Chapter 252
Chapter 252
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Collapsed Calculations
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I had planned to throw my support behind the Republicans in the 1964 U.S. presidential election.
Considering the Democratic Party's overt stance on checking Korea, the Republicans were honestly the only viable option for us.
The problem lay with the roster of Republican presidential candidates.
Number one: the familiar name, Barry Goldwater.
He was a leader who prioritized Cold War thinking and was advantageous to Korea economically, but his overly aggressive ultra-hardliner foreign policy was a major drawback.
He had somehow survived his last term, but who knew what would happen if Goldwater won again.
'Goldwater's more dangerous than Kennedy.'
I had no intention of partnering with Goldwater twice.
Number two: Nelson Rockefeller.
He represented the liberal wing of the Republican Party, and his foreign policy felt downright mild—almost tame—compared to Goldwater's.
The downside? His advisor was Henry Kissinger.
Kissinger was one of the leading anti-Korea figures in the Republican Party, advocating for checks on Korea.
'Thinking about Kissinger makes Goldwater seem better, though.'
With these two, neither choice boded well for Korea.
'Might as well push a different card.'
I thought of Richard Nixon, the Republican heavyweight who would run in the '68 election.
He was a heavyweight who had become president in the original timeline, so his political skills were proven.
'Nixon uses Kissinger too, but they're not close enough for that kind of trust.'
Plus, Nixon was an anti-communist just as hardcore as Goldwater.
In the original timeline, he had agreed to Kissinger's idea of joining hands with China to check the real reds—the Soviet Union—but would he go along with allying with Moscow to check Korea?
I didn't think so.
In this context, Nixon could be a solid alternative.
I decided to push Nixon as the Republican presidential nominee.
"Pull together all the files on Richard Nixon."
"Pardon? Nixon, sir?"
"Yes."
I had the KCIA scrape together every scrap of material related to Richard Nixon.
A few days later, the KCIA's report landed on my desk.
'Nixon might actually turn out to be a surprisingly useful card.'
Nixon's political base was more solid than I'd imagined.
He lacked vice-presidential experience in this world, but he'd served a long stint as a senator instead.
He certainly had presidential ambitions.
Nixon had run in the 1960 Republican primaries and gone head-to-head with Barry Goldwater.
"I want to get Senator Nixon into the presidential race. Any way to make it happen?"
"The conservatives are backing Goldwater, the moderates Rockefeller. Who's going to support Nixon?"
Simple: knock Rockefeller out.
Fortunately for us, Rockefeller was a politician with plenty of vulnerabilities.
Like Kennedy, Rockefeller had a notorious womanizing streak.
Rumor had it that even at 70, when he died, he'd suffered a fatal heart attack mid-sex with his young secretary Megan in her mid-20s.
I immediately greenlit the operation.
This wasn't about hitting a presidential candidate—it was targeting a primary contender—so the risk was lower.
The attack points were straightforward.
"Divorced his first wife and remarried his affair partner. Hammer that home."
Divorce, affair, remarriage.
A lethal combo that could alienate every female voter by this era's standards.
In the original timeline, his rival Barry Goldwater had used those exact three words to crush Nelson Rockefeller in the primaries.
The reason we weren't letting Goldwater do it and were leaking it early was simple.
"We need to buy Nixon time to step up."
We used German-Korean businessmen posing as Americans to place ads in the New York Times and elsewhere.
"Nelson Rockefeller was that sleazy?"
"I thought he was a gentleman, but he's just like Kennedy."
Once we opened the floodgates, Goldwater jumped in too.
"Divorce, affair, remarriage! How can the champion of conservative Republican values run for office with that baggage!"
With Goldwater piling on, the press mobilized.
"Governor, care to explain? Were you having an affair with Happy Rockefeller before your remarriage?"
"I won't comment on my private life."
"This is a matter of the public's right to know."
Rockefeller couldn't withstand the onslaught.
Before the primaries even heated up, Rockefeller dropped out.
"So what happens now? Does Goldwater just waltz to the nomination?"
"No way in hell. We're not letting a lunatic like that anywhere near the presidency. Two terms of Goldwater and this country's done for."
The Republican moderates scrambled for alternatives.
That's when the KCIA whispered to Nixon's inner circle behind the scenes.
"Congressman, this is your only shot at the White House. You lost to Goldwater in '60 by bad luck, but this time it's different. Time to settle the score."
It sounded plausible even to Nixon's aides.
"You know, no election's this ripe for the taking. He's got a point."
The incumbent Democratic president, Kennedy, was rated as one of the weakest opponents in history.
Any remotely human candidate from the Republicans was guaranteed a win.
It wasn't long before Nixon declared his presidential run.
"To protect the freedoms of the United States, I, Richard Nixon, will enter the primaries."
With Nixon stepping up, the moderates without options quickly rallied behind him.
"Nixon's a blockhead, but compared to Goldwater, he's human. No other choice."
In this scenario, the general election was winnable.
Beating Goldwater was the hurdle, but we could erode his support just by getting his reckless quotes in the press.
"If necessary to preserve freedom, I'll risk nuclear war."
Who'd vote for a leader spouting that kind of danger?
Nixon could win the primaries just by sitting tight and keeping his mouth shut.
Nixon's primary victory was all but certain.
That didn't mean I could relax about him entirely.
Nixon might unexpectedly lean into checking Korea against my expectations.
To probe that risk, I ordered close scrutiny of his campaign's key figures.
That's when I spotted a very unwelcome name.
"Kissinger?"
"Looks like New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller recommended him to the Nixon camp."
How did it come to this again?
I'd hoped Kissinger wouldn't latch onto Nixon, but that was wishful thinking.
Things don't always go according to plan.
I decided to pin my hopes on Nixon's distaste for Kissinger.
Everything else proceeded smoothly.
"Candidate Goldwater is undoubtedly a fine presidential contender. But he gambles too recklessly with the nation's fate. We've seen in Munich how dangerous a gambler is who stakes the people and the country."
Nixon masterfully tore into Goldwater with his tongue.
Before the throne of the presidency, their friendship or camaraderie meant nothing.
Goldwater counterattacked, but Nixon was such a bore there was no real ammunition against him.
We watched the Republican primaries unfold, confident in Nixon's win.
What about the Democrats?
Kennedy was pushing through the Civil Rights Act and such to regain popularity, but his approval ratings still couldn't break 40%.
That wasn't enough to beat the Republican primary winner.
The Democrats knew it too.
That's why heavyweights were jumping into their primaries.
Senator Hubert Humphrey, Governor George Wallace, and others threw their hats in.
All of them were naturally hostile to Korea.
"If Korea doesn't build factories in America, we'll make sure they can't sell their goods here!"
"We'll force them to buy as much from us as they sell to us. Fairness is the prerequisite of free trade."
Of course, these were pipe dreams in reality, but the problem was them shouting it publicly to the masses.
If any of these guys beat Kennedy and faced off in the general, that'd be a problem too.
"Don't worry. There's no way they'll beat Kennedy."
"I hope you're right."
If the unpopular Kennedy advanced, it'd be a feast for Nixon.
We sketched out that scenario and planned for a Nixon presidency.
But calculations don't always pan out.
My wife urgently shook me awake from a deep sleep in the bedroom.
"Prime Minister."
"Hm?"
"Someone outside's looking for you."
"At this hour?"
Bewildered, I stepped out of the bedroom in my pajamas.
Jeong Gil stood there, pale-faced, handing me a wire.
I took the wire from Jeong Gil and read down the text.
"U.S. President John F. Kennedy deceased."
What?
In that instant, I snapped fully awake.
Kennedy dead out of nowhere?
Did Kennedy have any reason to be assassinated right now?
He hadn't riled up the CIA or the military that badly.
It was utterly out of the blue.
No—thinking about it, he had done one thing that might warrant assassination.
'The Civil Rights Act.'
The bill he'd just passed was something the far-right whites would hate.
It abolished discrimination against non-whites—an anti-racism law.
The key wasn't Kennedy's death; it was the changes it would bring.
With Kennedy suddenly assassinated, our foe—the Democrats—would get a sympathy vote.
And stepping in as his replacement: Vice President Lyndon Johnson.
Regrettably for us, LBJ was a powerhouse untouched by scandal.
Sympathy votes plus a strong candidate like Lyndon Johnson—the Democrats had nearly all the puzzle pieces for victory.
Our counter was the bland Nixon and a hemorrhaging Republican Party.
In this setup, victory wasn't assured.
I crumpled the wire in my hand.