MovieChat Forums > Seven Days in May (1964) Discussion > Someone explain to me how....(SPOILERS A...

Someone explain to me how....(SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!)


...the coup would have worked.
I've seen the movie multiple times, and even read the novel once. But I'm still unclear on exactly how the coup was going to work.
I understand a secret army unit had been created that would have seized America's TV, radio, and telephone systems -- probably based on the premise that if you can control the information people are getting, it will be easier to control them.
But how would President Lyman have been removed? I think it was indicated they would kidnap or hold him. But were they planning to kill him? And how would they stop the vice president from claiming power? Do they have any assurance that the rest of the military -- beyond the relatively small number of conspirators -- would go along with this? I could pose dozens of other questions.
It's a terrific movie, and a good book, and I'm not trying to sound critical of either. I'm just not clear on the logistics of the coup.

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I think he was planning to go on TV and scare the bejeezus out of the country. Then he could be voted into office through a popular referendum while Lyman would be impeached. In reality, of course, they didn't need to take over the media in 1963 since it was already in the pocket of the conspirators.

"The President wanted it done as a warning to the Republic" - John Frankenheimer speaking of his motivation for making Seven Days in May.

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Seeing it from today's perspective is a mistake. We have what 500 channels to choose from? yes we only have 5 "prime time" channels. but the president can speak on a lot of cable news channels too.

Back then 3 channels that was it. and if you got control of info there you controlled exactly what the US would hear and believe. Now-adays you can go to the web and to several cable news outlets.

So from the 1964 point of view, it would have been possible to control all info. Remember the drills and the way the channels would go off (still do) for monitoring in case of a national emergency?

well they still do that every few months but most people are not home to hear or see it. Good luck on taking over the media now.

I don't think this movie can be remade now. Not as it was then. People are too wary and no longer naïve.

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Vince Giannelli would have been easy to take care of. Simply stage an "accidental" shoot-down of Air Force Two over the ocean.

I don't really see any scenario at all that would have permitted Jordan Lyman to live. Where the coup is concerned, every moment he'd breathe after the seizure of power would make him even more of a liability. You take him down cellar and put a bullet between his eyes.

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The movie implies that Gen. Scott was enormously popular with the American people. He was counting on the population to rally to him.

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The movie implies that Gen. Scott was enormously popular with the American people. He was counting on the population to rally to him.


And a recent opinion poll indicated that the President was very unpopular.


---
Fowler's knots? Did you say ... fowler's knots?

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Probably he would say that the president had been kidnapped by persons unknown and that he was taking over for the duration of the crisis because we need strong leadership in such unprecedented times blah blah blah. He probably figured he had the military behind him and could use them to counter anyone who tried to prevent that. Then by election day with Lyman still not found, he would point to how well he had run things so far and be elected president legally.

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Lyman was due to take part in an alert on the day the coup was set to take place. Gen. Scott had ensured that Lyman would effectively be alone, with no press and no congressmen. Casey even says that Lyman will be in an underground bunker completely alone at that point. And he'd very probably be kept there at least while the bulk of the coup was taking place. The military would be ordered to seize control of the communication network (TV, phone, and radio) and if they weren't told the real reason why, it would probably be under the guise of a suspected infiltration by Communist agents - Broderick was in charge of the troops who would be used for this and he was in on the conspiracy and directly under Gen. Scott, so either the soldiers would go along with it or be dismissed. Lyman's approval rating sat at 29% at the start of the film and Gen. Scott had clearly been presenting himself for quite some time as the ideal alternative to the other 71% - even at the protest that begins the film there are several signs calling for Scott to be President; so he'd likely naturally have popular support to take over, especially if the coup is presented as being in response to a supposed Communist infiltration (since I don't think the fact that it was due to take place during an alert is coincidence). It would be a relatively easy thing for the VP to be "disposed of" on his return to the country after the coup (probably by shooting down the plane and again masking it as being a Communist attack) and it's implied that Lyman doesn't have many friends in congress who would remain loyal to him in such a scenario. Lyman himself would likely be kept alive and in good condition - since, were the coup to fail at any point after it started, Scott could still gain brownie points in the public eye by "rescuing" Lyman - until the coup had gone too far to fail at which point he would either be killed or left to rot somewhere. Once the coup had succeeded, Lyman would have been a liability.

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