Anton Cermak (left) and Franklin Roosevelt
February 15, 1933: An assassination attempt is made against President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt, at Bayfront Park in Miami. The shooter, an Italian immigrant named Giuseppe Zangara, missed him, but hit Mayor Anton Cermak of Chicago, who died on March 6. Zangara was executed 14 days later.
Had the attempt succeeded, Vice President-elect John Nance Garner would have become President on March 4. We don't know who would have been next in line: Under the Presidential Succession Act of 1886, the Secretary of State would have been next, but there's no way to know if Garner would have appointed Senator Cordell Hull of Tennessee to the post, as FDR did.
There would have been an attempt to ease the Great Depression, but it wouldn't have been what we know as the New Deal. The Depression would still have been going on in 1941, and there would have been no effort from whoever was President at that point to oppose Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, including no Atlantic Charter with Britain. The Nazis would have beaten Britain, likely without attacking the Soviet Union.
This would have set up a Cold War against the Soviets, with the U.S., the Nazis and the Japanese on the same side. And of those 3 big nations on that side, the U.S. would be the weakest, since it would still be in a post-Depression hangover, with a post-World War I attitude of isolation and a post-World War I minimal Army and Navy.
This likely means that the Civil Rights Movement would have gained very little traction. Jackie Robinson is a forgotten former UCLA running back. Martin Luther King dies in a Southern jail sometime between 1955 and 1968.
There might have been a President Kennedy, but it would have been Joe Jr., especially since, in this case, Joe Sr. would not have been disgraced for supporting the Nazis. And, aside from being the 1st Catholic President, Joe Jr. wouldn't have had the kind of impact that the President Kennedy that we know had. The Nazis would have gotten to space first, and to the Moon first.
Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon all end up as quirky folksingers who don't really catch on in mainstream America. Rock and roll is a fad that dies out by 1960. Elvis Presley becomes a renowned country singer, with a voice that puts him on a level with, say, George Jones; but not the "King" of anything. Chuck Berry and Little Richard both end up in prison, on morals charges -- Chuck with girls, Richard with boys. Buddy Holly might have become a country star, but, like Jim Reeves and Patsy Cline, he still might have died young in a plane crash.
John Lennon is one of many British rockers we know who, without the outlet of rock, end up in jail -- especially if Britain has a Nazi-friendly government, similar to Vichy France. Paul McCartney becomes a minor musical figure outside Britain. Mick Jagger is a frustrated economics professor.
Motown singers like Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, and even Michael Jackson get to be no bigger than cabaret acts. David Bowie becomes an experimental filmmaker who never gets the credit he deserves. Elton John and Billy Joel remain piano players in lounges. Bruce Springsteen is a mechanic. Madonna is a waitress who used to dance on Broadway. Prince becomes a Jehovah's Witness preacher. Britney Spears and Taylor Swift never cross over from country. If Beyoncé becomes famous, it might also be as a country singer. And as for rappers, forget it: The market for their skills will never be allowed to develop.
Eventually, the Soviets' part in the Cold War is to launch insurgencies in the colonies that Germany took from Britain, France and the rest in Africa; and Japan took from them in Asia. This means that the Nazis, the Japanese, and, at their insistence, the U.S. fight the Vietnam War, and each is weakened by it, but not defeated. The Soviet Union falls on schedule in 1991. And then there were 3. But America is still an economic and technical backwater compared to the Nazi-led European Union and the Empire of Japan.
Rights for women? A struggle few accept. Rights for black people and other nonwhites? A nonstarter. Rights for gay people? We don't even talk about that kind of people, because we don't talk about that kind of behavior. Social Security? Medicare? Medicaid? OSHA? The Environmental Protection Agency? What the hell are those things?
Donald Trump has never become President. He's never needed to run for the office. He says, "I'm thrilled with how America is run. Believe me!"
*
But Zangara did not hit Roosevelt. And the only thing we had to fear was fear itself.
*
February 15, 1933 was a Monday. Baseball and football were out of season. The NBA hadn't been founded yet. And there were no games scheduled in the NHL. So there were no scores on this historic day.
No comments:
Post a Comment