1960--LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon

It was the election that would ultimately give America “Camelot” and its tragic aftermath, a momentous contest when three giants who each would have a chance to shape the nation battled to win the presidency.
Award-winning author David Pietrusza does here for the 1960 presidential race what he did in his previous book, 1920: the Year of the Six Presidents—which Kirkus Reviews selected as one of their Best Books of 2007. Until now, the most authoritative study of the 1960 election was Theodore White’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Making of the President, 1960. But White, as a trusted insider, didn’t tell all. Here’s the rest of the story, what White could never have known, nor revealed. Finally, it’s all out—including JFK’s poignant comment on why LBJ’s nomination as vice president would be inconsequential: “I’m 43 years old. I’m not going to die in office.”
Combining an engaging narrative with exhaustive research, Pietrusza chronicles the pivotal election of 1960, in which issues of civil rights and religion (Kennedy was only the second major-party Roman Catholic candidate ever) converged. The volatile primary clash between Senate Majority leader LBJ and the young JFK culminated in an improbable fusion ticket. The historic, legendary Kennedy-Nixon debates followed in its wake. The first presidential televised debates, they forever altered American politics when an exhausted Nixon was unkempt and tentative in their first showdown. With 80 million viewers passing judgment, Nixon’s poll numbers dropped as the charismatic Kennedy’s star rose. Nixon learned his lesson—resting before subsequent debates, reluctantly wearing makeup, and challenging JFK with a more aggressive stance—but the damage was done.
There’s no one better to convey the drama of that tumultuous year than Pietrusza. He has 1,000 secrets to spill; a fascinating cast of characters to introduce (including a rogue’s gallery of hangers-on and manipulators); and towering historical events to chronicle. And all of it is built on painstaking research and solid historical scholarship. Pietrusza tracks down every lead to create a winning, engaging, and very readable account.
With the 2008 elections approaching, politics will be on everyone’s mind, and 1960: LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon will transform the way readers see modern American history.
 

 

A sampling of what Theodore White couldn’t chronicle—and David Pietrusza does:

·     Richard Nixon’s tempestuous Iowa backseat blowup, and his  bizarre Election Day road trip

·     The full story of a sympathetic call from JFK to Coretta Scott King

·      John Ehrlichman’s spy missions on the Nelson Rockefeller and Democratic    camps

·      The warnings before Election Day that Chicago’s mayor Daley would try to fix the race’s outcome

·       JFK’s amphetamine-fueled debate performance

David Pietrusza is the author of 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents (Carroll & Graf, 2006), Rothstein: The Life, Times and Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series (Carroll & Graf, 2003), Teddy Ballgame: My Life in Pictures (with Ted Williams) (Sport Classic Books, 20002), and Judge and Jury: The Life and Times of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis (Diamond Communications, 1998). His body of historical work has garnered media attention from such outlets as The New York Times, Newsweek, US News & World Reports, the Washington Post, NPR, C-SPAN, The Fox News Channel, Bloomberg Radio, the New York Daily News, The New York Post, the Jerusalem Post, The New York Law Journal, The New York Sun, the Denver Post, the Weekly Standard, the Washington Times, The Seattle Times, The Raleigh News & Observer, and the Tucson Sun.

"Almost half a century after Theodore White's The Making of the President, 1960, Pietrusza (1920: The Year of the Six Presidents) raises the bar with his winning and provocative chronicle. The political giants who battled for the 1960 presidency--and the closeness of the election--make for exciting narratives. The author writes respectfully of the three hopefuls but is not starstruck by any of them.... Also prominently featured are Joe Kennedy, the family patriarch, and presidential and vice presidential hopefuls Nelson Rockefeller, Hubert Humphrey, and Adlai Stevenson. Pietrusza concludes with a thought worth pondering: Why was the election so close when Nixon did so much wrong (ignoring Martin Luther King Jr., choosing the patrician Henry Cabot Lodge as his running mate, not receiving support from President Eisenhower) while Kennedy did almost everything right (choosing the loyal LBJ as his vice-presidential running mate, winning the primaries, appearing healthy, gaining the black vote while retaining the white South)? The answer: there was something about JFK that the voters of 1960 simply did not like. Highly recommended "--Library Journal (Starred Review)

"[A] colorful, character-driven narrative. ... A lively look at the underside of a campaign."--Kirkus Reviews

"A stark portrait of the 1960 race for the White House...[with] subtle parallels between the candidates in that election...and those involved in the current presidential campaign. ...[Pietrusza is] a master craftsman."--Rick Tamble, The Tennessean 

Praise for David Pietrusza’s 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents

 

“A rousing chronicle . . . 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

 

“Fans of political history will enjoy this book.”—Seattle Times

 

“Fascinating and compelling…Highly recommended.”—Library Journal

 

“A terrific and fun read.”—Bloomberg Radio

 

“a very vivid portrait of each of these presidents.”—Ann Compton, ABC News