The Making of the President 1960

by Theodore H. White, Robert Dallek (Foreword by)

Overview

The Pulitzer Prize-winning behind-the-scenes account of the historic Nixon-Kennedy race: “A fascinating story of a fascinating campaign.” —Time

This is the dramatic and groundbreaking chronicle that captured the epic clash between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon in the 1960 presidential election, and in the process revolutionized modern political journalism. Granted intimate access to all parties involved, New York Times–bestselling author Theodore White crafted an almost mythic story, from the decisive primary battles to the history-making televised debates, the first of their kind. Portraying both the grittiness and the grandeur of the process, this classic account addresses emerging themes and trends in American politics that carry ripple effects to this day.

“Superb vignettes . . . If this book were merely a campaign report, it could be recommended glowingly on its own terms. But it is more . . . The author sees the campaign as a milestone in ‘the greatest reorientation of American politics since the Civil War.’” —The New York Times



“White, a gifted journalist, takes the cold ashes of a political campaign and injects such a sense of immediacy that we relive the entire race, the whole pattern of the pre-convention months, the grueling struggle in the primaries, the fight for nomination in San Francisco, the fight for the platform in Chicago. A perceptive analysis of the inside story of the campaign told with extraordinary objectivity.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A masterpiece . . . full of deep insights into political power in America and how our democracy works . . . It gripped me from beginning to end as very few books have.” —William L. Shirer, author of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

Includes a new foreword by Robert Dallek

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061986017
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/19/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	434
Sales rank:	138,038
File size:	961 KB

About the Author

Theodore H. White (1915–1986) was an American political journalist, historian,and novelist, best known for the Making of the President series: his accounts of the1960, 1964, 1968, and 1972 presidential elections, all of which are being reissued withnew forewords by Harper Perennial Political Classics. His other books include ThunderOut of China, America in Search of Itself, and In Search of History: A Personal Adventure.

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Author's Note xvii

Part 1

1 Waiting 3

2 The Democrats: First Stirrings 26

3 The Republicans: First Stirrings 59

4 The Art Of The Primary: Wisconsin And West Virginia 78

5 Pre-Convention: Democrats 115

6 Rendezvous At Los Angeles: The Democratic Convention 150

7 The Republicans: From The Summit To Chicago 180

Part 2

Prologue 211

8 Retrospect On Yesterday's Future 213

9 Kennedy For President: Round One 244

10 Nixon For President: Round One 263

11 Round Two; The Television Debates 279

12 Nixon For President: Round Three 296

13 Kennedy For President: Round Three 319

14 To Wake As President 345

15 The View From The White House 366

Appendix A 385

Appendix B 388

Appendix C 391

Index 395

What People are Saying About This

William F. Buckley

“[White] revolutionized the art of political reporting.”

William L. Shirer

“A masterpiece . . . full of deep insights into political power in America and how our democracy works in choosing the President. It gripped me from beginning to end as very few books have.”

Editorial Reviews

A notable achievement. White has written a fascinating story of a fascinating campaign.” — Time magazine

“No book that I know of has caught the heartbeat of a campaign as strikingly as Theodore White has done in The Making of the President 1960.” — New York Times

“A masterpiece . . . full of deep insights into political power in America and how our democracy works in choosing the President. It gripped me from beginning to end as very few books have.” — William L. Shirer

“More than a fascinating account of how one man succeeded in reaching the White House, while other failed; it is a graduate lesson in the rough, relentless, subtle and devious workings of American politics. It is a magnificent job of reporting, but it is also history.” — Saturday Review

“[White] revolutionized the art of political reporting.” — William F. Buckley

From the Publisher

More than a fascinating account of how one man succeeded in reaching the White House, while other failed; it is a graduate lesson in the rough, relentless, subtle and devious workings of American politics. It is a magnificent job of reporting, but it is also history.

Saturday Review

No book that I know of has caught the heartbeat of a campaign as strikingly as Theodore White has done in The Making of the President 1960.

New York Times

A notable achievement. White has written a fascinating story of a fascinating campaign.

Time magazine

[White] revolutionized the art of political reporting.

William F. Buckley

A masterpiece . . . full of deep insights into political power in America and how our democracy works in choosing the President. It gripped me from beginning to end as very few books have.

William L. Shirer

"A notable achievement. White has written a fascinating story of a fascinating campaign."

Time Magazine