Cuban Missile Crisis To War: The Final Updates and the Final Hour - Completed

[sentinel]

Cuban Missile Crisis To War

“If ... we are attacked, we will defend ourselves. I repeat, we have sufficient means with which to defend ourselves; we have indeed our inevitable weapons, the weapons, which we would have preferred not to acquire, and which we do not wish to employ” - Cuban President Osvaldo Dorticós

“It shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the Western Hemisphere as an attack on the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response upon the Soviet Union” - United States President John F. Kennedy

“To halt this offensive buildup, a strict quarantine on all offensive military equipment under shipment to Cuba is being initiated. All ships of any kind bound for Cuba from whatever nation and port will, if found to contain cargoes of offensive weapons, be turned back. This quarantine will be extended, if needed, to other types of cargo and carriers. We are not at this time, however, denying the necessities of life as the Soviets attempted to do in their Berlin blockade of 1948.”

President John F. Kennedy – October 22nd 1962

October 23rd 1962 the United States enters DEFCOM 2 for the first time in history.

“Direct aggression against Cuba would mean nuclear war. The Americans speak about such aggression as if they did not know or did not want to accept this fact. I have no doubt they would lose such a war.” – Che Guevara

On October 27th, the US Navy drops a series of "signaling depth charges” on a Soviet submarine B-59 at the quarantine line, unaware that it was armed with a nuclear-tipped torpedo with orders that allowed it to be used if the submarine was hulled.

The Soviet Commander of the B-59 submarine orders the nuclear tipped submarine fires upon the American ship at 7:52pm EST.

7:53pm EST – The American ship is hit, the damage is catastrophic, the ship is completely torn apart and destroyed. The explosion is seen by many other American ships on the horizon.

8:15pm EST – Admiral Anderson is informed that the USSR has destroyed the American ship.

8:17pm EST – Admiral Anderson places a call to the Joint Chiefs of Staff

8:20pm EST – The Joint Chiefs of Staff informs President Kennedy in the Situation room.
   The President orders that Russian submarines be sunk on sight.

8:30pm EST – EXCOMM meets with the President.

8:32pm EST – An American Battleship stops a Russian battleship entering the quarantine zone. The Russian battleship opens fire on the American ship.

8:40pm EST – President John F Kennedy’s staff secures media time for him to speak on TV within the next hour.

8:45pm EST – President Kennedy orders the bombing of Cuban missile sites.

9:07pm EST – President Kennedy addresses the nation “A few hours ago, a US ship was dropping routine deep sea charges when a Soviet nuclear powered submarine responded by destroying the ship. A short while later, a Soviet battleship attacked American ships that were quarantining the island. In response to this direct attack on the United States I have ordered the United States Air Force to eliminate Soviet Missile sites on the island of Cuba…we will not accept nuclear weapons held in unstable and hostile hands in the Western Hemisphere…”

9:20pm EST – Airforce intelligence reports that there are Russian troops in Cuba, at least 40,000, and the bombing was successful.

10:00pm EST – Reports are coming in that the Soviet Union has bombed several American bases/missile sites in Turkey.  Article 5 of the NATO Charter is activated.

[sentinel]

Expect an update tonight or tomorrow, I have it in the works now.

[sentinel]

I'll see if I can update today.

[sentinel]

10:30pm EST – Turkey mobilizes its forces and calls for an immediate retaliation by NATO. It is discovered that one Russian plane was shot down over Turkey.
(Current members of NATO Include: The United States, Canada, Norway, Denmark, West Germany, Iceland, UK, Portugal, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Greece and Turkey

Overnight, a joint force of French, Danish and British planes bomb strategic missile sites in Eastern Europe, mainly in Poland. The Polish respond by mobilizing their forces.

Scientists move the doomsday clock to 11:58pm.


October 28th

The Soviet Union condemns the joint-attack on Poland in the early morning (EST). Kennedy says the attacks on Soviet missile sites in Eastern Europe and in Cuba will continue until the Soviets withdraw the missiles from Cuba.

The Soviet Union in response bombs a military site in Greece.

The UN Secretary General U-Thant calls for NATO and Russia to come back to the table and to stop the escalation.

A senior advisor to President Kennedy comes into the Oval Office. “Sir, we have the report on the bombing in Cuba last night. We have destroyed 70% of the missile sites, but 30% are still functional –so our intelligence tells us.”

President Kennedy meets with EXCOMM  and evaluates his options after his intelligence briefing. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy advocates escalation of the situation by having NATO involve strategic military sites in Russia and to finish off the missile sites in Cuba.

1:12am – A U-2 spy plane goes down over eastern Russia near Vladivostok

. 4:00am – President Kennedy is informed that the remaining Cuban missile sites are armed and a potential launch is near. President Kennedy orders an airstrike on the site. A top military official informs Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield (D-MT) , Speaker of the House of Representatives John McCormack (D – MA),  Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen (R-IL) and House Minoirty Leader Charles Abraham Halleck (R – IN).

4:13am – Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson leaves  Washington D.C. for an undisclosed location.

As the US Airforce begins to enter Cuban airspace they are greeted by Soviet planes and a dogfight breaks out. Ground-to-air missiles also begin to fire upon the US planes

5:00am – President Kennedy is informed  by the Joint Chief of Staff that the mission was unsuccessful. The Air force was not able to take out any additional missile sites due to the Soviet counterattack.

After the failed attack on Cuba, the USSR begins sending forces into Poland whose destination, most Generals say, is East Germany. The Joint Chief of Staff advises President Kennedy that the Soviets have a big strategic advantage if they wanted to take West Berlin
Simultaneously, NATO forces continue airstrikes on strategic points in East Germany, Poland and other Soviet countries.

French President Charles DeGaulle calls for wiping communism and the Soviets off the face of Europe and the world, escalating tensions even more. President Kennedy chooses not to comment on this in an early morning press conference.
President Kennedy’s approval rating according to Gallup is at 73%.

[sentinel]

Sorry for the delays in production, but I'll keep it coming.

Morning of October 28th

Around 8:00am – Soviet Premier Khruschev attempts to place a call to President Kennedy but the call fails due to technical difficulties.

NATO ground forces mobilize in Western Europe in response to the Soviets massing troops into East Germany. Two soviet brigades are stationed in or close to East Berlin with more forces outside of the city.

8:15am – A Washington Post reporter reports an off-the-record comment by a senior official in the Department of Defense…”We are already at war.”

The Administration has no comment.

9:00am – Soviet Premier Khruschev attempts to place a call to President Kennedy but the call fails for a second time due to technical difficulties. Khruschev kicks two members of his senior staff out of the Kremlin due to the lack of a solution to this problem.

10:00am – A missile is launched from Cuba towards Florida but the missile fails to reach Florida, going too fareast by a few hundred miles. It is unclear if it was a nuclear missile.

10:03am – President Kennedy is informed about the missile. He orders ground forces in Florida to begin preparations for an amphibious assault on Cuba.

10:13am – Soviet Premier Khruschev’s call to the White House fails for a third and final time.
10:15am – US and Soviet fighter jets skirmish over Cuba

11am – President Kennedy orders Congressional leaders to gather at a secure location outside of Washington, DC and the states of Virginia and Maryland. The Capitol building is discretely closed for to all nonessential personnel.

Noon – Soviet intelligence agencies receive information regarding the planned amphibious assault on Cuba. Premier Khruschev orders the invasion of West Berlin.

Shortly after noon the invasion of West Berlin begins…resistance from NATO forces in West Berlin fails almost immediately as the Soviets swarm into the city. French President Charles DeGaulle says “The Soviets have brought war upon us again this century…we will show them hell.”

French, Belgium, Dutch and British forces rush towards West Germany as West Berlin falls.
Within a few hours, the American unilateral invasion of Cuba begins…they are greeted by 40,000 Soviet troops.

Soviet forces cross into Turkey later that night.

Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen (R-IL) calls for a declaration of war against Cuba and the USSR backed by many Democrat and Republican Senators.

Reports come in around 4pm that Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara has been shot…few details are available except that the report is coming from inside the Pentagon…

[sentinel]

Update tonight. Once again, sorry for the delays in each segment, however; I hope each one is better than the last.

[sentinel]

[Possibly another update tonight too!]

The evening of October 28th continued…

CBS News: “More details emerge about the shooting of Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. A lower level staff member who had discrete connections with the Soviet Union and KGB had orders to kill McNamara and infiltrate the Department of Defense.  The lower level staff member pulled the gun as McNamara passed in the hall and managed to get off a shot as McNamara’s assistant pushed the Secretary away as military personnel subdued the infiltrator. McNamara’s injuries are a bullet wound to the shoulder…the Secretary is said to be in a stable condition and is doing work from his hospital room…”

“The Department of Defense in conjunction with the FBI will begin reviewing the backgrounds of employees with family in or from the Soviet Union or any of its satellite states…”

NBC News: “Top Senate leaders have drafted a declaration of war against the Soviet Union and its satellites that will formally bring the United States into a fully fledged war…the Senate will be meeting in an undisclosed location later tonight to pass the resolution…The United States technically has been in some form of conflict after the Soviet airstrike on NATO soil…”
President Kennedy addresses the nation…

“My fellow Americans when I swore the oath to uphold and protect the Constitution I did so at a time of great turmoil in the world…I had said ‘for man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe--the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God…this is still true. Right now the armies of the Soviet Union and its allies are marching towards our allies in Europe and our intelligence tells us that they plan to go onto France whom is still recovering from the devastation of war."

"The Soviet Union has imposed its totalitarian regime on the countries of Poland, Hungary, Czechslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria…all behind the iron curtain…we cannot allow this curtain to expand across to West Germany…West Berlin has fallen to the curtain and we must protect our brothers and sisters across the Atlantic…If West Germany is to fall, they will not stop at Belgium, they will not stop at Paris and they will not stop at the shores of Europe. The Soviet Union will come for us, our way of live and our values if we allow our allies in Europe to fall. Therefore, I have asked Senator Everett Dirksen to write a declaration of war against the Soviet Union, Cuba and its satellites…this declaration of war will be passed tonight…Khruschev’s actions cannot be allowed to go unpunished…"

Press Secretary Pierre Salinger in a press conference “more American forces will be deployed to Europe…American forces are already routing the Soviets out of Cuba…”

French President Charles DeGaulle who is being portrayed as the leader of NATO’s forces in Europe says “If the Soviets as so much as put their pinky toe across the Dutch, Belgium or French border, Moscow won’t be a spot on the map anymore.”

[sentinel]

I hope this is good because it takes a while to write.

Very early in the morning on October 29th

“Mr. President, the declaration has passed unanimously in the Senate and by a very large margin in the House of Representatives. The Republican and Democrat war hawks want to essentially write you a carte blanche for this war against the Soviet Union…”

“With this funding level of Defense funding they basically already have…”

“Also sir, the Joint Chiefs of Staff would like to see you…”

“I thought I told him to go home for a few hours, tomorrow is going to be a long day…”
“Sir, you know him, he’s not going to go home. I’ll bring him in.”
“Right.”

“Mr. President.”

“Nice to see you…”

“Sir, our air forces have destroyed most of the major military positions in Cuba and all of the known missile sites…we have dominated the Soviet counter attacks there…I recommend putting all of our air forces on the Western seaboard on high alert…I do not think we are in danger on the Eastern seaboard, however; Alaska is threatened by the Soviets…”
“Direct NORAD to move fighter groups from the midwest to Alaska, they’re going to need some backup…”

Later that day on October 29th  Norway, Canada, Iceland, the UK, France, Spain, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Italy, West Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark and the Netherlands all declare war on the Soviet Union and its satellites. Voluntary enlistments in the United States as well as its European allies suddenly soar again as what commentators are calling World War III begins

The Soviet forces have not begun the invasion of West Germany but  NATO intelligence forces expect it to begin within the next day.
President Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia declares that any Soviet interference in Yugoslavian affairs will result in the entry of Yugoslavia into the war against the USSR decrying  Soviet hegemony in Eastern Europe.

November/December 1962: In a flash

Early in the month NATO forces tried to repel the Soviet invasion of Western Germany but were forced to quickly retreat to the Dutch/Belgium/French border due to the sheer number of forces -- where they await American reinforcements, unfortunately Western Germany quickly falls.

Simultaneously, the Japanese legislature, at American prodding, amends its Constitution and strikes out Article 9 and begins to establish an extensive military force over its self-defense force.  American forces make bombing runs from northern Japan into eastern Russia.
The Democratic Party had a big victory in the midterm elections of 1962, gaining 10 seats in the Senate increasing their majority to 73 and gaining 50 in the House increasing their majority to 313. One surprise victory included Congressman John Lindsay of New York over incumbent Senator Jacob K Javits although many accused Lindsay’s campaign of pushing old rumors that Javits was a communist.

Turkey and Greece defeat Soviet forces that attempted to enter Greek Macedonia and Istanbul, however; the Turks are slowly losing ground on their eastern front with the Soviet Union.

The citizens of the world are all on the edge of their seat to see who will use the first nuclear weapon with no direct interaction between Soviet and American forces on continental Europe yet.

In Cuba, American forces have routed the Soviets to the ends of the Cuban island and have taken all major points. President Osvaldo Torrado manages to escape to South America but Prime Minister Fidel Castro is killed during an American airstrike.
President Kennedy’s approval rating remains in the high 70’s or low 80’s for the entire month of November.  Some big names behind the scenes are beginning to call for the threat or use of nuclear weapons on the Soviet Union.

In terms of naval superiority, NATO forces have established a dominating presence in the Mediterranean Sea, the Balkans, the Baltic and the North Sea.

Congress has not met on Capitol Hill since the beginning of the war.

[sentinel]

Kennedy was young, naive, and inexperienced. We should have taken out Fidel when we had the chance. Now the lives of many Cubans have been lost to communism and dictatorship. Nixon was the better choice.

We should have worked with Fidel when we had the chance.  Castro greatly admired the United States before they tried to kill him 30 times.

NE Assemblyman, just ignore him and lets hope he goes away.

Great update, nick! I'm really on the edge of my seat every time I read a new update!

Thanks guys!

[sentinel]

January 1963

   Congress has not met together in one body since before the beginning of the war making the swearing in of new Congressman especially complex, but nonetheless, they were all sworn in.

January 3rd 1963 – The first major landing of American forces takes place in Belgium. 100,000 Americans head towards the battle line with the Soviet Union.

 January 8th 1963 – A Soviet Advance pushes NATO forces behind the French border, NATO intelligence informs military officials that Soviet reinforcements will be there in less than two weeks.

January 10th 1963 – A Yugoslavian military patrol near the Hungarian border encounters Hungarian-Romanian forces conducting some sort of exercise and fire is exchanged. Both sides blame the other, but Yugoslavia threatens that if this happens again, Yugoslavia will give NATO forces passage through Yugoslavia.

January 13th 1963 – Yugoslavian officials secretly contact NATO and Italian military officials. American forces join the battle on what is being called the Eastern Front (French border with Soviet-occupied Western Germany).  First interaction between Soviet and American forces at a village near Strausbourg, leaving 13 Americans dead or wounded and 38 Soviets dead or wounded.

January 18th 1963 –ABC reports that Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson has not been seen by the media since Christmas. CBS and NBC make no mention of this. Albania also falls to Greek forces around this time.

February 3rd 1963 – President Kennedy and his top military advisors agree that American forces in Cuba can now play an occupying role with only small remnants of Soviet and Cuban forces scattered around on Cuba.  Kennedy reaffirms the objectives of this war, to liberate East and West Germany. Bobby Kennedy advises his brother against any invasion of Russia while the President agrees saying he does not want to expand this war with ground troops beyond the Polish border. 

February 17th 1963 – 8 Hungarian soldiers on border patrol antagonize 4 border patrol guards on the Yugoslavian border. The Hungarian border patrol crosses and challenges the Yugoslav soldiers to fight. Even though outmatched, the Yugoslav guards slaughter 7 of the 8. The last one is left alive to tell his commanding officer about his defeat.

The incident quickly moves up the chain of command in the Hungarian military, as well as the Soviet, with Hungary demanding an apology and the Yugoslav border guards who killed the Hungarian soldiers. The Yugoslav Government bluntly refuses.

February 19th 1963 – Hungary begins massing troops near the Yugoslav border while Yugoslavia responds in the same.

February 23rd 1963 – Yugoslavia grants NATO forces passage through Yugoslavia.
March 2nd 1963 – NATO forces have been pushed back to the front with

March 8th 1963 – The Civil Rights Act of 1963 quietly passes in the United States with all the focus on the war. 62 members of the Senate vote in favor of the bill and 296 members of the House of Representatives vote for the bill. Democrat and Republican War Hawks put a rider on the bill condoning the use of nuclear weapons on the Soviet Union if American freedoms were endangered.

Kennedy’s approvals are at 67%.

Gallup Poll: Do you approve of the way President Kennedy is handling the war against the Soviet Union?

Yes: 83%
No: 10%
No Opinion/Unsure: 7%

March 17th 1963 – Senator Barry Goldwater is asked if he has any interest in running for President in 1964 “I will not be a candidate in 1964, I have no intention on inheriting this war.”

A large number of NATO forces, excluding American forces, cross into Yugoslavia.
March 20th 1963 – Soviet forces lose ground and are pushed back on the Eastern front but not by much, they are still injected into France.

April 1st 1963 – NATO forces land near Kiel, Germany.

April 2nd 1963 – The Japanese Diet contemplates declaring war on the Soviet Union, China threatens to intervene if this happens. Intelligence reports say that North Korea is mobilizing.  Double agents in the Soviet military inform NATO military officials that Hungarian-Soviet forces have detected the NATO forces in Yugoslavia. Yugoslavian and NATO forces begin a preemptive attack on Hungary.
April 3rd 1963 –

5:00am: Officials announce that Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson had been found dead on his bed. The cause of death is currently unknown.

5:00pm: The first nuclear missile is launched.

[sentinel]

April 3rd 1963



Shortly after Vice President Johnson is found dead…

President Kennedy after finding out about Vice President Johnson’s death.

“Mr. President, I regret to inform you that Vice President Johnson died suddenly this morning…”

“What!? How did this happen? I can’t believe this…”

“Sir, we don’t know the cause of death but it does not appear to be a violent one…we will need to wait for an autopsy and toxicology test to be performed…”

“I can’t believe this. Do we have any reason to believe that the KGB or the Soviets are behind this?”

“No, not yet at least. Our cameras and officers all reported no suspicious activity last night but members of the Vice President’s staff reaffirmed that. Mr. President right now we need to get you to a secure location, as you know Defense Secretary McNamara was shot by a Soviet infiltrator and we can’t take any more chances after the Vice Presidents death”

“It seems to me that being in a secure location won’t do me any good. If Lyndon was killed by a KGB member, then clearly our security has been breached. If he was poisoned, then hell, I could be poisoned too.”

“Sir, we have a doctor waiting for you at the secure location who is ready to look into that, we need you to come now.”

5:23am
“Mr. Speaker…the President’s senior staff just called. The Vice President was found dead…”
“Mr. Speaker, we’re here to move you to a more secure location following recent events, we have reason to believe that your location and security has been compromised…”

(Partial) Current Line of Succession as of 6:00am April 3rd 1963
1)   Speaker of the House of Representatives John W. McCormack (D – Massachusetts, 72yrs old)
2)   President Pro Tempore of the Senate Carl Hayden (D- Arizona, 86 yrs old)
3)   Secretary of State Dean Rusk (D, 54yrs old)
4)   Secretary of the Treasurey C. Douglas Dillon (R,  54yrs old)
5)   Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara (R,  47yrs old)

Around the same time after Carl Hayden is informed of the Vice President’s death, Hayden says privately to a close advisor ”God forbid the powers of the Presidency devolve unto me…I do not think I could do it…I would resign and let the powers devolve unto the next in line if there were still a next in line…”

7:00am – The Office of the President announces that Vice President Johnson has died. Military forces, already on high alert, are put on an even higher state of alert.

Noon – In a preliminary report to the President, the Coroner looking at the Vice President’s body says that toxicology tests will be needed and that there were no signs of a struggle or violence on the body. Heart failure is the cause of death but by what means remains the question.

1pm – NATO intelligence picks up troop movement along the Yugoslavian-Romanian/Hungarian border. Soviet and satellite forces are moving away from the border.

2pm – Soviet Premier Khruschev calls Yugoslav President Tito and demands Tito’s promise to stay out of the war and to allow Soviet forces to enter Yugoslavia. Tito bluntly refuses. Khruschev says that “I will convince you.”


5pm – Soviet bombers drop a “Tsar Bomba” nuclear warhead on the Yugoslavian capital of Belgrade killing most of its one million inhabitants…

The Soviets release a statement after the dropping of the bomb…”Let this be a lesson to the governments of Yugoslavia and the Allied forces…it is clear who will become the winner of this conflict of aggression against the Soviet Union and her allies…”

[sentinel]

The Aftermath

Hours after the destruction of Belgrade the Parliament of Japan votes to declare war on the Soviet Union and condemns the use of nuclear weapons saying “We cannot sit idly by and watch one million innocent lives are destroyed in an instant…we cannot sit idly by and let this happen to another nation…”

The United States condemns the attacks saying “…the world has just seen the reason why we are fighting this war…”

President Kennedy does not rule out nuclear retaliation during a live press conference.

The United Kingdom and other NATO and Western European nations all condemn the attack. Australia offers its support against the Soviet Union.  Finland and Sweden begin mobilizing their armed forces.

Humanitarian organizations begin working near Belgrade, they estimate the death for the initial impact could be over one million and over three hundred thousand more as a result of the destruction whether it is from starvation or radiation.

7,500 NATO soldiers and 12,000 Yugoslav forces were killed or wounded in the blast.

The Doomsday Clock is moved to midnight. Millions believe that nuclear Armageddon is now imminent.

In the hours after the attack, American fighters intercept Soviet warplanes over Alaskan Airspace.

Some members of Congress call for a preemptive nuclear strike on the Soviet Union, many saying that that Washington DC is next on the Soviet list. Congress unanimously backs the President and condemns the attack on Belgrade calling its destruction “unwarranted.”

The Soviets occupy all of the Netherlands, parts of Belgium, Luxembourg and some of eastern France and have pushed Allied forces back to Nogent, France.  Hungarian, Romanian and Soviet forces are pouring over the border with Yugoslavia...President Tito of Yugoslavia declares war on the Soviets and aligns himself firmly with NATO.


April 4th 1962

“Mr. Speaker.”
"Mr. President, how can I help you?"
"Senator Birch Bayh tried to get in touch with my staff earlier and he suggested some sort of amendment clarifying Presidential succession...I'm very interested in this and the ability to appoint a new Vice President should be therein...please have your staff look into this immediately."
"Yes, of course Mr. President."

[sentinel]

This is very good, but, one question:

How exactly can Kennedy install a new VP? The 25th Amendment wasn't ratified until 1967.

Good point. I missed that. I'll have to fix it.

[sentinel]

This is very good, but, one question:

How exactly can Kennedy install a new VP? The 25th Amendment wasn't ratified until 1967.

Good point. I missed that. I'll have to fix it.

Fixed.

[sentinel]

This is very good, but, one question:

How exactly can Kennedy install a new VP? The 25th Amendment wasn't ratified until 1967.

Good point. I missed that. I'll have to fix it.

Fixed.

OK, cool.

You know, an amendment might not be necessary. If you look at Article Two, Section Six:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

That could be interpreted to mean that Congress needs to simply pass a law about filling the Vice Presidency.

Of course, write your story the way you want it.

I appreciate the idea, not sure if I'll go that route or not, but I'll definitely think about it. I may update tonight.

[sentinel]

April - June 1963

   The Supreme Court rules on Gideon v. Wainwright saying that the poor must be provided with a lawyer in court.

   At home the nation is focused on the war and most legislation passed in Congress is defense-focused with most other issues falling to the wayside; however, with the help of Edmund Muskie the Clean Air Act of 1963 passes the Senate and the House who have met in secret locations (both Houses never at the same time or place). Also thanks to the help of Senator Muskie the Equal Pay Act, designed to limit disparities of wages between the sexes, has left committee and hopefully will get to the floor of the Democratic controlled Congress soon.

   On the war-front, some naval skirmishes are breaking out between North and South Korea as the tension on the border is escalating immensely. The experts at the United States Department of Defense believe that a second Korean War is imminent and many experts are advising the President not to become entrenched in a second Korean War when the Soviet Union is the major threat to American security.

   The Japanese have made several air attacks on Vladivostok and other small cities in Siberia and the eastern USSR but have not made any attempts at landing troops on the Asian mainland yet. China has partially mobilized and the Japanese have been on high alert for a Chinese attack. Soviet responses to Japanese attacks in Siberia have been limited.

   In the European theatre of war, more American troops have landed and Yugoslavia has been taken by Soviet forces. Greece and Turkey barely hold off the Soviet Union in southeastern Europe while Turkish forces are crumbling on their eastern border with the Soviet Union, however; hopes are still bright due to small groups of rebellions in the Soviet Republics of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia.

   Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and northeastern France are occupied by the Soviet Union and her allies. The USSR has installed one large puppet government for these three nations that some in the United States are calling the Soviet Republic of Benelux.
   NATO forces in Europe have largely become defensive in the previous months but some reports say that Supreme Allied Commander General Lyman Lemnitzer has been working with the Finnish and the Swedes on something.

   Soviet forces are 50 miles from Paris by the end of June.

   It is worth mentioning that the NATO landing in what was East Germany near Kiel was ultimately defeated.   

   The American occupation of Cuba is going surprisingly well. A large amount of American forces has kept rioting and any insurgency to a minimum.  The American Navy is keeping its eye on the Caribbean Sea with a high presence there. All of the major supporters and cabinet members of former Cuban President Osvaldo Torrado have been rounded up. How long to occupy Cuba, or what to do with Cuba after, has not made its way to the national discourse yet but undoubtedly will in the future.

   In late June, Senator Birch Bayh with the leaders of both parties in Congress proposes what would be the 24th or 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution depending on how fast it passes Congress and is ratified. The current amendment that is being ratified by the states would prohibit the revocation of voting rights due to the non-payment of poll taxes and would be the 24th Amendment if the Bayh amendment does not get ratified first. The proposed amendment reads:


“Section 1. In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.

Section 2. Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.

Section 3. Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President.

Section 4. Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.”

The Senate and House plan to vote upon the Amendment in July. President Kennedy has endorsed the amendment calling it “pragmatic and necessary.”

President Kennedy’s approvals have remained high by the end of June but are polling around 65%. Unemployment is normal around 5%.

The war has outshined many Presidential announcements. President Kennedy has confirmed that he will run for reelection but will be focusing on the job at hand and vows not to let campaigning get in the way of managing the war.

 Governor Nelson Rockefeller, who was widely expected to run for the Republican nomination, declines to run along with former Vice Presidential candidate Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.
Former Governor Harold Stassen of Minnesota announces that he will seek the nomination along with Senator Hiram Fong of Hawaii and Senator Thomas Henry Kuchel of California

[sentinel]

It's very interesting to see a "contained" nuclear war going on. Much more fascinating then all out nuclear holocaust.

I see the USA and USSR less inclined to drop nuclear bombs on each other for fear of nuclear retaliation. Yugoslavia was a quasi-ally of the USA/NATO so the USSR bet that NATO wouldn't respond in the same manner, for fear of retaliation on their homeland...would it be worth it to defend an ally like Yugoslavia while risking the destruction your own people?

Thanks

[sentinel]

July 15th 1963 –

The Bayh Amendment passes 83-7 with 10 Senators not voting for security reasons in the Senate and overwhelmingly in the House of Representatives. It now moves onto the states for ratification. President Kennedy asks the states to expedite the process. Massachusetts will be the first state to consider the amendment at the end of July. Texas, the home state of former Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, New York, California, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon and New Jersey also all plan to take up the bill in August. 38 states are required to ratify the amendment before it is the law of the land.

President Kennedy is asked about the Vice Presidency during the same press conference where he says if  possible, he wants the next Vice President confirmed sooner than January 1965. The Kennedy Administration has been leak proof on this, and many believe that even his closest advisors do not know who he has picked. There may be only two people in the world who knows who the next Vice President will be.

July 19th 1963

President John F. Kennedy is rushed into a bunker around five minutes to noon and is told that within moments the French will be launching an intercontinental nuclear missile at Russia within moments. The President is told that the stimulus for the missile launch was Soviet forces entering Paris. The President is also told that the French have offered the Soviets an ultimatum: leave Europe or while taking France you will be annihilated from the skies.
In the Kremlin, the ICBM is detected and officials are being evacuated from the city or into bunkers. Soviet Premier Khruschev is reportedly in Moscow.

A short while later the nuclear bomb explodes in Moscow, thwarting the USSR’s missile defenses.

Most of Moscow’s population of 5 million is killed instantly or within the ensuing hours.

President Kennedy is evacuated from Washington DC while the cabinet is taken to different corners of the United States.

French President de Gaulle threatens to use more nuclear bombs if the Soviets do not leave France. Premier Khruschev is unaccounted for.

Japan immediately  condemns the use of nuclear weapons against the Soviet Union calling it contradictory to the Allied cause.

Khruschev is still unaccounted for hours after the blast. A power struggle emerges between Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev and Soviet Minister of Defense Rodion Yakovievich Malinovsky. 

Brezhnev  orders the military to respond with nuclear retaliation on Paris while Malinovsky tries to intercept the command. Due to this no nuclear launch is made in the immediate few hours after the destruction of Moscow but the world is on the edge of their seats awaiting the inevitable retaliation of the United Soviet Socialist Republic.

[sentinel]

Yes, i saw that part. I was just wondering if he's decided on what the ultimate cause of death was.

"Heart failure is the cause of death but by what means remains the question."

It's been a few months since his death, shouldn't we be finding out by now what the potential cause of his heart failure was? The author of this TL left open the idea that he was poisoned. I was just wondering when we would hear from him about that.

Indeed, I did leave that out. I will address it on my next update.

[sentinel]

Yes, i saw that part. I was just wondering if he's decided on what the ultimate cause of death was.

"Heart failure is the cause of death but by what means remains the question."

It's been a few months since his death, shouldn't we be finding out by now what the potential cause of his heart failure was? The author of this TL left open the idea that he was poisoned. I was just wondering when we would hear from him about that.

Indeed, I did leave that out. I will address it on my next update.

I'm looking forward to reading it!

Sorry bout the delay. Expect an update this weekend.

[sentinel]

July 20th 1963
   The United Soviet Socialists Republic turns into a state of disarray as Brezhnev and Malinovsky battle for power. Khruschev is still unaccounted for and NATO and Soviet intelligence both believe that he was killed in the attack.  Fears in the Pentagon focus around Soviet nuclear warheads falling into the wrong hands if the USSR continues to destabilize, however; NATO forces are taking advantage of the destabilization by making a large push against Soviet forces  in Europe and launching all out airstrikes against the Soviet Union infrastructure and especially its means of communications. 

The Soviet Union’s responses are largely decentralized and ordered by commanders on the ground with limited communication to their superiors.

   July 20th ends with Brezhnev and Malinovsky still fighting for power.

July 21st 1963

First Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Nikolayevich Shelepin, former head of the KGB, calls for Brezhnev and Malinovsky to stand down and let him lead the way. He calls the two buffoons and said they should have died in the attack honorably instead of fleeing to the countryside. Schelepin tries to rally support around him, but due to the communication breakdown in the USSR, few hear his rallying cry. This complicates things for Brezhnev and Malinovsky because now their fiercely loyal secret police force is not on their side.

Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy appears in front of a closed session of an  investigatory committee in Congress to explain the delayed report of Vice President Lyndon B .Johnson’s  death. The report had been demanded by Congress numerous times but the President had used executive privilege to withhold the report and compromised for a closed session of Congress. 

Some of his remarks…

“At first it seemed as if the Vice President had died of heart failure…we could not find anything that would point to otherwise…”

“We reviewed security cameras, interviewed people and came up with nothing…”
“A fish chef in the kitchen, very late into our investigation, found a cylinder filled with something that he hadn’t seen in the kitchen before. He reported it to an agent who reported it to his superior. The cylinder was taken to a lab and examined. It was determined to be a very small and diluted amount of Saxitoxin which, we thought, was certainly a possible method of killing the Vice President…I would think we’re very lucky it didn’t kill everyone in the White House…the President had ordered beef that night…they ate together that night…Afterwards, the Vice President was brought back to the secure location rather quickly.”

“The secure location happened to be very close to Washington that night. The Vice President could have been there in 20 minutes…I can’t say more about this.”
“How do we know for certain that he was poisoned? Well we never looked at the security footage in the kitchen. Just didn’t think of it. We looked and we tried to identify every person in the video...there was one person we couldn’t identify…”

“We’ve looked at records of every person who has come into the White House. A member of the President’s economic team stopped showing up for work the next day…he hasn’t come back since…we did our research and we have reason to believe that the Vice President was assassinated by a sleeper KGB operative…who was also an American citizen.”

“I don’t know how we missed this one after Defense Secretary McNamara was shot. This guys clean as a whistle. His apartment had only bare essentials when we entered it…no real personal belongings…”

“We’re very lucky the President is alive.”

“The President is determined to continue fighting this war both domestically and abroad. We have completely fortified the White House in the aftermath of this…all our top officials are being guarded day and night by the United States Military wherever they are.”

“We’re telling the public its heart failure. They can’t know how vulnerable we are.”

July 23rd 1963

Reports come in from the USSR that Brezhnev has been assassinated. Two military officials,  Malinovsky and Shelepin are now fighting for power.

NATO forces have pushed back the frontlines to the Benelux border with Germany.  Turkish forces have pushed the Soviets back to their original border and Turkish/Greek forces have taken the Romanian capital.  The USSR’s communications and infrastructure is decimated in far eastern Russia and in much of northwest Russia as well as along the battlelines.

July 24th 1963

Romania’s top general is defeated and surrenders to NATO forces in the Balkans.
July 26th 1963

3:00:  Romanian leader Chivu Stoica surrenders to NATO doubting the hegemony of the USSR.

17:00 in Stalingrad: Alexandr Nikolayevich Shelepin becomes the next Premier of the United Soviet Socialists Republic after the “sudden and tragic” death of Soviet Minister of Defense Rodion Yakovievich Malinovsky.

Portrait of Shelepin

21:00: NATO intelligence reports that the USSR has just fired two of its intercontinental ballistic missiles.

[sentinel]

Yep - absolutely riveting!

And I think the last little twist you through in has made it even more interesting. Kennedy, rightfully so, is hugely popular right now (I mean, he is waging WWIII, and just nuked Moscow, so naturally he's going to have huge support from Americans).

But this whole security breach/assassination cover-up scandal (murder-gate) could be very damning for the Administration as the war clouds start to clear (if they clear). Or at the very least, it could be very damaging for the attorney general's office.

It'll be fun to see where you take this, as well as seeing what happens with those two missiles!

Thanks! I appreciate the feedback. There will be another update soon. There will definitely be repercussions for the cover-up down the road, but how big of repercussions I have yet to decide.

[sentinel]

July 24th 1963 continued

The Secret Service rushes into the Oval Office and grabs President Kennedy.

“What the…”

“Bunker. Now.”

The first missile misses its target, Paris, and detonates on Noisy-le-Sec, a commune east of Paris. The explosion kills nearly ten thousand people.

The second missile hits Los Angeles, California alluding the dismal US missile defense system. Los Angeles is destroyed instantly killing most of its two and a half million inhabitants.

Governor Edmund Brown Sr is killed in the attack along with Senator Alan Cranston and unknowingly, Lieutenant Governor Glenn M. Anderson becomes Governor instantly. They were both at separate events in Los Angeles.

Not long after the attack, Federal response teams, who had prepared for such a catastrophic event although nothing could really prepare them for the real thing, arrive in the Los Angeles-area and start setting up Ground Zero  Central Command. The US Military cuts off all roads going into or out of Los Angeles and President Kennedy, citing his wartime powers, places California under Marshall Law.

Rescue operations begin for any survivors of the Los Angeles Nuclear Attack (LANA).

President Kennedy addresses the nation about what historians a hundred years in the future will look back and call the strongest condemnation of any nation or people that a US President has ever spoken. Kennedy says that we Americans will not be annihilated and will only accept the unconditional surrender of the Soviet Socialists Republic.

President Kennedy assures the nation that the empire of evil the Soviet Union will feel the full wrath of the United States military might in the coming hours.

 The Massachusetts Legislature is called to an emergency session that night and passes the Bayh Amendment unanimously.

“Sir, we have our six primary targets and then the multitude of secondary targets…ready to launch operation Wrath of America (WOA – said WOAH) on your command.”

“Go.”

[sentinel]

Not an update, but I think its kinda cool...

[sentinel]

July 25 1963

The NATO counterassault continues on the western front but the Soviet forces have renewed vigor after rallying with their new Premier against the Western Powers.

At 1:00 a warplane drops a nuclear bomb over Leningrad, Russia. Many of its inhabitants have already fled to the mountains or have been evacuated. Most of the 700,000 people there are killed. The warplane is destroyed in the detonation.

The second nuclear detonation, from an American ICBM, hits Novosibirks which was not evacuated by the government; however, like Leningrad many fled to rural areas after the destruction of Moscow. Around 400,000 people are killed in the attack.

The third nuclear detonation, from an American ICBM based in Turkey, hits the city of Sverdlovsk killing most of its 800,000 inhabitants.

The last three missile strikes are on major military bases, two in the Western Soviet Union and one in the eastern Soviet Union. In total its estimated that the three detonations kill around 300,000 servicemen and at least 100,000 citizens.

The death toll, on the low end, is estimated at 2,300,000 for the six missiles.

American planes begin phase two of the operation, dropping pamphlets in Russian, Polish and other dialects over the battlefield, enemy headquarters and in the cities “If you love Russia you will stand down and you can be a part of shaping a new future for Russia. If you do not stand down then you will watch Russia crumble.”

President Kennedy addresses the nation announcing the use of nuclear weapons on the Soviet Union in retaliation for the destruction of Los Angeles. “We have been hurt deeply but this pain will make America stronger..in our despair we have lashed back at the Soviet Union and her allies…their cities are burning…I issue this ultimatum to the Soviet Premier and the people of the Soviet Union – halt all hostilities against the United States and her allies or face the combined nuclear force of the NATO powers…we will use all means necessary to bring your people to their knees if you do not take our ultimatum. If you do accept our ultimatum in return the United States and her allies with provide humanitarian aid for the survivors of the attacks on your cities.

I want to address the American people directly now – we will not lose this war but humanity may not win either. If we are all  to lose then we will lose together, fighting as one nation united under God. God bless you and God bless America.”

After the speech, gun sales go through the roof and ammunition and guns are quickly sold out throughout the United States. Military recruitment and volunteers jump exponentially.

Gallup manages to poll President Kennedy’s approval after the speech: 97%
July 26th    

Somewhere in a fortified bunker in Russia…

“Sir, we should not provoke them further…it will be the end of Russia and humanity…”
“Comrade Stalin would never have allowed such disloyalty to be heard –we must strike back with all our might and bring America to her knees!”

“It is you who are disloyal, if we followed your commands we and the rest of Russia would be dead within hours…”

“Our military force is far greater than the Western powers. Once our armies roll through the gates of Western cities we will be greeted as liberators…”

“We will not roll through any western cities if everyone is annihilated in a nuclear holocaust…we must accept the ultimatum”

“The ultimatum is surrender”

“Do not question Popov’s loyalty to Russia, you are both correct…accepting this ultimatum is surrender but to continue this would be the destruction of Russia and of the United States…I have never dealt with President Kennedy but I will extend an invitation to meet him in a neutral location so we may discuss the slaughter of two million innocent Russians by the United States, and over another million by their French brethren…”

That night President Kennedy accepts an invitation to meet Soviet Premier Alexandr Nikolayevich Shelepin two days from now on July 28th 1963 at a secured neutral location in Santiago, Chile. A defacto cease fire goes into effect until then.