall quite professional."

Warren's belief that all ahd indeed gone well was proven when Truman aknowledged Warren in his farewell address, just a week before inaguration day. Speaking in his all so noticeable southern drawl, Truman detailed his impressions of his future successor:

" I wish to tell you, my fellow Americans, that Governor Warren, upon my meeting him, impressed me with a great gentlemanly demeanor that I have come to respect very much. I confidentely believe that the transfer of powers betwen myself and Governor Warren will be as peaceful and as professional as any would hope it to be. Our talks last week were quite successful and were effective, and I humbly offer my best wishes to Governor Warren upon entering his new administration, and that I will do my best to continue in my duties as a proud citizen of this nation, under his administration."

The fact that such an outspoken and articulate figure as Truman gave such kind words to the incoming Warren suprised many, but all the more helped them believe that a better day was coming under a Warren adminstration. When Truman concluded his final, farewell address, and families across the nation turned thier radios off late at night, there seemed to be sence of certainty, feeling that Warren (the man whom many had voted for anyway) was the right man for them. They looked forward to inaguration day....and to a new beginning.
 
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