Being a military historian, i have always found alternate history fascinating. Hence my love of Fallout and it's dark and humorous world. One thing i have always wondered what was the P.O.D. (point of divergence) event that sent Fallout's world on a different tangent. So this thread is for discussion of what the possible things that led up to it. I will begin with my P.O.D.
Jan 1950 "wild Bill" Donovan head of the US O.S.S. receives information from his agents in Korea that Mao-Tse-Tung is egging Kim-Il-Sung into attacking South Korea.
Feb-1950 Donovan passes on the information to President Truman who dismisses the information as anti-communist propaganda. Truman continues to have support as the democrats still have control of the Senate.
Truman orders further cuts in US defense spending, based on Stalin's and Mao's assurances that communist forces are not trying to spread communism.
April-1950 in response to the presidents and congresses cutbacks the War Department cuts US overseas troop deployment to the bone.
June-1950 The communist forces of North Korean leader Kim-Il-Sung attack the democratic forces of Syngman Rhee in South Korea.
By the middle of the month, with no US forces to aid the South, North Korea Overruns the south. The People's Republic of Korea is proclaimed.
July-1950 "Wild Bill" Donovan is disgusted by what he sees as a failure to prevent the spread of communism by the president and congress, if only they had acted on his warnings.
Donovan contacts a little known republican senator from Wisconsin, named Joseph Mcarthy.
For the next year Donovan secretly gathers background material on suspected communist spies for Mcarthy.
August-1951 Mcarthy starts his communist hunt by calling for an impeachment of the president and members of Congress who had voted for US military cutbacks, which led to the loss of Korea. He then starts to reveal how well infiltrated American society has become with communist sympathizers and spies. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, along with their contacts are arrested.
The American public goes wild with the revealing of this information.
September-1951 The impeachment trial of Harry S Truman and several prominent democratic leaders begin.
October-1951 In a swift and merciless trial Truman and the congressional leaders are convicted of treason, and in an unprecedented show of unity, congress votes for their execution.
November-1951 Truman and 25 former members of congress are executed by firing squad. The "Red hunt" begins in earnest.
The elections are held, and not one representative who had advocated military budget cuts is reelected. the House of representatives swings wildly to the right. In the Senate for the first time the Senate is controlled by the Republicans.
for the next 4 years Mcarthy and the conservatives, both democrat and republican continue to "cleanse" America of traitors and spies. The Cold War becomes decidedly colder.
November-1955 in a landslide election Joseph Mcarthy "the saviour of America", is elected President of the United States, with 85% of the popular vote. Considering his election a mandate president Mcarthy proposes an UnAmerican actions bill which would lay out what is considered American and what is not. Mcarthy uses Donovan to help convince the Supreme Court justices to "retire" early, his replacement nominees are swiftly
confirmed by the senate.
January-1957 after the swearing in of the newest group of congressmen and senators the UnAmerican Actions bill is passed without 1 single dissenting vote. The bill states as of January 1958 anything that is considered UnAmerican will be prosecuted as a treasonous act. The automobile industry is "requested" to keep everything looking like 1957 model automobiles. All changes are to be under the hood and no cosmetic changes, as that would be considered UnAmerican.
The nascent electronics industry is given a severe blow when the leading researcher, William Shockley, on transistors was drafted into the nuclear arms programs, then proceeded to quietly protest the governmental policies and is killed in a automoblie "accident." All his research into nuclear physics and transistors is classified most secret, and anyone divulging that information will be prosecuted and executed as a traitor. So no Shockley labs and the transistor is stillborn.
So there you have an America that is fanatically anti-communist and everything will look like 1957 even with advanced tech.
The change to the transistor "execution" was suggested by Revolver.
Comments, suggestions and discussion is encouraged
Cheers Thorgrimm
Jan 1950 "wild Bill" Donovan head of the US O.S.S. receives information from his agents in Korea that Mao-Tse-Tung is egging Kim-Il-Sung into attacking South Korea.
Feb-1950 Donovan passes on the information to President Truman who dismisses the information as anti-communist propaganda. Truman continues to have support as the democrats still have control of the Senate.
Truman orders further cuts in US defense spending, based on Stalin's and Mao's assurances that communist forces are not trying to spread communism.
April-1950 in response to the presidents and congresses cutbacks the War Department cuts US overseas troop deployment to the bone.
June-1950 The communist forces of North Korean leader Kim-Il-Sung attack the democratic forces of Syngman Rhee in South Korea.
By the middle of the month, with no US forces to aid the South, North Korea Overruns the south. The People's Republic of Korea is proclaimed.
July-1950 "Wild Bill" Donovan is disgusted by what he sees as a failure to prevent the spread of communism by the president and congress, if only they had acted on his warnings.
Donovan contacts a little known republican senator from Wisconsin, named Joseph Mcarthy.
For the next year Donovan secretly gathers background material on suspected communist spies for Mcarthy.
August-1951 Mcarthy starts his communist hunt by calling for an impeachment of the president and members of Congress who had voted for US military cutbacks, which led to the loss of Korea. He then starts to reveal how well infiltrated American society has become with communist sympathizers and spies. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, along with their contacts are arrested.
The American public goes wild with the revealing of this information.
September-1951 The impeachment trial of Harry S Truman and several prominent democratic leaders begin.
October-1951 In a swift and merciless trial Truman and the congressional leaders are convicted of treason, and in an unprecedented show of unity, congress votes for their execution.
November-1951 Truman and 25 former members of congress are executed by firing squad. The "Red hunt" begins in earnest.
The elections are held, and not one representative who had advocated military budget cuts is reelected. the House of representatives swings wildly to the right. In the Senate for the first time the Senate is controlled by the Republicans.
for the next 4 years Mcarthy and the conservatives, both democrat and republican continue to "cleanse" America of traitors and spies. The Cold War becomes decidedly colder.
November-1955 in a landslide election Joseph Mcarthy "the saviour of America", is elected President of the United States, with 85% of the popular vote. Considering his election a mandate president Mcarthy proposes an UnAmerican actions bill which would lay out what is considered American and what is not. Mcarthy uses Donovan to help convince the Supreme Court justices to "retire" early, his replacement nominees are swiftly
confirmed by the senate.
January-1957 after the swearing in of the newest group of congressmen and senators the UnAmerican Actions bill is passed without 1 single dissenting vote. The bill states as of January 1958 anything that is considered UnAmerican will be prosecuted as a treasonous act. The automobile industry is "requested" to keep everything looking like 1957 model automobiles. All changes are to be under the hood and no cosmetic changes, as that would be considered UnAmerican.
The nascent electronics industry is given a severe blow when the leading researcher, William Shockley, on transistors was drafted into the nuclear arms programs, then proceeded to quietly protest the governmental policies and is killed in a automoblie "accident." All his research into nuclear physics and transistors is classified most secret, and anyone divulging that information will be prosecuted and executed as a traitor. So no Shockley labs and the transistor is stillborn.
So there you have an America that is fanatically anti-communist and everything will look like 1957 even with advanced tech.
The change to the transistor "execution" was suggested by Revolver.
Comments, suggestions and discussion is encouraged
Cheers Thorgrimm
