May 25th, 1954

Washington, DC

All cameras were trained on the speaker's podium of the US Senate, where President Walt Disney had called together a joint session of Congress, as well as as many press could fit in the room, to give a 'special update announcement' on the progress of the war in Vietnam. There the President stood, awaiting his cue from the Speaker to begin.

My fellow American pioneers, and to all those watching around the world,

I stood in front of many members of this very Congress seven years ago, to testify in front of our Un-American Affairs Committee about the encroaching presence of Communism in Hollywood, the heart of our cultural pulse.

The next year, I joined our great Governor Thomas Dewey on the campaign trail, to do my best at convincing this nation that stronger measures were needed to combat the rising wave of Socialist Communism across the globe, something I believed that then-President Truman was unwilling or unable to do.

When this failed, I spent the next year helping to organize an international group that would attempt to spread the same message, partnering with many other great Americans to denounce the evils of Communism in Europe.

Then, as revelations of Soviet incursion into the highest levels of our government were made unmistakably clear, I decided that simple advocacy would not be enough, and asked the people of California to help put me in a position to actually do something about it. They listened.

At the behest of myself and my then-fellow Senators, we helped to find 87 other suspected Communists riddled throughout the State Department, and set a tone that Communism would not be tolerated anywhere in America.

A year later, you - the American people - joined in my vision to show the world that Communism had no place in a free and democratic society, and chose me to be your President.

All this, of course, is not to use this platform to brag about political successes, but to paint a picture, to tell the story, the story of how America has decided that it understands the grave and existential threat posed by Soviet Communism not just at home, but all over the globe. When the Red Army marching into Prague to install a Communist government inspires Communist traitors here at home to plan to do the same, it must be understood to all that such normalization of political violence directly inspires other subversives to do the same, and brings with it tragedies like we saw just months back in Chicago, and even just 500 feet from this very room, on the other side of this building.

The President bangs his fist on the podium

Communism is, has, and always will be a disease. It is not a political affiliation, nor is it a simple ideology. It is a godless, violent, and unmistakable cancer that seeks to infiltrate, subsume, and destroy the democratic freedoms that we as American pioneers have championed for almost 200 years. Opposing such an evil is not a choice, it is a duty, a duty to all it looks to exterminate and bring under its heel.

With this, the President takes a deep breath

Despite this clear duty, however, comes the constant dilemma of what force must be necessary when opposing the powers of Soviet Communism. It is clear to me that, while fighting Communism is the defining conflict of our lifetimes, my primary duty as President of the United States is, and will always be, about protecting Americans. Their lives, their livelihoods, and their way of life. This is not a duty I take lightly, nor is it one in which I hope to ever come up short.

As such, there must be no question of both our commitment to the destruction of Communism, and our commitment to keeping America free and safe. This inherently means never leaving options off the table, and never being afraid to make the hard decisions that you have placed me in this office to make. The kinds of tough decisions that either we choose to make now, or leave be and force our children to make far tougher ones tomorrow. Which brings me to today.

The President looks up from his notes and stares directly into the live TV camera

In the furtherance of this goal, I have made the hardest decision of my short time as President, and authorized the use of limited, tactical atomic strikes on military targets in Northern Vietnam. I have been assured that these strikes are to be used only in areas of tactical military importance, away from civilian targets, and certainly away from any American forces.

There is an audible gasp and murmur from the crowd of gathered Congressmen and reporters

When my predecessor authorized the atomic strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki nine years ago, it was to end a war that threatened our very existence. It is not a decision I believe was made incorrectly, nor do I believe it was anything other than necessary. However, the fact is that the atomic bomb is a weapon just like any other. The idea that it can and should be used to target major population centers of no tactical military importance is one that is as dangerous to perpetuate as the weapons themselves. These strikes that have been authorized, in comparison, are of key military value, and will serve to decimate the ability for the Viet Minh to continue waging open warfare against American troops. It will save American lives, it will save Vietnamese lives, and it will help ensure a stable democracy in the region for years to come.

Another pause as the President takes a sip of water

Let me make one thing clear - these are not weapons we wish to use lightly, regularly, or ideally ever at all. However, there must be no doubt that they are a weapon we are ready, able, and capable of using, and that the powers of Communism threatening the freedom of America or Her allies will always be met by the full force of American defense. As the Viet Minh threaten the people of Vietnam under the crushing weight of Communist dictatorship, we shall ensure that the State of Vietnam and Her people are under no mistake that America stands behind them, opposed to the evils of Communism, and ready to do whatever it takes to ensure their freedom.

The American people stand united, opposed to the godless conquests of Soviet Communism, and in defense of the freedoms and liberties of all free peoples across the globe. We will not back down from this fight, from this duty, and shall never rest in our quest to ensure that the American dream will forever be a beacon of liberty and hope to all the world. Our people are, and will forever be, pioneers for freedom and democracy around the world, and will keep bright the torch of Lady Liberty so long as she continues to stand guard at our shores. Thank you.

With that, the President walks off the podium to a cacophony of cameras and shouts. Some boos, some continued murmurs, but just as many shouts of applause from members of Congress and guests. While it is not yet clear how the world will react, President Walt Disney had - for better or worse - finally defined his Presidency.