What if Nixon had gone on live TV in 1974 and accused the CIA of killing JFK?

A provocative scenario:


Now, obviously, this response is most likely to happen:


But what is the repercussion of a sitting president using the tallest bully pulpit in the land to advance conspiracy theories and casting aspersions against the most notorious intelligence organization of the government? Imagine what subcultures this would breed, decades before the internet became mainstream. What influence would this have upon American political culture during the paranoid '70s? This would speedrun the progress of politics to today's.

Many would say that Nixon has gone deranged, which in of itself is disturbing- how could the electorate have elected such a mentally ill character to the Oval Office? Some, in both parties, would claim that Nixon is telling the truth. And it would be a very spicy mix because the liberals who despise him would be begrudgingly agree with him out of Kennedy's memory. And this would feed into the counterculture of the Vietnam War, with the crook-in-chief basically pulling back the curtain itself and admitting, that's right, everything terrible you believe about the establishment is true.

This would be a lot like Hale, Vladivostok! except earlier and perhaps more explosive.
 
I actually think this would have gained Nixon some serious hardcore fans, they wouldn't be any where close to a majority and people would at the time dismiss it but it would stain the CIA's reputation for generations to come and the amount of trust they would have as an insitution would be lower. In time more of their funding would be deverted to other spy organizations that don't have the CIA's bad reputation.
 

Garrison

Donor
Catastrophic, a sitting US President making unfounded, false allegations against a governmental agency? Probably as bad as Watergate.
 
For all their differences Nixon and Kennedy had a deep respect for each other. Joe Senior told Nixon he would have backed him against any other democrat.
One of the reasons both Kennedy and Johnson made Henry Cabet Lodge, Nixon's running mate in 1960, ambassador to South Vietnam, is to avail themselves of the wisdom of the man from Yourba Linda.
 
Nixon going after one of his main 'go-to' agencies, with whom he'd been working 'closely' since he was Ike's VP? That's not going to end well at all, they likely had more dirt on Nixon than even J. Edgar did and be more than willing to use it. But again the CIA was one of the agencies that Nixon actually trusted so I don't see it happening.

Randy
 
But what is the repercussion of a sitting president using the tallest bully pulpit in the land to advance conspiracy theories and casting aspersions against the most notorious intelligence organization of the government?
Catastrophic, a sitting US President making unfounded, false allegations against a governmental agency? Probably as bad as Watergate.
Well not to get into modern politics but just look at Trump and the whole fiasco around the FBI raid to see how terrible it could get if someone used their position if power to try and avoid justice
 

Garrison

Donor
Well not to get into modern politics but just look at Trump and the whole fiasco around the FBI raid to see how terrible it could get if someone used their position if power to try and avoid justice
But its a very different world in the 1970s.
 
Kick
Catastrophic, a sitting US President making unfounded, false allegations against a governmental agency? Probably as bad as Watergate.
"False allegations"

220px-Trollface_non-free.png
 
Nixon going after one of his main 'go-to' agencies, with whom he'd been working 'closely' since he was Ike's VP? That's not going to end well at all, they likely had more dirt on Nixon than even J. Edgar did and be more than willing to use it. But again the CIA was one of the agencies that Nixon actually trusted so I don't see it happening.

Randy
If we’re at the point of no return during the scandal and Nixon sees the writing on the wall, maybe he throws them under the bus in a vivid exercise of madman theory. Or just spite. He was a paranoid guy.

Alternatively, couldn’t he blame the FBI for killing Kennedy?
 

Garrison

Donor
Good point but it could be applicable with all of the legal drama as well as the accusations he made.
Except there isn't the polarization of the media, the echo chambers that people can retreat to in the current day and there wasn't the yawning chasm between the two major parties that exist in the current day. It will have serious consequences but will make Nixon's reputation worse and it will be hugely divisive.
 
Except there isn't the polarization of the media, the echo chambers that people can retreat to in the current day and there wasn't the yawning chasm between the two major parties that exist in the current day. It will have serious consequences but will make Nixon's reputation worse and it will be hugely divisive.
Theres no chance it makes Nixons reputation worse. Right now his reputation is almost universally crook, divisive would be a huge improvement on that.
 
Except there isn't the polarization of the media, the echo chambers that people can retreat to in the current day and there wasn't the yawning chasm between the two major parties that exist in the current day. It will have serious consequences but will make Nixon's reputation worse and it will be hugely divisive.
Very wise analysis. There is also this
Some, in both parties, would claim that Nixon is telling the truth. And it would be a very spicy mix because the liberals who despise him would be begrudgingly agree with him out of Kennedy's memory. And this would feed into the counterculture of the Vietnam War, with the crook-in-chief basically pulling back the curtain itself and admitting, that's right, everything terrible you believe about the establishment is true.
This would have a massive impact on the counterculture, ironically due to one of the most traditional people. He would show that the goverment would be out to get you!!! This would influence the left to be even more anti war and establishment, and the right as evidence of Big Goverment Tyranny co-opted by the rich liberal eliete.
 
I think theres good room for a timeline where you really dig into conspiracy theories and intelligence abuses out of this. Nixon makes the accusation, trust in the CIA is shattered, the church committee happens a year earlier and is given more teeth and Frank Church swings that into the presidency and you get 4-8 years of war between the presidency and intelligence agencies. All sorts of investigations, committees and leaks to screw each other over.
 
I think theres good room for a timeline where you really dig into conspiracy theories and intelligence abuses out of this. Nixon makes the accusation, trust in the CIA is shattered, the church committee happens a year earlier and is given more teeth and Frank Church swings that into the presidency and you get 4-8 years of war between the presidency and intelligence agencies. All sorts of investigations, committees and leaks to screw each other over.
Even though it might be beneficial in the long run in the short and mid term it would mainly cause complete chaos in the country and make people even more distrustful of the goverment. I imagine that if he is even elected I could see large parts of society or even his own party betraying Church not because they hate him, but they desperately want some stability in the nation. Foreign adversaries would if course take full advantage of the chaos of this alternate late 70s.
 
If we’re at the point of no return during the scandal and Nixon sees the writing on the wall, maybe he throws them under the bus in a vivid exercise of madman theory. Or just spite. He was a paranoid guy.

Alternatively, couldn’t he blame the FBI for killing Kennedy?

Yes thanks for reminding us this was the same guy who thought it would be a "good idea" to trick the Soviets into thinking the President of the US was mentally unstable AND had his finger on the button :) (And Kissinger only 'mildly opposed' this idea mind you :) )

Randy
 
Theres no chance it makes Nixons reputation worse. Right now his reputation is almost universally crook, divisive would be a huge improvement on that.

Actually that's likely the biggest reason Nixon would never consider it because he was legitimately concerned about his 'legacy' which is why he resigned. He wasn't going to taint that by trying to throw one of the alphabet soup groups under the bus with something that would be both divisive and useless in the end.

Randy
 
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