Characters / TNO USA

Main Character Index Superpowers: Großgermanisches Reich (Heydrich's Germany) | The United States of America (1964-1968 American Presidents | 1972 American Presidents) | Dai-Nippon Teikoku Major Powers: Regno d'Italia | Iberian Union | Republic of Turkey | Ordensstaat Burgund Other Countries By Region: Africa: Northern & East Africa | West Africa | Southern Africa | Post-Colonial Central Africa Asia: Mainland China & Oceania (State of Guangdong | 1964-1972 Guangdong Chief Executives | Guangdong Flavor Characters) | Southeast Asia (Republic of Indonesia) | South Asia | Middle East | Central Asia Europe: Northern & Western Europe (British Isles | French State) | Southern Europe | Eastern Europe (Reichskommissariat Ukraine | Reichskommissariat Moskowien) Americas: North America | South America (United States of Brazil | Argentine Republic | Oriental Republic of Uruguay) The Russian Anarchy: West Russia (West Russian Revolutionary Front | Komi Republic | Communist Party of Komi | Passionariyy Organization | Taboritsky's Russia) | Southern Urals | Western Siberia | Central Siberia (Siberian Black Army) | The Far East (Harbin Three) | After Midnight Miscellaneous: Antarctica | Miscellaneous Content | Non-Canon Content

United States of America

^{Organization of Free Nations}

Official Name: United States of America

Ruling Party: Republican-Democratic Coalition (Republicans)

Ideology: Silent Conservatism^note Conservatism

After being humiliated in the Second World War and seeing Hawaii nuked by the Axis, America was forced to cede to Japan all of her Pacific territories and that of her allies. This failure has left much of the population angry and itching for revenge. As the 1960s begin, the American political elite under President Nixon leads the world's remaining democratic powers in the containment of German Nazism and Japanese Imperialism, while growing internal divisions over Civil Rights sees antiestablishment politicians rise under the National Progressive Pact umbrella; defeated yet powerful, united yet divided, America stubbornly stands in an era of cold uncertainty.

Also see its recap pages here.

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General Tropes

• The Alliance: The Organization of Free Nations, or OFN, which depending on how events play out, can either become a glorified extension of American power at the expense of member nations, something more akin to The Federation under US guidance or collapse altogether.
• Allohistorical Allusion:
  • American spy planes identify Japan's placement of nuclear missiles on Hawaii. With the OFN having planted a nuclear arsenal of their own in Australia before this event, JFK and Nixon move to confront Japan and Emperor Hirohito, each leader concerned with having nukes near their respective territories. The diplomatic crisis is resolved and attributed to JFK's approach over Nixon's, giving the former a boost in popularity, becoming known as the "Hawaiian Missile Crisis."
  • The ideological divisions within the NPP, a big tent anti-establishment coalition, mirrors that of Ross Perot's Reform Party in the 90s and early 2000s.
  • One potential flashpoint with Nazi Germany is the shootdown of an American spy plane and the capture of its pilot, mirroring a shootdown by the Soviet Union.
  • The American response to the West African War is the closest analogue to the OTL Vietnam War, as young Americans are drafted and sent to a distant region to fight in a long and unpopular proxy war against a left-wing nationalist insurgency with sympathetic anti-colonial goals to the public. Additionally, one of the superevents for the conflict showcases protestors shouting "Hell no, we won't go!", a popular anti-war chant against the Vietnam War.
  • Much like the Soviet Union's espionage in OTL, German infiltration is present in the United States, with at least one spy caught in early 1962.
  • One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is released just like in OTL, to similar controversy and with some subtle changes in its narrative, such as McMurphy being a war veteran from Scotland.
    I'm so crazy I plan to vote for Kefauver again this November.
  • The notorious Douglas MacArthur was still relieved of duty by a president in this timeline, but it was for his failure to retake the Philippines during World War II rather than for insubordination.
  • The film Dr. Strangelove is released in this timeline, lampooning nuclear war between the United States, Germany, and Japan rather than between the United States and the Soviet Union.
  • The Nazi AANV of the NPP can employ the Southern Strategy to attract the dissatisfied White voters from the South, so they can both increase their electoral base and shift the (mostly left-wing) party to the extreme right.
  • One of the approaches the USA can take to ending the South Africa War is "Africanization", which involves the gradual withdraw of US troops and the strengthening of South African troops to allow them to handle the war.
  • Two cultural event chains for the United States replicate the Stonewall Riots and the Manson Family murders (with some of the Beach Boys being their most famous victims, instead of Sharon Tate and her friends).
• America Takes Over the World: Downplayed, as they cannot control the entire world without it descending into nuclear destruction, but the United States is the superpower that stands the best chance at winning the Cold War, while the Empire of Japan and the Greater Germanic Reich usually collapse due to inherent issues in their systems.
• Awakening the Sleeping Giant: Should the US overcome its myriad social and political issues, it can emerge as a powerhouse that could overshadow both the Reich and Japan without risking nuclear war.
• Awesome, but Impractical: The agenda of the National Progressive Pact fits this trope. Many of their candidates have ambitious campaigns to shape the United States to their vision, whether good or ill, but this often runs the risk of creating further political polarization, inciting nuclear war, facing impeachement, or getting assassinated.. As a result, the National Progressives face the danger of creating more severe problems that ultimately hinder them from recognizing the full extent of their plans. Tellingly, the two of the three possible secret presidents are only attainable in a path where a National Progressive (Robert F. Kennedy and George Wallace) wins the presidency and get removed from office early due to extraordinary circumstances.
• Big Good: Leader of the Free World, and global center of the anti-fascist cause. As for whether they live up to that standard, see Black-and-Gray Morality below.
• Black-and-Gray Morality: While they have taken rather unscrupulous actions before the start of the game and have opportunities to continue doing so, America and the OFN are far less reprehensible compared to their opposition in Nazi Germany, the Empire of Japan, and the Triumvirate, who commit even more blatant atrocities than them, both domestically and internationally. American social ills and foreign policies have their warts, but at least it doesn't compare to horrors seen in the German Reichskommissariats, the IJA-controlled territories, or the fascist dictatorships backed by their rival superpowers. Depending on the leadership, it's also comparatively easier for the United States to push for policies and reforms that will lighten their hand, fix the injustices in their social institutions, and benefit US interests, if not the rest of the world, in the long run.
• Blue Is Heroic: The OFN's attempt to portray itself as The Federation includes the use of the NATO-style blue tone in its torch-bearing flag.
• Boring, but Practical:
  • The United States' strength can be attributed to its vigorous economy, backed by a strong currency and coveted by many who want to emulate American capitalism. It's what allowed them to recover from the Second World War and become a superpower, in spite of their defeat.
  • The agenda of the Republican-Democratic Coalition can be summarized with this trope. Unlike their rivals, the R-Ds pursue reform through more measured and cautious approaches, playing the long-game to achieve their ultimate goal or setting the groundwork for future presidents to carry on their legacies. While they may not make as much progress as the National Progressives, they avoid the risk of dividing American society even further and provide the safest route for the United States to become an economic and political powerhouse on the international stage.
• Broken Pedestal: The United States was put on a pedestal for many Europeans, who view it as a prosperous land of opportunity where the concept of poverty doesn't exist. However, the global release of Harrington's book, The Other America, exposes the hidden social ills afflicting the nation and debunking one of the biggest, idealized misconceptions surrounding the superpower. Depending on the policies enacted and who the successive presidents are (including Harrington himself), America could either strive to repair and uphold its image as a shining city on a hill, or prove its naysayers right.
• Cavalry Betrayal: During the South African War, if Wolfgang Schenck grants independence to the Republic of Angola without working with the CIA, the OFN under the United States will immediately declare war on the newly-independent and anti-Schild Angola, since the OFN wants resources more than independent anti-Nazi allies. Even if he successfully cuts a deal with the CIA, in the event of a total OFN victory, free Angola will be annexed into the resultant mandate.
• Chummy Commies: Without the threat of the Soviet Union and with the dominance of the German Reich, Americans in this timeline are considerably more sympathetic to leftist ideologies, with the US government supporting communist rebels abroad and the CPUSA advocating for socialism at home.
• Combat Pragmatist: Downplayed. The American populace was once strongly against government regulation of the economy, priding themselves as a free-market capitalist country. However, with increasing competition from the superpowers and the rollout of New Deal policies from Roosevelt, the United States is more willing to compromise on this principle and intervene if it means getting ahead of their rivals. Still, budget hawks are a relevant political demographics and push for non-intervention, which can drag on Presidents like Harrington and Hart.
• Consolation Prize: The Presidential elections, other than calculation of electoral votes, can also calculate the popular vote of a candidate. It doesn't affect who gets elected, but it compliments the electoral votes gained.
• Control Freak: The US holds a strong grip over other OFN countries, especially Iceland and the Faroe Islands (which are essentially puppet states with a strong American military presence), in fear that if they are not properly controlled, those countries would leave their alliance or even join another superpower.
• Dark Horse Victory: It is very unlikely that either the Marxists or the Sovereigntists become popular within the NPP and win a Presidential election, and if they do, it's a sign something has gone horribly wrong in America.
• Day of the Jackboot: When a non-centrist wins a Presidential election, the US loses the "Last Bastion of Freedom" national spirit, as the new president begins to subvert democratic institutions.
• Defector from Decadence: The NPP can get this trope in two ways, depending on if the Nixon administration signs the Civil Rights Act or not. If Nixon refuses to sign the act, disillusioned progressives and other left-wing politicians will defect from the Democrats to the NPP, strengthening its position as both a socially and economically progressive coalition. If the Civil Rights Act is signed, die-hard right-wingers and Dixiecrats will leave the Democrats and Republicans and defect to the NPP, shifting the coalition to the right.
• Despair Event Horizon: Having been defeated in the Second World War and witnessing nearly all of Europe fall to the Axis, most of America's leadership and bureaucracy have written off Europe as a lost cause, choosing to avoid combatting the fascists there and focus on the Americas, Australia and New Zealand. A HMMLR victory forces the United States to re-evaluate such stance and whether America can commit enough forces and diplomatic willpower to defending Britain becomes a major plot point.
• Didn't See That Coming: The nation's reaction to Mitchell WerBell unifying Russia holds just as much surprise as the rest of the world.
• Difficult, but Awesome: If the OFN achieves total victory in the South African War, and manages to weather through the insane challenge of nation-building and successfully decolonizing Africa, the US will gain a significant amount of African resources, and the popularity of the President's party will shoot through the roof.
• Do Well, But Not Perfect:
  • The most practical outcome for America in the South African War isn't a total victory, as this would entail the establishment of Mandates, the prolonged involvement of the US military in the region, and growing instability both in Africa and at home. Instead, the best option's a pro-OFN ceasefire, as it would mean that the US manages to secure its objectives in the region without the extra baggage, while the Reichskommisariate will still collapse anyway.
  • Passing civil rights legislation is obviously a good thing and there are defined levels to how powerful it can be towards achieving social justice. However, the description for "Revolutionary Civil Rights Legislation", the best possible civil rights outcome, carries an underlying fear that it could inspire a conservative backlash to reverse it. While civil rights leaders laud it, many black Americans cynically believe that it'd be too controversial to actually be enforced, while many white Americans are outraged over a perceived Persecution Flip, giving prime opportunities for white supremacists to exploit their anger and rise to prominence. While there is hope that the legislation can be defended and kept alive, there's still a good risk that the effort can be nullified in the future.
• Due to the Dead: The Pearl Harbor monument is a dedicated memorial to those who perished in the nuclear bombing of the titular location. Even two decades later, thousands of Americans still visit the location to pay their respects to the lives lost on that day.
• Eagleland: The United States by 1962 is a mix of Type 1 and 2: a bastion of democracy, albeit one wracked by social turmoil and cultural malaise. Depending on what path the country goes down, however, it could either live up to the promises of the American Dream in various forms, or succumb to its worst excesses.
  • Most R-D presidents post-Nixon, as well as the NPP's moderate wings, can bring about Type 1 in one way or another. Bennett can rehabilitate the reputationally shattered GOP by continuing Nixon's pragmatism and situational, fact-based policies without engaging in his brand of corruption or partisanship, and Romney can follow in his footsteps. Perhaps Goldwater will construct what is naturally, in his purview, the next level of a constitutional America and bring prosperity to a chaotic nation, or Hart will ensure that no American is left behind in the struggle to economically usurp the fascist powers. Smith can potentially exorcise the ghost of segregationism from her wing of the NPP while advancing global democracy and becoming the first female president. The younger Kennedy or Harrington can adamantly secure civic and economic equality for every American, respectively, and Jackson will do both - and bring the world into that fold in the process. Even George Wallace can sacrifice his reputation to renege on his segregationist promises, and Curtis LeMay will do everything that he can to push back against their party's demagogues to advance Wallace's cause
  • Type 2, however, is very much a possibility as well, mostly in the form of the NPP's more unsavory characters. Wallace keeping his promises will mean segregation being secured as a fact of American life, Thurmond will do that plus surpassing even Nixon in corruption, Schlafly will transform the United States into a typically Type 2 cesspool of boorish paleoconservatism, and Yockey will openly advance Nazism by (for the most part; he still cracks down on the press) withdrawing the government from life and egging the KKK on to commit unspeakable acts without repercussions.
  • Johnson, Kirkpatrick, and Hall are in the unique position of being able to break the Type 1/2 dichotomy and fulfill both at once. Johnson, in constructing an equitable Democrat welfare state that can make Hart look like Goldwater, can go too far and collapse both his party and the country's political sphere, paving the way for the small-government segregationists to take the White House. Kirkpatrick can both guarantee social reform at home and ensure US geopolitical hegemony as a shining city on a hill, but her doctrine involves pursuing cynical Realpolitik and engaging in underhanded tactics if not outright wetwork that could potentially tarnish America's democratic image. Hall, meanwhile, can wind up the most driven and active pro-civil rights and anti-inequality president in history - but he will build his progressive and culturally free America on the bones of his political opponents.
• Earn Your Bad Ending: The election of a fascist president must follow severe instability within the country and very specific orders of events, since the Sovereigntists are lacking and so non-influential that they aren't even listed among the factions in the political parties at the game's start.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: Achieving total victory in the South African War is hard enough, but stabilizing the resulting OFN Mandates long enough to successfully decolonize is even harder, as the player needs to carefully balance their provided aid to the Mandates and the ensuing domestic unrest back home. However, if successful, the United States will have peacefully granted independence back to the millions of native Africans in Central Africa after enduring years of oppression by the African Reichskommisariats, leaving behind relatively stable nations in their wake. While various problems still remain like ethnic tensions, it's still an achievement worthy of celebration in both the United States and Africa. It's even sweeter if the United States had generally avoided morally questionable decisions like employing the use of napalm.
• Enemy Mine:
  • Fearful of the political gains made by the Nationalist and Progressive parties during the 1956 presidential election, the Republican and Democratic parties formed a mutual agreement to support each other's candidates and secure the establishment, leading to the Republican-Democratic Coalition.
  • The National Progressive Pact is a tenuous collaboration between fourteen smaller parties, notably the centre-left Progressive Party and the right-wing Nationalist Party, both of whom oppose the R-D establishment. Parties in the NPP range from the left-liberal Progressive Party, democratic socialist Farmer-Labor Party, national-conservative Nationalist Party, segregationist States' Right Party, and the outright communist CPUSA and national socialist ANV.
  • Speer and Bormann have the option to pursue détente with the United States, lessening the chances of going to war with Germany in favor of aiming both nations' weapons at Japan and its sphere. It's also up to America and its president to decide whether to accept or decline diplomatic relations.
  • Communists like Fidel Castro in Cuba, Ching Peng's UMAJF and certain Russian warlords are close American allies, helping combat the encompassing force of fascism.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Even the segregationists are appalled by the extremism of Yockey and are among the many Americans who denounce his potential inauguration as President. If Yockey is elected to be Wallace or Thurmond's successor, the latter two will be horrified and outraged at what has happened.
• Fallen States of America: Downplayed at the start. America in 1962 is a major world power and the leading force behind the OFN but it's rife with even more social turmoil and economic issues than OTL. If the Communists or the Sovereigntists win a Presidential election, however, the US loses all international influence, goes to isolationism, and effectively loses the Cold War.
• The Fettered: The Freedom Riders protest segregation by riding interstate buses with mixed races, with their sense of justice giving them the courage to do at risk of harm from white supremacists and the Ku Klux Klan.
• Fictional Political Party: The National Progressive Pact is a coalition of 14 parties both real and fictional.
• Foil: The Organization of Free Nations shares and contrasts traits with the Einheitspakt and the Co-Prosperity Sphere, other collective bodies of several nations.
  • They and the Einheitspakt rose to prominence after the Axis Victory of WWII, with the former seeking to curb the power and influence of the latter. The Nazis express no sympathy for their crushing reign but acknowledge that their Reichskommissariats and territory will face trouble if reform isn't applied soon, while the OFN ideologically sides with democracy and wishes to keep fascism at bay but can act no better than their enemies.
  • The Co-Prosperity Sphere also proclaims to stand for freedom and liberation of oppressed peoples, but it's nothing more than a sham to perpetuate Japanese colonial hegemony. The OFN is also effectively a collection of American puppet states. However, the OFN have several options to reform itself into an alliance of equals, such as refusing to keep mandates and accomplishing decolonization in Africa, turning them into The Federation with America at the helm. Meanwhile, Japan can take progressive reforms and lessen their oppressive tendencies under Takagi Sōkichi, but he will still keep policies for colonialism and Japanization.
• Gameplay and Story Segregation: It is possible to win the South African War in a few months using a handful of professional air cavalry divsions, but the game still treats it as a multi-year slog with no clear goals and employing the draft rather than a swift intervention and America's first chance to fight the Nazis on the battlefield in nearly twenty years. Of course, this all comes before the real slog of stabilizing the mandates.
• A House Divided: If presidents take actions that certain factions disapprove of, they may threaten to defect or send support to other idealogues in the party. Political instability from this or similar may eventually cause the party's collapse.
• He Who Fights Monsters: America and the OFN can potentially resort to increasingly draconian and brutal measures to combat the fascist menace abroad, at the cost of not only domestic instability but also the risk of becoming little different from their enemies.
• Hufflepuff House: In addition to the Communist and Socialist Parties, the Marxist Caucus is also made up of the Peace and Freedom Party and the Raza Unida Party. However, they play no tangible role in the narrative, unable to nominate senators from these political parties.
• Hypocrite:
  • They condemn Germany and Japan as tyrannical, imperialist regimes that are threatening the Free World, even though the United States engages in its own imperialistic actions to advance its interests at the expense of other countries or its own allies.
  • The United States frequently promotes its democratic ideals, even when they support foreign military juntas and other dictatorships who align with their interests, such as the mulattocratic regime in Haiti or Matkovsky's Russia. A lot of anti-colonialist movements throughout the globe recognize the hypocrisy and distrust the United States as another imperialist trying to exploit their country, to a point that some are willing to temporarily work with Japan when they try to invade OFN-aligned regimes.
  • If Hitachi, from Guangdong, tries to expand into the United States, many Americans will decry their cruel labor practices. However, with enough time, these protests get progressively silent, as more Americans purchase Hitachi's appliances and forsake their moral qualms to enjoy the convenience.
• Inadequate Inheritor: Each slate of potential new presidents is relatively weaker and less competent than those that came before, ensuring that future crisis points won't have the best possible leadership to shepherd America through.
  • Compared to the generally effective leadership of Johnson, Kennedy, Bennett, or even Wallace, Harrington is well-meaning but lacks political experience and is temperamentally ill-suited to the stress of the job, Goldwater is self-righteous and struggles to see past his own strong biases while enacting extreme, even unconstitutional measures to crush political extremists, Smith is beholden to an unholy alliance within a fractured caucus, and Hart is a Humble Hero rather than a domineering political powerhouse and Secretly Dying, ultimately leaving everything in the hands of his (at least at first) much-less capable vice president.
  • And compared to them, Jackson is an interventionist Warhawk and would-be welfare state enthusiast who will have to deal with the guns-or-butter problem on top of resentment and grudges from being repeatedly passed over by his own party and his attempts to outright ban the CPUSA and ANV, Kirkpatrick a hypocrite willing to endorse authoritarian regimes to secure America's imperialist interests, Romney a charisma-deficient ditherer with little major political experience whose watered-down policies may not amount to doing much, Hall a Principles Zealot whose attempts to suddenly and dramatically remake American society will lead to ruin, Schlafly an Evil Reactionary Conspiracy Theorist with no political experience and little vision beyond populist grievances, and Yockey an out-and-proud neo-Nazi actively attempting to enforce fascism on a disgruntled America.
• In Medias Res: The civil rights movement is still ongoing in 1962, approaching its climax in a massive protest at Birmingham. The race riots and ensuing police brutality forces the question of civil rights to the White House after years of trying to ignore the issue.
• In Spite of a Nail:
  • Despite an ignoble defeat in the Second World War, the US still manages to become a superpower through a vigorous economy, strong industrial foundations, and being largely untouched by the conflict, and stands the highest chance to win the Cold War.
  • The environmental book Silent Spring is still released by Rachel Carson criticizing the use of pesticides and the danger they pose.
  • The 1962 NFL Championship Game happens almost exactly as it did in OTL, ending in a 16-7 victory for the Green Bay Packers.
  • For several months between 1962 and 1963, France loans out the Mona Lisa to the United States, just like OTL.
  • The Femine Mystique releases on the same exact date of February 19, 1953.
  • Civil rights activists, Aaron Henry and Ed King, would still organize the mock 1963 Freedom Ballot in this timeline to show how much of a farce the government is in protecting black suffrage.
  • The Ford Mustang is invented and released to the public in 1964 of this timeline, to public applause and approval.
  • Michael Harrington's book The Other America still gets published almost exactly as it was in OTL, shedding light on the myriad issues wracking the US beneath the surface.
  • There is a lot more bad blood between the United States and Japan in this timeline, owing to the Allied defeat in World War II. Despite this, some Japanese corporations like Sony and Panasonic (Matsushita Electric) can get a foothold in the American market, just like in OTL and ignoring the xenophobic protests against their presence. For many, the quality of Japanese products is simply too good to resist.
• In-Universe Catharsis: In an event, one Technical Sergeant in the South African War relieves his stress by drawing landscape art pieces of mountains.
• Invaded States of America: In addition to the loss of Hawaii, the peace treaty that ended WWII created a series of Japanese-controlled "treaty ports" on the West Coast. Though not of substantial material value, this occupation of American land is a major political contention.
• Knight Templar: The US and their allies stand as the very flawed opposition to the oppressive fascist regimes rising from the victory of the Axis Powers in WWII, and there are many chances for them to act no better when trying to prevail in the Cold War.
  • The US and the OFN have taken several morally questionable actions, ranging from barely justifiable to completely villainous, claiming that it is done in the name of curbing fascist spheres. Their actions in South Africa serve as a particular example of this tendency, being stated to not care about African democracy when they intend to simply exert their own control and influence in the region.
  • Several Presidents may qualify for this, with plenty proclaiming to be protecting America's principles and values while pursuing repressive policies and possibly even subverting democratic institutions to achieve this.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall: The release of the book Starving the Beast defends American foreign intervention through the concept of "Toolbox Theory". In reaction, observers ask themselves "How long did it take them again?", a reference to the long development time needed to release the update of the same name.
• Let No Crisis Go to Waste: Contrary to the United States' expectations, HMMLR can overthrow the collaborators in Britain and puncture a massive hole in the German sphere to Europe. There is no chance that the United States will waste this opportunity and races against Germany to protect the British Isles from a retaliatory invasion in the Channel Crisis.
• A Lighter Shade of Black: Of the four main political factions, the Nationalist Caucus is the most distasteful of them, giving a platform to white supremacists, warhawks, homophobes, and Christian fundamentalists. Notably, they are the only non-radical caucus to have an outright failstate or "bad ending" president in Phyllis Schlafly. However, they are nowhere near as unsavory as the Sovereigntists, who are even more xenophobic and don't just want to segregate minorities; they want to kill them.
• Long Game: The R-Ds generally hold to the view that America's best shot in winning the Cold War and beating its fascist rivals is to simply outlast them, winning by default of being the only superpower left standing. Their biggest challenge, however, isn't just the possibility of said rival powers reversing their apparent decline or making sure that Americans are willing to hang on for long enough. This also entails making sure that America's socio-economic landscape is stable enough to actually benefit from that potential victory.
• Medal of Dishonor: Certain Superevents pertain to the US, helping punctuate just how bad the situation involving them is.
  • The Yockey Presidency, one of the worst endings for the US, is accompanied by superevents announcing his inauguration.
  • If the OFN completely botches their operations with mandates after the South African conflict, it starts The African Crisis.
• Necessarily Evil:
  • How the R-Ds view the Japanese occupation of American soil. They’re willing to tolerate the existence of the treaty ports (at least until the US is in a position to bargain for their relatively peaceful return) as trying to take them by force would risk nuclear war.
  • If Speer or Bormann choose to pursue diplomatic ties with the US and the OFN, a President that accepts will argue that cooling relations with another superpower and nuclear state is a better alternative to ignoring them, and each one varies in how much they believe this.
• Oppressive States of America: Downplayed. Though it's much better than its rivals, 1962 America is still an Apartheid state with Jim Crow laws still in place, and rampant inequality and racism in general. Depending on who takes charge and the policies enacted, the US could either reform peacefully or continue doubling-down at the risk of further instability and authoritarianism. If the far-right seizes control of the White House, they can have the US backslide into further segregation and reactionarism; in the worst case, America can embrace full-on fascism under a Sovereigntist president.
• Non-Indicative Name: The National Progressive pact is a ZigZagged example. It does have progressives such as RFK, Jackson and Harrington in it, but it also has extreme reactionaries such as Schlafly, Wallace and Yockey.
• Pacifism Backfire: The US in World War II took the relatively reasonable path of not declaring war on the Axis until attacked in Pearl Harbor, as in OTL, but it was also much more dogmatic about the Neutrality Act, refusing to lend Winston Churchill even the tiniest bit of assistance and causing the British isles to get overrun as a result, leading to defeat in the Pacific and a second attack on Pearl Harbor - a nuclear one.
  • The US can decide not to interfere in any of the conflicts consuming the world and appease its initially minuscule but eventually influential pacifist movement, like George McGovern and the Marxists in the NPP. While American blood will be spared, though, the Cold War in TNO is far less morally ambiguous than in OTL and the blood of foreign innocents will be shed tenfold - especially in Africa, where defeat in the South African War as a result of American noninvolvement stands a good chance of leading to the concept of "Africa" as a place with any hope at stability being utterly annihilated.
• Painting the Medium: If an extremist candidate wins a Presidential election, the United States on the map changes to a noticeably darker color, symbolizing the turbulent times ahead as the new President begins to subvert democracy and the constitution.
• Paper Tiger: On the surface, the US starts in a seemingly strong position, though it's wracked by various social and political tensions. Navigating through the quagmire and finding a way out of it is almost as crucial as maintaining the balance of power against Germany and Japan.
• Please Select New City Name: If America successfully negotiates the return of the Aleutian Islands, the islands will be renamed. If the Republican-Democrats negotiated the return, they will be renamed to the Eisenhower Islands. If it was the NPP, the island will be renamed to the Patton Islands.
• Point of Divergence: To respect the unspoken two-term tradition and retire due to his failing health, Franklin Delano Roosevelt refused to run for a third term in 1940, letting Harry Hopkins get nominated, assured that he would win and continue his agenda. However, Hopkins was suffering from stomach cancer at the time, hampering his campaign efforts against the more versatile Thomas Dewey, who ended up getting elected. This meant that many of the effects of FDR's New Deal were neutered and left the United States in a weaker economic position to help the Allies in their war against the Axis, contributing to their ultimate defeat.
• Politically Incorrect Hero: Even if it's pretty tame compared to Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, bigotry and inequality are still common elements in American society, such as Jim Crow laws segregating and oppressing black Americans. Depending on who becomes President, steps can be taken to mitigate this status or double down on it.
• Pride Parade: The Trope Codifier of this trope in real life, the Stonewall Riots, can occur in the US under similar circumstances.
• Quantity vs. Quality: The number of political parties in each coalition is inversely related by how powerful they are. The RDC only has two: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, who are heavily favored by the Establishment and thus are the most powerful. By contrast, the NPP is composed of fourteen weaker parties split into four caucuses including the Progressivist Caucus^note Progressive Party, Farmer-Labour Party, Nonpartisan League, and Liberal Party of New York, the Nationalist Caucus^note Nationalist Party, Conservative Party of New York, States' Rights Party, and Louisiana Progressive Party, the Marxist Caucus^note Socialist Party, Communist Party, Peace and Freedom Party, and Raza Unida Party, and the Sovereigntist Caucus^note American National Vanguard and National States' Rights Party. One-on-one, these NPP parties wouldn't stand a chance against the Republicans or the Democrats, but working together allows them to even the odds.
• Realpolitik: The US believes in engaging in this if they want to last the Cold War.
  • America's influence includes replacing several regimes with CIA puppets and allies to curb the "spread" of fascism. This includes alliances with Ching Peng and Fidel Castro, whose socialist movements will help push against the Imperial Japanese and the Nazis respectively. Diplomatic ties with certain communist Russian warlords acknowledge their differences in ideologies, but that they remain allies against the threat of fascism.
  • Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands all find themselves burdened with a large and suffocating OFN military presence so that America may secure its interest in the North Atlantic. In the case of Iceland, America is willing to interfere with their elections and disrupt their democracy to prevent them from leaving.
  • They can negotiate easing tensions with Germany if Bormann or Speer are leading it. Bormann will visit the country for discussion and even have a picture taken with the president over the course of their diplomacy.
  • Jeane Kirkpatrick can take this up to 11 and implement the Kirkpatrick Doctrine she formulated OTL to prop up any authoritarian regime that happens to be anti-fascist and is willing to at least nominally "prepare" for democracy.
• Regime Change:
  • Right from the game's start, the United States is in the midst of backing the UMAJF in Malaya to overthrow the pro-Japanese government, the Shonan-Marai Gunseibu.
  • The Axis-aligned French Madagascar is an unstable mess and the United States jumps at the island when it finally collapses. If the Malagasy Rebellion succeeds, the United States has a number of Malagasy leaders to support and align them with the OFN, including Tsiranana, Jaona, and Zafimahova. However, if the elections don't go the OFN's way, the United States can interfere again and support a regime change to empower Ramanantsoa.
  • The United States gets a second chance at puncturing the Sphere's influence by backing the surviving Commonwealth forces in the Free Philippine Republic, using them as a proxy against the Second Philippine Republic. Depending on whether or not the United States accepts the United Filipino Front, the FPR could join the AFRSR in a joint coalition government or try to take all of the archipelago for themselves.
  • The United States despises the Trujillo regime in the Dominican Republic, so they finance and train anti-fascist fighters in the Caribbean Legion to land in Hispaniola and depose the Caribbean dictator. If that fails, the United States can get a second shot at Trujillo when he invades Haiti, in which a total American victory means that the Dominican Republic will be placed under a transitional authority by García Godoy, until democratic elections (with or without American interference) are held.
  • The United States is less than friendly to Goulart, knowing of his links with politicians who are sympathetic to Japan. Unwilling to see the Sphere's influence spread, the United States can back a coup by either Denys or Lacerda if Goulart gets elected President.
  • Anti-Sukarno force, led by Hatta, coalesce in the Indonesian Civil War and the United States sends aid to expand their influence in Southeast Asia.
  • Despite their hostility towards socialism, the United States will back the Unión Revolucionaria de Colombia to depose the Republic of Colombia and the other factions in the Colombian Civil War.
  • If Suriname ever goes into crisis or organizes an independence referendum, the CIA may back a military coup from the Royal Netherlands Army.
  • In the Iberian Collapse, the United States will try to gain a foothold in Spain by backing the Republican faction, being their most ideologically compatible partner.
  • Though they can still support Mondlane in the Angolan Civil War, the United States may switch horses to Simango, who is more friendly to the OFN's interests, but risks putting the Americans in a worse position because Simango can only splinter from Mondlane's territory and create a three-way conflict.
  • The Oil Crisis conflicts fracture Italy's hold over the Middle East and the United States immediately funnels support to pro-American factions in Oman, Iraq, and Sudan, giving them a foothold in the region.
  • The United States supports the Democratic Republic faction of the Iranian Civil War, pitting them against the German-backed monarchy and the other factions that have risen up.
• Shocking Defeat Legacy: The atomic bombing of Pearl Harbor and Allied defeat of World War II has done a huge number on the American psyche. Once filled with optimism, the American people are mired in cynicism, seeing no way to recover from their defeat and opening their eyes to the poverty and strife back home. The malaise has even permeated the political bureaucracy, who focus more on containing the spread of fascism than actively fighting it, hence why anti-fascist movements like HMMLR get relatively little support in 1962. Whether the attitude improves, worsens, or plateaus will depend on the Presidents' actions.
• Shouting Free-for-All: Meeting in the Situation Room to discuss HMMLR's victory in the Sealion II teaser, the National Security Council descends into chaos as Germany prepares for an invasion. Surrounding McCormack are advocates of hawkish and dovish stances to the crisis, arguing back and forth as to how Germany would respond to an American response, resorting to shouts and insults before McCormack intervenes.
• Spanner in the Works: The Oil Crisis can throw a wrench in American plans. Depending on who is in charge and what’s been done up until that point, this can potentially destabilize the country to the point of allowing either Hall or Yockey to assume power.
• Stylistic Suck: If Hart discovers his cancer and resigns from office, he receives a drawing from a five-year old, wishing him to "be ok". It's poorly drawn and messy, but its sentiment nonetheless sticks with Hart.
• Succession Crisis: A downplayed, brief example. In this timeline, the Twenty-Third Amendment has not yet passed, leaving the line of succession ambiguous. The topic was only briefly brought up in the midst of Kefauver's health issues, but was left unanswered when the President left the White House. This creates a confusion over McComarck's succession of Kennedy, in which Congress quickly passes the Twenty-Third Amendment to clearly define the line of succession and end the crisis.
• Taking Up the Mantle: Dynastic Liberalism is a unique American ideology that has inherited the legacy and policymaking of previous liberal Presidents, all of which have defined the modern Democrat to support civil rights, equality, justice, and a regulated market economy. The ideology evolves with every potential Democratic President, who become the new face of this political ideology and seek to enact it, while adding their own unique spin to how they define liberalism.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: The liberal, social democratic Progressive caucus and the segregationist, pro-business Nationalist caucus are only held together as long as both can point to a common enemy in the R-Ds; needless to say, the communist CPUSA and the fascist ANV have an even more strained relationship. If the NPP's compromise candidate Margaret Chase Smith wins the 1968 elections, she must make concessions with both of the NPP's mainstream caucuses, lest internal divisions fracture the party and force her to instead make a Deal with the Devil with one of the radical caucuses, to disastrous results.
• Those Wacky Nazis: The Sovereigntist Caucus is a xenophobic, political coalition of neo-fascist and neo-Nazi political parties that adhere to white supremacy and have a genocidal hatred for all minorities and "negative foreign influences". The two major political parties are the American National Vanguard and the National States' Rights Party, whose only major difference is that the former want a détente with Nazi Germany.
• Timed Mission: To topple the Trujillo regime in the Dominican Republic, the United States will need to prepare an invasion by supplying and training the Caribbean Legion. They only have several weeks to build their supplies and operational strength for the coming Puerto Plata Invasion.
• Victory by Endurance: The Republican-Democratic administration takes this view, believing in analysis suggesting both Germany and Japan are headed towards economic and political insolvency that will leave the US the most powerful nation in the world by simple dint of survival. The only issues are in the accuracy of the prediction, and in keeping the public content "doing nothing" until that happens.
• Warhawk: When the Afrika-Schild and Boer Republic attack South Africa, the people of the United States are furious and the nation is swept with pro-war demonstrations in favor of Nixon escalating the conflict until the invaders are stopped.
• We ARE Struggling Together: At first, the Progressive caucus is immobilized due to their factionalism between Scoop's moderate wing and Harrington's radical wing. They all desire change, but argue incessantly of how to do so, leaving them without a candidate to put forth in 1964, unless Robert F. Kennedy defects to them.
• Won the War, Lost the Peace:
  • If the US achieves a total victory over Afrika-Schild in the South African War, they'll establish new colonies on the territory of their old enemies (in the form of either the Central African Republic or three mandates). However, Central Africa has been vastly destabilised after years of Nazi rule, the natives have access to a vast amount of arms left over from the war and view the American generals who rule over them no better than the German Reichskommissare who used to, and domestic support for keeping US troops in Africa is low. In the end, the Mandates and the Central African Republic have extremely tough time nation-building and decolonizing, become a massive sink of resources and public opinion, and can very easily collapse. The most practical outcome for the US in the South African War is not a total victory, but a pro-OFN ceasefire.
  • In an even older example, the fight to end racism in the United States is far from over, since slavery was abolished after the American Civil War. African Americans and many minorities are still denied civil liberties afforded to white Americans and the issue has fueled widespread riots and protests over the issue. If any President is to tackle the issue, it will be a long and hard battle.
  • While the victory of HMMLR in Britain is on the surface a major victory in the Sealion II teaser, many within the State Department fear such an outcome because it will turn into a crisis for America as Germany looks to respond with force, unwilling to lose a valuable vassal. True to their fears, it's possible for the Channel Crisis to be mismanaged and start a nuclear war that wipes out both sides.
• World Gone Mad: Of the Crapsack World variety. One of the requirements for getting a Marxist or Sovereigntist president is to cause serious political instability from too many mishandlings and failures, allowing either failstate to follow.
• You Are Too Late: As the US continued to maintain an isolationist policy, America got involved in World War II too late, when both the Soviet Union and the British Empire were already facing defeat.
• You Lose at Zero Trust: Presidents must be sure to plan accordingly to the reactions of the populace and different factions so as to maintain political stability. Otherwise, it could lead to the collapse of the parties, the election of a non-centrist, or even direct consequences for the current leader depending on who's in charge.

Presidents (1961-1965)

Richard Nixon

Role: Head of State

Party: Republican Party

Ideology: Silent Conservatism^note Conservatism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}Richard Milhous Nixon is a complicated figure. Originally a Representative, and then Senator from California, he rapidly rose through the ranks of Congress through skilled political maneuvering. During his time as a Senator, Nixon worked closely with Joe McCarthy in carrying out the Grey Scare, working to root out suspected fascists in government. And while he didn't share the spotlight to the same extent as McCarthy did, nobody doubts that Nixon is still an anti-fascist crusader through and through.

A lifelong member of the Republican Party, Nixon has never been totally comfortable working alongside the Democrats. The broad popularity of the National Progressive Pact dictates that they must, however, and the coalition ticket that won him the 1960 election has made his presidency a living hell. John F. Kennedy's position as the Vice President has driven a wedge in the Executive Branch, as his own magnetic charisma and stunning competence have taken the spotlight away from Nixon more than once.

As much as Nixon wants to focus on foreign policy, so he can act to undermine the unstable German and Japanese empires, domestic affairs have gotten in the way. Civil rights issues can no longer be ignored, as racial tensions flare and people demand action, one way or another. While Nixon has been reluctant to endorse either segregation or integration, staying on the fence is becoming increasingly costly.

Of course, Nixon is also doing what he can to keep the NPP down, including some... extralegal means. With challengers coming at him from all sides, including within the White House, Nixon will have a hell of a time trying to keep the ship of state steady.

Richard Nixon is the current President of the United States, having been sworn in on January 20, 1961. After winning the 1960 election by a landslide against the newly-formed NPP, one of the most one-sided elections in American history, Nixon's approval ratings have plummeted, in no small part due to allegations of corruption, constant NPP protests, and a Vice-President constantly receiving praise instead of him (intentionally or not).

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• Allohistorical Allusion:
  • At the start of the game, Nixon has already employed the same dirty tricks he used in real life to weaken and discredit the opposition party.
  • Upon the outbreak of the Second Malagasy Uprising, Nixon discreetly sells weapons to the Japanese so they can arm the Malagasy rebels and fight the Germans, mirroring the Iran-Contra Affair. Unlike Ronald Reagan, however, Nixon doesn't escape scot-free after the scandal is revealed, which forces his resignation.
• Asshole Victim: Nixon's paranoia targets the NPP, whose roster has the likes of Yockey, George Wallace and Strom Thurmond. This is Deconstructed, as the American people believe in a President that does not engage in such tactics, and Nixon's trickery utterly destroys his image and credibility, leaving him seen as no better than them for stooping so low.
• Better to Die than Be Killed: Non-fatal variant. He chooses to resign as President rather than face certain impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate, as per OTL.
• Big First Choice: He has one between vetoing or passing the Civil Rights Act, influencing the course for future Presidential elections.
• Blackmail: His underhanded tactics involve him trying to find as much dirt on the opposing party's candidates and members that he can find.
• But Thou Must!: If Nixon tries to avoid picking a side again on the civil rights issue, the race riots in Birmingham will culminate into a bombing orchestrated by the Ku Klux Klan, which kills 89 anti-segregationist rioters and injures hundreds more. As the tragedy is commemorated as Bloody Wednesday, Nixon realizes that the time for fence-sitting is over and that he must either pass or veto the Civil Rights Bill. In this scenario, the choice is presented to the player via an in-game event rather than a focus and thus cannot avoid picking a side on the issue.
• Contempt Crossfire: Nixon is deeply unpopular among the progressives who credit his reforms to his Vice President, while simultaneously scapegoated by the segregationists for even considering the notion of civil rights.
• Corrupt Politician: The real-life Richard Nixon is really the Trope Codifier. In the TNO timeline, he employs the same dirty tricks he used in our world to silence the NPP, while also illegally selling weapons to Japan so they can aid the Second Malagasy Uprising. The latter will inevitably lead to his impeachment and subsequent resignation.
  Nixon: I am not a crook!
• Decoy Protagonist: As the starting American President, Nixon seems like he'll be a principal character for at least the entirety of his remaining first term, but the exposure of his corrupt tactics force him in to an early resignation and he's left relegated to cameos for the rest of the game.
• Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat: Nixon had the 1960 election in the bag due the NPP being fractured and disunited, but his own paranoia led him to pull every dirty trick in the book to keep the NPP down.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?:
  • Nixon is constantly being overshadowed by his vice-president JFK due to his role in defusing the tense Hawaiian Missile Crisis, and many progressive reforms are ascribed to Kennedy instead of him. Notably, he's right, to a point, in that siding with Martin Luther King Jr. on the branch of his focus tree that can no longer be taken sees John Kennedy getting all the credit.
  • When a terrorist bombs the IJN carrier Shinano, Nixon has to save face to an outraged Japan and make extensive apologies to them for the tragedy. While his talks scale tensions down, the NPP denounce Nixon as a whimpering doormat to the Japanese, much to the President's annoyance that he's not getting credit for defusing a potentially catastrophic situation.
• Easily Forgiven: A 1972 presidential debate implies that Nixon got off easy from being impeached, as he still has enough prestige to be considered a noteworthy political commentator and get an interview from NBC in 1972.
• Failure Is the Only Option:
  • Any outcome to the Civil Rights Bill will end badly for Nixon, and destroy the R-D coalition he's worked so hard to keep together and under his control. If he passes it, Nixon becomes reviled by the Dixiecrats, while Kennedy's getting all the credit from those who support the law. If he vetoes it, mass protests flare up against his decision. If he tries waiting out the issue, everyone turns against Nixon for not doing enough and he's eventually forced to make one of the two aforementioned decisions.
  • No matter what happens, Nixon is doomed to be impeached for his dirty tricks. He's given two choices by J. Edgar Hoover to have his evidence of blackmail either burned or locked away, but the information gets leaked in both scenarios.
• Foil: To the other superpowers' leaders, Hitler and Ino Hiroya, oddly enough. They are all the starting figures of their powers but also do not have as much influence as one might think from the surface, and they will eventually give their countries' powers over to representatives of different ideologies. They execute this idea in different ways.
  • Hitler shares Nixon's fakeout Focus Tree and Big First Choice that decides the course and leader of their nation. However, Hitler's decision is ceremonial while the player can choose to play as a different successor, in contrast to Nixon's choice in political action that can actually indirectly influence the upcoming elections. Hitler starts clean in his focus tree before it is forcibly swapped, while Nixon has already made plenty of decisions and forces the player to stick with them.
  • Prime Minister of Japan, Ino Hiroya, shares Nixon's tendency to proudly boast in his Focus tree about the current situation, and they're both eventually ousted for their corruption, prompting a successor. Both men seriously struggle with doing the right thing, with Ino's case requiring certain maneuvers in the government while Nixon's capable of accomplishing reforms he wants at the cost of having it attributed to JFK. Their reigns welcome successors, but Ino causes a Succession Crisis with the diet while Nixon's policy for the Civil Rights Act will point the voters in certain directions.
• Godwin's Law: One of his later focuses is rhetoric intending to paint the entire NPP as fascists that are no better than the Nazis that America's still fighting. It's even called "Everyone I Don't Like is HITLER!" and uses the infamous invokedMemetic Mutation as its icon.
• Golden Mean Fallacy: Rather than side with the segregationists and use brutal authoritarian police tactics to suppress the civil rights movement, or side with the civil rights movement but see JFK get all the credit, Nixon has, at the start of the game, chosen to sit on the fence and try to see how things shake out. The already-partially completed tree shows that this involved attempting to curry favor with both sides, ending in disastrous rioting and necessitating police action... only to result in another choice between siding with the segregationists or the civil rights movement.
• Graceful Loser: Despite his profane rage at being exposed for corruption and feeling as though he had no other choice, he tries to leave the political scene with as much dignity as he can. He wishes his successor JFK well, calmly walks towards his transportation, throws his trademark "V for Victory" signs up one last time, and boards for departure.
• Hitler Ate Sugar: With the NPP harboring several different ideologies spanning from the Sovereigntists to hardline Communists, Nixon can't help but want to paint the entire party as fascist-communist and mobs regardless of who else associates under it, as seen throughout his focus descriptions.
• I Did What I Had to Do: Nixon rationalizes his underhanded antics at least partially as being done out of necessity to ensure the NPP don't gain any opportunity to enter the White House.
• In Medias Res: Unlike other countries, the US starts with several focuses already completed, since Nixon has been President for a year. Thus, the player has to follow the branch which involves illegal actions against the NPP and a middle ground in the Civil Rights issue since Nixon already made those decisions.
• It's All About Me: His "Secure the Party" focus requires him to attempt to exert the most control and surveillance over the government while trying to rein the American people in so that the R-Ds will run when, how, and where he tells it to.
• Jerkass Has a Point:
  • Part of his corruption will have him trying to find as much dirt on Yockey and his supporters as much as the rest of the NPP, as he's aware of what they're up to. The effects describe Nixon discovering that Yockey has been negotiating with German agents and receiving foreign funding.
  • Nixon intends to eventually paint the NPP as a bunch of fascists to dampen their credibility, and while this is absurd, one can see why he'd try this tactic when the party hosts the far-right Dixiecrats and Sovereigntists.
  • Later on during the lead-up to the 1972 elections, Nixon remarks how Phyllis Schlafly seems to sidestep making any points or comments regarding her platform during a debate with Jeane Kirkpatrick, in favor of sarcastic quips and populist rhetoric. Should Schlafly win, his deep concerns turn out to be very much justified.
• Joke Character: Nixon's presidency won't last too long, as he is shortly impeached and resigns with much of the remaining focus tree unable to be completed by the player. The player also can't influence anything to stop this from happening, since Nixon in 1962 has already taken the wrong branches of his focus tree, given into his worst impulses, and spelt his own political doom. Many of the now-locked foci are darkly or overtly humorous as a result.
• Kick the Dog: Before his impeachment and resignation, the Nixon administration has the option to either sign the Civil Rights Act into practice or veto it out of spite for John F. Kennedy. This disgusts Robert F. Kennedy and many other progressives within the Democrats so much that they defect to the Progressives.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: With a mountain of undeniable evidence of his unconstitutional crimes, Nixon recognizes the futility in hoping he gets acquitted on his charges and resigns before he can get the dishonor of being the first President to be impeached by both the House and the Senate.
• Landslide Election: Thanks to the popularity of his predecessor Dwight D. Eisenhower, and a weak opposition in the NPP, Nixon won a landslide victory in the 1960 presidential election. His popularity has sharply plummeted since then, however.
• Lethal Joke Character: As the starting president, Nixon can make a couple of decisions down his limited focus tree that will be used as the basis for future events. His decision to veto or pass the Civil Rights Act in particular influences what candidates could run and win in the 1964 elections, and whether the NPP's sudden influx of popularity and power comes from defecting progressives or segregationists.
• Minor Major Character: The President of the United States by game start, having made decisions on his own before the player gains control, and can lay the foundation for how America's story will go with the few decisions he has left. That being said, you won't have him in power for long, and his resignation is inevitable.
• Moral Myopia: He often saddles Kennedy with dirty work that could threaten his reputation if things go sideways. However, if the matter turns in the United States' favor and Kennedy is praised for his work, Nixon gets angry that his Vice President is stealing his credit.
• Never My Fault:
  • If Nixon vetoes the Civil Rights Act, he acts unrepentant about it when massive protests flare up against him, calling his critics "dumb kids" who will simmer down eventually.
  • As the public and media roar in protest against his unconstitutional actions, Nixon shows no hint of regret over his behavior, instead blaming everyone for wrecking his political career. He even has the nerve to think of Kennedy as a traitor for testifying against him, believing that he's conspiring with his brother to coup him.
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Looking at his earlier decisions in his focus tree and OFN-related choices, he's actually managed to avoid sending the US and other nations into isolationism and has kept the OFN from dissolving altogether, all before the player takes control.
• Our Presidents Are Different: Nixon is President Corrupt, as he is more than happy to employ clandestine and illegal tricks to diminish the NPP, in doing so being impeached and resigning as a result.
• Overshadowed by Awesome: Even though Nixon can attempt to implement much needed progressive reforms throughout the country, many of these initiatives are ascribed to his VP Kennedy instead of him, which doesn't help Nixon's already controversial reputation.
• Painting the Medium:
  • His focus tree has been partially completed to portray his actions as president before the start of the game.
  • Much of his focus tree tends to be written from his perspective, leading to the focus for running a clean campaign, whose list of "requirements" is just Nixon angrily ranting that it's not an option.
• Pet the Dog: Much like in real life, Nixon has a talent for foreign affairs and diplomacy. He's actually avoided the bad path when it comes to his OFN-related foci, one of which dissolves the organization and plunges America into isolationism, and another of which tries to get the rest of the OFN to withdraw with her, and his diplomatic trees are noticeably free of the kinds of Nixon moves that ultimately ruin him.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: In private, Nixon holds several politically incorrect opinions, making anti-Semitic or misogynistic comments internally or outwardly.
• Realpolitik: Nixon sends covert support to Speer's clique in Germany because he's the best shot at the two superpowers forming a truce to focus on the mutual threat of Japan.
• "Shaggy Dog" Story: Rather than outright side with the Civil Rights Movement or the ardent segregationists, Nixon chose to go down the middle and try to appease both. It pleases neither, and he's left with the decision that ultimately benefits one side over the other: the status of the Civil Rights Act.
• Skewed Priorities: Nixon's been dithering on the civil rights issue because he's afraid to fracture the Republican-Democratic coalition. However, the race riots at Birmingham shows that it's only delaying the inevitable and directly confronting the issue is the only option to pursue.
• Sir Swears-a-Lot: Not so much in public, but his foci are written from his perspective and contain his famous levels of profanity and slurs.
• Stepford Smiler: When reporters begin asking questions about his illegal sale of weapons to Japanese-armed Malagasy rebels, Nixon tries to play everything off with a smile and assurance that the scandal is still being investigated, even though he's internally frustrated and nervous about his corruption being exposed.
• Then Let Me Be Evil: How he feels, from his perspective. With declining popularity and the current turmoil seemingly being caused by both the NPP and incompetent members of the R-Ds, he believes that he has no choice but to get his hands dirty and try to rein the party in. His option to "Keep It Clean" only has a long rant on why doing so is not a choice for him.
• Throw the Dog a Bone: As Nixon departs after his disgraceful resignation, he throws up his signature "V for victory" hand signs and is met with an applause by the audience.
• The Unapologetic: In his transition letter to Kennedy, Nixon tries to reconcile with his former Vice President by fondly recalling their past friendship, but he never once apologizes for his corruption or the times he fought with Kennedy over policy matter, even hoping that this "business" will soon be behind them. Kennedy, for his part, is mildly disgusted by this.
• Villainous Breakdown: In the now-invalid alternate branch of his focus tree where he sides directly with the segregationists and uses brutal authoritarian tactics against the civil rights movement, the final focus in the tree is Nixon breaking down during a presidential address on live television and screaming at all his critics to shut up.
• What If?: The branches of Nixon's focuses that he can no longer take have descriptions that portray many alternate scenarios, from choosing between appeasing segregationists or fighting for civil rights vs. the fence-sitting he's already engaged in, to avoiding corruption and trying to win the people over vs. the dirty tricks he's already employed.

John F. Kennedy

Role: Vice President^note Head of Government (Nixon cabinet), Head of State (Nixon impeached)

Party: Democratic Party

Ideology: Dynastic Liberalism^note Liberalism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}John Fitzgerald Kennedy's path to political prominence was one overshadowed by others' controversies. Scion of the powerful Kennedy family and son of President Joseph Kennedy, John found himself recalled from the Pacific front after his elder brother Joseph Jr.'s death, and had been groomed to follow in his father's steps ever since. In the years following the 1948 election and the implosion of the Democratic Party, the Kennedys (with the exception of John's brother Robert) loyally followed the shattered remnants of the party to the GOP, becoming members of the Republican-Democrat Party. Some predicted that John's career would be tainted by the failures of Kennedy the Elder's administration, but John's personal charisma and political savvy were enough to help him grow out of his father's shadow. In 1960, he was on the Republican-Democrats' victorious Vice Presidential ticket. Unfortunately, his running mate was Richard Nixon.

Now, John finds himself thrust into leadership of a nation in turmoil, one that desperately looks toward him for guidance. But for every American who sees him as a beacon of stability, there is one who sees him as an obstacle: ardent segregationists fear that his idealism will lead to him furthering civil rights legislation, and committed progressives scorn him for not being as impassioned as his brother Robert. Fate has ordained John F. Kennedy be the one to steer the ship of state, but will he be the one to guide it out of dangerous waters?

In-Game Biography (Vice President) ^{Click to Show}Young, rich, handsome, and charismatic, John Fitzgerald Kennedy doesn't embody his nation as it exists. He embodies his nation as it wants to be.

A son of the businessman and politician Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., JFK has enjoyed a life seemingly unburdened by hardship. As far as the public knows, he grew up in a supportive family and went to the best schools before enlisting in the US Navy and displaying heroism against the Japanese. Bolstered, by his eloquence and a rare ability to connect with voters, Kennedy found himself swept into politics upon his return, ascending from congressman to senator, ousting a Republican rival in the process. His unabashed liberalism and uplifting campaign style led the party bosses to think of him as a good balance to Nixon on the ticket in '60. While Kennedy has his own ambitions, he is aware of the dangers in upsetting his erratic and confusing boss. He is determined to see their partnership succeed, at least for now.

John F. Kennedy is the incumbent Vice-President of the United States, having served since January 20, 1961, under President Richard Nixon. He can potentially become President after Nixon's impeachment.

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• Allohistorical Allusion: Despite the completely altered geopolitical situation, domestic conditions that led to his ascension to the presidency and a different time frame, Kennedy is still assassinated on a visit to Dallas, Texas, albeit by Bobby Cherry instead of Lee Harvey Oswald like in real life.
• Bait-and-Switch: After Nixon's resignation, Kennedy gets a focus tree that makes it seem like he'll stick around long enough to complete it, but he ends up getting assassinated in just a few weeks after assuming the presidency.
• Decoy Protagonist: In the beginning of the American campaign, Kennedy represents the best hope for the United States to liberalize and heal the nation, compared to the more oafish and unpopular Nixon. Unfortunately, he gets assassinated within a month in his presidency.
• Hope Spot: After the corrupt and comparatively unimpressive Nixon resigns, Kennedy seems like the best man to rebuild the nation, mending trust back with the NPP and reforming the nation through further progressive legislation. Unfortunately, these hopes are dashed away when Kennedy gets assassinated.
• Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Kennedy is widely recognized as the man behind the Nixon administration's greatest triumphs, including the deescalation of the Hawaiian Missile Crisis. While this wins him great public support, it's something that frustrates Nixon himself to no end.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Despite being the Vice President, Kennedy isn't made aware of Nixon selling weapons to Japan and their proxies in the Second Malagasy Uprising.
• Minor Major Character: The Vice President by the start of the mod, widely recognized by Americans as responsible for averting nuclear disaster by defusing the Hawaiian Missile Crisis, which warrants him a warm welcome as Nixon's successor. Despite all this, his Presidency doesn't get very far.
• Realpolitik: Kennedy wants to support the relatively even-handed Speer and his ascension to power in Germany, even if it means supporting a Nazi and risking political controversy.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Kennedy is far more personable and open-minded to reform than Nixon. His focus tree before getting assassinated would've involved him reconciling the various political parties to calm everyone down before implementing even more political reforms.
• Reluctant Ruler: When he becomes President after Nixon's impeachment, Kennedy grows to dislike his position.
• Short-Lived Leadership: The Kennedy presidency lasts for less than a month before he is assassinated by white supremacist Bobby Cherry.
• Vice President Who?: JFK heavily Averts this, as he becomes known for diffusing the Hawaiian Missile Crisis. He continues to gain the people's love and respect with any progressive initiatives done by Nixon being instead attributed to him.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: Kennedy gets assassinated less than two years after the game begins, having only served as President for a very short time.

John W. McCormack

Role: Speaker of the House^note Head of Government (JFK cabinet), Head of State (JFK Assassinated)

Party: Democratic Party

Ideology: Liberalism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}For most presidents, their inauguration is the culmination of years of political ambition and success, bringing them to the highest office in the land and a chance to ultimately shape the nation to their ideals.

Former Speaker of the House John McCormack is not one such President. Rushed out of Congress and into the White House on a day of panic and blood, he is faced with a nation in turmoil. Outrage over President Nixon's actions on civil rights has shattered any semblance of political decorum in Congress, with constant shouting matches taking more time than legislation. The people have made their voice heard as well, with riots and protests breaking out weekly and voters changing their registration to support the radicals of the National Progressive Pact.

McCormack has isolated himself in the White House, only speaking to trusted aides and friends on the matters affecting the nation and leaving his deputies to calm the turbulent waters America is headed for. Facing a party in crisis, the divisive issue of segregation, and the rapidly escalating war in South Africa, the reluctant president's next days in office will change the nation's direction for years to come.

In-Game Biography (Speaker of the House) ^{Click to Show}America is going through turbulent times, and John William McCormack is a rock of stability amidst the chaos.

The sudden and unexpected impeachment of Richard Nixon caused John F. Kennedy to assume office, but the line of command did not end there. Someone had to fill the empty seat left by him, and that someone was the Speaker of the House according to the much-treasured constitution. Mc Cormack himself never had any grand ambitions regarding his future career, but fate takes strange turns sometimes.

Luckily, few people are passionate about their vice President. Mc Cormack is perfectly content to stay in the shadows for now, silently performing his duty until he gets replaced by a man the people voted for. This is how he wants history to remember him - not as a grand reformer or a glorious statesman, but as a man who solemnly fulfilled his duty.

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• Beware the Quiet Ones: McCormack isn't a memorable or radical president, but his focuses on ramping up the South African War effort shows that he is willing to exert American aggression abroad.
• Brutal Honesty: In each of his transition letters, McCormack's pretty honest about his sentiments toward his successor, even when it means dishing it out scathing criticism of George Wallace's racism.
• Broken Pedestal: His focus tree concerns dealing with Nixon's legacy and recovering from the turmoil, as he acknowledges the shockwaves of his dirty tactics and how the nation has reacted to them. One approach is to distance his policies away from the man as much as possible and embrace the notion that he was a crook.
• Contempt Crossfire: His decision to handle Nixon's impeachment fairly earns him disdain from both sides of the political aisle. Nixon is pissed that he's telling RDC representatives to "vote their conscience", while everyone who wants to impeach Nixon accuses McCormack of delaying the inevitable because he wants a full floor debate prior to the vote.
• Friendly Rival: While he and Bennett don't see eye-to-eye on many policies, McCormack remains cordial in his succession letter to him, wishing him the best of luck on his term.
• Heroic Fatigue: On election night, McCormack tries following the vote count, but the exhaustion of being president finally catches up to him and he passes out before the count can conclude.
• Pragmatic Hero: Overstretched with the colossal responsibilities of being presidency, McComarck has to compromise on some of his morals to keep the White House running. In particular, McComarck has to ignore the issue of civil rights and an investigation to the murder of several civil rights activists because he doesn't have the time to spare.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: A more professional, but no less scathing example in his transition letter to Wallace. Unlike the other possible presidents, who he wishes the best of luck to, McCormack voices his disapproval of Wallace's segregationist platform, rhetorically asking if Abraham Lincoln would be proud of what he's doing and praying that he will have the "compassion and the wisdom" to reconsider what he's doing.
• Rebuilt Pedestal: Another way for him to tackle Nixon's legacy is to try to save it and argue that the man had faced circumstances that led to his dirty tactics.
• Reconcile the Bitter Foes: With only a year to spend in office, McCormack focuses on rallying back the disunited Republicans and Democrats after the chain of political crises in 1962-1963, shifting their hostilities back to their common foes in the National Progressive Pact.
• Reluctant Ruler: After being forced to take over a job which he never wanted, President McCormack only speaks to trusted aides and friends on the matters affecting the USA and leaves his deputies to calm the turbulent waters America is headed for. He knows and accepts that his Presidency will not be a successful one, and on the night of Election Day, he's glad that he would wake up to a brand new President.
• Short-Lived Leadership: President McCormack is sworn in when the 1964 election is only a few months away and has no intention to run in the RDC primaries, instead simply resolving to hold the Oval Office for the coming months until a new President can be nominated.
• Small Role, Big Impact:
  • His presidency is short-lived and no major campaigns are fulfilled in his term, but his efforts to calm the American political scene after Nixon's resignation and Kennedy's assassination save the Republican-Democrats from complete electoral destruction and ensures that they remain politically relevant enough to still stand against the National Progressives.
  • The focuses "He Was A Crook" and "A Soul In Tourment" can end up changing how America reacts to other presidents' unconstutional actions, like Wallace's Universal Segregation, RFK's COINTELPRO, or Thurmond's... everything.
• This Is Gonna Suck: As he's suddenly thrust into the Oval Office after his two predecessors are decommissioned, McComarck knows that his presidency will almost certainly not be a successful one, but he accepts the task anyway because it's his duty.
• Unexpected Successor: McCormack, Speaker of the House of Representatives, never expected himself to become President before President Nixon was impeached and his VP and successor Kennedy was assassinated.

Presidents (1964 election)

See 1964-1968 Presidents page

Presidents (1968 election)

See 1964-1968 Presidents page

Presidents (1972 election)

See 1972 Presidents page

Secret Presidents

These characters don't run in normal Presidential elections but can ascend to office under various circumstances. Due to the nature of their rise to power, their spoilers are unmarked.

Strom Thurmond

Role: Senator (South Carolina), President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate (RFK presidency), Head of State (RFK assassinated)

Party: States' Right Party

Ideology: Dixiecrat^note Paternalism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Many expected Far-Right NPP leader James Strom Thurmond to one day become President. None could have predicted the extraordinary circumstances which ultimately lead him to the Oval Office.

Born to wealthy and landed Southern gentry, Thurmond quickly developed a keen political acumen. His legal education, stellar military service, and extensive connections led him to become Governor and later a Senator of South Carolina. Staunchly segregationist, he led the exodus of Southern senators from the Democratic Party in the wake of Brown v Board. As a leader of George Patton's Patriot Party, he successfully arranged the merger with the National Progressive Front and founded the modern National Progressive Pact in 1957. Despite failing to win the Presidential election of 1960, he remained a major political leader and was President Pro Tempore of the Senate when Bobby Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey were assassinated.

For reasons still unknown, the Speaker of the House refused the office of the Presidency, and the line of succession fell on President Thurmond. His long-held ambitions on the White House having finally been realized, Thurmond presides over a nation in turmoil. While he has pledged to uphold the late President Kennedy's legacy, many fear he is plotting to destroy everything the progressive president stood for in order to remake America in his twisted, white supremacist image.

With the clock ticking down to the next election, the King takes his place on the board and begins his moves.

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• 0% Approval Rating: Thurmond's efforts to destroy Robert F. Kennedy's legacy turn him into the most hated man in the US and he starts being called a lame-duck President almost a year before that term usually applies. In the Iowa Caucus, he can't even get a full percentage point of the vote, ruling out the very possibility of running for a second term.
• Blackmail: Thurmond becomes President by blackmailing the Speaker of the House into refusing the office, and fills the Supreme Court with his cronies by blackmailing four sitting judges into resigning.
• Chess Motifs: When he chooses his cabinet (replacing Robert F. Kennedy's one) after taking over the Presidency, Thurmond refers to himself as the King, Vice-President Maxwell Taylor as the Queen, the Secretary of State as the Bishop, the Secretary of Defense as the Knight, and the Secretary of the Treasury as the Rook.
• The Coup: After the assassination of President Robert F. Kennedy, Thurmond blackmails the Speaker of the House (who is next in line for the Presidency), who then proceeds to 'refuse' the office. As a result, the Presidency passes to the President pro tempore of the Senate—Thurmond himself.
• Dystopia Is Hard: Even moreso than Wallace, Thurmond quickly finds his policies stymied by Congress and is considered a lame duck very soon after he enters office. The Iowa Caucus only further cements that he can't win an actual nationwide election.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Just like Wallace. While Obliviously Evil, he's still quite upset over the prospect of cooling relations with a Nazi Germany led by Bormann, especially since he fought in WWII. And he is just as disgusted by the prospect of a Yockey presidency as everyone else; he rails as Yockey in his succession letters even harder than he does socialist successors.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Thurmond sees all of his efforts to undo civil rights as good and righteous, to protect the authority of states and the 'values that America had been founded upon'.
• Evil Reactionary: Thurmond is single-minded in his effort to undo his predecessor Robert F. Kennedy's reforms and reinstate segregation across the entire US.
• Foil: To Curtis LeMay, a fellow unlikely president. Both of them come into power after an NPP president's term comes to an unexpected and sudden end, and both work to dismantle and revert their predecessors' plans for civil rights, destroying their own political futures as said predecessors' support bases shun them. They go about this with different motivations and methods; Thurmond enters power with an unlikely and unorthodox sequence, where RFK and his VP were assassinated while the Speaker of the House gets blackmailed into passing the succession to him, while LeMay simply succeeds Wallace as Vice President. Thurmond seeks to enforce racial segregation with the use of corrupt tactics and ends up being the most hated man in the country as a result. LeMay goes on to sign in a new Civil Rights Act, either hesitantly or willingly, much to the dismay and radicalization of the States' Right Party.
• Hate Sink: Thurmond is the most unpleasant non-fascist President, and the most despicable of the "secret" presidents in contrast to LeMay, who can reverse Wallace's segregationist reforms at the cost of his political career and Morrison, who tries his hardest to continue Philip Hart's legacy in the midst of his negative reputation. The very way that he comes to power is through corrupt and underhanded means following RFK's assassination; with equally-corrupt tactics being used to either stuff the court or bribe a liberal court into resigning. If he pulls through with repealing the Civil Rights act, he's rightfully seen as desecrating the progressive legacy of RFK, leading him to become the most hated man in America and losing the Iowa Caucus overwhelmingly. No tears were shed if he is exposed and brought to trial by whoever succeeds him.
• Hypocrite: Thurmond rarely practices what he preaches in his succession letters. He often talks about the need to be open to new ideas and be wary of federal authoritarianism, but he himself spends his presidency being a stubborn reactionary who resorts to corrupt tactics to overturn Kennedy's progressive policies.
• Insult Backfire: His succession letter to Gus Hall comes across as incredibly spiteful and filled with diatribes against godless Marxists. Not only is Hall genuinely impressed by Thurmond’s audacity, but he even considers having it preserved for future generations as a final testament to reactionary America.
• Knight Templar: He believes that repealing the Civil Rights Act and enforcing segregation is what America needs, claiming that he is defending the "values that America had been founded upon". Willing to resort to the dirtiest tactics and facing public outcry, he's convinced that he's in the right and is the only one capable of accepting this.
• Obliviously Evil: He seems taken aback when his ultra-reactionary racist politics result in him becoming the most hated man in America, with RFK's base rightly seeing him as dismantling and desecrating his predecessor's legacy on civil rights, while the R-D party hates his strong-arm tactics and how they undermine America's democratic institutions. In Thurmond's mind, he's doing the right thing and no one else wants to admit it.
• Oblivious to Their Own Description: Thurmond often rails at what he sees as aggressive federal overreach or a betrayal of America's core values in his letters to many of the more morally-bankrupt presidents that can succeed him, incapable of the self-awareness necessary to see how many of his criticisms of them also apply to himself.
• Pet the Dog:
  • While he can choose to forget about RFK's passing, Thurmond also has two options to commemorate his death, either by setting up a memorial monument in his name or, more radically, establishing a holiday to commemorate the fallen president. And some of his succession letters to presidents who genuinely disagree with him quite strongly are nonetheless surprisingly gracious, so long as they are not socialists or Yockey.
  • As he begins cleaning the presidential side office, Thurmond uncovers a half-finished letter from Robert, which would've been written to his successor and given them uplifting words about doing what's good for the people. Even though Thurmond doesn't like the writer, his predecessor's words still manage to move his heart, enough to gather Robert's belongings and return them to his family with his condolences, no strings attached.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: Thurmond is a hardline segregationist who will instate country-wide Jim Crow laws after taking over the Presidency. On a lesser note, he mocks the possibility of a "homosexual president" in his successor letter in case Harrington takes office.
• Pragmatic Villainy: In regards to the Civil Rights Act, Thurmond can potentially leave it intact instead of repealing it, if only for the sake of party and national unity.
• Pretender Diss: He does this silently to himself as Bormann and his peers arrive at the White House for a diplomatic discussion. He observes how many of them sport militaristic uniforms and wonders if they even served their nation as he has.
• Principles Zealot: He believes that dogmatism is a virtue and that one should prepare to ignore the critics when doing the "righteous" thing. In his succession letter to Schlafly, this is the one piece of advice he imparts to her.
• Red Scare: Thurmond hates communists, viewing them as rabble-rousers out to destroy the United States by organizing nationwide riots. In his presidency, he tries to implement many policies to curb their influence after the progressive Kennedy presidency. Furthermore, in his succession letters to Jackson and Kirkpatrick, Thurmond openly calls them allies to the National Socialist movement.
• Secret Character: He isn't a Presidential candidate in the 1964 election, ascending to the position after RFK is assassinated and by blackmailing the Speaker of the House into passing the spot to him.
• Short-Lived Leadership: Thurmond doesn't get to serve a full Presidential term and can't run for re-election, but he leaves a considerable impact on American politics during his tenure as President as he undoes the legacy of RFK and divides the country even further.
• Small Role, Big Impact: Despite the brevity of his presidency, Thurmond can force multiple Supreme Court justices to resign with his Blackmail tactics, letting him pack the court with reactionary judges and ensuring a formidable obstacle to anyone trying to undo his damage in the future.
• Unexpected Successor: When President Robert F. Kennedy is sworn in, Thurmond is only third in line to the Presidency, behind the Vice-President and the Speaker of the House; he can only come into power by blackmailing the Speaker into refusing the Presidency after both the President and Vice-President are assassinated at the same time. The focus tree shared by all 1968 Presidents to deal with Thurmond's legacy describes the situation as such:
  That Thurmond was able to become president at all was the result of the most staggeringly implausible sequence of events in American political history. That the president and vice president were simultaneously killed while the speaker of the house "conveniently" recused himself from taking the position all so the president pro tempore of the Senate could take the title was technically a possibility, but one so utterly unlikely that only the faintest of preparations had been made for it.
• Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: Like with Wallace, Thurmond will feel awkward after the leader of Nazi Germany praises his segregationist racial policies.

Curtis LeMay

^{LeMay as a USAF general}

Role: Vice President^note Head of Government (Wallace cabinet), Head of State (Wallace impeached)

Party: Nationalist Party

Ideology: National Conservatism^note Paternalism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} If someone had told Curtis LeMay in 1962 that he'd be president in the next few years, he'd have laughed in their face and called them a damned fool. And yet, despite never seeking the office, LeMay finds himself in the Oval Office on the heels of George Wallace's disastrous presidency.

Notorious for his comments on the 1964 campaign trail about "bombing Africa back to the Stone Age", the former Air Force general was considered a political liability by many members of Wallace's campaign for his gruff and apolitical nature. Never a true politician, LeMay's main role in the administration has been to address defense concerns, especially involving America's nuclear capabilities. Now, with the departure of Wallace, he must finally take a position on the issue of segregation. Surrounded by potential enemies and tasked with healing the troubled nation, clear skies for LeMay will be short in the coming days.

Still, President LeMay has taken these events in remarkable stride. As the storm rages around him, he is confident that America will make it through this latest crisis. In 1943, he saw the greatest defeat in American history, riding out the storm at the controls of a heavy bomber, and now sees a chance for someone to finally take decisive action and heal the nation. Going forward, the President is absolutely certain of one thing: The United States will not fall into further turmoil on Curtis LeMay's watch. It wouldn't dare.

In-Game Biography (Vice President) ^{Click to Show}It is unsurprising that a man that has already influenced the Cold War as much as Curtis LeMay finds himself in a leading role again. Responsible for developing the US Air Force's nuclear doctrine during his leadership of Strategic Air Command, LeMay's tenure as Chief of the Air Force was significantly less influential due to constant conflict with Vice President Kennedy and General Maxwell Taylor.

Yet,despite this, LeMay's fire did not diminish on the campaign trail, stating America was capable of "bombing Africa back to the Stone Age" and becoming a major headache for the Wallace campaign. Since the beginning of the campaign he has remained notably silent on almost every issue not related to national security. If Wallace's turbulent presidency ends suddenly, it is anyone's guess what policies his successor would enact.

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• Anti-Hero: LeMay amounts to a vulgar Jerkass who happens to hate people who deserve it, and who is very good at expressing said deserved hatred. He likes to take the path of most resistance when fighting evil.
• Allohistorical Allusion: When Bormann arrives at the White House to further discuss Cold War détente with America during a LeMay presidency, their meeting devolves into a shouting match with LeMay declaring to Bormann that "We will bury you!".
• At Least I Admit It: LeMay is an ardent, hardline militarist but is very up-front about it, as well as his political views in general.
• Bait-and-Switch Tyrant: Despite being an unpleasant ex-military man in the Nationalists, and coming to power first as the Vice President of hardline segregationist George Wallace, LeMay's presidency instead has him support integration and even potentially sign a new Civil Rights Act.
• Beige Prose: His writing style is very laid back and informal, throwing in a couple swear words and insults, if need be. Notably, instead of an honorific to his transition letter's recipients, LeMay always goes on a first name basis.
• Can't Take Criticism: LeMay is not open to any kinds of criticism or insults, dismissing his opponents as "peaceniks and flower children" who are deliberately trying to be as annoying as possible.
• Cigar Chomper: LeMay is frequently depicted smoking his trusty Cuban cigar.
• Commonality Connection: When first meeting Henry M. Jackson, leader of the Progressives, after ascending to the Presidency, LeMay expects him to be insufferable as all the other crusaders in the Center faction. However, as they sit down, LeMay finds that he has more in common with Jackson than originally expected, with both men being football fans and zealous supporters of American military interventionism.
• Dare to Be Badass:
  • LeMay's transition letter to Philip Hart◊ not only warns him of how certain segments of American society are determined to hate him with everything they got, he also genuinely advices him to stand firm in his convictions and do whatever it takes to see his ambitious plans through. Hart returns to the letter both on his first day in the White House and repeatedly afterwards.
  • Subverted in his letter to Scoop Jackson, where, confident that Jackson has the guts to try it compared to any other president, he strongly recommends initiating a global thermonuclear war that he's confident America can win (for a given value of win), taking irreversible but survivable damage and reducing every other power center in the world into a radioactive ash heap, and allowing America to completely dominate what's left of the Earth. Jackson, understandably, destroys the letter rather than let anyone think he might approve of such a policy.
• Everyone Has Standards:
  • He has no care for individual lives when it comes to waging war, but even he acknowledges Schlafly as a terrible leader, sternly advising her to see her people as more than ammunition to her agenda. When Schlafly reads her inaugural letter◊ from him, all she can manage is a Lame Comeback.
  • LeMay may be a rabid militarist, but he's an honorable rabid militarist, and his letter to Jeane Kirkpatrick◊ upon inauguration expresses disgust at her underhanded approach of propping up "transitionally authoritarian" regimes in the name of anti-fascism, while also mocking the notion that anybody is fooled by her geopolitical doctrine's euphemisms.
  • After Wallace is impeached and LeMay ascends to the White House, he receives a solemn letter from his predecessor, expressing his remorse for poisoning America with his racist rhetoric that led to the death of a little black girl in Little Rock. It's one of the few times where LeMay is shaken to his core and left in quiet sorrow for the tragedy.
• Foil: To his fellow unlikely president, Strom Thurmond. Both of them come into power after an NPP president's term comes to an unexpected and sudden end, and both work to dismantle and destroy their predecessor's civil rights record, destroying their own political futures in the process. The devil is in the details; Thurmond takes control after RFK's assassination and attempts to restore segregation, and is taken aback when doing so makes him one of the most hated men in America, while LeMay does so after Wallace's ill-fated efforts to force segregation on an increasingly-unwilling America end in impeachment and disgrace, and LeMay responds by signing civil rights legislation and coming out against the racist and segregationist elements within the NPP. All the while he knows that it will be the end of his political career, but he puts country before self-interest and helps save his nation in the process.
• General Ripper: While he may have a better attitude about civil rights than his predecessor, this is still General "Bombs Away" LeMay we're talking about here. His hardline stance on military interventionism is why he was invited onto the Wallace ticket in the first place, to shore up support among the hawkish elements within the NPP's platform. His outgoing letter to Scoop Jackson urges the new president to launch a nuclear war with Germany and Japan when the time is ripe, a suggestion that Jackson, even as hawkish as he is, rejects.
• Good Is Not Nice:
  • "Good" is relative; LeMay remains a profane ex-military figure that acts as Vice President to Dixiecrat candidate Wallace, an anti-intellectual chauvinist, and an unrepentant and belligerent warmonger, but as President, he signs legislation for civil rights and knows that there won't be a political career for him afterwards.
  • On top of opposing segregation, LeMay has little tolerance for Bormann and his regime's focus on propaganda. When cameras start rolling, LeMay tosses out all notions of being polite to scold them for not waiting until later to film their diplomacy, casually and profanely insulting Bormann in the process, causing a shouting match as the cameras and microphones continue to record the whole thing.
• He-Man Woman Hater: He's casually sexist in his letter to Margaret Chase Smith when she takes office, openly anti-intellectual and homophobic to Michael Harrington, and both to Jeane Kirkpatrick, since she's a woman and an "egg-head."
• Heroic Sacrifice: A non-lethal variant if he signs a new Civil Rights Act. He's giving up any chance of a future political career but does so willingly, knowing America is better off for it.
• Historical In-Joke: If Bormann makes a state visit to America during his term, it sparks a violent screaming argument in front of both cameras and microphones, in which it is LeMay who utters Khrushchev's immortal line, "We will bury you!"
• Honor Before Reason: If LeMay becomes President, he'll sign a new Civil Rights Act, seeing segregation as patently against the freedom the Founding Fathers had revolted to bring into being. Even though he knows that he'll lose all support from the pro-segregationists who once voted for him on Wallace's ticket, LeMay cares nothing about being re-elected and views his brief time in the Oval Office as the perfect opportunity to push through some of the reforms America desperately needed. This can be downplayed but not averted; what changes is his attitude rather than his actions.
• Jerkass Has a Point:
  • In his succession letter to Kirkpatrick, LeMay makes an audacious point about using other countries as bait to start nuclear war with Germany, but he does rightfully point out the fallacy in the Kirkpatrick Doctrine, such as "defending" liberty by imperializing Latin America.
  • He makes another surprisingly astute point in his letter to Romney, calling out his confusing, passionless rhetoric as a flaw that could hinder the momentum of his presidency.
  • His letter to Schlafly is entirely accurate, calling for her to focus on actually being a leader and helping Americans, not to use them as ammo for her war against her opposition, and actually concisely pointing out that what your average American cares about isn't her strange ideas, but having food, shelter, and a sense of security. Even the one swear word he uses in the entire letter comes off less as his usual vulgarity and more as a Precision F-Strike.
  Don't treat this office like it's a platform for another one of your speaking engagements. Have some fucking decency.
  • While the way he does so comes across as tasteless and crude, his criticism on Harrigton's Nervous Wreck attitude and lack of assertiveness as a president is quite on the point.
  • His letter to Hart lacks much of his usual vitrol and contains excellent advice: Namely, some people are going to hate and oppose you no matter what, don't ignore what others are saying but don't let them talk you into making too many sacrifices for the sake of bipartisanship, and don't be afraid to get mean and be firm. Tellingly, Hart is stated to re-read the letter throughout his presidency, making him the only one other than Hall to not either file his letter away or destroy it.
• Large Ham: LeMay is an almost comically macho Four-Star Badass who gets in a no-holds-barred shouting match with Bormann while they engage in talks to cooperate against Japan. In every letter written for his successor as president (save those he writes to fellow conservative hawk Goldwater and universally agreeable Nice Guy Hart), he withholds absolutely nothing in terms of his opinion, either, as he does Scoop Jackson, stuns the reader with his fervent hope that he'll start a thermonuclear war. He even very helpfully instructs Gus Hall on how to commit suicide so that he leaves the presidency "with the modicum of honor deserving the Office", and Hall frames the letter to put on his desk.
• A Lighter Shade of Black: LeMay believes in the constitution and respecting the civil rights of the citizens of America, but his personal opinions on other social groups are far less appealing, throwing sexist remarks towards his potential female successors, making a homophobic comment on Harrington just because he wears a turtleneck and mocking intellectuals as "egg heads" and "pen-pushers". However, he is far more progressive in comparison to the rest of Wallace's cabinet, being willing to sign a token civil rights bill.
• The Purge: In the wake of George Wallace's disastrous Presidency and impeachment, LeMay condemns the Southern segregationists and forces them to support integration if they don't want to be removed from the NPP.
• Realpolitik: Of all the presidents available, he might be the one that cares the least about it. He's a military man first and foremost and doesn't even try to stick to PR. The biggest example might be Bormann's potential visit to the USA; while most presidents try to keep it as diplomatic and civil as possible while sneaking their own jabs in, or just refuse to have him, Curtis just doesn't give a shit and responds to Bormann's greeting by going straight for his Berserk Button and calls him "little Martin" to his face, and proceeds to have a profane screaming match with him right on the White House floor, live and with translators barely able to keep up.
• Reluctant Ruler: When he accepts Wallace's offer to become his running mate, LeMay never expects Wallace to win, let alone get impeached and resign, leaving the Presidency to him. He even briefly contemplates just resigning like what Nixon did, before deciding that this is an opportunity for him to bring Wallace's worst excesses to a screeching halt and make America a better place.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Rather than continue Wallace's plans for nationwide segregation, he signs in a new Civil Rights Act, knowing it will go against their voter base and prevent a further career in politics for him.
• Secret Character: Mostly seen as the Vice President to Wallace, and seemingly won't do much. Should Wallace get impeached and resign, LeMay will defy the wishes of Dixie and sign a new Civil Rights Act, either reluctantly or happily, subverting the direction of a Wallace presidency.
• Sir Swears-a-Lot:
  • LeMay is rather foul-mouthed, as can be seen in his focus descriptions and events:
  You'll do no such thing! Don't even fuckin' think about it, you damn pansy! You'll whip those bastards in line or I'll have your head on a goddamn pike on the White House lawn by sundown! Don't think I'm gonna take this shit just 'cus I ain't been sitting on my ass in Congress collecting moss for the last twenty years! Do your goddamn job or it's your ass!
  • Then there is his very laconic transition letter if Yockey wins the presidency:
  Fuck off and die you human cockroach.
• Suicide Dare: Gives one to Gus Hall in his transition letter.
• Unexpected Successor: When Wallace approaches him to ask him to be his running mate, LeMay never thought that Wallace would actually get elected, and never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined himself taking the oath after Wallace is impeached.
• Vice President Who?: LeMay is aware of the obscurity that comes with becoming Vice President and expects Wallace to lose anyway, so he thought nothing of agreeing to become Wallace's running mate during the elections. This becomes a Subverted case if Wallace is impeached and LeMay has to take power, after which he'll sign a new Civil Rights Act, much to the disapproval of Wallace's supporters.
• Warhawk: Easily the biggest warhawk amongst the possible American presidents, though he never gets to overtly show it thanks to his short tenure. His suggestion for Jackson's foreign policy in his succession letter involves secretly building up a nuclear arsenal to wipe out Germany and Japan from the face of Earth, noting that even is some German bombs make it through American defenses, it would be still worth it to permanently end the enemy threat. Given OTL's LeMay became infamous for the "there's no innocent civilians" quote and other inflammatory comments, this is Truth in Television.

Chep Morrison

^{President portrait}

Role: Vice President^note Head of Government (Hart cabinet), Head of State (Hart succession)

Party: Democratic Party

Ideology: Liberalism (Vice President), Dynastic Liberalism^note Liberalism (President)

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}President deLesseps Story "Chep" Morrison is not his predecessor. Polarizing and politically inclined to a degree President Hart could rarely match, few expect the prince of New Orleans to fill the shoes of the man he must replace.

Elected as a state representative in 1940, Chep Morrison earned distinction and ire as one of the most vocal opponents of the late Gov. Huey P. Long's formidable party machine. As Mayor of New Orleans, he oversaw a modernization of city services and brought investment that helped turn the Crescent City into a beacon of the New South, walking a careful tightrope between balancing the demands of the city's black community with the segregationist public. Before doing the impossible in 1956, defeating the Long machine in his quest for Governor and driving the once-dominant political dynasty into the arms of the Nationalist Party.

Despite his suave charm and affable nature, the prince of New Orleans is widely viewed with suspicion from all sides of the political aisle. Southerners for his prominent place within the Hart administration, activists for his mixed record on civil rights, and the country at large as he steps in to replace a Commander in Chief laid low by the forces of nature.

In-Game Biography (Vice President) ^{Click to Show}deLesseps Story "Chep" Morrison's rise to the Vice Presidency is nothing less than the stuff of legend, in Louisiana. Elected as a state representative in 1940, Chep Morrison earned distinction and ire as one of the most vocal opponents of the late Gov. Huey P. Long's formidable party machine. As Mayor of New Orleans, he oversaw a modernization of city services and brought investment that helped turn the Crescent City into a beacon of the New South, walking a careful tightrope between balancing the demands of the city's black community with the segregationist public. Before doing the impossible in 1956, defeating the Long machine in his quest for Governor and driving the once-dominant political dynasty into the arms of the Nationalist Party.

Aided by his suave charm and affable nature, the prince of New Orleans presents a public and southern face to the Hart administration's ambitious programs of urban renewal and revitalization. Whose own complicated record on civil rights reassuring those afraid of the President "going too far" on the issue of integration.

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• Ain't Too Proud to Beg: When Jacobs resigns, Chep begs Janey for the former secretary's personal number so he can then plead for her to return. His first groveling works and Janey reluctantly surrenders the number. The second attempt on Jacobs completely fails.
• Arch-Enemy: Chep is famed for being a prominent opponent against the late Huey Long in Louisiana. The rivalry eventually tipped in Chep's favor and he drove Long's remaining support base into the arms of the Nationalist Party.
• Awful Wedded Life: His marriage to Zsa Zsa proves disastrous and Chep's efforts to save it have been in vain. Even worse, Zsa Zsa lashes out by scorning Chep to the press and worsening his already controversial reputation. Eventually, the two realize the arrangement cannot work and agree to split when Chep leaves the White House, but, at least, the two will part ways on relatively cordial terms.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: Like any politician, Chep wants political power and this desire reaches its apex when the presidency is handed to him under unexpected circumstances. It's not even a few days into his term before the immense stress begins to get to him.
• Beneath the Mask: When the first anti-URI bills roll out, Chep is secretly discontent by his effort, thinking that it's pointless to resist. He buries these feelings so he can save Hart's legacy, but the little voice still whispers in his mind.
• Cincinnatus: In the best possible ending, Chep blocks every repeal of the URI and earns the admiration of his fellow Democrats, who clamor for a second term with him. Though flattered, Chep declines the opportunity and admits he's ready to step away from the spotlight, now that he's finished his part in the White House.
• Consolation Prize: He serves as Hart's running mate so that the R-Ds can appease the Dixiecrat segregationists, since he's less dedicated to civil rights than his peer and could act as "moderating" influence on him.
• Contempt Crossfire: He's disdained by segregationists and civil rights activists alike. The former dislike his mild commitment to any kind of racial equality, but the latter think he's got too much of a mixed record on the matter to be trustworthy.
• Despair Event Horizon: If all of the anti-URI bills pass, Chep loses all hope. When asked how he will respond to the anti-URI Federal Finance Act, Chep remains silent and stumbles toward the Residence out of shame. By the time the next legislation, the Urban Divorce Act, is proposed, Chep can't muster the energy to move and beg for pity support, realizing that he's failed Hart's legacy and avoiding his own reflection in the mirror.
• Do Not Go Gentle: He knows how tough being the President will be and that conservatives will try everything in their power to sabotage his liberal agenda, but Chep remains committed to keeping the URI alive and ensuring that Hart's legacy will not be lost on his watch.
• Drowning My Sorrows: If Bayh's nomination to the vice presidency is rejected, everything comes crashing down for Chep, as his allies abandon ship, Gabor divorces him on bitter terms, and the conservatives are free to tear the URI apart. When his staffers deliver a gift basket to his quarters, Chep takes out the flask of whisky first to give a toast to the late Hart and begin drinking in sorrow over his failure.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: Despite all the hard work he contributes to the Hart administration, Chep hardly gets credited for his efforts besides the President himself. When he ascends to the Oval Office after Hart's departure, few take him seriously and even Hart's former cabinet is reluctant to throw their lot with him, in which he has an uphill battle to keep the cabinet united.
• Due to the Dead:
  • After Hart passes away, Chep visits his coffin at St. Matthew's Cathedral out of respect for his friend, unable to hold back his tears.
  • If his efforts to conserve the URI pay off, Chep passes the Presidential Libraries Bill to commission a campus in Hart's memory.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: Overcoming his negative reputation and building a coalition to save the URI is a long and tough battle, but still possible. With it, a brighter future is certain for the United States and the late Hart's efforts will not be for nothing.
• Extreme Doormat: Chep never stands up against Zsa Zsa's verbal abuse, remaining silent out of fear. He's not even aware of being pushed around, until he confesses everything to Jacobs.
• The Face: His greatest strength is talking to the press, which is why Hart sends him to announce the Americar.
• Fire-Forged Friends: He and Jacobs start off on the wrong foot, as both argue over how much momentum Hart's reforms should have. When Hart passes, the two are initially reluctant to work together, but they begin to warm up to each other as Chep steps up to fill in Hart's shoes and Jacobs sympathizes with his plight.
• Golden Mean Fallacy: Compared to Hart and Jacobs, Chep is a moderate liberal who cautions against rapid change, but this mindset sometimes discourages drastic actions that are necessary to achieve momentous change or respond to dire situations, like the Oil Crisis.
• Gondor Calls for Aid: The moment Hart is buried, the conservatives in the Senate begin to roll back the Urban Renewal Initiative. Chep must gather the aid of Hart's colleagues to organize his base and oppose the rollback. At least at first, he will fail.
• Henpecked Husband: He acts like a doormat to Zsa Zsa, never questioning her actions or openly defending himself from her insults, partially out of fear. Eventually, Chep will need to step up and put an end to Zsa Zsa's mudslinging against his administration before she irreparably harms his efforts to save the URI, but he feels some guilt over firing her.
• Hero with Bad Publicity: Public reception to his inauguration is lukewarm and the Senate makes it clear to him that they don't respect him as much as Hart.
• Heroic Fatigue: After a long and hard battle of fighting for the URI's preservation, Chep feels great relief that his efforts pay off and one of the things he looks forward to is finally getting a good night's sleep, a luxury he hasn't enjoyed in a long time.
• He's Back!: After confessing his marriage troubles to Jacobs and taking the first steps towards emotional healing, Chep feels reenergized to save the URI and his trademark smile returns.
• Inadequate Inheritor: Downplayed. He inherits the Oval Office if Hart either resigns from office or dies from his cancer. He's largely seen as a pretty adequate and competent President, but also unremarkable compared to his more ambitious predecessor. There is some evidence that hope is not lost, and that he may grow into the role and surpass original expectations, but at the very least, he won't start out in the same position as Hart was.
• It's All My Fault: After most of the anti-URI bills pass, Chep desperately thinks how he can blame the conservatives, his cabinet, or his supporters. Deep down though, he knows that he's at fault and blames himself for letting Hart's memory be desecrated.
• Known Only by Their Nickname: His first name is "deLesseps", but more people call him by his nickname "Chep".
• Locked Out of the Loop: Jacobs keeps Chep ignorant about her urban development plans, remembering his past as a Dixiecrat and distrusting his ability to build an equitable city.
• Never-Forgotten Skill: Even though it's been thirty years since Chep has been the mayor of New Orleans, Hart is assured that he's never forgotten the executive experience, comparing it to riding a bicycle.
• Older Than They Look: Chep is utterly exhausted during his first days in office, where Humphrey looks more sprite than him, despite being older.
• Once Done, Never Forgotten: His segregationist policies as the mayor of New Orleans have not been forgotten by the African American community, something that Rustin brings up when Chep begs for his support to save the URI.
• Pragmatic Hero: Chep is one of the more moderate members of Hart's cabinet, raising disappointing, but legitimate concerns about Jacobs's radical reforms that would eat at the national budget and invite conservative backlash.
• Reluctant Ruler: Chep never could've imagined being handed the presidency after Hart is decommissioned and his reaction is one of intense worry. However, when Congress tries to repeal the URI, Chep steps up to save it, working with as many people as he can to preserve Hart's legacy.
• Serendipitous Survival: As the unlucky plane crash that took his life in OTL 1964 never happened, Chep's political career continues unabated, allowing him to potentially become president.
• Stepford Smiler: If he suffers a collapsed cabinet and broken marriage with Zsa Zsa, Chep is reduced to a broken man keeping up an empty smile for appearance's sake. When a group of staffers offer him a gift basket, he seems polite at first, until they push their offering a second time and make Chep snap at them with a furious rant.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: He and Jacobs frequently get into arguments with each other, specifically over how radical Hart's reforms should be.
• Took a Level in Badass: After spending years being stuck in Hart's shadow, Chep comes to his own as President when defending the URI from Congressional attempts to destroy it, gathering a wide coalition of allies to protect Hart's legacy and keep the dream of an egalitarian America alive.
• Unexpected Successor: Almost nobody could've imagined Chep ascending to the Oval Office after Hart's untimely passing in the middle of his second term.
• Vice President Who?: Many gossipers dismiss Chep's vice presidency as a booby prize to appease conservatives, even though he does plenty of good work that Hart appreciates.
• White Man's Burden: Chep's attitude towards Bayard Rustin and the black neighborhoods is laced with patronization, claiming that he's done more for the "negroes of New Orleans" than Rustin and that they should stand aside for the "professionals" to handle the work. Jacobs is disgusted by the attitude and Hart agrees with her that they shouldn't alienate their supporters.

Secret Vice Presidents (Unmarked Spoilers)

Maxwell Taylor

Role: Military Commander, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (RFK cabinet), Vice President^note Head of Government (Thurmond cabinet), Secretary of Defense^note Security Minister (Schlafly cabinet)

Party: Nationalist Party

Ideology: Paternalism

For his tropes, see the 1964-1968 American Presidents page.

Birch Bayh

Role: Vice President^note Head of Government (Morrison cabinet)

Party: Democratic Party

Ideology: Liberalism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show:}Birch Bayh is not a fresh face to Washington or politics. The golden child of the 1962 freshman class, the handsome Hoosier has climbed the ladders of politics, from lowly state representative to speaker of the Indiana State House to the United States Senate. With his good-humored nature, talent for persuasion, and mastery of Senate procedure and constitutional law, Bayh has established himself as Senator's Senator, one of the most talented legislators in the august body. A tireless fighter for equality and equal justice under the law, able to work across coalition and party lines for the betterment of the country.

Bayh's ascension to the Vice Presidency signifies President Morrison's commitment to the legacy of his predecessor, a calm reassurance to Democrats, one whose humble farm roots, it is hoped, can appeal to rural Americans thought forgotten by the Hart administration.

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• Beware the Nice Ones: Bayh is funny and charming, but when it's time to work, he gets serious. When Zsa Zsa tries to distract him and Chep with a glass of champagne, Bayh is the one who resists her charms and declines the offer, not Chep.
• The Charmer: Bayh is likable, handsome, and a man from Vigo County, making him an excellent vice president for Chep, who'd need to appeal to the rural demographic.
• Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Getting Bayh confirmed for the vice presidency is imperative for Chep to saving the URI. If the petition is rejected, Chep's cabinet collapses and his efforts to save Hart's legacy fail before he can even start.
• Vice President Who?: Defied. In his introduction to Chep, Bayh clearly states that he isn't a silent man and that he will be proactive in D.C.
• Walking Spoiler: The notion of him becoming Vice President and playing a substantial role in the White House spoils Hart's cancer diagnosis and Chep's ascension to the presidency.
• You Are in Command Now: Following Hart's cancer diagnosis, he and Hubert Humphrey handpick Bayh to be Morrison's Vice President, since he is a fellow liberal who would complement Chep.

Generals

William Westmoreland

Role: Military Commander, Head of State (OFN Mandate)

Ideology: Military Mandate^note Paternalism

In-Game Biography (Field Marshal) ^{Click to Show} While a lot can be said about William Childs Westmoreland, both good and bad, few can doubt the position of power he currently holds over the United States Army. Graduating from West Point in 1936 and becoming a first lieutenant before the Fall of France, Westmoreland served with Valor under artillery battalions during the defense of the English mainland. Despite America having lost the war, Westmoreland returned home as a hardened veteran, providing valuable insight to combined arms theory and the improvement of the Armed Forces general staff. Completing airborne training in the aftermath, Westmoreland spent a large amount of his post-war years climbing the ranks of a career officer. Throughout the rest of the 50s, Westmore solidified himself as a key strategist and theorist for the new direction of America's ground forces. This would eventually promote him to Superintendent of the United States Military Academy, and later as one of America's most senior generals, charting the nation's course in terms of National Defense.

In-Game Biography (East African Interim Unity Government) ^{Click to Show} Home to some of the fiercest fighting of the war, East Africa has been a constant thorn in the side of its leader since the establishment of the Reichskommissariat- first Hans Hüttig, and now General Westmoreland. The East African mandate is hardly a state at all, hastily established as the Ostafrika SS collapsed during the American offensive. The unstable interim state must now contend with the rebels who managed to survive the brutal repression of the Hüttig regime; the most hardened, brutal, and determined people on the continent.

General William Westmoreland, widely hailed in the American press for his triumph over the initial Schild offensive and later equally reviled for his controversial strategy of attrition, is the only man for the job. Making heavy use of the American advantage in bombers and artillery, Westmoreland met with great success on the battlefield and great opposition from the home front, and the brutal repression deemed necessary to keep East Africa under control has only made things worse.

With the last of the SS defeated or driven underground Westmoreland now finds himself in the unenviable position of trying to deescalate conflict on a battlefield won by escalation. Superior firepower means little now that the enemy can simply melt away into the jungle when faced with superior force. A man of war tasked with bringing peace, Westmoreland is in a race against time to defeat the insurgency and stabilize East Africa before the little goodwill left at home runs out.

In-Game Biography (Central African Republic) ^{Click to Show} The African continent is a complex place, filled with diverse groups of people, all under the supervision of General William Westmoreland. Initially called upon to halt the Schild offensive in South Africa, Westmoreland has been called in for an even more daunting task. Much like the initial deployment to South Africa, the American occupation of the continent was hasty and unplanned. The hero of Cape Town has been called upon once again to put out the raging inferno in the heart of Africa.

Yet this time, Westmoreland faces even longer odds and a far worse situation on the ground. The sheer disorganization of the military regime is trouble enough, as newly placed administrators struggle with finding enough translators, keeping supply lines open, and keeping up a good face for the public. Shackled by a convoluted bureaucracy and no time to organize it, Westmoreland is finding it increasingly difficult to justify the American presence in Africa to Congress back home. Bearing the weight of a whole continent on his shoulders, Westmoreland will struggle to get his men out of Africa without making serious concessions to American interests or, more likely, the long term stability of the region.

An American general that becomes the leader of the East African Interim Unity Government or the Central African Republic (if the one state solution is picked) if the OFN achieves total victory in Africa.

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• Everyone Has Standards: Westmoreland is quite patronizing to the native Africans he governs, but he's disgusted by Clifford Dupont and the British settler's collaboration with Hans Hüttig's enslavement of the Africans. When Dupont tries claiming that the British suffered under his rule, Westmoreland shuts him up quick.
• Innocent Bigot: At the OFN All-African Summit in Harare, Westmoreland accidentally welcomes African representatives to Salisbury, which is the former colonial name for Harare^note although it is a bit unclear what he should have called it, as in OTL Salisbury didn't get another name until 1982, on account of having been founded as a colonial settlement, and Harare was not the obvious choice for a post-colonial name. Needless to say, this doesn't endear him to local African leaders (amongst whom is the Zimbabwean nationalist Robert Mugabe).
• Kangaroo Court: Defied. Although many Africans call for the immediate punishment of all Nazis in East Africa, Westmoreland has decided not to pursue this course and instead conduct the Quelimane Trials, where each Nazi will be judged for their crimes and given an appropriate punishment.
• A Lighter Shade of Black: Westmoreland is willing to do some questionable things to stabilize East Africa such as pardoning the British collaborators to Hüttig if they were only tangentially complicit in his crimes, however, when compared to Hüttig, Westmoreland's rule seems far more benevolent.
• Politically Incorrect Hero: Westmoreland is one of the main representatives for America's neocolonialist in Africa should they win the SAW and generally has a low opinion of the native population he is sent to rule over, this is best seen during the Quelimane conference commences and threatens to devolve into bedlam, he angrily thinks of them as "backwater tribesmen" who can only be kept in line with force. Despite this, he still commits to returning Africa to the native rule in the end.
• Think Nothing of It: If Westmoreland successfully decolonizes East Africa, he'll be asked to comment on his accomplishment and what he says is quite reserved.
  I have only done my duty as a soldier and representative of the United States. The true credit here belongs to the men and women of Africa who agreed to work together to chart a new path into the future.

Creighton Abrams Jr.

Role: Military Commander, Head of State (OFN Mandate)

Ideology: Military Mandate^note Paternalism

In-Game Biography (General)^{Click to Show}Born: September 15, 1914, in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States of America

Military Career: Creighton Williams Abrams Jr., son of a railroad worker, graduated from West Point in 1936 and was transferred to the First Cavalry Division. There he rose up to captain before being temporarily transferred to the 1st Armored Division as a tank company commander. However, it was his work in the 4th Armored Division's 37th Armored Regiment that allowed him to really come into his own as a genius at armored warfare. Serving as the unit's leader throughout the war, it was widely considered the tip of the spear of General George S. Patton's forces. At this, "Colonel Abe" Abrams excelled, awarded the Distinguished Service Cross twice in 1944 for defeating superior German units, and was even declared the best tank commander in the army by Patton himself. After the conflict, Abrams rose up the ranks of the peacetime army, graduating from the Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth in 1949, serving in Greenland and the Caribbean before being promoted to brigadier general and serving as deputy chief of staff for reserve components at the Pentagon in 1956. Commander of the 3rd Armored Division from 1959-1962, recently transferred as deputy Chief of Staff for Operations at the Pentagon, overseeing a number of domestic deployments for Civil Rights disturbances.

Important Notes: Respected, decorated, and well liked, Abrams is one of the most admired men in the US Army, though he often clashes with politicians and defense contractors. Was a classmate of William Westmoreland at West Point.

In-Game Biography (OFN Provisional Government of the Congo)^{Click to Show}Years ago, in the fields of England, Creighton Abrams won acclaim and renown for his actions in the disastrous intervention in England. Now, in ultimate victory over the Nazi regime in Africa, he has found only scorn and resentment. As the wildfire of conventional war has descended into a slowly burning insurgency, General Abrams has been put in the uncomfortable position of crushing the insurgency determining the political future of the Congo.

Legacy German officials in the Congo administration have observed that under Abrams, there has been more continuity than change from Muller's regime. Despite paying lip service to winning hearts and minds Abrams has continued to apply a light touch to both the companies operating in the Congo and the natives struggling to survive in the war-torn nation. Already under fire from Washington due to allegations of massacres carried out by his troops during the offensives across Namibia, Abrams is also under immense economic pressure to continue giving companies a free hand in the region.

Things for Abrams have changed immensely since the English disaster. There is no glory in this war, and any victory would be cheap consolation for the thousands of lives lost. As the papers at home shout for their boys to come back, General Abrams must decide how to best leave America's mark on the region before his inevitable return home.

An American general that becomes the leader of the OFN Provisional Government of the Congo if the OFN are victorious in the South African War.

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• Incurable Cough of Death: After the Léopoldville Conference concludes, Abrams takes a sigh of relief from finally decolonizing the Congo. However, this calmness only lasts for a few seconds before Abrams breaks into a fit of violent coughs, feeling the constant pain in his chest get worse than ever. Abrams takes a look at the pack of cigars he's holding and begins wondering how many years he has left.
• Knight Templar: As the Congo Crisis approaches, Abrams becomes so fed up with the constant native uprisings and so disillusioned with the situation that he intends to shoot his way towards an orderly decolonization of the Congo.
  The Congo is a fucking hive, a hive of rats, all squirming under our feet and biting at the freedom we have bestowed upon them. If there is anything to learn from this fiery, explosive mess, it is that to ride a bastard, you must break the bastard's back. There is a future on the horizon, yes, but only once we have broken enough backs and taught these natives to obey their liberators, their saviors. This is what freedom is.
  The Congo is a sink indeed, and we are all circling the drain.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: Should the Congo Crisis boil over, Abrams' supervisors will order him to stand down and retreat, cutting all of the OFN's losses. Abrams hates to admit this defeat and feels guilt about leaving the Congo in a civil war, but he knows that he has no choice and follows his orders anyway.
• A Lighter Shade of Black: As a representative of U.S. hegemony in Africa, Abrams is both pragmatic and unscrupulous when it comes to his leadership, owing to his general apathy to the people of Africa. This is best showcased when he can optionally invite German sympathizers and disgraced Nazis, including Rolf Steiner, to help stabilize the Congo. That being said, his regime is far better than that of Müller's explicitly colonialist Reichskommissariat. Similarly, there are points of comparison that can be drawn for both leaders.
  • Müller is mostly apathetic to the rule of his Reichskommissariat, preferring instead to hunt wild animals and sometimes partisans. Abrams, although somewhat lax and disinterested evidenced by his frequent mispronunciations of native Congolese leaders' names which he makes no effort to correct even by the time of the Léopoldville Conference, puts more effort into learning about and administrating the Congo than Müller so he can at least get out with his head held high.
  • Müller's laissez-faire governing style allows corporations and investors to turn it into their personal playground. Abrams can either keep these businesses and investors around, or he can replace them with all-American ones. Unlike Müller, however, Abrams has no intention of reaping personal profit from them.
  • The same goes for native groups. Although reluctant to associate with former members of the Native SS, Abrams will reward loyal natives with positions of authority in the mandate, be they Belgian plantation owners, German remnants and mercenaries, or powerful native rulers. He creates a stratified administration with the OFN military government at the top and the various local rulers beneath them, not entirely dissimilar to how Müller ran things.
  • Müller can be flexible in his loyalties, even opting to keep Zentralafrika's economy open to investors during the South African War and effectively sell guns to his enemies in the name of profit, while Abrams's loyalty to the United States is not in doubt.
• Reluctant Ruler: If the OFN defeats Afrika-Schild in the South African War, Abrams is tasked with the uncomfortable task of crushing the insurgency in the Congo. Under pressure from both Washington and local investors, he thinks that there is no glory in this war but still has to decide on how to leave America's mark in the Congo before coming back home.
• Sir Swears-a-Lot: Whenever a crisis occurs or someone begins causing trouble for him, Abrams begins swearing like a sailor, cursing the new circumstances he's in.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: If the Congo Crisis occurs and the entire region splinters into warring factions, Abrams will be forced to call a retreat from the African continent, leaving it behind in a civil war.

John D. Lavelle

Role: Military Commander, Head of State (OFN Mandate)

Ideology: Military Mandate^note Paternalism

In-Game Biography (General)^{Click to Show}John "Jack" Daniel Lavelle is a man defined by loyalty. When he graduated from university in 1938 he enlisted as an air cadet and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Here started his long, and controversial career in the Air Force.

As he climbed the ranks of the Air Force all the way up to general, he found himself getting increasingly entangled with presidential politics, allegedly changing his aerial doctrine to appeal to the whims of the president against the rules of engagement. Rumors of Lavelle telling his pilots to "shoot first, ask questions later" and instructing them to take preemptive actions against enemies have filled the halls of the Pentagon.

Whatever the case may be, Lavelle's career is one of utter loyalty and dedication to the United States.

In-Game Biography (Coalition Government of Angola)^{Click to Show}Most generals are used to having their orders obeyed without question. During his time in Angola, General John Lavelle has learned to expect the opposite. In some ways Lavelle has the easiest job of the three mandate leaders- there are less radicalized rebel warlords or predatory corporations to deal with, for one- but that ease of ruling also leads to greater expectations. America and Lavelle both see a real opportunity for the torch of freedom to shine brightly in Angola, and both wish to ignite that spark.

However, what Congress sees from across the ocean and what Lavelle sees from Luanda are very different things. UNITA and the MPLA were cooperative and helpful in the American occupation, having secured their own territories against the Germans and each other. However, it is abundantly clear that their truce will last only as long as the American military presence, one which cannot remain for long. Facing down both Angolan factions and the overblown expectations of Congress, Lavelle will have to use all of his diplomatic skill to bring Angola to its full potential.

An American general that becomes the leader of the Coalition Government of Angola if the OFN are victorious in the South African War.

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• Meet the New Boss: A rare positive example. Lavelle ends up ruling Angola in the same vein as the benevolent Wolfgang Schenck, and can even use the former Reichskommissar's plans to decolonize Angola and give them freedom as the blueprint for his own decolonization efforts.
• Screw the Money, I Have Rules!: Explicitly defies the calls in Washington for privatization of Angola's industry, instead opting to maintain control of the factories under the Angolan Reconstruction Program, directing the proceeds to building up Angolan infrastructure and goodwill.
• Self-Deprecation: Establishing a transitional government means getting both UNITA and the MPLA to compromise for the moment, which is expected to break down by many, including his own subordinate, General William M. Momyer. Lavelle admits to himself that even he isn't sure that he knows what he's doing anymore by that point.
• Taking Up the Mantle: Lavelle can build on plans to decolonize Angola drafted by the similarly-principled Wolfgang Schenck in his efforts to decolonize OFN Angola. Angola has pretty good luck in colonial military governors it seems.

Nixon/JFK/McComarck Cabinet Members

William P. Rogers

Role: Secretary of State^note Foreign Minister (Nixon, JFK, and McComarck cabinet)

Party: Republican Party

Ideology: Liberalism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}William Rogers can be said to be one of the few men in President Nixon's cabinet to have been appointed specifically for their lack of expertise in their portfolio - as a way for the President himself to dominate foreign policy. While Rogers is a talented and respected legal mind - serving as President Eisenhower's Attorney General - President Nixon has repeatedly expressed his interest in leading foreign policy personally, and without influence from within the RDC. Rogers has served as an uninspired Secretary of State to date, frequently overruled or even kept out of the loop by President Nixon.

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• Authority in Name Only: He's officially Nixon's Secretary of State, but his advice is frequently overruled and all decisional power that comes with his position is concentrated on Nixon.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Since Nixon prefers personally leading the United States' foreign policy, Rogers is often left out of the decision process or even kept unaware of it until it comes into effect.
• Unfit for Greatness: Rogers was specifically chosen by Nixon to be his Secretary of State because of how inexperienced he is. As far as Nixon is concerned, he doesn't need Rogers' input because he can manage the American foreign ministry himself and, given that his completed focus tree involving foreign policy is the optimal route, he's probably right.

Robert McNamara

Role: Secretary of the Treasury^note Economy Minister (Nixon, JFK, and McComarck cabinet), Secretary of Defense^note Security Minister (Johnson, Goldwater, and Kirkpatrick cabinet)

Party: Republican Party

Ideology: Conservatism

In-Game Biography (Secretary of the Treasury) ^{Click to Show}Robert McNamara is an outside appointment in President Nixon's cabinet - coming from industry rather than the political class. A veteran of the Army Air Force during World War II, McNamara entered government after over a decade of service as one of the Ford Motor Company's 'Whiz Kids' - turning the company around through the revolutionary application of a statistical and scientific approach to management and business. In poaching McNamara from his position as President of Ford in 1960, Nixon hopes to transplant McNamara's methods from the boardrooms of Detroit to the smoke-filled rooms of Washington D.C.

Nixon offered McNamara a choice between the Defense and Treasury portfolios - and while McNamara is officially Secretary of the Treasury, he frequently weighs in on issues of defense, building a network of connections that could see him rise higher in Washington, should he so desire...

In-Game Biography (LBJ Secretary of Defense) ^{Click to Show}Robert McNamara is an unusual holdover appointment from Richard Nixon's cabinet - shifting laterally from his position as Secretary of the Treasury to Defense. Given President Johnson's stated focus on improving America at home, the going assumption is that President Johnson is willing to keep the business of national defense in proven hands - and McNamara had already been involved in defense issues beyond his portfolio during the Nixon years.

With the appointment of Henry Fowler to the Treasury, President Johnson has handed control over the budget and defense to experienced technocrats, with the clear expectation that they will take care of business while President Johnson remakes America. McNamara, no doubt, is capable and willing to serve Johnson as he did Nixon - but with his growing network of connections in Washington, McNamara is now a political fixture in his own right, and some whisper that his ambition may soon extend to the White House itself.

In-Game Biography (Goldwater Secretary of Defense) ^{Click to Show}The military is no place for emotions. Fierce, pathos-filled born-and-bred warriors are as obsolete as the trebuchet, replaced by an endless flood of cool and calculating administrators. Optimizing the logistic process to ensure an uninterrupted delivery of materiel to operational theaters may not be the yearn heroic tales are spun of, but modern warfare is all about percentages, statistics, and evidence-based decisions.

Robert McNamara is the undisputed master of this theorem. Instead of wasting his valuable time on irrelevant conflicts, he does whatever is necessary to strengthen America's position on an international stage. At Ford, he was pivotal in transforming the corporation into the fine-tuned highly efficient machine it is today - and now, he intends to apply his principles to the military of the United States. A few members of the old guard fervently object to that, claiming that cars cannot be compared to soldiers under any circumstances. McNamara vows to prove them wrong.

Robert McNamara is Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy's Secretary of the Treasury, and possible Secretary of Defense for LBJ, Barry Goldwater, and Jeane Kirkpatrick.

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• Arch-Enemy: McNamara is Schlafly's most hated, and largely one-sided, nemesis, designating him as the ringleader of "kingmakers" who are destroying the nation by engaging in foreign wars.
• Jerkass Has a Point: McNamara is one of the many people who rightfully criticizes Kirkpatrick's potentially antagonistic actions against the other OFN members, calling it "completely illogical".
• Know When to Fold 'Em: If Cameroon invades Mendi and Liberia during the Oil Crisis, even McNamara recognizes it’s a lost cause and will plead with President Johnson to withdraw from the two countries, not wanting the OFN to be spread too thin during the crisis.
• Pretext for War: Under President Johnson or Bennett, it is McNamara’s idea to exaggerate and lie about the details of an American ship being attacked off the Cape of Good Hope, to shore up support in Congress for expanding America’s role in the South African War.
• Realpolitik: McNamara is a stringent practitioner of this, though takes it even further than his OTL counterpart in the name of protecting America.
• The Spock: McNamara is written almost like a machine; all of his actions have a motif of reason and calculation behind them, with little room for emotion and empathy. This matches his love for numbers and technology, and his cold willingless to sacrifice American soldiers like pieces on a chessboard.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: McNamara is a ruthless pragmatist who believes that there can be no room for emotional compromises in politics. If military IQ standards must be lowered to allow more recruitment, if a foreign nation must be invaded to protect America, if taxes must be raised to provide for the common defence, then that should be done.

Melvin Laird

Role: Secretary of Defense^note Security Minister (Nixon, JFK, and McComarck cabinet)

Party: Republican Party

Ideology: Liberalism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}Melvin Laird is a respected congressman from Wisconsin, having served in Congress since 1953 as a member of the House Appropriations Committee specializing in defense budget and procurement issues. Though well-versed in defense affairs - advocating for a gradual reorientation of American force structure to support a defensive posture with OFN allies - Laird continually fights to defend his portfolio against Nixon's Secretary of the Treasury, Robert McNamara, who pushes for a more statistical and results-driven approach to a more assertive defense policy.

Finding his own position in question in the Nixon administration and with his talents increasingly used purely for Congressional affairs, Laird has expressed his desire to run again for the House of Representatives in 1964, potentially setting up a race to succeed him in the Nixon Administration.

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• Let No Crisis Go to Waste: With Hitler's health fading, Laird notes that it would be a perfect opportunity for the Nixon administration to take a crack at "Fortress Europe" and find a bulwark for OFN influence on the continent.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Laird's vision for an assertive defense policy clashes with McNamara's coldly statistical approach.

Allen Dulles

Role: Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (Nixon and JFK cabinet)

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}Long before becoming synonymous with American espionage, Allen Welsh Dulles was a lawyer who served the State Department in many European postings. Seeing firsthand the creation of the Nazi Empire in Europe convinced him American isolationism - in any sense of the word - was impossible in the face of world desiring tyrants. Serving as the link between the OSS and the anti-Hitler resistance in Germany during the war, he was not dissuaded from this view as he learned more and more of the nightmare of Europe.

Returning to the States, he criticized the intelligence agencies of the United States as being unable to collect intelligence from enemy nations and proposed to centralize the agencies around the CIA. The Dulles Report sent shockwaves around Washington, as he put the blame for these issues at the feet of the management of the agencies. The CIA then brought him onboard as the director of covert operations, before he became the director of the CIA itself.

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• Cassandra Truth: Witnessing the creation and horrors of the Nazi regime, Dulles scrutinized American isolationism as a self-destructive foreign policy that would doom the world. His words failed to convince the American establishment in time and were, sadly, proven right.
• Minor Major Character: Dulles has a relatively minor presence in the mod, but his creation of the Dulles Report fueled the creation of the CIA and unleashed a new age of American global imperialism.

Thurmond cabinet (Unmarked Spoilers)

Spiro Agnew

Spiro Agnew

Role: Governor of Maryland, Vice President^note Head of Government (Smith cabinet), Secretary of State^note Foreign Minister (Thurmond cabinet)

Party: Nationalist Party

Ideology: Paternalism

For his tropes, see the 1964-1968 American Presidents page.

Russell B. Long

Role: Secretary of the Treasury^note Economy Minister (Thurmond cabinet)

Party: Louisiana Progressive Party

Ideology: Paternalism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}Russell Billiu Long, son of the infamous late Louisiana governor Huey Long and established senator of Louisiana, is one of the more unexpected members of Strom Thurmond's cabinet. Being a member of the rather liberal wing of the NPP, Long has a long history of being a trailblazer when it comes to pushing for social programs and economic justice, supporting a wide variety of policies like healthcare grants and expanded welfare. His vision of the future United States is of a charitable society that takes care of it's weaker members, a society that focuses more on the poor than the rich. Surprisingly, Storm Thurmond completely agrees with it.

As long as the recipients are white, of course.

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• Arch-Enemy: He and the Long family in general are this to Chep Morrison, who has been a vocal opponent to them since Huey Long's time.
• Like Father, Like Son: Russell is a loyal follower of his infamous father Huey Long's populist ideas of expanded social welfare.
• Token Good Teammate: Long is the most sympathetic member of Thurmond's cabinet, advocating for social programs and economic justice. Thurmond agrees, though he wants those benefits strictly reserved for white Americans.

L. Mendel Rivers

Role: Secretary of Defense^note Security Minister (Thurmond cabinet)

Party: States' Rights Party

Ideology: Paternalism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}War is no civil affair. It is a terribly rowdy thing, a suspension of humanity until total victory is achieved. Moral victories are nice, but America's last moral victory cost them Hawaii, two ports, and thousands of lives.

Lucian Mendel Rivers isn't in it for moral victories. America is under attack on all fronts, and intentionally restraining the military to please hippies, journalists, and other useless people is a luxury it cannot afford. These leeches might be concerned about the fact that a former member of the house who advocated for the use of nuclear weapons in the South African War is now directly responsible for the administration of the military, but what do they know? Rivers surely knows more about the matter than some limp-wristed boys, and besides, even the smallest nuke has to be authorised by Thurmond himself anyways.

Luckily, not everything has to be signed off by the big man in the oval office. Minor incidents such as a few soldiers going a little overboard whilst liberating a village are obviously not important enough to land on the President's desk, and Rivers is poised to ensure that these internal affairs stay within the Department of Defense, where they can be classified and shelved until everyone involved is dead for at least fifty years.

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• No Sympathy: He has no ethical concerns over American war crimes committed in foreign proxy wars. If anything, he's more focused on sweeping those atrocities under the rug and classifying them until everyone involved is dead fifty years later.
• Realpolitik: Rivers has no concern for morality or idealism when it comes to waging war, blaming America's defeat in World War II on those two qualities for delaying their entry.
• Warhawk: Rivers is a hawkish politician who believes that the military should be prioritized in American foreign policy, despising the "hippies" and "journalists" who are holding it back.

Politicians

Carl Hayden

Role: President pro tempore of the Senate^note Head of Government (McCormack cabinet)

Party: Republican Party

Ideology: Liberalism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}Life can be a curious thing. When Carl Trumbull Hayden got elected president pro tempore of the Senate, he prepared for years of administrative work and political legwork. Him being third in line to succeed the President of the United States was more of a fun fact to him, something he could tell his grandchildren - after all, there is no way that three presidents would leave office in a row, right? Now, two out of three are gone, and Hayden is slowly getting worried.

Hayden's apparent reclusiveness when it comes to speaking on the floor of the senate should not be confused with shyness or cowardice. Known as the "Silent Senator", Carl Hayden is famous for winning friends and influencing people in committee meetings and cloakroom encounters. A colleague of him once claimed that "no man in Senate history wields more influence with less oratory", and perhaps these kinds of legislative abilities are exactly what John McCormack needs to enable a gradual return to normalcy.

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• The Quiet One: He doesn't speak often on the Senate floor because he likes to influence people through more subtle means instead.
• Red Baron: He's called the "Silent Senator" for his usual silence in the Senate in favor of winning friends in committee meetings or cloakroom encounters.
• Reluctant Ruler: Hayden is more than a little worried about being the next heir to the presidency if McCormack were also removed from the position, since his reclusivity would make him unfit for the title.
• Unexpected Successor: He's just as surprised as McCormack to hear of two Presidents being decommissioned, suddenly putting him second in-line to the succession.

Zsa Zsa Gabor

Role: First Lady (Chep Presidency)

Party: Democratic Party

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• Attention Whore: Zsa Zsa loves the cameras and always has a handy quip to make the audience laugh. Whenever Chep presents the Americar, Zsa Zsa swoops in and steals the spotlight with her smooth charisma.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Ever the socialite, Zsa Zsa usually acts like a charming party animal, but she's also callous towards her husband, Chep, and when Bayh thoroughly rejects her offer to drink champagne so that he and Chep can get to work, she becomes displeased and calls him a "square".
• Brutal Honesty: She accompanies all of the Americar presentations with Chep and always states her honest opinion about them in a snarky way.
• Domestic Abuse: She and Chep do not have a healthy relationship, as she verbally berates him and often demeans him to the press. Depending on Chep's success and choices, the relationship can either end horribly, divorce on good terms, or be repaired.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: On the surface, Zsa Zsa seems like a vapid gold digger who doesn't care for Chep. But, when Chep is fighting for the URI's survival, Zsa Zsa can become a useful ally and work towards a more healthy relationship with the President. Even if Chep divorces her, Zsa Zsa takes it in stride and departs on good terms with him.
• The Load: Zig-Zagged. Her open criticisms of the Chep presidency gives the press ammo to hinder her husband's agenda and demoralize his staff, making it harder for them to save the URI. Chep can fire her to stop her shenanigans, but he can also get Zsa Zsa to subvert this status by weaponizing her charisma and talking points. The public love her witty quips and can be a means of gathering the goodwill necessary to delay the URI repeals.
• Pet the Dog:
  • She can't find anything to snark about the Americar Bravo or the Americar Century Cruiser, so she genuinely compliments it to the cameras.
  • After her husband becomes President and struggles with defending the URI, Gabor becomes sympathetic to his plight and gives him some time alone to recompose himself.
  • When Chep finally fires her from the White House, she takes it surprisingly well, even graciously stating that she appreciated the brief work she had.
• Second Love: Chep's first wife Corrine passed away, making Zsa Zsa his second wife. Sadly, it's a lot more dysfunctional than the first relationship.
• Serial Spouse: She is an actress infamous for burning through many past relationships. In the event "The Star of the Silver Screen", nobody anticipates her relationship with Chep to last long.
• Smarter Than You Look: On first glance, Zsa Zsa seems like a brainless celebrity, an image that disguises how sharp her tongue and wit are. The longer Zsa Zsa runs around the press, the more Chep realizes how funny she is and Zsa Zsa admits that many in the Press Office don't respect her because they think she's unintelligent.
• They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!: Zsa Zsa expects people to call her "First Lady Gabor" and she gets annoyed when an interviewer calls her "Ms. Morrison".
• Took a Level in Kindness: While Chep is trying to save the URI, Zsa Zsa becomes less abrasive towards him. If she's kept around, she can be a genuine help in Chep's mission and comes to appreciate and respect her husband when the two reconcile.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: If Bayh's confirmation for the vice presidency stalls in Congress, Chep's already teetering cabinet finally collapses when Zsa Zsa attends a party at Dupont Circle and leaks the President's plan to reform the URI in a manner suggesting that she'll play a part in it. Newspapers seize on the verbal slip-up and misinterpretation of Zsa Zsa's words to defame the President and his First Lady, with Jacobs cutting her losses with a resignation and dooming any chance of the URI being saved.
• We Need a Distraction: Her greatest utility is handling the press, where she goes on a hour-long tirade against the politicians trying to destroy the URI and elicits laughter from her audience.

George McGovern

Role: Senator (South Dakota)

Party: Democratic Party

Ideology: Liberalism

George McGovern is a Democratic Senator from South Dakota.

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• Assumed Win: McGovern was once considered a frontrunner for the Republican-Democratic coalition in the 1972 primaries, but after a disappointing third-place showing in Iowa and his campaign being dogged by a lack of purpose, his campaign lost momentum, and either Kirkpatrick or Romney go on to win the primaries.
• Martial Pacifist: His platform is about avoiding war and further conflict with fascist spheres, with Jackson summating his stance as "give peace a chance". However, McGovern notes that outright bowing to the enemy is not in his goals, still intent on seeing them addressed after having served in World War Two.
• Realpolitik: He's willing to negotiate with Japan and Germany to advance the country's interests and to prevent further conflict.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: He makes a point to take more peaceful actions to divert the world from nuclear Armageddon, even suggesting diplomacy with America's enemies if it means providing their allies benefits and support.
• Sheathe Your Sword: His main goal as president is to take an anti-war stance and the pursuit of détente in the face of potential nuclear conflict. A common criticism held against him is the suggestion that it will only give the enemy more power.
• War Is Hell: It's his experiences in war and seeing the families of servicemen torn by their losses that motivate McGovern to pursue a peaceful approach in the Cold War.

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