America after the nuclear war: The John Glenn administration

[Reaganfan]

On Friday, December 23, 1983, Ronald Reagan awakens in the NORAD command buried within Cheyenne Mountain. Around 7:30am, he learns that overnight, heavy fighting has continued between NATO and Warsaw Pact forces within areas of Western Germany, Eastern France, and Northern Italy. Reagan contacts Prime Minister Thatcher, who has also been moved to a secure location in the U.K. Reagan informs Thatcher that the Pershing II missile sites throughout Europe may or may not be on the list of possible Soviet attack areas due to their recent deployments, but tells her that they are on tactical alert and stand-by. Thatcher and Reagan share a private conversations and continue to hope for peace in Europe.

At 10:42am EST, the President learns that the Soviets have air burst four low-kiloton nuclear weapons over NATO troops in  Northern Italy and Western Germany. NATO losses are said to be "horrendous". Approximately 10 minutes later, Reagan receives word from the Strategic Air Command that Soviet fighters are nearing U.S. Air Space in Alaska and also are in flight over Central France towards the United Kingdom.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, John Vassey, informs Reagan that the Soviet Union may be preparing to launch a full scale nuclear attack. The United States enacts the "Launch on Warning" policy, that if the Soviet Union is preparing to launch, America will do the same.

At 11am EST, President Reagan activates the Emergency Broadcast System in the United States. The message alerts all residents in the United States to immediately take shelter in local and municipal fallout shelters in areas nearest to them. Schools across America begin Air Raid drills, moving students into basements and in the "duck and cover" positions.

Reagan decides the best option, quite possibly the only option, to avoid a nuclear war is to get in direct contact with Yuri Andropov himself. The hot-line is connected at 11:10am EST, and he begins a translated conversation with Andropov, who is audibility distressed and angry.

Reagan: General Secretary, we have no wish for war.
Andropov: We Soviets shall not withdrawal from our alert readiness until the Americans remove themselves from Germany and retract their aggression in the rest of Soviet Europe and withdraw your Pershing missiles.
Reagan: Mr. Secretary, we will not permit Soviet domination of Western Europe. Until the Soviet Union withdraws back to the lines of the limitations subscribed by the Warsaw Pact, we cannot withdraw.
Andropov: Then I fear us...we...our countries will go to war.
Reagan: Mr. Secretary, neither you nor I wish for war. We Americans, as I'm sure you Soviets, only wish for Peace.
LINE IS SILENT FOR 15 SECONDS
Andropov: You wish for war, Mr President?
Reagan: I wish for peace, Mr. Secretary.
Andropov: (ANGRY) Then you MUST withdraw your forces at once.
Reagan: We cannot do that, Mr. Secretary. Not until-

LINE GOES DEAD.

Reagan, taken back by the conversation looks at General Vassey. "Take us to DEFCON 1." The President walks to a group of nearby Secret Service agents. "Where are my wife and children?" The Secret Service informs the President that they are in a secure location.

Reagan decides to address the nation at 12:00pm EST on the current events unfolding. Reagan and General Vassey walk inside the command center at NORAD. Those in the command center stop and look at Reagan. "All of you are doing a fine job, keep up the good work." Reagan says to them. They continue work. Vassey begins informing Reagan that the Strategic Air Command went to DEFCON 1 as soon as word was received of the Soviet nuclear attacks on NATO forces, but that now all forces worldwide are at DEFCON 1. As he and Reagan are speaking, a warning siren begins blaring inside the Command Center. The words "Missile Attack" light up the screen as small missile icons begin ascending up from the Soviet Union. General Vassey shouts to an officer in the center, "Is this for real?" The Captain responds, "General sir, we have confirmation of eight, I repeat, eight, ICBMs launched from the U.S.S.R." Reagan says to the Captain, "Eight missiles?" The Captain responds, "Now ten...thirteen missile launches, sir." Reagan tells Vassey that he must immediately order a full-scale nuclear attack on the Soviet Union.

At 11:32am EST, General Bennie L. Davis, head of the Strategic Air Command, receives the order from President Ronald Reagan to launch a full-scale nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. Within five minutes, hundreds of Minuteman and Titan missiles are launched from their Midwest Silos, as well as MRBMs and SRBMs from submarines. As Reagan is being swiftly moved to a secure area within the complex by Secret Service, he overhears the Captain, "Counting over 400 missiles, time on targets, roughly 23 minutes until initial impacts."

Reagan again activates the Emergency Broadcast System, which informs residents of the United States to take cover in shelter immediately, and that an attack in imminent.

At 11:41am EST, Reagan reaches Vice President Bush on telephone, informing him of the Soviet attack and the U.S. counterattack. Bush asks Reagan about his communications with Moscow. Reagan soberly replies, "In about 25 minutes, there will be no more Moscow."

[Person Man]

That's probably what happens. Are you going to give us an aftermath?

[Reaganfan]

At 11:55am, EST on Friday morning, December 23, 1983, the first Soviet ICBMs reach the United States. The first detonation occurs in the heart of downtown Seattle, Washington. The second at the Airbase just outside of Great Falls, Montana. Then Minot, North Dakota. Then Grand Forks. Then Duluth. Portland, Boston, New York, Newark, Worcester, Providence, Washington, Arlington...virtually every major city in the United States is struck with a single warhead of atleast 10 megatons.

President Reagan, in an underground region of NORAD, behind a secure 25-ton steel door, embedded within Cheyenne Mountain and protected from nuclear fallout, hears and feels the explosion and shockwave of a warhead that detonates four miles from where he is standing.

General James V. Hartinger, Commander of NORAD reports to Reagan that communications are gone between NORAD and the Early Ballistic Missile Warning System in England, as well as  the reported destruction of Thule Air Base in Greenland. Reagan is also made aware that Paris, London, and Manchester have lost their downlinks, implying that Soviet warheads have destroyed those cities as well.

Within five minutes time, American ICBM impacts begin striking Soviet targets. The first city struck is Murmansk. Within minutes, reports come in that Berlin, Warsaw, Moscow, Minsk, and much of the Warsaw Pact has been impacted.

Reagan is anxious as to whether or not Yuri Andropov has survived. If he has indeed survived, then there could be the opening for a cease-fire. However, if Andropov is dead, then either the Soviet Union has no leader, or surviving KGB hardliners could continue fighting by whatever means they have left.

The Soviet attack ceases at 12:17pm EST, as the final warhead detonates over New Orleans, Louisiana. The American attack ceases several minutes later.

President Reagan decides to find out as much information as he can on the full scope of the destruction, and then try to get into contact with other leaders, including Yuri Andropov, Margaret Thatcher and George Bush.

[Person Man]

Can we see a map of impacted, destroyed and survived cities? How did everyone in Vault 101 make out?

[Reaganfan]

[Person Man]

Well, I see some states that have been totally destroyed while a few major cities... Indianapolis, San Deigo, Des Moines, Toledo, Albuquerque, Orlando, Jacksonville, El Paso and Oklahoma City and Nashville weren't hit. It would be cool if Vegas was missed.

Didn't even make it to Christmas.....

[Reaganfan]

Around 3pm EST, 12pm PST, Ronald Reagan calls the Commander of NORAD, General Hartinger and General Vessey into a private room. Reagan, "General Hartinger, what I am about to share with you is, well, top secret...although I suppose now it can be made known to a select few, among which you are. During the Presidency of Dwight Eisenhower, a secret plan to continue the functions of Government in the event of a nuclear war was implemented. This shadow government began in 1954, and is based all around the country. It almost fell-through during the Johnson administration, only to be reimplemented under Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. It was scheduled to be expanded in 1984, but obviously, that won't be happening now.  Our constitution, our banking systems, our defense, and yes, our leadership is fully functioning despite Washington, New York and our Military bases being gone."

General Hartinger responds, "Mr. President...what are you saying?"

Reagan says, "What I'm saying is that COG is in effect. General Vessey, I want to speak to Division Leader #1."

Unknown to anyone, except Ronald Reagan, George Bush, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a select few of Reagan's top administration officials, in the event of a war with the Soviet Union, the United States is divided into divisions. These unofficial borders allow the shadow Government to function and carry out recovery and reconstruction efforts within the affected regions.

The leaders of these division regions were carefully selected  and have terms that are renewed or succeeded. Some of these leaders are elected officials, others are not, but their experience and suggested qualifications led to their selection. The political affiliation of these division leaders was considered irrelevant during selection. Each division has one official director and three deputy directors.



DIVISION 1 LEADERSHIP
Robert McNamara (Sec of Def under Kennedy, Johnson) - DIRECTOR
John Glenn (Marine Corps Pilot, Astronaut, Senator) - DEPT. DIRECTOR
John Warner (Sec of Navy, Senator) - DEPT. DIRECTOR
Richard Schweiker (Senator, Sec of HHS under Reagan) - DEPT. DIRECTOR

DIVISION 2 LEADERSHIP
Henry Kissinger (Sec of State under Nixon, Ford) - DIRECTOR
Ted Kennedy (Senator) - DEPT. DIRECTOR
Rudy Giuliani (Associate Attorney General under Reagan) - DEPT. DIRECTOR
Lee Hamilton (Congressman from Indiana since 1965) - DEPT. DIRECTOR

DIVISION 3 LEADERSHIP
Walter Mondale (Senator, Vice President of U.S. under Carter) - DIRECTOR
Robert A. Lovett (Sec of Def under Truman) - DEPT. DIRECTOR
Gerald Ford (Congressman, Vice President, President 1974-1977) - DEPT. DIRECTOR
Robert Bergland (Congressman, Sec of Agriculture under Carter) - DEPT. DIRECTOR

DIVISION 4 LEADERSHIP
Richard Nixon (Congressman, Senator, Vice President, President 1969-1974) - DIRECTOR
Barry Goldwater (Senator) - DEPT. DIRECTOR
Tom Foley (Congressman) - DEPT. DIRECTOR
William Rehnquist (Associate Justice of Supreme Court since 1972) - DEPT. DIRECTOR

DIVISION 5 LEADERSHIP
Donald Rumsfeld (Congressman, U.S. Rep to NATO, WH Chief of Staff, Sec of Def under Ford) - DIRECTOR
Lloyd Bentsen (Congressman, Senator) - DEPT. DIRECTOR
Jimmy Carter (Gov of Georgia, President 1977-1981) - DEPT. DIRECTOR
John Tower (Senator) - DEPT. DIRECTOR

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I love it! However, I don't see Detroit on that list...

[Reaganfan]

I love it! However, I don't see Detroit on that list...

There is no more Detroit.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I love it! However, I don't see Detroit on that list...

There is no more Detroit.

Dang. Well that probably wipes out my mom (daughter of an auto engineer), though I think my dad only moved into the state in 1984...

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I love it! However, I don't see Detroit on that list...

There is no more Detroit.

Dang. Well that probably wipes out my mom (daughter of an auto engineer), though I think my dad only moved into the state in 1984...

He erased my parents as well.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I love it! However, I don't see Detroit on that list...

There is no more Detroit.

Dang. Well that probably wipes out my mom (daughter of an auto engineer), though I think my dad only moved into the state in 1984...

He erased my parents as well.

What'll happen to the political message boards of the future if all the posters are being killed before they're even born?

[Reaganfan]

Reagan is connected through a secure video-teleconference with Robert McNamara.

"Mr. President, do you have audio visual?" McNamara asks Reagan. "Yes I do, Bob...tell me what you know." "Well sir, right now I can tell you we have confirmation that the following cities have been decimated in the attack; Washington, where we confirmed two detonations of 30 megaton warheads, one which was airburst above Capitol Hill, the other which was ground-burst at the Pentagon in Arlington. Our current estimate shows roughly 1 million in immediate deaths in Washington, Arlington and the surrounding areas."

"Dear God..." Reagan somberly responds. McNamara continues, "Mr. President, I should also tell you that Soviet MIRVs were extremely effective in this attack. Philadelphia was struck by three ground bursts of no less than 50 megatons every 90 seconds during the attack. Preliminary reports put losses at around 3 million, in downtown and the surrounding areas. We see that about 40 nautical miles around downtown are completely gone, with catastrophic damage in the areas surrounding the blast zone."

"What kind of recovery forces do we have in the area?" Reagan asks. "Sir, right now our COG recovery forces have dispatched teams to areas outside of the blast zone. We assume no persons within the 40 mile radius around Washington, Arlington or Philadelphia have survived, and if they have, the total radioactivity will not allow them to survive for more than 36 hours, and that is in the very best scenario, sir." McNamara replies.

Communications are extremely difficult, as Reagan notes that the EMP effect in the blast regions has severely disrupted communications. He soon gets in contact with Division #2 around 6pm EST.

"Dr. Kissinger, are you there?" Reagan asks. "Yes, Mr. President, I'm reporting from Division 2 Headquarters. New York City is completely gone, sir. The blasts, and that is blasts as in plural, took out everything from Brooklyn to Hempstead to Manhattan and White Plains. We estimate atleast seven detonations, including the first airburst over the Empire State Building, sir. Total losses atleast 10 million...atleast, Mr. President." Kissinger, responds. "How about the other affected regions?" Reagan asks. "Sir, right now we know that Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Boston, Concord, Indianapolis, Chicago and Detroit were hit as well sir, total losses in Division 2 total no less than 30 million, sir."

Reagan breaks into tears.

[Reaganfan]

I must note a few things.

#1. It's scary how realistic and easy this scenario was to lead to a full scale nuclear war. In 1983 relations between the two superpowers were at an all-time low, Yuri Andropov and members of the Politburo leadership were old, frail, and were focused on the 1941 surprise German attack, and saw Reagan as a reckless man who would no doubt strike first.

#2. It's scary how difficult it is to continue the United States in this scenario, not specifically due to the actual decimated cities or horrendous loss of life, but the fact that Soviet warheads were probably even more powerful than shown in this what-if and radiation would take thousands of years to get down to normal levels.

[Person Man]

Its probably easier to tell us how many survived than died. I am guessing it was half the population and of that half, half will not make it?

[Person Man]

I hope to hear more of this.

[Reaganfan]

Christmas morning, December 25, 1983. Ronald Reagan begins this Sunday morning with prayer, and prepares to make his first radio address since the war. Through discussions with President Nixon, Dr. Kissinger, Vice President Mondale, Secretary McNamara and Secretary Rumsfeld, Reagan has come to terms with the toll on human life and infrastructure. The NORAD command bunker has it set up so that the President will be heard on every radio frequency in the United States, and will direct instructions through the Emergency Broadcast Band.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States:

My fellow Americans, as we remember the birth of Christ on this Christmas morning, we realize that the past two days have brought a catastrophic series of events upon the world. In a conflict that began over 35 years ago, what many had feared has tragically come to pass. The Soviet Union, acting in it's own self-interest, used tactical nuclear weapons on our allies in Western Europe. Their domination and oppression has come to a halt, however, but not without paying a price. When the Soviet missiles struck our country two days ago, I authorized our Military to retaliate. At this time, I have received confirmation that the city of Moscow has been destroyed. The bomb that struck Moscow also destroyed a medical facility where Soviet Premier Yuri Andropov was located. We have received confirmation that Andropov was killed in that attack. We can also report that anti-KGB up-risers have ceased control of the leadership of the Soviet Union, and they have conferred through us, that they wish to have a ceasefire and rebuild our countries and our relationship with one another.

Of course, all of this comes with a very heavy burden. The bombs that struck our country hit several locations in almost every region. The majority of the attacks were on our civilian population targets, while much of our Military complex was spared. New York City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C, however, were not. Millions were lost, and perished... along with those great cities.

So now the question is, what do we do? How do we go on? Our government remains fully functional, and in command of national and international events. We are coordinating relief efforts in every sector of the United States. Radiation levels in every sector of our country are far too high to expose the human body to at this time. I have instructed hour by hour radioactivity updates on the Emergency Broadcast System band and when levels in your sector become safe enough, recovery teams will have Emergency shelters and relief efforts set up in your vicinity.

Make no mistake, the United States will go on, stronger, prouder, freer than we have ever been. I know it's difficult to understand but, sometimes painful things like this happen. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue.

The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. Thank you, God Bless You, and God Bless the United States of America.

-Ronald Reagan, December 25, 1983 address on nuclear war.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Mike, this is very interesting piece of work. I congratulate you.

[Person Man]

Very good so far. Here is what the time period between 1983-1997 will probably look like-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threads

[Fuzzybigfoot]

LOL   It looks like one missile may have accidentally hit Green Bay instead of Milwaukee.  Or is a nuclear facility there?  

[Reaganfan]

January 23, 1984. One month after the attack.

Radiation levels are slowly beginning to decline, but are still too hazardous in many areas for Government assistance. President Reagan spent most of January living in the Cheyenne Mountain Complex, along with many Military personnel. Vice President Bush is also alive and well at the Mount Weather Complex. Americans across the country try to resume some sense of normalcy by broadcasting from CB radios.

The hardest hit state by far was California, seconded by Missouri. All of the major cities in California were destroyed, and radioactivity may never get below dangerous levels. Missouri was also hit hard, with Kansas City, St. Louis and other cities falling victim to extreme-megaton thermonuclear ground bursts. Skylines have become nothing more than flat, charred land, having only been seen before at ground zero in Hiroshima less than 40 years before. Also, Titan missile bases in the midwest cause extreme fallout over Missouri and southern Illinois. Illinois itself was struck surprisingly by only three Soviet missiles, one which was airburst over the Chicago River, and two 50-megaton groundbursts in downtown Chicago.

Four states went without any direct missile impacts. Oklahoma, Iowa, Kentucky and West Virginia are confirmed to have not been struck by Soviet ICBMs, and while fallout levels are dangerous in extreme western Kentucky and parts of eastern West Virginia, for the most part those states and their residents are alive and well, and those states residents are the ones most conscious of Reagan's radio addresses.

With an approaching Presidential election, the Government has to decide how to continue the political scene. With Senator McGovern and Vice President Mondale the only two Democratic contenders alive (Senator Cranston was in Los Angeles, presumed lost, Senator Gary Hart was campaigning in Concord, New Hampshire (presumed lost) and Jesse Jackson was campaigning in Chicago (presumed lost), that leaves only McGovern and Mondale. Add to this, the fact that Mondale is a National Division Director for the upper Midwest, many wonder how this will play out. It's expected that voter turnout in a national election would likely be down to Civil War-levels. However, President Reagan insists that the American people must vote in this election.

It's eventually decided upon by a majority of the surviving Congress at Mount Weather to allow an open-style election, where people can write-in candidates. Nobody is much in the mood for campaigning. Afterall, the Reagan administration and the COG are still trying to restore computer and television technology to millions of surviving Americans.

[Person Man]

I am guessing Civil-War Levels is what is expected. That would be the same as Mideval levels in Europe. I am guessing that out of a population of 4.5 Billion that the world's population is now 900 million, with much of the Industrialized world destroyed and most of the Third World's population starved to death in Nuclear Winter and loss of aid.

[Reaganfan]

By May of 1984, the full scope of the devastation begins to materialize. On May 1, 1984, President Reagan receives word that the radiation count in his region of Colorado is now considered safe for limited exposure. Reagan and his advisers at NORAD decide that moving the President to Area 51, which has been virtually untouched by radioactivity, is the safest bet for a re-location.

Over the months, Reagan receives reports and images from the regions impacted by the bombs. Manhattan has been scarred by a giant crater, as well as the complete destruction of all buildings and landmarks. The Statue of Liberty collapsed into the Hudson River, while the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center disappeared. Chicago has a similar fate. Los Angeles was hit but not as severely as New York and Chicago, mainly because the Soviet ICBM that was ground-burst on the city fell short and detonated in the Mountains surrounding the city. Nevertheless, with America's major cities gone, Reagan faces an unimaginable dilemma. How do you begin a country that has lost everything that brought it to this point? President Nixon calls Reagan on May 3rd to give him an update on the California situation. Radiation levels are so bad, that even limited exposure in any Southern part of the state would be fatal. Meanwhile, the radioactivity from the missile bases in the Midwest continue to follow the pattern of the jet-stream, pushing up the Eastern Seaboard.

Vehicles are still able to maneuver in regions not directly impacted by the bombs, thus a mass exodus begins from areas outside of blast zones into the so-called "safe-regions", areas that were atleast 100 or more miles from a blast zone, and which are not under heavy fallout. At Area 51, Reagan sees a map showing the impact regions of the Soviet attack.

Alabama: Birmingham
Alaska: Anchorage, Early Warning Station
Arizona: Phoenix, Tuscon
Arkansas: Little Rock
California: Early Warning Station, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, Los Angeles, Long Beach
Colorado: Denver, Colorado Springs
Connecticut: Hartford, New Haven
Delaware: No detonations
Florida: Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville, Pensacola (AFB)
Georgia: Atlanta
Hawaii: Honolulu
Idaho: Boise
Illinois: Chicago (3 detonations)
Indiana: No detonations
Iowa: No detonations
Kansas: Missile silos, 2-4 detonations
Kentucky: No detonations
Louisiana: New Orleans, Baton Rouge
Maine: Portland
Maryland: Annapolis, Baltimore, Washington, D.C. (2 detonations)
Massachusetts: Boston, Worcester
Michigan: Detroit
Minnesota: Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth
Mississippi: No detonations
Missouri: Kansas City, St. Louis, Missile Silos, 6-10 detonations
Montana: Billings, Great Falls
Nebraska: Omaha
Nevada: Las Vegas
New Hampshire: Concord
New Jersey: Newark
New Mexico: Albuquerque
New York: New York City (2 detonations), Buffalo, Rochester
North Carolina: Charlotte
North Dakota: Fargo, Bismark, Grand Forks, Minot, Missile Silos 2-4 detonations
Ohio: Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati
Oklahoma: No detonations
Oregon: Portland
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh
Rhode Island: Providence
South Carolina: No detonations
South Dakota: Sioux Falls, Missile Silos 3-6 detonations
Tennessee: Memphis, Nashville
Texas: Houston, Dallas, San Antonio
Utah: No detonations
Vermont: No detonations
Virginia: Virginia Beach, Richmond, Arlington
Washington: Seattle
West Virginia: No detonations
Wisconsin: Milwaukee, Green Bay
Wyoming: Missile silos, 2-4 detonations

The states of Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia received no detonations at all despite some early reports. However, 40 states were hit by atleast one bomb, with California having received seven. The worst hit state was Missouri with 12 detonations.

[Reaganfan]

Summer 1984 reveals a new start for scarred America. President Reagan gives his first television address on August 1st, and data indicates people in the 10 states not impacted by bombs still have radio, television and telephone communications. This is a great relief to the COG and the Reagan Administration, giving them hope that a future following the war may be possible.

On August 2nd, Vice President George Bush flies from the hills of Virginia to Area 51 in New Mexico and meets with President Reagan. Both men are seen embracing. NBC News is the first national network to resume broadcasting on August 16th, with their headquarters from Atlantic City, New Jersey. News anchor Tom Brokaw, who was in upstate New York at the time, has survived the attack, and has himself broadcast from New Jersey.

"I'm Tom Brokaw, NBC News. The world has been through nearly eight months of carnage following the nuclear war between the United States, the Soviet Union, and NATO and Warsaw Pact forces. As we come back on the air during this surreal time, here is what we can tell you. New York, London, Paris, Moscow and many more American, Soviet and European cities have fallen to ruins. Millions of lives have been lost. Radiation levels have decreased but in some areas are still potentially lethal. We, like all around the world, pray for the victims and as we try and piece together our world, pray for the hope that a brighter day may come.

What we know at this hour is that President Ronald Reagan is located with Vice President George Bush at a secure military installation somewhere in New Mexico where we expect to hear from him momentarily. There is still a nationwide ban on aviation, and the borders with Canada and Mexico remain closed. Special U.S. Military and Government recovery teams have been in place for the last several months providing food, medical attention, and recovery efforts outside direct blast zone areas. Radiation levels in the United States have decreased significantly the past eight months, but are still lethal in the San Francisco Bay region, as well as an area of 50 miles around lower Manhattan. The radiation count in the state of Missouri is also said to be deadly due to heavy fallout from the destruction of Kansas City, St. Louis and many ICBM Missile Silos."

As news in states where television is available resumes, many in the areas outside of blast zones who had built fallout shelters come out for the first time in several months, and make their way to COG checkpoints set-up near major Soviet impact points.

Reagan and Bush discuss the current Soviet situation. Bush's opinion is that off the record, the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact no longer exist. The only KGB and hard-line communist leaders left living in Moscow have been overthrown by the freedom rebel survivors and the Soviet Union doesn't seem to have any leadership or recovery forces, unlike the United States which still has a functioning Government and leaders. Bush exclaims, "The Soviet Union ended in 1983."

As far as politics goes, broadcasts on radio and television tell listeners that the Presidential election will be an all-write in election to take place on November 6th. Reagan tells viewers in a weekly address on October 6th that he would honored to have the opportunity to help rebuild and strengthen the United States following the war. The only other people who are curious as to the job are George McGovern, Walter Mondale, John Glenn, and former President Jimmy Carter, who announces that he would, "Lead with humility and dignity to rebuild America back to her former glory" if he were to be elected President. Polling places begin early voting at COG Voting Centers near checkpoints of blast regions. In the ten states not impacts and those regions without fallout, the Government oversees polling places in local regions not run by COG. Voting is set to begin October 16th to allow ample time for the votes to come in.

By November 16, 1983, the votes are counted and are as follows.

Ronald Reagan - 4,159,367
Jimmy Carter - 3,305,225
George McGovern - 1,921,866
George Bush - 890,976
Walter Mondale - 440,047
John Glenn - 940
Robert McNamara - 732
Richard Nixon - 405

Ronald Reagan has been re-elected President by an uncertain write-in system with Civil-War levels of voter turnout.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Why wouldn't they re-election Reagan in a landslide? Also, why is the election held one year early?