WesWorld

Washington DC, Thursday, October 4th, 1928
The assassination of President de Varga and the coup-de-tat lead by his Vice President Greco has stunned official Washington. Secretary of State Kellogg issued a formal statement today refusing to recognize the so-called “Democratic Oriental Republic of the Philippines” and demanding an immediate return to constitutional government in the Philippines. “General Greco and his cohorts in this despicable act are not, and never will be, recognized by this nation as the legitimate government of the Philippines. Their use of heavy artillery against civilian targets in the city of Manila brands them as no more than criminals of the lowest order. For nearly thirty years, the Philippines have been a proud example of the fundamental right of a free people to choose their own destiny, and not have it dictated to them at the barrel of a gun, either from domestic or foreign tyrants. When the results of an election, like that recently held in the Philippines, are deemed to be in doubt, violence by the aggrieved party is NOT the answer! The United States will provide all assistance, sort of direct military intervention in the suppression of the rebellion, to President de la Vega. This will primarily consist of humanitarian aide, but will not be restricted to that alone. The rule of law and Filipino democracy must be preserved.” It is not immediately known what form this assistance will take, but the liner Sonoma has sailed for Okinawa to aide in the evacuation of American citizens from the war zone.

Los Angeles, California, Friday, October 5th, 1928
In a rally here in Los Angeles, Democratic Presidential nominee Franklin Roosevelt condemned the Filipino coup as a criminal act of the highest order. “The assassination of President de Varga is an attack on all the free peoples of the world. This so-called Democratic Republic is nothing of the kind. It is a sham created by power-mad, bloodthirsty tyrants who simply cannot accept the fact that they lost the election! No nation which claims to truly value Democracy and Freedom can accept this atrocity. Thirty years ago, American soldiers, sailors, and marines fought so that the Filipino people could be free to make their own future and we must not sit idly by while that future is stolen from them by the likes of General Greco and his partners in crime. Regretfully, while the current administration has offered aid to the legitimate Filipino government under Admiral de la Vega, our armed forces are in no position to offer him the support on the ground that he desperately needs thanks to nearly a decade of neglect by the Do-Nothing Republicans in Washington! Since the end of the Great War in Europe, our nation’s Army has been left a hollow shell, not even in the top ten in the world with regard to men in uniform or useful aircraft. Our Navy is one of the largest in the world, but neglect and incompetence on the part of its civilian leaders have hamstrung it as well. They must be revived if we are to protect our nation’s future and our fundamental belief in liberty and justice for all! We, as a nation, must begin to look at the world in a different light, not from behind the curtains of isolationism, but rather as partners in creating a better future so as to not see a repeat of the horrors that engulfed Europe in the previous decade and came perilously close to involving us as well. When the next Great War comes, we will almost certainly lack the luxury of sitting on the sidelines and commenting on how terrible it is, and shame on them for fighting it. The next war will drag us in whether we wish it or not, and we owe it to our children to work to prevent it, or God forbid, be ready for it so that future generations will not look back on us and ask “Why? Why didn’t they try?” We need to stop hiding behind the great oceans that border this land and take part in creating a better world for all mankind.”
Mr. Roosevelt’s appearance in Los Angeles was the start of his latest “whistle-stop” tour of the Western United States.

Washington Post, Monday, October 8th, 1928
President Coolidge’s campaign denounced Democratic Presidential candidate Roosevelt’s call for an end to the isolationist policies of the United States. A Coolidge spokesman accused Roosevelt of “wanton adventurism” and that his ideas of American involvement in world affairs were certain to entangle the country in any future wars between the various power blocs in the world. “It was only through the steadfast efforts of Congressional Republicans that this nation was spared the horrors of the Great War in Europe. Had Mr. Roosevelt and his like had their way, thousands of American boys would have died in the trenches of France fighting a war between empires in which we had no stake in! If he is elected, he’ll send our sons off to fight in wars which we have no business in and for causes alien to our own. Only by not interfering in the relations between nations can we ensure future peace for us and our children! While we support the Filipino government in its fight against Greco’s Rebels, it is not the place of the United States to fight their wars for them.”

Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Wednesday, October 17th, 1928
The exploits of the rebellious Filipino cruiser Panay have been followed intently by the entire country since word of its mutiny and attack on an Indian cruiser reached the western world. Now that voyage has come to a violent end. The Panay was hunted down by Indian aircraft, and then cornered by Indian warships which shelled it into submission in the Indian Ocean. Meanwhile, rebel forces seem to have the upper hand in the ground battle for the Philippine archipelago. Apparently President de la Vega’s forces are being driven south towards Mindanao and appear to face almost certain defeat in the face of the Red General Greco’s forces.
Meanwhile, the Matson Lines liner Sonoma has reached Naha on the island of Okinawa and will be used to repatriate Americans and other foreign citizens who have escaped the fighting in the Philippines. Those Hawaiians of Filipino descent are deeply concerned about the fighting in their homeland, and while some expressed support for General Greco in a small rally outside the Filipino consulate on Monday, most are either supporting the government of Admiral de la Vega, or simply wishing for the bloodshed to end.

Washington DC, Thursday, October 18th, 1928
The announcement that the other members of the SATSUMA alliance will directly intervene in the Filipino Crisis met with a concerned reaction in Washington today. A State Department spokesman said that while the forces of President de la Vega were at a serious disadvantage due to the participation of a large percentage of the Filipino Army in the rebellion, the intervention of India and Japan could further galvanize support for the rebel side among Filipinos who might see the assistance as an attempt to take over the country by the two autocratic nations. The State Department also expressed concern over the announcement that India might suspend its observation of the Cleito Treaty, seeing little justification for that in light of the nature of the conflict. It appears that very few Filipino Naval units have joined the insurrection and already the rebellious cruiser Panay has been captured after attacking Indian forces and trying to flee back to the Philippines.

Washington DC, Friday October 19th, 1928
Tremendous partisan infighting has stalled attempts to conduct hearings into the loss of the airship Susquehanna last July in Kansas. Republicans were able to block the hearings until at least the start of the next Congressional session in January of next year. Democrats called their efforts a thinly veiled cover up in an attempt to protect the Coolidge Administration from accusations that it overrode Navy concerns about the cross-country flight over the turbulent Mid-west in order to use the Susquehanna for political advantage by having it fly over the Republican Convention in Kansas City and visit several other Midwestern cities in states considered crucial to President Coolidge’s reelection next month. Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee, Representative Carl Vinson went so far as to call Republicans cowards for blocking the hearings. Republicans countered by accusing Vinson and his Democratic colleagues of trying to exploit the disaster for political gain in the election in less than three weeks. Reportedly, Representative Fitzpatrick (D-MA) and Representative Sedgwick (R-KS) had to be physically restrained by other Congressmen and staffers when they came to blows over the issue in Statuary Hall.

New York Times, Sunday, October 21st, 1928
A new Times opinion poll shows the majority of Americans support Admiral de la Vega in his fight against Communist rebels. Roughly 42% favor de la Vega, 21% favor Greco, and 37% had no opinion or were undecided. As to whether the United States should intervene militarily in the conflict, a solid 78% said no, 15% said yes, 7% were undecided. An unrelated poll about the upcoming Presidential election shows possible trouble for President Coolidge. 34% favored Democrat Franklin Roosevelt, 31% favored President Coolidge, 10% percent favored Socialist Norman Thomas, 8% favored Communist Charles Ruthenberg, with 17% still undecided just over two weeks before the election. The margin of error in the poll was 3%, making it a statistical dead heat.

Los Angeles Times, Monday, October 22nd, 1928
The freighter Thelma Louise left the port of Long Beach this morning, believed to be bound for Davao City on the Philippine island of Mindanao. Officials refuse to disclose the cargo, but it is suspected to be a mix of humanitarian and military supplies. Three destroyers and the cruiser Dallas are accompanying the freighter on its voyage, which should take a little less than three weeks.

Northampton Massachusetts, Monday, November 5th, 1928
His reelection campaign at its end, President Coolidge and his family gathered at the family home here in Northampton in preparation for tomorrow’s election. The President and First Lady will vote tomorrow morning. His opponent, Democrat Franklin Roosevelt, will be voting in New York.

Interesting news, in particular the airship hearings and the election runup.

Yes it is a tight race between the two.
*goes off to vote for Roosevelt*

Great speeches in particular, but a good read all round. Have to admit I'm surprised that a communist would have 8% support in the USA, though.

Indeed, that's pretty good.

Quoted

Have to admit I'm surprised that a communist would have 8% support in the USA, though.

Without the violence of the Russian Revolution and its aftermath to tar-and-feather them in the West, the Reds might not be considered so horrible.
(...but they might not be called 'Bolsheviks' either.)

Reckon I should stick something in the Encyclopedia identifying the ships of the D.O.R.P's so-called fleet. :-)

Hmmm... pretty hefty fleet they got... O_O

Quoted

the Reds might not be considered so horrible.

... and it is obvious that you are trying to do something about their image. :-)

Don't forget, tho, that due to shortage of manpower their operational fleet is:
1 SD
3 DD
~30 MTB

And that's-that's-that's all folks!
:-)

In other words...torpedo bait for the Japanese.

Maybe...

...assuming they don't go kablooie first...

:-)

Quoted

In other words...torpedo bait for the Japanese.

They have to be careful. They only have 1 ship to use as proper bait.

Quoted

...assuming they don't go kablooie first...

Yes, there is always the infamous habit of the Filipino ships to become part of a spectacular fireworks display.
:-)