1960: LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon-The Epic Campaign That Forged Three Presidencies

by David Pietrusza

Overview

"1960 aims to take us deeper into the campaign than Theodore White's famous The Making of the President, 1960. And it does." —Chicago Sun-Times



Award-winning historian David Pietrusza's hard-edged account of the 1960 Presidential Campaign—the bare-knuckle politics of the primaries, the party conventions' backroom dealings, the unprecedented television debates, along with hot-button issues of race, religion, and foreign policy. And, at the center of it all, three future presidents—LBJ, JFK, and Nixon.



"Terrific!" —Robert A. Caro, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes and the National Book Award



It was the election that ultimately gave America "Camelot" and its tragic aftermath. 1960 is a stunning recreation of the bare-knuckle politics of the primaries, the party conventions' backroom dealings, the unprecedented television debates, along with hot-button issues of race, religion, and foreign policy. And, at the center of it all, three future presidents—Lyndon Johnson, John F. Kennedy, and Richard Nixon.



In this essential work of history, David Pietrusza chronicles 1960's struggle for power by bringing to life its towering events and personalities, unlocking its secrets, and turning expert scholarship into rich, human storytelling.



"A stirring, hard-edged political saga… An outstanding reexamination." —Booklist



"1960 provides new insights into that year's hard-fought, pivotal election, but, more than that, 1960 is great storytelling—a fascinating, can't-put-it-down account of how American politics really works." —Former United States Attorney General Richard Thornburgh



"Pietrusza's 1960 is essential for understanding the political forces that in many ways shaped the world we live in today." —David Mark, journalist, political analyst, and author of Going Dirty: The Art of Negative Campaigning

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781635764468
Publisher:	Diversion Books
Publication date:	09/04/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	555
Sales rank:	642,365
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

David Pietrusza’s books include 1920: The Year of Six Presidents; Rothstein: The Life, Times, and Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series; 1948: Harry Truman's Improbable Victory and the Year that Transformed America's Role in the World; 1960: LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon: The Epic Campaign that Forged Three Presidencies; and 1932: The Rise of Hitler and FDR—Two Tales of Politics, Betrayal, and Unlikely Destiny. Rothstein was a finalist for an Edgar Award in the Best Fact Crime category, and 1920 was honored by Kirkus Reviews as among their "Books of the Year." Pietrusza has appeared on Good Morning America, Morning Joe, The Voice of America, The History Channel, ESPN, NPR, AMC, and C-SPAN. He has spoken at The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, The National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, the Harry S Truman library and Museum, and various universities and festivals. He lives in Scotia, New York. Visit davidpietrusza.com.

Table of Contents

Cast of Characters x

1 January 1

2 "My son will be President in 1960" 2

3 "independent as a hog on ice" 19

4 "You're my boy" 33

5 "Kicked in the head by a horse" 53

6 "When Bobby hates you, you stay hated" 61

7 "I am not a candidate for the vice presidency of anything" 66

8 "An independent merchant competing against a chain store" 77

9 "The rich man's Harold Stassen" 95

10 "Committing a sin against God" 109

11 "A little black bag and a checkbook" 121

12 "All the eggheads are for Stevenson" 131

13 "They were a dime a dozen" 145

14 "A clean bill of health" 157

15 "First blood for Kennedy" 170

16 "We had to win on the first ballot" 177

17 "Too shallow a puddle" 190

18 "I'm not going to die in office" 194

19 "He is not a big man" 207

20 "A two-fisted, four-square liar" 213

21 "The man who will succeed Dwight D. Eisenhower…Richard E. Nixon" 221

22 "Why do you think they did that, Sammy?" 233

23 "Nothing takes precedence oath his oath to uphold the Constitution" 245

24 "Matt Dillon ain't popular for nothing" 259

25 "Nixon did everything but sweep out the plane" 268

26 "I seen him, I seen him" 282

27 "You bombthrowers probably lost the election" 291

28 "The most dangerous man in America" 299

29 "No one could tell him anything" 307

30 "He felt cool, calm, and very alert" 320

31 "They've embalmed him before he even died" 335

32 "The bones of a single American soldier" 349

33 "Senator Kennedy is in clear violation of the spirit of the law" 366

34 "They know not what they do" 381

35 "I'm just out for a little ride" 391

36 "The help of a few close friends" 400

37 "Dies irae" 411

Notes 419

Bibliography 484

Acknowledgments 497

Index 498

About the Author 511

Editorial Reviews

Praise for 1960: LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon—The Epic Campaign That Forged Three Presidencies





"1960: LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon: The Epic Campaign That Forged Three Presidencies aims to take us deeper into the campaign than Theodore White's famous The Making of the President, 1960. And it does. . . ." –Chicago Sun-Times



"Here’s what Theodore White didn't tell you in The Making of the President, 1960.” –Denver Post



“The 1960 presidential campaign season was dominated by the personalities of three men, each of whom became president. Award-winning author Pietrusza chronicles their roles and character in a stirring, hard-edged political saga. . . . An outstanding reexamination.” –Booklist



"The bare-knuckle primaries. The back-room dealing of the conventions. The historic television debates. The explosive controversies of race, religion, and foreign policy. And, above all, the towering clash of personalities—LBJ, JFK, and Nixon. They're all here in David Pietrusza's superb 1960. 1960 provides new insights into that year's hard-fought, pivotal election, but, more than that, 1960is great story-telling—a fascinating, can't-put-it-down account of how American politics really works." —Former United States Attorney General Richard Thornburgh





Praise for Rothstein: The Life, Times, and Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series





Finalist for the Edgar Award in Best Fact Crime





“Pietrusza does a terrific job of capturing Rothstein’s colorful career and sheds new light on [his] role in fixing the World Series, disputing the standard history.” —New York Times Book Review





“An engaging biography. . . . Puts real flesh on the story of how the new machinery of mass entertainment—the yellow press, movies, radio, the recording industry—created and brought together the culture of celebrity, politics, big-time sports, stock market fortunes and organized crime in the 1920s.” —Washington Post Book World





Praise for 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents





“Broad, fluid brush strokes. . . . a brisk narrative." —The Wall Street Journal (rated one of the Top Five Books on Presidential Campaigns)



"David Pietrusza has a gift for making the past both real and dramatically gripping, and in 1920 he has an extraordinary cast of characters with which to work his magic. ... one helluva historical dinner party. An unforgettable group portrait of America on the brink of modernity." —Richard Norton Smith





"More than just a story of six men who either already had been president or would be, this is the story of America as it moved into the modern age." —Denver Post





“A rousing chronicle. . . . Pietrusza . . . adds color and dimension with smart discussions of Prohibition, women’s suffrage, immigration, civil rights, the League of Nations and labor strife, and he offers animated portraits.... A hugely fascinating episode in American history, told with insight and great humor, by an author in command of his subject.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)





"Absorbing. . . . a broad, satisfying political and social history, in the style of Doris Kearns Goodwin." —Publishers Weekly





"Fascinating and compelling. . . . Highly recommended." —Library Journal





Praise for 1932: The Rise of Hitler and FDR―Two Tales of Politics, Betrayal, and Unlikely Destiny





"1932 confirmed my belief that David Pietrusza is the best historian of our times. Deep, clever, witty, master of the subject." ―Columnist and film critic Ivan Denisov





"[E]xtremely well written and researched. Highly recommended!!" ―Huffington Post critic Rob Taub





Praise for 1948: Harry Truman's Improbable Victory and the Year that Transformed America



"Outstanding. . . . by far the best yet about the fateful [1948] election." —Minneapolis Star-Tribune



"Reads like a movie thriller waiting to be filmed." —Washington Times



"Coherent, compelling. . . . A skillful, authoritative investigation." —Kirkus Reviews



"Pietrusza is the undisputed champion of chronicling American Presidential campaigns." —Dead Presidents blog



"Sweeping . . . compelling." —Library Journal



"A masterpiece!" —Roger Stone



"In 1948 David Pietrusza brings to light some of the forgotten but important figures in

American political history. There’s Glen Taylor, the singing senator from Idaho and running

mate of Henry Wallace on perhaps the most left-wing national ticket of the past century.

Mississippi Fielding Wright also makes a memorable appearance as understudy for

segregationist South Carolina Gov. Strom Thurmond, a reminder of just how solid the South

was for Democrats at one time. Pietrusza brilliantly portrays President Harry Truman’s

successful efforts to stave off the challenge of New York Gov. Tom Dewey, who was making a

repeat bid as the Republican nominee. Though Dewey lost, readers will come to see him as a

surprisingly civil libertarian-minded candidate, opposing the banning of the Communist Party,

despite its promotion of a noxious ideology." —David Mark, Senior Editor, POLITICO



"A terrific book. . . . a must-read." —Ron Faucheux, editor-in-chief, Campaigns & Elections magazine





"If you think [2012] is wild, this is really wild—Harry Truman and Henry Wallace and Strom Thurmond and Tom Dewey." —Tom Brokaw

From the Publisher