Source: John A. Farrell. Richard Nixon - The Life (2017)
Both Nixon and JFK entered the last weeks of the campaign trying to finesse their way through the issue of Civil Rights. On 19 October 1960, MLK, Jr. was arrested in Atlanta during a sit-in strike in an upscale segregated department store. Four days later a judge used an old unpaid traffic ticket to sentence MLK, Jr. to four months of hard labor at the state penitentiary in Reidsville. MLK was transferred from the jail to the prison at night, and his wife (Coretta Scott King) feared that he may be killed in transit.
Nixon had a clear opportunity to intervene, and among others, Jackie Robinson urged Nixon to call Coretta Scott King. Nixon, thinking politically with tunnel vision, simply didn’t want to make the personal phone call, and instead tried to get Ike’s Attorney General to intervene behind the scenes . . . but Ike and his Circle of Trust nixed his request. Nixon remained publicly mute, writing Robinson that making the phone call would be a “grandstand play”. It simply didn’t register to Nixon, for all his political acumen, insight, and expertise, that a phone call to MLK, Jr.’s wife would be the political game changer for which he had been looking. As a result of not making that phone call, Nixon’s entire pro-Civil Rights record would be erased.
Nixon had a clear opportunity to intervene, and among others, Jackie Robinson urged Nixon to call Coretta Scott King. Nixon, thinking politically with tunnel vision, simply didn’t want to make the personal phone call, and instead tried to get Ike’s Attorney General to intervene behind the scenes . . . but Ike and his Circle of Trust nixed his request. Nixon remained publicly mute, writing Robinson that making the phone call would be a “grandstand play”. It simply didn’t register to Nixon, for all his political acumen, insight, and expertise, that a phone call to MLK, Jr.’s wife would be the political game changer for which he had been looking. As a result of not making that phone call, Nixon’s entire pro-Civil Rights record would be erased.
JFK was the candidate that called Coretta Scott King, but only after being prodded in private by Sergent Shriver, who had been prodded by a lower-ranking aid. When RFK found out that his brother had made the phone call, he went ballistic, but soon enough he calmed down, and he made a phone call. RFK called the governor of Georgia, who laid the groundwork for RFK to call the judge that had sent MLK, Jr. to Reidsville (the promise that sealed the deal was that the judge would be welcome at the White House with Kennedy as President).
On 27 October 1960, MLK, Jr. was released (and interviewed), and as a result there was a seachange among African-American voters, in that hundreds of thousands voted for JFK instead of Nixon. So then, it wasn’t the disastrous first televised debate that cost Nixon the Election of 1960, but the fact the he didn’t make the phone call that JFK made. By making that phone call, and then naming LBJ as his running mate, JFK did more on the Civil Rights front during the campaign than had Nixon. Few remembered Nixon’s brave political actions as Vice-President in helping get the Civil Rights Act of 1957 passed. After the election , MLK, Jr. formed a new opinion, viewing Nixon as a moral (and political) coward.
On 27 October 1960, MLK, Jr. was released (and interviewed), and as a result there was a seachange among African-American voters, in that hundreds of thousands voted for JFK instead of Nixon. So then, it wasn’t the disastrous first televised debate that cost Nixon the Election of 1960, but the fact the he didn’t make the phone call that JFK made. By making that phone call, and then naming LBJ as his running mate, JFK did more on the Civil Rights front during the campaign than had Nixon. Few remembered Nixon’s brave political actions as Vice-President in helping get the Civil Rights Act of 1957 passed. After the election , MLK, Jr. formed a new opinion, viewing Nixon as a moral (and political) coward.
Nixon kept compounding his problems when he decided that he didn’t want President Eisenhower involved in his campaign. Nixon wanted to be the star of his own campaign for political and personal reasons; Nixon, always one to hold a grudge, deeply resented how he was treated by Ike and his administration as Vice-President. Almost too late, Ike offered to do more on Nixon’s behalf, but Nixon in essence spurned his offer (rejecting the offer of the most popular end-of-his-second-term President was beyond-unwise). All of Nixon’s worst character traits were in play, especially his insecurity and resentment.
Nonetheless, Ike campaigned on Nixon’s behalf for a brief spell, but health reasons severely limited his time on the hustings. It cost Nixon dearly not having Ike fully in his corner, a political visual of a living popular beloved historical figure could have done nothing but help Nixon’s campaign. JFK was very concerned that Ike would steal the election from him, but that concern vanished when Ike disappeared from Nixon’s campaign.
Nonetheless, Ike campaigned on Nixon’s behalf for a brief spell, but health reasons severely limited his time on the hustings. It cost Nixon dearly not having Ike fully in his corner, a political visual of a living popular beloved historical figure could have done nothing but help Nixon’s campaign. JFK was very concerned that Ike would steal the election from him, but that concern vanished when Ike disappeared from Nixon’s campaign.
And then there were the shenanigans, some of which involved how votes were counted in the Election of 1960. J. Edgar Hoover had the FBI provide information about JFK to Nixon, and then there was the continued cover-up of JFK’s health (JFK’s back was a mess, and he had Addison’s Disease). Nixon, in order to fulfill his promise to campaign in all 50 states, actually went to campaign in Alaska in the closing days of the campaign, a state that was solidly in his corner (JFK wisley focused on campaigning in battleground states in the last days).
Nixon became the only Republican candidate to win Ohio and yet lose the Presidential election. Even with the shenanigans of Mayor Richard Daley in Illinois, and LBJ in Texas, Nixon could have forced the election to the House of Representatives by winning Minnesota, but he failed to win that crucial Midwestern state. With the loss of Minnesota becoming official, Nixon conceded, even though he had lost the popular vote by less than 1%. If 12,000 more voters in Illinois, Nevada, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Missouri had cast for Nixon, he would have been elected President. Nixon was haunted by “what-ifs”, such as what if he didn’t bump his knee before the first televised debate, or what if he had called Coretta Scott King, or what if the Republican Party had guarded polling locations in Illinois and Texas.
Nixon became the only Republican candidate to win Ohio and yet lose the Presidential election. Even with the shenanigans of Mayor Richard Daley in Illinois, and LBJ in Texas, Nixon could have forced the election to the House of Representatives by winning Minnesota, but he failed to win that crucial Midwestern state. With the loss of Minnesota becoming official, Nixon conceded, even though he had lost the popular vote by less than 1%. If 12,000 more voters in Illinois, Nevada, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Missouri had cast for Nixon, he would have been elected President. Nixon was haunted by “what-ifs”, such as what if he didn’t bump his knee before the first televised debate, or what if he had called Coretta Scott King, or what if the Republican Party had guarded polling locations in Illinois and Texas.
JFK won Texas by 43,000 votes, but Texas Republicans had reason to doubt the final tally. In one Texas precinct, “Box 13”, JFK had 1145 votes to Nixon's 45; it was the same precinct that in 1948 came up with 200 mysteriously new votes which meant that LBJ won a seat in the House of Representatives by 87 votes (for many years afterwards, LBJ was labeled “Landslide Lyndon”). A precinct north of Houston had JFK with 147 votes to Nixon’s 24. In Texas, illegal ballots for Nixon were thrown out, but illegal ballots for JFK were counted. JFK won Illinois by only 9000 votes, and it was entirely due to Chicago’s mayor, Richard Daley. Daley waited until every other Illinois precinct declared their totals, and then he announced his fabricated 320,000+ margin, handing JFK the crucial Electoral Votes.
It was one thing to know about the shenanigans, but proving them was an entirely different affair. If only one state had decided the election, Nixon and the Republican Party would have almost certainly demanded a statewide recount under supervision. But with two states being the difference, and with accurate supervised recounts in both Illinois and Texas problematic (and unrealistic), there was little Nixon and the GOP could do. Also, the Democrats were ready to challenge the results from California, where Nixon had barely defeated JFK by a margin less than JFK’s advantage in Texas. So, for the good of the nation and for the transition of power (and to be sure he didn’t destroy his political future since he was only 47), Nixon graciously let things drop. Nixon knew that being branded a poor loser would be tantamount to political death.
It was one thing to know about the shenanigans, but proving them was an entirely different affair. If only one state had decided the election, Nixon and the Republican Party would have almost certainly demanded a statewide recount under supervision. But with two states being the difference, and with accurate supervised recounts in both Illinois and Texas problematic (and unrealistic), there was little Nixon and the GOP could do. Also, the Democrats were ready to challenge the results from California, where Nixon had barely defeated JFK by a margin less than JFK’s advantage in Texas. So, for the good of the nation and for the transition of power (and to be sure he didn’t destroy his political future since he was only 47), Nixon graciously let things drop. Nixon knew that being branded a poor loser would be tantamount to political death.
For the first time, Nixon had lost an election, but like with other challenges, he did his best to absorb the pain, and he trudged ahead. Losing seared Nixon, mostly because he knew that JFK/RFK cheated badly and were rewarded handsomely (some historians trace Watergate back to Nixon's frustration in 1960). By the end of 1960, Nixon had the highest amount of resentment in his life so far (sadly, far worse was coming), and an all-consuming desire to never again let the opponent have the advantage in terms of cheating.
Nixon fumed over JFK’s manipulation of religion during the primaries and general campaign. Nixon was angry about African-American voters abandoning him despite his pro-Civil Rights credentials. Nixon shared Ike’s view that African-Americans were mostly Democrats due to being addicted to social programs, and as a result, Nixon’s ardor and support for Civil Rights waned considerably.
Nixon firmly believed, not without reason and evidence, that the media had been firmly skewed in favor of JFK and against him. A huge number of supposedly impartial figures in the media basically went head-over-heels ga-ga over JFK (due mostly to television). It wasn’t just that in Nixon’s view that the media worshiped JFK, but that the media treated Nixon with extraordinary hostility (the “New Nixon” would actually try and make forced effort with the media in the late-1960s). By the end of 1960, Nixon’s hatred and enmity towards the media was intense, and it would boil over when he lost California’s gubernatorial election in 1962.
Nixon fumed over JFK’s manipulation of religion during the primaries and general campaign. Nixon was angry about African-American voters abandoning him despite his pro-Civil Rights credentials. Nixon shared Ike’s view that African-Americans were mostly Democrats due to being addicted to social programs, and as a result, Nixon’s ardor and support for Civil Rights waned considerably.
Nixon firmly believed, not without reason and evidence, that the media had been firmly skewed in favor of JFK and against him. A huge number of supposedly impartial figures in the media basically went head-over-heels ga-ga over JFK (due mostly to television). It wasn’t just that in Nixon’s view that the media worshiped JFK, but that the media treated Nixon with extraordinary hostility (the “New Nixon” would actually try and make forced effort with the media in the late-1960s). By the end of 1960, Nixon’s hatred and enmity towards the media was intense, and it would boil over when he lost California’s gubernatorial election in 1962.