Plucking the Eagle's Wings

The Zero Cycle and the Deaths of American Presidents

1920. Harding, the 29 th president, surrounded himself with unscrupulous men who were willing to sell national resources to the highest bidder. Harding's administration was considered to be one of the most corrupt in America's history. For example, Albert B. Fall, Secretary of the Interior, was convicted of bribery for accepting $100,000 from Edward Dohoney in connection with the Elk Hills Naval Oil Reserve in California. In 1923, Harding set out on a speaking tour. As it progressed, people noticed that he seemed to be aging before their eyes. When he returned home, he suddenly became violently ill and died. Rumors spread that he had been poisoned. Other rumors suggested that Mrs. Harding had something to do with his death because she refused to have an autopsy and immediately had the body buried. There was no evidence to prove the rumors. Harding became the fifth president in a row who had been elected on a zero year to die while in the White House. Roosevelt and His 666 Votes After receiving 666 votes in his first nomination, President Roosevelt was elected president in 1932. Because of his popularity, he ran for a third term in 1940 and a fourth in 1944 but he died during his fourth term. The president was stricken while sitting for an artist in Warm Springs, Georgia. Interestingly, Roosevelt ran against Wendell Wilkie in 1940. If Wilkie had won, would he have survived the presidency? Wilkie suffered a heart attack and died on October 8, 1944. Consequently, whoever was elected in 1940 would not have lived through his full term! After six zero year presidents died in office, some wondered what would occur during the next zero year election. The Death of John F Kennedy—Elected 1960 The 1960 race between Richard Nixon and John Kennedy was one of the closest elections in history. Nixon served under Eisenhower as Vice President and Kennedy served as a senator from Massachusetts. Although there were severe voting irregularities and alleged fraud in Illinois, Kennedy triumphed, becoming the first Catholic president in American history. Several weeks before his death, he met with Evangelist Billy Graham. In a television interview on Larry King Live, Graham recounted how Kennedy had asked him if he believed in the literal return

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