Henry Agard Wallace (October 7, 1888 – November 18, 1965), an Iowan, was the 33rd Vice President of the United States (1941–5), the 11th Secretary of Agriculture (1933–40), and the 10th Secretary of Commerce (1945–6). A staunchly liberal person who had regarded Russian artist Nicholas Roerich as a "guru" in the 1930s, Wallace was removed from the ticket in 1944 by PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt under pressure from more conservative Democrats. Wallace himself was the Progressive Party and American Labor Party's nominee for the presidency in 1948. He came fourth place in with over a million popular votes but no electoral votes.
Henry Wallace had been Vice President during FDR's third term, being dropped in the fourth in favor of Harry Truman. Jerry Duncan, for all his problems with Truman's presidency, regarded the possibility of President Wallace as a genuinely scary thought.[1]
In May 1942, Vice PresidentHenry Wallace publicly broke with PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt over the country's participation in World War II. Wallace first called for a timetable for victory, suggesting that if the U.S. hadn't won in 18 months, the country should withdraw from the war altogether. Wallace was also dubious about the USA's ability to feed the world in the event of victory.[3]
Later that month, with rumors of Roosevelt's impeachment in the air, Wallace claimed that Roosevelt had been dishonest with the American people in the lead-up to the country's entry into the war, and promised that if he were to become president, he would negotiate a peace.[4] While the Roosevelt Administration retorted that Wallace's criticism was benefiting the enemy, Wallace steadfastly explained that he was telling the people the truth.[5]
In June 1942, the House had taken the first steps towards impeaching Roosevelt. Wallace acknowledged that he would probably be president if Roosevelt was removed from office, but promised that only peace could get the country back on track.[6]
Henry "Hank" Wallace served as United States Secretary of the Interior under PresidentAl Smith. As such, he knew about the project to build a superbomb in Hanford, Washington. When Congresswoman Flora Blackford discovered the discrepancy in the budget that funded the project, she made several calls to the Department of the Interior, including Wallace's office. However, when a response came, it was not from Wallace, but from Franklin Roosevelt, the Assistant Secretary of War.[7]
John Nance Garner, Wallace's predecessor in OTL, who served as Vice President from 1933 to 1941. In Joe Steele (both the novel and the short story) Garner serves as the Vice President from 1933 to 1953.