WI: Truman assasinated

President Barkley was a New Dealer like Truman, so domestically not much difference. He was very popular as well, but quite old (73 :eek:. though he wouldn't run again in '52 due to age so it's not that bad). It's possible he dies in office though, then we get President Rayburn :cool:

The Korean War is probably significantly altered ITTL, so a boatload of butterflies there.
 
That's an interesting what-if because it would no doubt affect the way the Korean War, which started in June 1950, played out. Alben Barkley would have become President and would have quickly had to deal with MacArthur on the questions of whether or not to expand the war into China and whether to use nuclear weapons. Truman dealt with it by relieving MacArthur; whether Barkley would have done that is unclear, but as a new, untested President, it would have been harder, particularly since the advice Truman got from Marshall and Bradley was not to fire him; it was Acheson who pressed for relieving him. If Barkley acquiesced to MacArthur's plans, the end result could be a real fiasco -- a broad war with China involving nuclear weapons that perhaps drags the Soviets into it, possibly resulting in another World War, this time with nuclear weapons.

Barkley would probably have been a one-term President; he was 73 in November 1950. So, whether Korea turned into a disaster or not, it is quite possible that Eisenhower gets elected in 1952 regardless.
 
IIRC Barkley was a major proponent of sacking MacArthur, so I doubt his stance would change from Truman's in this regard.

The only real change I can see in TTL is in the Democratic convention of 1952. Barkley is going to be one of the Oldest presidents in TTL and so having a Vice President might be seen as a crucial element should he pass away. This VP could be groomed as the 52 presidential candidate...any ideas?
 
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