I'm thinking of a TL where Pres. Nixon, frustrated with North Vietnamese intransigence, orders 2 nuclear bombs dropped on North Vietnam. Both 5 megatons, targeting Hanoi and Haiphong.
OTL, he considered nuclear weapons and was advised against it by Kissinger.
http://blog.nuclearsecrecy.com/2013/10/25/nixon-and-the-bomb/
Simultaneously he orders a full-scale invasion of North Vietnam and tells his commanders there " There is no RoE, kill the bastards if they don't kneel at the sight of US troops."
As I see it, two things would have to happen: Kissinger is prevented from becoming either NSA or SecState, and someone is appointed to SecState who approves of heavy-handed measures like that.
I propose that Kissinger is killed in a random accident before becoming NSA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtis_LeMay is called out of retirement by Nixon and becomes NSA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Rumsfeld is named SecState.
Nixon sells it on TV to America as " we will not allow the freedom-hungry people of Asia to be dominated by the tyrant Communist empire's minions. Once before the US was forced to deploy the most terrible weapon in history to destroy fascist tyrany; now it is deployed against communist tyranny. I implore the Soviet Union: do not test our resolve. Hanoi and Haiphong are not worth Moscow and Minsk."
Comments?
OTL, he considered nuclear weapons and was advised against it by Kissinger.
http://blog.nuclearsecrecy.com/2013/10/25/nixon-and-the-bomb/
Simultaneously he orders a full-scale invasion of North Vietnam and tells his commanders there " There is no RoE, kill the bastards if they don't kneel at the sight of US troops."
As I see it, two things would have to happen: Kissinger is prevented from becoming either NSA or SecState, and someone is appointed to SecState who approves of heavy-handed measures like that.
I propose that Kissinger is killed in a random accident before becoming NSA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtis_LeMay is called out of retirement by Nixon and becomes NSA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Rumsfeld is named SecState.
Nixon sells it on TV to America as " we will not allow the freedom-hungry people of Asia to be dominated by the tyrant Communist empire's minions. Once before the US was forced to deploy the most terrible weapon in history to destroy fascist tyrany; now it is deployed against communist tyranny. I implore the Soviet Union: do not test our resolve. Hanoi and Haiphong are not worth Moscow and Minsk."
Comments?