WesWorld

(A bit of writers block of late, so I kept it relatively simple)

Military News
The Argentinian Talons over Cordoba competition provided mixed results for the United States. While her pilots proved they could fly with the best the world had to offer, it was painfully obvious that American fighter aircraft were sorely lacking compared to the rest of the world. General Mitchell and Admiral Moffett were quick to use the poor showing to call for major increases in research and development in order to close the Fighter Gap as some papers began to call it. The Army and Navy would get their way in 1933 and American aviation companies both large and small would begin to build prototypes for testing, eager to get a lucrative government contract. Even such unusual design as the Gee Bee racers were given consideration, though those planes were considered too dangerous without major modifications. Movie director Howard Hughes even proposed a design which promised to provide exceptional speed and maneuverability, though he had yet to actually finish the prototype. The larger aircraft companies also joined the effort, with new proposals from Curtiss, Boeing, and Grumman, among others. The Army also announced that it was asking for proposals for a large, long range bomber. The Navy also took advantage of Congressional concerns over military aviation to begin efforts to develop new, more advanced torpedo and dive bombers. It was a good time to be in the aviation business in the United States in 1933.
The Navy announced that Fleet Problem XIII would be held in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean in the summer. While details were not officially made public, there could be no doubt that the exercise was in response to the continuing crisis in Mexico and concerns that outside powers were trying to influence events there. It was expected that Atlantian, Canadian and Mexican forces would participate in the exercise as well. There were already rumors that United States air and naval units were increasing their patrols of the sea routes around the Gulf and Caribbean and helping Mexican officials monitor suspicious shipping. There were even some reports that the Navy was considering a change in its overall fleet deployment, shifting some ships from the Pacific to the Atlantic. The airship Akron left California in February and sailed via the southern route over Mexico to her new home in Florida as Naval Air Station Orlando officially opened in March. The new airship base was one of the most modern facilities of its kind, with one huge hanger completed and at least one more planned and it was equipped with the latest ground handling equipment. Meanwhile, work on the Macon continued in Ohio, with completion officially scheduled for September after several delays as the ship was modified based on experience with the Akron. There was also speculation that one of the large fleet carriers would transfer as well in order to give the Atlantic fleet more carrier operating experience prior to the completion of the Yorktown in 1934. Several new destroyers were laid down as well, as the Navy continued its efforts to modernize its aging destroyer fleet.

Political News
The election of 1932 was, to say the least, anti-climactic. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Carl Vinson easily defeated their opposition. Second place was somewhat of a surprise, as Norman Thomas edged out Samuel Bush. Middle and working class voters, especially in the Northeast and Great Lakes, helped push the Socialists into second place for the first time, and their gains in Congress put them in a powerful spoiler position. If they combined with the Democrats, they could block any Republican filibuster, but if they sided with the GOP, then gridlock would be the result. Socialists were able to take advantage of a growing perception among many Americans that the rich were getting richer and the rest were falling behind.
The reelection of FDR was also seen as a sign of support for his efforts to have the United States join the League of Nations and in general reduce America's isolationist stance. As the new Congress was sworn in early in the new year, one of his first legislative efforts was to have Congress finally decide the League issue. The debate lasted well over a month, with often heated confrontations between those who supported the League and those who feared that membership would drag the United States into conflicts and infringe on her sovereignty. Finally, despite a Republican launched, record long, twenty-six hour filibuster, the Senate was able to invoke cloture and approved entry into the League by a final vote of 64 to 34, exactly the two-thirds required to ratify the decision. Socialists joined with the Democrats after promises that their concerns over social issues would be addresses in return for their support.

Other Events of Note
The death on January 5th of former President Coolidge came as a great shock to the nation. The former President was only sixty when he died suddenly of a heart attack at his home in Massachusetts. On the same day, on the other side of the nation, a great endeavor began as construction started on the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco. It would become the largest bridge of its kind in the world once it was completed. Meanwhile, more states ratified the Twentieth Amendment and it would finally get the all important three-quarters majority of states in May with Utah voting in favor of the amendment to repeal Prohibition. In New York City, March saw the premiere of the movie King Kong, which recreated the events of only a year before. Despite the speed of its production, the film was a marvel of special effects and took relatively few liberties with the truth, which was fantastic enough. The film's producers had hoped to have Ann Darrow portray herself in the film, but she refused, saying that she did not want to relive the experience. The American Museum of Natural History used the premiere to reveal its display of the great beast's body, preserved in one of the greatest feats of taxidermy in history. The display was the centerpiece of the new Farnsworth Memorial Hall and featured several other animals brought back in the late professor's tragic expedition to Skull Island.

(corrections in Italics, forgot to include Canada in FPXIII)

Germany sends it's congratulations to President Roosevelt, first on his re-election, and later upon the decision to join the League of Nations.