A Scene from the 1976 television miniseries, Texas an American story:
Texas President Wright Patman is portrayed by Berry Hagman.
US President Thomas Dewey is portrayed by Jack Nicholson.
US Vice President Harry Truman is portrayed by Robert Loggia.
Patman's female secretary, Susan Dalton, is portrayed by Farrah Fawcett.
US General Abner Dowling is portrayed by Thomas Bosley.
The Director of the National Bureau of Investigations, Clyde Tolson, is portrayed by Paul Newman.
The White House Chief of Staff, Sherman Adams, is portrayed by Bob Redford.
The US Attorney General, Albert Brownell Jr., is portrayed by Christopher Walken.
The Secretary of the War Department, Robert P. Patterson is portrayed by Steve McQueen.
Female Assistant to Sherman Adams, Barbara Cohen, is portrayed by Rose Marie Mazzetta.
The Director of the US Occupation Authority, Lawrence Groves is portrayed by Kurtwood Smith.
The US Secretary of State, Prescott Bush is portrayed by James Garner.
Approximately 4:00 pm Tuesday, March 30, 1948 Outdoors at Andrews Airfield near Washington DC. It is a pleasant early-spring afternoon without a cloud in the sky.
President Dewey is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with US Vice President Harry Truman, Attorney General Albert Brownell, and US Secretary of State Prescott Bush near the open entrance of a large aircraft hangar.
In addition to the high level dignitaries there is also a forty piece US Army band sitting in a nearby bleacher stand, a small group of photographers and a camera crew operating a huge trailer mounted television camera. Three black limousines and several police motorcycles are parked off to the side some distance from the dignitaries. The national flags of both the US and Texas flap lazily in the breeze from temporary poles installed alongside the army band bleachers.
Moments ago a Lockheed 1650 Super Streamliner touched down on a nearby runway, and just now the sleek triple tailed airliner is slowly taxing its way towards President Dewey and the other dignitaries standing in formation near the hangar. The cutting edge plane is trimmed in a blue-gold paint scheme, and the official seal of The President of the United States of America is visible along its fuselage.
(As soon as the counter rotating turbo-props stop turning, a ground crew swoops in and quickly chocks the wheels)
Harry Truman: This is history in the making. (thoughtfully to Dewey)
President Dewey: Let's just hope it is the kind of history we're looking for.
Albert Brownell: Patman knows it is our way or the highway; he's just out here to try and get the best deal that he can possibly get for himself.
President Dewey: Can you honestly blame him? (while watching the ground crew in action) Besides, Patman isn't quite the ignorant bumpkin that he would like us all to believe that he is, so let’s just watch ourselves around him. Besides, if this goes smoothly, it will guarantee a stable lasting peace on the North American continent for centuries to come.
(A ramp-truck smoothly drives up to the side of the plane extending a ladder up to the hatch in the fuselage. At the same moment, other ground crew skillfully unrolls a red-carpet leading from the base of the ladder towards the area where President Dewey and his entourage are standing about fifty feet away. A detachment of US Army honor guard seemingly appears out of nowhere and rapidly forms up along the edge of the carpet. Their ceremonial rifles are held at present arms, and their chins are held high.)
President Dewey: Well, here we go, its show time. Put on your best smiles everyone. (adjusts neck tie and smooths back hair with palm of hand.)
(Dewey's words are partially drowned out as the army band begins to play, The Yellow Rose of Texas)
(The hatch in the side of the plane opens and Wright Patman, larger than life in his white Stetson hat, suddenly appears at the top of the ladder. Patman looks around, and then raises his hand in the air and waves enthusiastically. In his other hand he is holding a case that is so large, that it is almost a suitcase. Patman briskly descends the ladder followed closely by his attorney general, Lyndon Johnson, who seems a bit timid in his new surroundings. Johnson is also lugging a large brief case in one hand. - The army band dies down as Patman and Johnson approach the end of the red carpet)
President Dewey: President Patman, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person, and welcome to Washington DC. I hope that you had a smooth flight coming out here? (as Dewey reaches out to shake Patman's hand)
Wright Patman: It is indeed an honor to meet you as well, and our flight from Austin was as smooth as glass. Why I can't hardly believe that we got all the way out here to the East Coast in just less than four hours! Oh..(absently)..where are my manors? Please allow me to introduce my Attorney General, Mr. Lyndon Baines Johnson.
President Dewey: Mr. Attorney General, it is a pleasure to meet you. (warmly shakes Johnson's hand)
Lyndon Johnson: The pleasure is all mine, Mr. President.
President Dewey: Now where is, Vice President Carlson? I thought he'd be coming along too?
Wright Patman: Unfortunately the city of Abilene was hit by a major twister just the day before yesterday. Therefore I thought it best that James should stay behind so that the people would not feel that their elected leaders have abandoned them during their hour of need.
President Dewey: Well, I guess that someone has to stay behind and mind the store during a crisis. Now please allow me to introduce my own Vice President, Harry S. Truman. (quick handshakes along with murmurs of - how do you do) My Attorney General, Albert Brownell (another round of quick handshakes) and my Secretary of State, Mr. Prescott Bush (I’m pleased to meet you – final round of quick handshakes).
President Dewey: Now, why don’t we all jump into the cars and head over to the White House, where there won’t be so many damned reporters spying on us. I hear that some of them have actually gotten pretty darned good at reading lips. (a few laughs from the president's men)
Wright Patman: Mr. President, I came here ready to do some horse trading, so please lead the way.
(The group begins walking towards the limousines parked several yards away. Patman and Dewey are walking side by side, a few paces in front of Albert Brownell, who is walking alone behind them.)
President Dewey: So tell me, what’s the current situation like along the Rio Grand? Are Valdés’ troops still giving you any trouble?
Wright Patman: I’m happy to report that there has not been a single border incident since we last spoke, and that our border with Mexico has been completely quiet.
President Dewey: Good, I’m glad to hear it….and your problem with the Freedom Party extremists attacking you from across the Sequoyah border?
Wright Patman: That particular problem has also been resolved, and on behalf of the people of Texas, I wish to offer our sincerest gratitude in regards to the generous assistance which the United States provided in securing a peaceful resolution to both of these very serious matters.
President Dewey: I assume that you must have gotten a boost in your poll numbers following the success of our combined military operation into Sequoyah?
Wright Patman: Well, the public has always had a hankering for a nice clean decisive war, and when the city fathers of Dallas decided to throw a victory parade, something like 65,000 people lined the streets of downtown Dallas in order to catch a glimpse of our soldiers returning from the Great Sequoyan War….that’s what our press has decided to call it. Anyway, right now everyone is still riding high on a wave of Texas patriotism, but how long that will last is anyone’s guess.
President Dewey: I see…...Tell me, was anyone in your country bothered by the fact that your soldiers were fighting alongside troops from the US, and that they were shooting at ex-members of the Confederate military?
Wright Patman: Maybe a very tiny number of people didn’t like it, but if they’re smart they will keep their mouths shut if they know what’s good for them.
(Off in the distance a drab colored bus arrives in front of the bleacher stand where the army band had been playing. Men begin carrying bulky musical instruments down the wooden benches towards the bus that is waiting for them)
President Dewey: Why is that? (curious)
Wright Patman: About nine months after the war ended, some damnable Freedom Party terrorists attempted to have me assassinated by placing a bomb underneath the hood of my presidential limo. The bomb missed me, but it just so happened to kill a couple of my most trusted guards.
President Dewey: How come I never heard about this….?
Wright Patman: Back then I wasn’t really too sure whom I could trust, so I kept my cards close to my chest until the situation on the homefront began to stabilize somewhat. (pauses) I was never very partial towards the Freedom Party to begin with, damned fools almost ruined Texas for good, and as I told Ambassador Kennedy, I have probably killed close to 100,000 suspected Freedom Party supporters since the assassination attempt against me. (pauses) So, if there are any Freedom Party cliques still operating in Texas, they’re probably going to keep their heads down until Gabriel blows his horn.
President Dewey: President Patman, I really like your style, and I think that together, the two of us can accomplish great things for the American people.
(Just then Patman and Dewey reach the US Presidential Limo. Dewey looks the six door Cadillac touring sedan up an down appraisingly)
Wright Patman: Why, this is quite a machine you have here, Mr. President!
President Dewey: Isn’t it though? We sent the entire thing over to Germany in order to have it rebuilt from the ground up. Take a look at those wheels (as Dewey kicks a rear tire) this is the only vehicle in the entire Western Hemisphere to have steel-belted radial tires on it!
(A plainclothes security agent opens the extra wide rear door of the US presidential limo)
President Dewey: Why don’t we invite your attorney general to ride along with us?
(Patman looks over to see Lyndon Johnson about to enter another limousines with the US Secretary of State, and the US Vice President Johnson seem to have hit it off well with the two US dignitaries as they appear to share a a laugh together. )
Wright Patman: Lyndon, this may concern you as well. (as he gestures Johnson over to the presidential limo)
(President Dewey, Wright Patman, and Lyndon Johnson climb into the very rear seat of the limo as Albert Brownell and two stony faced security agents face them in a rearward facing seat. The interior of the car is spacious, and there is plenty of room on the floor for the two cases belonging to Patman and Johnson.)
President Dewey: First of all, please allow me to apologize for my rude behavior during our telephone conversation a while back. That was no way for one head of state to speak to another, and I hope that we can put that little misunderstanding behind us.
Wright Patman: Well…. I do understand that there is a lot at stake right now, what with the troubles brewing up in Alaska…..and what not, and I also understand that Ambassador Kennedy may have falsely led you into believing that I was secretly negotiating with the Republic of Mexico (slight pause) so...under similar circumstances I probably would have felt exactly the same way that you did. No apologies are necessary, Mr. President.
President Dewey: Good I’m glad that we are on a clean slate then?
(Suddenly the limo begins to move as it performs a surprisingly tight radius turn for such a large vehicle and takes up the lead position in a convoy comprising the other limousines and the half-dozen or so police motorcycles.
Wright Patman: But of course, however, I hope that you won’t mind if I ask as to whatever became of Ambassador Kennedy?
President Dewey: You won’t have to deal with him anymore, (assuringly) I’ve instructed Secretary of State Bush to have Kennedy reassigned to our embassy in Dublin, where he will be out of everyone's way.
Wright Patman: You’re making Kennedy your ambassador to Ireland? (disbelievingly)
(the motorcade blows past the main-gates of the airfield and picks up speed as it enters the highway)
President Dewey: No, Kennedy will be advising our existing ambassador on the growing Catholic – Protestant conflict which is beginning to rear its ugly head within certain areas of northern Ireland. Whichever way the struggle goes the outcome doesn’t really effect us here in the US, and Kennedy gets to feel that he is doing something important as he stirs the pot.
Wright Patman: I see, but isn’t it just a tad bit dicey to throw someone as unpredictable as Ambassador Kennedy into such an already unstable situation? From what I’ve seen, that man’s bombastic mouth could very easily start a shooting war?
President Dewey: No, not really, at least not in this case. Since the end of the war the Germans have decided that they would like to take a crack at solving the Irish question, and since we don’t really have a dog in the fight, we’re taking a backseat and letting them sort this one out all by themselves. Old Joseph Kennedy is just there for window dressing, that’s all. Besides, he comes from a very powerful family, and I can’t just toss him out on his ear without losing a lot of support in our New England states.
(Outside a scenery of flat green countryside peppered with occasional groves of trees and various buildings goes whizzing past the car window. Albert Brownell silently observes the conversation between the two presidents, as does Lyndon Johnson.)
Wright Patman: Honestly now, was Kennedy just window dressing when you sent him out to Austin back in 45 to endlessly torment me? (confidentially but with an almost imperceptible tone of discourtesy)
President Dewey: You have to understand…(pause)…..back then I didn’t know where things stood with you, and when I first won the election back in 1944, President La Follette’s people didn’t feel inclined to share a whole lot of useful information with my incoming administration. (thoughtful pause) Anyway, I sent Kennedy out to Austin with instructions to make sure that you people toed the line, and to never let you forget that we were the ones who had won the war. However, I now see that I made a mistake, and instead I probably should have instructed Ambassador Kennedy to be more open and more negotiable with you. (pause) We had just come out of a major war in which Jake Featherston had completely stabbed us in the back, and we didn’t know whom we could trust…You have to try and see things from my point of view.
Wright Patman: You’re right about one thing, Mr. President, Jake Featherston certainly made a mess of the world, and now it is up to forward thinking men like you and I to put things back together again.
A Television Commercial Break
A round faced middle-aged man sporting a shaggy haircut and bushy facial hair waves his arms enthusiastically in the middle of a lot full of compact cars.
Salesman: Hi, I’m Brian Wilson, and you may remember me from my days as the lead singer of the Beachcombers, but today my brothers and I own and manage Wilson Motors, Southern California’s number one supplier of sub-compact vehicles from South Japan. Take for example this all new 1977 Datsun, Pilot – economical four cylinder engine, four speed manual transmission, and four doors, all for only $3,995, or this 1976 Shichirō micro-van for only $4,995 - which is Perfect for college students! Stop in at one of our four showrooms across the greater Los Angeles area and test drive one of our fantastic imports today. Financing is available with your good credit! The scene abruptly changes to a mock stage where Brian Wilson and his brothers are playing electric guitars as they sing a campy sales tune based upon one of their sixties hits. Coming to the San Diego and San Francisco areas soon!
Unseen male announcer: You’re watching Channel One of the National Broadcasting System! Together we celebrate our nation’s Bicentennial as one! (As the channel one logo is highlighted with a still image of a fireworks display.)
Attractive female news anchor sitting behind anchor desk: Reports are coming into NBS news that Chairman Kenji Miyamoto of the People’s Democratic Republic of Japan may have been killed by his own troops at his official residence in Nagano, North Japan. It is believed that hardline Reds opposed to the ongoing peace negotiations with South Japan may be attempting to stage a coup d'etat and to take over the government of that country. President William Carter is expected to issue a comment condemning the violence. Tune in at eleven for all the latest news, sports, and weather.
Unseen male announcer: And now back to our regularly scheduled programing, Texas an American story:
Wright Patman, Lyndon Johnson, and Albert Brownell are sitting on comfortable looking sofas in the Oval Office. President Dewey is lingering behind his desk, suddenly Dewey produces a small box from a drawer in his desk.
President Dewey: Would anyone care for an authentic Cuban cigar?
(the box is passed around the room as everyone takes one)
Lyndon Johnson: Hmm… these are fresh! (as he sniffs the cigar he has just taken from the box). We haven’t had fresh Cuban cigars in Texas for almost eight years now, and we were once part of the same country.
Wright Patman: Mr. President, I assume that you’ve had some time to consider my proposal regarding Texas statehood? (As he places his case upon a coffee table between the two couches facing one another)
(President Dewey has returned to his chair behind the presidential desk)
Albert Brownell: We’ll get to that in just a few minutes, but first there are few other things that we need to discuss.
Wright Patman: What sort of things? (very innocently)
(Instead of answering, Albert Brownell takes a few steps over to the president’s desk and picks up a file folder. He returns to the two couches and places the folder on the table in front of Patman)
Albert Brownell: According to this, your brother-in-law made a fortune selling plumbing supplies to Camp Determination, and at about the same time he also wrote you several company checks totaling roughly 2.5 million dollars.
Wright Patman: Say, what is this? (real alarm in his voice as he stands up from the couch. Dewey watches the situation appraisingly from behind his desk.)
(Lyndon Johnson is now also on his feet, and he has managed to produce a snub-nosed 38 revolver from somewhere, which he now has pointed squarely at President Dewey.)
Lyndon Johnson: We came out here to negotiate with you people in good faith, but now we see that this entire thing was nothing but a sham to get us in front of a war-crimes tribunal! (real anger in his voice)
President Dewey: No one is going in front of a war crimes tribunal, so why don’t you just put away that little pop-gun that your holding? Let’s just all take it easy.
(Johnson looks to Patman for input, but Patman looks defeated and merely shrugs his shoulders)
President Dewey: If you shot me, I promise you that there will not be a single man, woman, or child left alive in Texas by the end of next month. Truman will have to take revenge, and the press will simply egg him on.
Albert Brownell: Come on, Lyndon, now give me the gun. (softly)
Lyndon Johnson: What assurances can you give me that this isn’t some sort of a setup? (as he keeps the revolver trained on Dewey)
President Dewey: Thank about it logically, Mr. Attorney General, if we wanted you to face a tribunal, then we would have simply arrested you the moment that you stepped off my Lockheed out there at Andrews. No one is going to face a war-crimes tribunal, we just need to air some dirty laundry, that’s all.
Albert Brownell: Give me the gun (Softly as he holds out his hand out to Johnson. Patman nods yes, and Johnson turns his gun over to Brownell butt first. - Brownell puts the gun into his vest and then says) – That’s it, nice and easy, now everyone please have a seat.
(Patman and Johnson sit back down on the sofa where they had been sitting. Brownell sits down across from them)
Wright Patman: Would someone mind telling me what the hell is going on here?
President Dewey: It’s simple, if you and I are going to be yoked together, then I have to make sure that you don’t have any major skeletons in your closet which are going to sink my administration. Now, how do you explain that 2.5 million dollars your brother-in-law gave you? Can any of that money be traced back to the death camps in Texas?
Wright Patman: My brother-in-law Carl signed several contracts to supply plumbing materials to various State of Texas construction projects, and in-exchange for those contracts I received a few little kick-backs, that’s all! Even state governors here in the US take kick-backs. Everyone makes a little on the side, it’s a victimless crime.
Albert Brownell: Can anyone prove otherwise?
Wright Patman: I don’t see how. As I said, Carl did a lot of business selling to various agencies within the Confederate state government of Texas, and I suppose that is how he was able to land his contract with Camp Determination. But we had nothing to do with that, Camp Determination was run by the Confederate Department of Justice out of Richmond. (pleadingly)
(President Dewey looks to Albert Brownell)
President Dewey: Will it fly?
Albert Brownell: I think that we should be okay. On the surface it looks like an ordinary case of government corruption, and I don’t believe that any reporters are going to spend too much time sniffing after it. But to be on the safe side, I think that someone should break into the First National Bank of Texas, as soon as possible, and destroy all records linked to President Patman’s accounts between 1940 and 1944. Can you make that happen? Maybe a fire?
(Wright Patman silently nods yes)
President Dewey: What about your brother-in-law, Carl?
Wright Patman: Carl and my sister are both now living out in El Paso, Houston, and they’ve both become US citizens. Carl has done pretty well for himself since the end of the war, and he now has every reason in the world to avoid drawing too much attention upon himself.
President Dewey: Alright, we should be good on this one.
Wright Patman: Is there anything else?
Albert Brownell: As a matter of fact there is. (Brownell then retrieves a second folder from the president’s desk, and plops it down on the table in front of Patman.)
Albert Brownell: This is a report from the Texas Rangers dated January 21, 1947, detailing an incident in which Lieutenant General Abner Dowling physically assaulted you backstage immediately following your second presidential inauguration. Is this information correct?
(Patman opens the folder and quickly scans a few of the pages.)
Wright Patman: Yep, it’s all true, all of it.
President Dewey: Why didn’t you report this information to us?
Wright Patman: For fear that it might find its way into the Texas press. If people in Texas found out that I had been punched in the face by a US general, and that I didn’t defend myself, then I’d become the biggest laughing stock in the country, and I’d be forced to resign from the presidency. Who knows what might happen then?
President Dewey: I see, and how would you describe your relationship with General Dowling after the time that he attacked you?
Wright Patman: We never spoke, and there was absolutely no coordination between our military forces until Operation Chickenhawk.
Albert Brownell: it is possible that General Dowling’s actions may have soured US – Texas relations to the point that our efforts to combat Freedom Party extremists were severely effected. Had this incident not occurred, then perhaps our efforts to eradicate Freedom Party extremists would have yielded much more quicker and definitive results. Due to his negligence, General Dowling may have inadvertently assisted the Freedom Party resistance movement.
President Dewey: Yes, this entire incident was most unfortunate. If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly took place between you and General Dowling at the time that he attacked you?
Wright Patman: I had just finished making my inauguration speech not more than a minute before, and I was in a hurry to get to the rest room to relieve myself. I had been out carousing with the boys the night before, and my assistant Susan had been riding me pretty good in the sack earlier that morning. I was only functioning on an hour or two of sleep, but I still managed to give a pretty good speech anyway.
Lyndon Johnson: That you did.
Albert Brownell: Go on.
Wright Patman. Anyway, as I was walking along the alleyway behind the stage, I hear someone call out “Mr. President” - “Mr. President” and as I turn I see a US Army officer walking towards me in a hurry. I knew that there was going to be some US brass at my inauguration, so at first I didn’t think too much of it, and I just assumed that he wanted to congratulate me, or something like that.
Albert Brownell: What exactly did he say to you?
Wright Patman: General Dowling got in my face and demanded to know why I didn’t mention the victims of the death camps during my inauguration speech. I told him that the death camps had been run by the Confederate government back in Richmond, and that I had nothing to do with them. After that he accused me of attempting to cover up war-crimes, and in response I asked him how the death camps were any different from General Custer’s genocide of the American Indians.
Albert Brownell: And what did General Dowling say or do in response to that?
Wright Patman: Why his eyes got has big has saucers for a second or two, and then he drew back his fist and hit me with a right-cross to my chin. If I hadn’t been so hung over then I might have had a chance to get my guard up, but I wasn’t expecting to get into a fist fight with a senior US Army officer on my inauguration day, so he kind of caught me off guard, so to speak.
President Dewey: Were you seriously injured?
Wright Patman: No, he rang my bell pretty good, that’s about it. The next minute or so are a little bit hazy for me, but my understanding is that a couple of nearby Texas Rangers heard the commotion and took him into custody. - I admit that I probably shouldn’t have mentioned General Custer’s name in comparison to Jake Featherston's death camps, but as I said, I wasn’t exactly firing on all cylinders that particular afternoon, and I really had to use the restroom.
President Dewey: What do you think?
Albert Brownell: Well, if the story breaks first in the US press, then President Patman may potentially be seen as a sympathetic victim, while Dowling, on the other hand may be viewed as something a kin to a low grade war-criminal. On the other hand, if the story breaks in the Texas press, then President Patman is seen as a spineless patsy, and Dowling is still a war-criminal. Either way we are much better off if it never reaches the press.
Wright Patman: No one on my side is going to say anything.
Lyndon Johnson: We’ve made doubly certain of that, and from our point of view the only person who might speak to the press would be General Dowling himself.
President Dewey: General Dowling has served his country with great honor and distinction, and it was with deep regrets that I recently accepted his resignation as an officer in the United States armed forces. Dowling will continue to receive a very generous retirement benefit for the rest of his life, provided that he does not talk to anyone regarding certain issues of national security. If he does, however, he will be subjected to vigorous criminal prosecution.
Albert Brownell: I don’t see this as being a potential scandal moving forward, and it sounds like the Texans have wrapped up everything very neatly on their end.
President Dewey: President Patman, no official head of state should ever be assaulted by an officer of a friendly military force, and on behalf of the people of the United States of America, I wish to apologize for the egregious disrespect that was shown to you by General Dowling.
Wright Patman: All water under the bridge now, but I do humbly accept your apology.
President Dewey: Now, if we are finished pointing guns at one another, I’d like to spend the next few minutes discussing the future of Texas. (Dewey gets up from behind his desk and takes a seat on the couch next to Brownell, facing Patman)
President Dewey: Correct me if I’m wrong, but as President of the Republic of Texas, you are also the Chairman of the Whig Party of Texas, isn't that correct? (as he puff his cigar)
Wright Patman: Why yes it is, and since the end of the war, the Whigs have dominated both houses of the legislature, and most local elections to boot. We are currently sitting very pretty across all of Texas, and the situation would probably be the same in Houston, if we were allowed to operate out there.
President Dewey: Albert and I have taken a careful look at your party’s platform, and the way that we see it there really isn’t a whole hell of a lot of difference between your party’s platform, and the platform of the US Democratic Party. We both support ideals such as a free-market, entrepreneurship, self-determination, and a strong military, so why not unite our two parties into one?
Wright Patman: You want everyone who is now registered as a Texas Whig to become a US Democrat?
Albert Brownell: We’ve floated the idea of Texas statehood amongst a few senior members of the US senate, and if a vote were held today, you might not make it in as a US state, and you might have to first spend a few years waiting around as a US commonwealth territory.
Lyndon Johnson: I assume that there’s something in it for us? I’d like to sit in the governor’s mansion in Austin someday myself.
President Dewey: The US needs to be maintained as a two party political system, or it tends to become too unstable. Now, as former Confederate states are being readmitted back into the US, the Whigs living in those states will be strongly encouraged to join the US Democratic Party, thus forming a Dixiecrat wing within the US Democratic Party.
Wright Patman: I still don’t see how giving up our own political parties will benefit the people of Texas?
President Dewey: It will benefit not only the people of Texas, but it will also strongly benefit all former Confederate citizens as well, because once Texas becomes a US state, I will then make you a co-chairman within the US Democratic Party overseeing all the newly registered Dixiecrats from the Old Confederacy. (proudly blows a smoke ring)
Albert Brownell: Think about the influence you would have in the coming years, and what you could achieve for your people.
President Dewey: This is really the only way to knit our two countries back together again, and I can assure you that once the Democratic National Committee realizes what a boost Texas will give them in the electoral college, they will give you whatever you want, including immediate statehood. (pause) Of course your Whigs will have to agree in principle that they are willing to join the Democratic Party before any bills are put before Congress regarding Texas statehood.
Wright Patman: Why that’s a very generous offer, Mr. President, but I’m afraid that I must confer with my own party committee back in Austin before I make any such commitment to merge our two parties. (sounding slightly caught off guard)
Lyndon Johnson: I agree with President Dewey, turning Texas Whigs into US Democrats is probably the only way to get the people of the US to see us as true Americans, and every attempt should be made to sell this idea to our own party leadership back in Austin, even if it means having to twist a few arms, so to speak.
President Dewey: Good, now regarding the other conditions you outlined over the telephone – reunification with the state of Houston, you staying on as the first US governor, and Texas maintaining its own standing army after statehood, we can discuss all of those things over dinner in about another hour or so. In the meanwhile, why don’t I have an aide show you two gentleman to the Blue Room over in the East Wing, so that the two of you can freshen up a bit before we sit down to eat? After dinner we will go out and paint the town red.
(Barbara Cohen is summoned to escort Patman and Johnson to the Blue Room. During the walk across the building she points out various bullet pockmarks in the marble finish which were caused by Confederate soldiers fighting a room to room battle in the White House during the First Great War.)
Once inside the hotel room like setting of the Blue Room, Lyndon Johnson turns to President Patman and says
Lyndon Johnson: This place is a real madhouse, I’d go stark-raving crazy if I had to work here on a daily basis!
Texas President Wright Patman is portrayed by Berry Hagman.
US President Thomas Dewey is portrayed by Jack Nicholson.
US Vice President Harry Truman is portrayed by Robert Loggia.
Patman's female secretary, Susan Dalton, is portrayed by Farrah Fawcett.
US General Abner Dowling is portrayed by Thomas Bosley.
The Director of the National Bureau of Investigations, Clyde Tolson, is portrayed by Paul Newman.
The White House Chief of Staff, Sherman Adams, is portrayed by Bob Redford.
The US Attorney General, Albert Brownell Jr., is portrayed by Christopher Walken.
The Secretary of the War Department, Robert P. Patterson is portrayed by Steve McQueen.
Female Assistant to Sherman Adams, Barbara Cohen, is portrayed by Rose Marie Mazzetta.
The Director of the US Occupation Authority, Lawrence Groves is portrayed by Kurtwood Smith.
The US Secretary of State, Prescott Bush is portrayed by James Garner.
Approximately 4:00 pm Tuesday, March 30, 1948 Outdoors at Andrews Airfield near Washington DC. It is a pleasant early-spring afternoon without a cloud in the sky.
President Dewey is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with US Vice President Harry Truman, Attorney General Albert Brownell, and US Secretary of State Prescott Bush near the open entrance of a large aircraft hangar.
In addition to the high level dignitaries there is also a forty piece US Army band sitting in a nearby bleacher stand, a small group of photographers and a camera crew operating a huge trailer mounted television camera. Three black limousines and several police motorcycles are parked off to the side some distance from the dignitaries. The national flags of both the US and Texas flap lazily in the breeze from temporary poles installed alongside the army band bleachers.
Moments ago a Lockheed 1650 Super Streamliner touched down on a nearby runway, and just now the sleek triple tailed airliner is slowly taxing its way towards President Dewey and the other dignitaries standing in formation near the hangar. The cutting edge plane is trimmed in a blue-gold paint scheme, and the official seal of The President of the United States of America is visible along its fuselage.
(As soon as the counter rotating turbo-props stop turning, a ground crew swoops in and quickly chocks the wheels)
Harry Truman: This is history in the making. (thoughtfully to Dewey)
President Dewey: Let's just hope it is the kind of history we're looking for.
Albert Brownell: Patman knows it is our way or the highway; he's just out here to try and get the best deal that he can possibly get for himself.
President Dewey: Can you honestly blame him? (while watching the ground crew in action) Besides, Patman isn't quite the ignorant bumpkin that he would like us all to believe that he is, so let’s just watch ourselves around him. Besides, if this goes smoothly, it will guarantee a stable lasting peace on the North American continent for centuries to come.
(A ramp-truck smoothly drives up to the side of the plane extending a ladder up to the hatch in the fuselage. At the same moment, other ground crew skillfully unrolls a red-carpet leading from the base of the ladder towards the area where President Dewey and his entourage are standing about fifty feet away. A detachment of US Army honor guard seemingly appears out of nowhere and rapidly forms up along the edge of the carpet. Their ceremonial rifles are held at present arms, and their chins are held high.)
President Dewey: Well, here we go, its show time. Put on your best smiles everyone. (adjusts neck tie and smooths back hair with palm of hand.)
(Dewey's words are partially drowned out as the army band begins to play, The Yellow Rose of Texas)
(The hatch in the side of the plane opens and Wright Patman, larger than life in his white Stetson hat, suddenly appears at the top of the ladder. Patman looks around, and then raises his hand in the air and waves enthusiastically. In his other hand he is holding a case that is so large, that it is almost a suitcase. Patman briskly descends the ladder followed closely by his attorney general, Lyndon Johnson, who seems a bit timid in his new surroundings. Johnson is also lugging a large brief case in one hand. - The army band dies down as Patman and Johnson approach the end of the red carpet)
President Dewey: President Patman, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person, and welcome to Washington DC. I hope that you had a smooth flight coming out here? (as Dewey reaches out to shake Patman's hand)
Wright Patman: It is indeed an honor to meet you as well, and our flight from Austin was as smooth as glass. Why I can't hardly believe that we got all the way out here to the East Coast in just less than four hours! Oh..(absently)..where are my manors? Please allow me to introduce my Attorney General, Mr. Lyndon Baines Johnson.
President Dewey: Mr. Attorney General, it is a pleasure to meet you. (warmly shakes Johnson's hand)
Lyndon Johnson: The pleasure is all mine, Mr. President.
President Dewey: Now where is, Vice President Carlson? I thought he'd be coming along too?
Wright Patman: Unfortunately the city of Abilene was hit by a major twister just the day before yesterday. Therefore I thought it best that James should stay behind so that the people would not feel that their elected leaders have abandoned them during their hour of need.
President Dewey: Well, I guess that someone has to stay behind and mind the store during a crisis. Now please allow me to introduce my own Vice President, Harry S. Truman. (quick handshakes along with murmurs of - how do you do) My Attorney General, Albert Brownell (another round of quick handshakes) and my Secretary of State, Mr. Prescott Bush (I’m pleased to meet you – final round of quick handshakes).
President Dewey: Now, why don’t we all jump into the cars and head over to the White House, where there won’t be so many damned reporters spying on us. I hear that some of them have actually gotten pretty darned good at reading lips. (a few laughs from the president's men)
Wright Patman: Mr. President, I came here ready to do some horse trading, so please lead the way.
(The group begins walking towards the limousines parked several yards away. Patman and Dewey are walking side by side, a few paces in front of Albert Brownell, who is walking alone behind them.)
President Dewey: So tell me, what’s the current situation like along the Rio Grand? Are Valdés’ troops still giving you any trouble?
Wright Patman: I’m happy to report that there has not been a single border incident since we last spoke, and that our border with Mexico has been completely quiet.
President Dewey: Good, I’m glad to hear it….and your problem with the Freedom Party extremists attacking you from across the Sequoyah border?
Wright Patman: That particular problem has also been resolved, and on behalf of the people of Texas, I wish to offer our sincerest gratitude in regards to the generous assistance which the United States provided in securing a peaceful resolution to both of these very serious matters.
President Dewey: I assume that you must have gotten a boost in your poll numbers following the success of our combined military operation into Sequoyah?
Wright Patman: Well, the public has always had a hankering for a nice clean decisive war, and when the city fathers of Dallas decided to throw a victory parade, something like 65,000 people lined the streets of downtown Dallas in order to catch a glimpse of our soldiers returning from the Great Sequoyan War….that’s what our press has decided to call it. Anyway, right now everyone is still riding high on a wave of Texas patriotism, but how long that will last is anyone’s guess.
President Dewey: I see…...Tell me, was anyone in your country bothered by the fact that your soldiers were fighting alongside troops from the US, and that they were shooting at ex-members of the Confederate military?
Wright Patman: Maybe a very tiny number of people didn’t like it, but if they’re smart they will keep their mouths shut if they know what’s good for them.
(Off in the distance a drab colored bus arrives in front of the bleacher stand where the army band had been playing. Men begin carrying bulky musical instruments down the wooden benches towards the bus that is waiting for them)
President Dewey: Why is that? (curious)
Wright Patman: About nine months after the war ended, some damnable Freedom Party terrorists attempted to have me assassinated by placing a bomb underneath the hood of my presidential limo. The bomb missed me, but it just so happened to kill a couple of my most trusted guards.
President Dewey: How come I never heard about this….?
Wright Patman: Back then I wasn’t really too sure whom I could trust, so I kept my cards close to my chest until the situation on the homefront began to stabilize somewhat. (pauses) I was never very partial towards the Freedom Party to begin with, damned fools almost ruined Texas for good, and as I told Ambassador Kennedy, I have probably killed close to 100,000 suspected Freedom Party supporters since the assassination attempt against me. (pauses) So, if there are any Freedom Party cliques still operating in Texas, they’re probably going to keep their heads down until Gabriel blows his horn.
President Dewey: President Patman, I really like your style, and I think that together, the two of us can accomplish great things for the American people.
(Just then Patman and Dewey reach the US Presidential Limo. Dewey looks the six door Cadillac touring sedan up an down appraisingly)
Wright Patman: Why, this is quite a machine you have here, Mr. President!
President Dewey: Isn’t it though? We sent the entire thing over to Germany in order to have it rebuilt from the ground up. Take a look at those wheels (as Dewey kicks a rear tire) this is the only vehicle in the entire Western Hemisphere to have steel-belted radial tires on it!
(A plainclothes security agent opens the extra wide rear door of the US presidential limo)
President Dewey: Why don’t we invite your attorney general to ride along with us?
(Patman looks over to see Lyndon Johnson about to enter another limousines with the US Secretary of State, and the US Vice President Johnson seem to have hit it off well with the two US dignitaries as they appear to share a a laugh together. )
Wright Patman: Lyndon, this may concern you as well. (as he gestures Johnson over to the presidential limo)
(President Dewey, Wright Patman, and Lyndon Johnson climb into the very rear seat of the limo as Albert Brownell and two stony faced security agents face them in a rearward facing seat. The interior of the car is spacious, and there is plenty of room on the floor for the two cases belonging to Patman and Johnson.)
President Dewey: First of all, please allow me to apologize for my rude behavior during our telephone conversation a while back. That was no way for one head of state to speak to another, and I hope that we can put that little misunderstanding behind us.
Wright Patman: Well…. I do understand that there is a lot at stake right now, what with the troubles brewing up in Alaska…..and what not, and I also understand that Ambassador Kennedy may have falsely led you into believing that I was secretly negotiating with the Republic of Mexico (slight pause) so...under similar circumstances I probably would have felt exactly the same way that you did. No apologies are necessary, Mr. President.
President Dewey: Good I’m glad that we are on a clean slate then?
(Suddenly the limo begins to move as it performs a surprisingly tight radius turn for such a large vehicle and takes up the lead position in a convoy comprising the other limousines and the half-dozen or so police motorcycles.
Wright Patman: But of course, however, I hope that you won’t mind if I ask as to whatever became of Ambassador Kennedy?
President Dewey: You won’t have to deal with him anymore, (assuringly) I’ve instructed Secretary of State Bush to have Kennedy reassigned to our embassy in Dublin, where he will be out of everyone's way.
Wright Patman: You’re making Kennedy your ambassador to Ireland? (disbelievingly)
(the motorcade blows past the main-gates of the airfield and picks up speed as it enters the highway)
President Dewey: No, Kennedy will be advising our existing ambassador on the growing Catholic – Protestant conflict which is beginning to rear its ugly head within certain areas of northern Ireland. Whichever way the struggle goes the outcome doesn’t really effect us here in the US, and Kennedy gets to feel that he is doing something important as he stirs the pot.
Wright Patman: I see, but isn’t it just a tad bit dicey to throw someone as unpredictable as Ambassador Kennedy into such an already unstable situation? From what I’ve seen, that man’s bombastic mouth could very easily start a shooting war?
President Dewey: No, not really, at least not in this case. Since the end of the war the Germans have decided that they would like to take a crack at solving the Irish question, and since we don’t really have a dog in the fight, we’re taking a backseat and letting them sort this one out all by themselves. Old Joseph Kennedy is just there for window dressing, that’s all. Besides, he comes from a very powerful family, and I can’t just toss him out on his ear without losing a lot of support in our New England states.
(Outside a scenery of flat green countryside peppered with occasional groves of trees and various buildings goes whizzing past the car window. Albert Brownell silently observes the conversation between the two presidents, as does Lyndon Johnson.)
Wright Patman: Honestly now, was Kennedy just window dressing when you sent him out to Austin back in 45 to endlessly torment me? (confidentially but with an almost imperceptible tone of discourtesy)
President Dewey: You have to understand…(pause)…..back then I didn’t know where things stood with you, and when I first won the election back in 1944, President La Follette’s people didn’t feel inclined to share a whole lot of useful information with my incoming administration. (thoughtful pause) Anyway, I sent Kennedy out to Austin with instructions to make sure that you people toed the line, and to never let you forget that we were the ones who had won the war. However, I now see that I made a mistake, and instead I probably should have instructed Ambassador Kennedy to be more open and more negotiable with you. (pause) We had just come out of a major war in which Jake Featherston had completely stabbed us in the back, and we didn’t know whom we could trust…You have to try and see things from my point of view.
Wright Patman: You’re right about one thing, Mr. President, Jake Featherston certainly made a mess of the world, and now it is up to forward thinking men like you and I to put things back together again.
A Television Commercial Break
A round faced middle-aged man sporting a shaggy haircut and bushy facial hair waves his arms enthusiastically in the middle of a lot full of compact cars.
Salesman: Hi, I’m Brian Wilson, and you may remember me from my days as the lead singer of the Beachcombers, but today my brothers and I own and manage Wilson Motors, Southern California’s number one supplier of sub-compact vehicles from South Japan. Take for example this all new 1977 Datsun, Pilot – economical four cylinder engine, four speed manual transmission, and four doors, all for only $3,995, or this 1976 Shichirō micro-van for only $4,995 - which is Perfect for college students! Stop in at one of our four showrooms across the greater Los Angeles area and test drive one of our fantastic imports today. Financing is available with your good credit! The scene abruptly changes to a mock stage where Brian Wilson and his brothers are playing electric guitars as they sing a campy sales tune based upon one of their sixties hits. Coming to the San Diego and San Francisco areas soon!
Unseen male announcer: You’re watching Channel One of the National Broadcasting System! Together we celebrate our nation’s Bicentennial as one! (As the channel one logo is highlighted with a still image of a fireworks display.)
Attractive female news anchor sitting behind anchor desk: Reports are coming into NBS news that Chairman Kenji Miyamoto of the People’s Democratic Republic of Japan may have been killed by his own troops at his official residence in Nagano, North Japan. It is believed that hardline Reds opposed to the ongoing peace negotiations with South Japan may be attempting to stage a coup d'etat and to take over the government of that country. President William Carter is expected to issue a comment condemning the violence. Tune in at eleven for all the latest news, sports, and weather.
Unseen male announcer: And now back to our regularly scheduled programing, Texas an American story:
Wright Patman, Lyndon Johnson, and Albert Brownell are sitting on comfortable looking sofas in the Oval Office. President Dewey is lingering behind his desk, suddenly Dewey produces a small box from a drawer in his desk.
President Dewey: Would anyone care for an authentic Cuban cigar?
(the box is passed around the room as everyone takes one)
Lyndon Johnson: Hmm… these are fresh! (as he sniffs the cigar he has just taken from the box). We haven’t had fresh Cuban cigars in Texas for almost eight years now, and we were once part of the same country.
Wright Patman: Mr. President, I assume that you’ve had some time to consider my proposal regarding Texas statehood? (As he places his case upon a coffee table between the two couches facing one another)
(President Dewey has returned to his chair behind the presidential desk)
Albert Brownell: We’ll get to that in just a few minutes, but first there are few other things that we need to discuss.
Wright Patman: What sort of things? (very innocently)
(Instead of answering, Albert Brownell takes a few steps over to the president’s desk and picks up a file folder. He returns to the two couches and places the folder on the table in front of Patman)
Albert Brownell: According to this, your brother-in-law made a fortune selling plumbing supplies to Camp Determination, and at about the same time he also wrote you several company checks totaling roughly 2.5 million dollars.
Wright Patman: Say, what is this? (real alarm in his voice as he stands up from the couch. Dewey watches the situation appraisingly from behind his desk.)
(Lyndon Johnson is now also on his feet, and he has managed to produce a snub-nosed 38 revolver from somewhere, which he now has pointed squarely at President Dewey.)
Lyndon Johnson: We came out here to negotiate with you people in good faith, but now we see that this entire thing was nothing but a sham to get us in front of a war-crimes tribunal! (real anger in his voice)
President Dewey: No one is going in front of a war crimes tribunal, so why don’t you just put away that little pop-gun that your holding? Let’s just all take it easy.
(Johnson looks to Patman for input, but Patman looks defeated and merely shrugs his shoulders)
President Dewey: If you shot me, I promise you that there will not be a single man, woman, or child left alive in Texas by the end of next month. Truman will have to take revenge, and the press will simply egg him on.
Albert Brownell: Come on, Lyndon, now give me the gun. (softly)
Lyndon Johnson: What assurances can you give me that this isn’t some sort of a setup? (as he keeps the revolver trained on Dewey)
President Dewey: Thank about it logically, Mr. Attorney General, if we wanted you to face a tribunal, then we would have simply arrested you the moment that you stepped off my Lockheed out there at Andrews. No one is going to face a war-crimes tribunal, we just need to air some dirty laundry, that’s all.
Albert Brownell: Give me the gun (Softly as he holds out his hand out to Johnson. Patman nods yes, and Johnson turns his gun over to Brownell butt first. - Brownell puts the gun into his vest and then says) – That’s it, nice and easy, now everyone please have a seat.
(Patman and Johnson sit back down on the sofa where they had been sitting. Brownell sits down across from them)
Wright Patman: Would someone mind telling me what the hell is going on here?
President Dewey: It’s simple, if you and I are going to be yoked together, then I have to make sure that you don’t have any major skeletons in your closet which are going to sink my administration. Now, how do you explain that 2.5 million dollars your brother-in-law gave you? Can any of that money be traced back to the death camps in Texas?
Wright Patman: My brother-in-law Carl signed several contracts to supply plumbing materials to various State of Texas construction projects, and in-exchange for those contracts I received a few little kick-backs, that’s all! Even state governors here in the US take kick-backs. Everyone makes a little on the side, it’s a victimless crime.
Albert Brownell: Can anyone prove otherwise?
Wright Patman: I don’t see how. As I said, Carl did a lot of business selling to various agencies within the Confederate state government of Texas, and I suppose that is how he was able to land his contract with Camp Determination. But we had nothing to do with that, Camp Determination was run by the Confederate Department of Justice out of Richmond. (pleadingly)
(President Dewey looks to Albert Brownell)
President Dewey: Will it fly?
Albert Brownell: I think that we should be okay. On the surface it looks like an ordinary case of government corruption, and I don’t believe that any reporters are going to spend too much time sniffing after it. But to be on the safe side, I think that someone should break into the First National Bank of Texas, as soon as possible, and destroy all records linked to President Patman’s accounts between 1940 and 1944. Can you make that happen? Maybe a fire?
(Wright Patman silently nods yes)
President Dewey: What about your brother-in-law, Carl?
Wright Patman: Carl and my sister are both now living out in El Paso, Houston, and they’ve both become US citizens. Carl has done pretty well for himself since the end of the war, and he now has every reason in the world to avoid drawing too much attention upon himself.
President Dewey: Alright, we should be good on this one.
Wright Patman: Is there anything else?
Albert Brownell: As a matter of fact there is. (Brownell then retrieves a second folder from the president’s desk, and plops it down on the table in front of Patman.)
Albert Brownell: This is a report from the Texas Rangers dated January 21, 1947, detailing an incident in which Lieutenant General Abner Dowling physically assaulted you backstage immediately following your second presidential inauguration. Is this information correct?
(Patman opens the folder and quickly scans a few of the pages.)
Wright Patman: Yep, it’s all true, all of it.
President Dewey: Why didn’t you report this information to us?
Wright Patman: For fear that it might find its way into the Texas press. If people in Texas found out that I had been punched in the face by a US general, and that I didn’t defend myself, then I’d become the biggest laughing stock in the country, and I’d be forced to resign from the presidency. Who knows what might happen then?
President Dewey: I see, and how would you describe your relationship with General Dowling after the time that he attacked you?
Wright Patman: We never spoke, and there was absolutely no coordination between our military forces until Operation Chickenhawk.
Albert Brownell: it is possible that General Dowling’s actions may have soured US – Texas relations to the point that our efforts to combat Freedom Party extremists were severely effected. Had this incident not occurred, then perhaps our efforts to eradicate Freedom Party extremists would have yielded much more quicker and definitive results. Due to his negligence, General Dowling may have inadvertently assisted the Freedom Party resistance movement.
President Dewey: Yes, this entire incident was most unfortunate. If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly took place between you and General Dowling at the time that he attacked you?
Wright Patman: I had just finished making my inauguration speech not more than a minute before, and I was in a hurry to get to the rest room to relieve myself. I had been out carousing with the boys the night before, and my assistant Susan had been riding me pretty good in the sack earlier that morning. I was only functioning on an hour or two of sleep, but I still managed to give a pretty good speech anyway.
Lyndon Johnson: That you did.
Albert Brownell: Go on.
Wright Patman. Anyway, as I was walking along the alleyway behind the stage, I hear someone call out “Mr. President” - “Mr. President” and as I turn I see a US Army officer walking towards me in a hurry. I knew that there was going to be some US brass at my inauguration, so at first I didn’t think too much of it, and I just assumed that he wanted to congratulate me, or something like that.
Albert Brownell: What exactly did he say to you?
Wright Patman: General Dowling got in my face and demanded to know why I didn’t mention the victims of the death camps during my inauguration speech. I told him that the death camps had been run by the Confederate government back in Richmond, and that I had nothing to do with them. After that he accused me of attempting to cover up war-crimes, and in response I asked him how the death camps were any different from General Custer’s genocide of the American Indians.
Albert Brownell: And what did General Dowling say or do in response to that?
Wright Patman: Why his eyes got has big has saucers for a second or two, and then he drew back his fist and hit me with a right-cross to my chin. If I hadn’t been so hung over then I might have had a chance to get my guard up, but I wasn’t expecting to get into a fist fight with a senior US Army officer on my inauguration day, so he kind of caught me off guard, so to speak.
President Dewey: Were you seriously injured?
Wright Patman: No, he rang my bell pretty good, that’s about it. The next minute or so are a little bit hazy for me, but my understanding is that a couple of nearby Texas Rangers heard the commotion and took him into custody. - I admit that I probably shouldn’t have mentioned General Custer’s name in comparison to Jake Featherston's death camps, but as I said, I wasn’t exactly firing on all cylinders that particular afternoon, and I really had to use the restroom.
President Dewey: What do you think?
Albert Brownell: Well, if the story breaks first in the US press, then President Patman may potentially be seen as a sympathetic victim, while Dowling, on the other hand may be viewed as something a kin to a low grade war-criminal. On the other hand, if the story breaks in the Texas press, then President Patman is seen as a spineless patsy, and Dowling is still a war-criminal. Either way we are much better off if it never reaches the press.
Wright Patman: No one on my side is going to say anything.
Lyndon Johnson: We’ve made doubly certain of that, and from our point of view the only person who might speak to the press would be General Dowling himself.
President Dewey: General Dowling has served his country with great honor and distinction, and it was with deep regrets that I recently accepted his resignation as an officer in the United States armed forces. Dowling will continue to receive a very generous retirement benefit for the rest of his life, provided that he does not talk to anyone regarding certain issues of national security. If he does, however, he will be subjected to vigorous criminal prosecution.
Albert Brownell: I don’t see this as being a potential scandal moving forward, and it sounds like the Texans have wrapped up everything very neatly on their end.
President Dewey: President Patman, no official head of state should ever be assaulted by an officer of a friendly military force, and on behalf of the people of the United States of America, I wish to apologize for the egregious disrespect that was shown to you by General Dowling.
Wright Patman: All water under the bridge now, but I do humbly accept your apology.
President Dewey: Now, if we are finished pointing guns at one another, I’d like to spend the next few minutes discussing the future of Texas. (Dewey gets up from behind his desk and takes a seat on the couch next to Brownell, facing Patman)
President Dewey: Correct me if I’m wrong, but as President of the Republic of Texas, you are also the Chairman of the Whig Party of Texas, isn't that correct? (as he puff his cigar)
Wright Patman: Why yes it is, and since the end of the war, the Whigs have dominated both houses of the legislature, and most local elections to boot. We are currently sitting very pretty across all of Texas, and the situation would probably be the same in Houston, if we were allowed to operate out there.
President Dewey: Albert and I have taken a careful look at your party’s platform, and the way that we see it there really isn’t a whole hell of a lot of difference between your party’s platform, and the platform of the US Democratic Party. We both support ideals such as a free-market, entrepreneurship, self-determination, and a strong military, so why not unite our two parties into one?
Wright Patman: You want everyone who is now registered as a Texas Whig to become a US Democrat?
Albert Brownell: We’ve floated the idea of Texas statehood amongst a few senior members of the US senate, and if a vote were held today, you might not make it in as a US state, and you might have to first spend a few years waiting around as a US commonwealth territory.
Lyndon Johnson: I assume that there’s something in it for us? I’d like to sit in the governor’s mansion in Austin someday myself.
President Dewey: The US needs to be maintained as a two party political system, or it tends to become too unstable. Now, as former Confederate states are being readmitted back into the US, the Whigs living in those states will be strongly encouraged to join the US Democratic Party, thus forming a Dixiecrat wing within the US Democratic Party.
Wright Patman: I still don’t see how giving up our own political parties will benefit the people of Texas?
President Dewey: It will benefit not only the people of Texas, but it will also strongly benefit all former Confederate citizens as well, because once Texas becomes a US state, I will then make you a co-chairman within the US Democratic Party overseeing all the newly registered Dixiecrats from the Old Confederacy. (proudly blows a smoke ring)
Albert Brownell: Think about the influence you would have in the coming years, and what you could achieve for your people.
President Dewey: This is really the only way to knit our two countries back together again, and I can assure you that once the Democratic National Committee realizes what a boost Texas will give them in the electoral college, they will give you whatever you want, including immediate statehood. (pause) Of course your Whigs will have to agree in principle that they are willing to join the Democratic Party before any bills are put before Congress regarding Texas statehood.
Wright Patman: Why that’s a very generous offer, Mr. President, but I’m afraid that I must confer with my own party committee back in Austin before I make any such commitment to merge our two parties. (sounding slightly caught off guard)
Lyndon Johnson: I agree with President Dewey, turning Texas Whigs into US Democrats is probably the only way to get the people of the US to see us as true Americans, and every attempt should be made to sell this idea to our own party leadership back in Austin, even if it means having to twist a few arms, so to speak.
President Dewey: Good, now regarding the other conditions you outlined over the telephone – reunification with the state of Houston, you staying on as the first US governor, and Texas maintaining its own standing army after statehood, we can discuss all of those things over dinner in about another hour or so. In the meanwhile, why don’t I have an aide show you two gentleman to the Blue Room over in the East Wing, so that the two of you can freshen up a bit before we sit down to eat? After dinner we will go out and paint the town red.
(Barbara Cohen is summoned to escort Patman and Johnson to the Blue Room. During the walk across the building she points out various bullet pockmarks in the marble finish which were caused by Confederate soldiers fighting a room to room battle in the White House during the First Great War.)
Once inside the hotel room like setting of the Blue Room, Lyndon Johnson turns to President Patman and says
Lyndon Johnson: This place is a real madhouse, I’d go stark-raving crazy if I had to work here on a daily basis!
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