1960 United States presidential debates

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1960 United States presidential debates

* * *

|  | September 26, 1960
October 7, 1960
October 13, 1960
October 21, 1960 | 1976 ->

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Nominee  | Richard Nixon | John F. Kennedy |
Party  | Republican | Democratic
Home state  | California  | Massachusetts

The 1960 United States presidential debates were a series of debates held during the 1960 presidential election.

Four presidential debates were held between Republican nominee Richard Nixon and Democratic nominee John F. Kennedy. All four presidential debates were the first series of debates conducted for any US presidential election.[1] The next presidential debate did not occur until 1976, after which debates would become a regular feature of all presidential campaigns.

## Background

[edit]

In 1960, the Republican Party nominated the incumbent vice president Richard Nixon as their presidential nominee, with Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., the United States ambassador to the United Nations, as his running mate.[2] John F. Kennedy, a senator from Massachusetts, was nominated by the Democratic Party as their presidential nominee.[3] He chose the Senate Democratic leader Lyndon B. Johnson as his running mate.[3] Most polls after the party conventions showed the Nixon–Lodge ticket having a six point lead over the Kennedy–Johnson ticket.[4]

## Debate schedule

[edit]

1960 United States presidential election debates

No. | Date and time | Host | Location | Moderator | Participants
Key:
P Participant  | Republican | Democratic
Vice President
Richard Nixon
of California | Senator
John F. Kennedy
of Massachusetts

| Monday, September 26, 1960
9:30 –10:30 p.m. EDT[5] | WBBM-TV studios  | Chicago, Illinois  | Howard K. Smith of CBS | P | P

| Friday, October 7, 1960
7:30 – 8:30 p.m. EDT[6] | WRC-TV studios  | Washington, D.C.  | Frank McGee of NBC | P | P

| Thursday, October 13, 1960
7:30 – 8:30 p.m. EDT[7] | ABC studios | Los Angeles, California
(Nixon)
New York City, New York
(Kennedy) | Bill Shadel of ABC | P | P

| Friday, October 21, 1960
10:00 – 11:00 p.m. EDT[8] | ABC studios | New York City, New York  | Quincy Howe of ABC | P | P

## September 26: First presidential debate (WBBM-TV studios, Chicago)

[edit]

First presidential debate

Date(s)| September 26, 1960 (1960-09-26)
Duration| 60 minutes
Venue| WBBM-TV studios
Location| Chicago, Illinois
Participants| Richard Nixon
John F. Kennedy
Moderator(s)| Howard K. Smith of CBS
Transcript| September 26, 1960 Debate transcript

The first presidential debate between Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy took place on Monday, September 26, 1960, at the WBBM-TV studios in Chicago, Illinois. The debate was moderated by Howard K. Smith of CBS with Sander Vanocur, Charles Warren, Stuart Novins and Bob Fleming as panelists. Questions were restricted to internal or domestic American matters. The format decided was:

* Eight minute opening statements
* Two and a half minute responses to questions
* Optional rebuttal
* three minute closing statements.

Full broadcast of the September 26 debate

Nixon refused make-up for the first debate, subsequently his facial stubble showed prominently on black-and-white television screens. During the debate, Nixon started sweating under the studio lights. His light gray suit faded into the backdrop of the set and seemed to match his skin tone. Reacting to this, his mother immediately called him and asked whether he was sick. Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley in an interview said:

> My God, they’ve embalmed him before he even died.[9]

Nixon blamed his poor performance on hitting his knee on a car door in Greensboro, North Carolina, after which he had to be hospitalized for a staph infection.[10]

## October 7: Second presidential debate (WRC-TV studios, Washington D.C.)

[edit]

Second presidential debate

Date(s)| October 7, 1960 (1960-10-07)
Duration| 60 minutes
Venue| WRC-TV studios
Location| Washington, D.C.
Participants| Richard Nixon
John F. Kennedy
Moderator(s)| Frank McGee of NBC
Transcript| October 7, 1960 Debate transcript

The second presidential debate between Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy took place on Friday, October 7, 1960, at the WRC-TV studios in Washington, D.C. The debate was moderated by Frank McGee of NBC with Paul Niven, Edward P. Morgan, Alvin Spivak and Harold R. Levy as panelists. Questions were related to internal American matters, foreign relations, economy, etc. The format decided was:

* No opening or closing statements
* Each questioned in turn with optional rebuttal

## October 13: Third presidential debate (ABC studios, Los Angeles and New York City)

[edit]

Third presidential debate

Date(s)| October 13, 1960 (1960-10-13)
Duration| 60 minutes
Venue| ABC studios in Los Angeles (Nixon)
ABC studios in New York City (Kennedy)
Location| Los Angeles, California (Nixon)
New York City, New York (Kennedy)
Participants| Richard Nixon
John F. Kennedy
Moderator(s)| Bill Shadel of ABC
Transcript| October 13, 1960 Debate transcript

The third presidential debate between Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy took place on Thursday, October 13, 1960, were held virtually at the ABC studios in Los Angeles, California (for Nixon) and New York City, New York (for Kennedy). The debate was moderated by Bill Shadel of ABC with Frank McGee, Charles Van Fremd, Douglass Cater and Roscoe Drummond as panelists. To ensure fairness, the journalists (who were in Los Angeles) and Nixon were placed in separate studios. All participants addressed the camera directly, with Kennedy and Nixon both situated without aides in studios that Shadel described as "identical in every detail." A major topic of the debate was whether military force should be used to prevent Quemoy and Matsu, two island archipelagos off the Chinese coast, from falling under Communist control.[11] The format decided was:

* No opening or closing statements
* Each questioned in turn with two and a half minutes to answer
* One and a half minute rebuttals optional

This debate was considered a "monumental step for television".

## October 21: Fourth presidential debate (ABC studios, New York City)

[edit]

Fourth presidential debate

Date(s)| October 21, 1960 (1960-10-21)
Duration| 60 minutes
Venue| ABC studios
Location| New York City, New York
Participants| Richard Nixon
John F. Kennedy
Moderator(s)| Quincy Howe of ABC
Transcript| October 21, 1960 Debate transcript

The fourth and final presidential debate between Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy took place on Friday, October 21, 1960, at the ABC studios in New York City, New York. The debate was moderated by Quincy Howe of ABC with Frank Singiser, John Edwards, Walter Cronkite and John Chancellor as panelists. Questions were related to Foreign affairs. The format decided was:

* Eight minute opening statements
* Each questioned in turn with two and a half minutes to answer
* One and a half minute rebuttal
* Three minute closing statements.

## See also

[edit]

* Richard Nixon 1960 presidential campaign
* John F. Kennedy 1960 presidential campaign
* 1960 United States presidential election

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "A brief history of presidential candidate debates | Constitution Center". National Constitution Center – constitutioncenter.org. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
2. ^ Pietrusza 2008, pp. 221–228.
3. ^ a b Donaldson 2007, pp. 76–80.
4. ^ Donaldson 2007, p. 93.
5. ^ "1960 debates". Commission on Presidential Debates. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
6. ^ "1960 debates". Commission on Presidential Debates. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
7. ^ "1960 debates". Commission on Presidential Debates. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
8. ^ "1960 debates". Commission on Presidential Debates. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
9. ^ Donaldson 2007, p. 128.
10. ^ Fernandez, Jennifer (February 21, 2022). "Hail to the Chief: Presidential visits to Guilford County". News and Record.
11. ^ October 13, 1960, Debate Transcript.

### Works cited

[edit]

Books

* Donaldson, Gary (2007). The First Modern Campaign – Kennedy, Nixon, and the Election of 1960. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780742547995. LCCN 2007004168. OL 22757375M.
* Pietrusza, David (2008). 1960 – LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon – The Epic Campaign that Forged Three Presidencies. Union Square Press. ISBN 9781402761140. OL 20964234M.

Other sources

* "1960 Debates". Commission on Presidential Debates. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
* "September 26, 1960 Debate Transcript". Commission on Presidential Debates. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
* "October 7, 1960 Debate Transcript". Commission on Presidential Debates. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
* "October 13, 1960 Debate Transcript". Commission on Presidential Debates. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
* "October 21, 1960 Debate Transcript". Commission on Presidential Debates. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
* Shafer, Ronald G. (October 15, 2020). "Trump refused to debate virtually. But Nixon did and got the best of JFK". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 4, 2021.

* v
* t
* e

United States presidential debates

General election debates|

* 1960
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024
* Biden–Trump

Primary election debates|

| Republican|

* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

|

Democratic|

* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

Other parties|

* Libertarian
* 2016
* Green
* 2016

Related debates and forums|

* 1948
* Dewey–Stassen debate
* 2008
* Civil Forum on the Presidency
* CNN/YouTube presidential debates
* Science Debate 2008
* Visible Vote '08: A Presidential Forum
* 2012
* The Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Auditorium

Organizations|

* Citizens' Debate Commission
* Commission on Presidential Debates
* Free & Equal Elections Foundation
* League of Women Voters

Phrases|

* "There you go again"
* "Where's the beef?"
* "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy"
* "Binders full of women"
* "Nasty woman"
* "They're eating the cats"

* v
* t
* e

(<- 1980) 1984 United States presidential election (1988 ->)

Republican Party|

* Convention
* Primaries
* results

Candidates|

* Incumbent nominee: Ronald Reagan
* campaign
* positions
* Incumbent VP nominee: George H. W. Bush

* Other candidates: Ben Fernandez
* Harold Stassen

Democratic Party|

* Convention
* Primaries
* results

Candidates|

* Nominee: Walter Mondale
* campaign
* VP nominee: Geraldine Ferraro

* Other candidates: Reubin Askew
* Alan Cranston
* John Glenn
* Gary Hart
* Fritz Hollings
* Jesse Jackson
* campaign
* George McGovern

Third-party and independent candidates

Citizens Party|

Nominee
Sonia Johnson
VP nominee
Richard Walton

Communist Party|

Nominee
Gus Hall
VP nominee
Angela Davis

Libertarian Party|

Nominee
David Bergland
VP nominee
Jim Lewis

Other candidates
Gene Burns
Earl Ravenal
Mary Ruwart

Prohibition Party|

Nominee
Earl Dodge

Socialist Equality Party|

Nominee
Edward Winn
VP nominee
Helen Halyard

Socialist Party|

Nominee
Sonia Johnson
VP nominee
Richard Walton

Socialist Workers Party|

Nominee
Melvin T. Mason
VP nominee
Matilde Zimmermann

Workers World Party|

Nominee
Larry Holmes
Alternate nominee
Gavrielle Holmes
VP nominee
Gloria La Riva

Independents and other candidates|

* Charles Doty
* Larry Flynt
* Larry "Bozo" Harmon
* Lyndon LaRouche
* running mate: Billy Davis

Other 1984 elections
House
Senate
Gubernatorial

* v
* t
* e

Richard Nixon

* 37th President of the United States (1969–1974)
* 36th Vice President of the United States (1953–1961)
* U.S. Senator from California (1950–1953)
* U.S. Representative for CA–12 (1947–1950)

Presidency|

* Transition
* First inauguration
* Second inauguration
* Nixon Doctrine
* "Bring Us Together"
* Economic policies
* Nixon shock
* Tar Baby Option
* Environmental Protection Agency
* creation
* National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
* Space exploration
* 1971 National Cancer Act
* Vietnam War
* Cambodian bombing
* Paris Peace Accords
* "Peace with Honor"
* Vietnamization
* Silent majority
* Cold War period
* Linkage policy
* Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act
* 1970 Lincoln Memorial visit
* 1972 visit to China
* Shanghai Communiqué
* Détente
* 1972 Moscow Summit
* Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
* SALT I Treaty
* Prevention of Nuclear War Agreement
* Threshold Test Ban Treaty
* Endangered Species Act
* National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse
* War on drugs
* Drug Enforcement Administration
* Cannabis policy
* Enemies List
* list of opponents
* Operation CHAOS
* Watergate
* timeline
* White House tapes
* United States v. Nixon
* Senate Watergate Committee
* impeachment process
* "I am not a crook"
* Resignation
* speech
* Pardon
* State of the Union Address
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* Wilson desk
* Judicial appointments
* Supreme Court
* controversies
* Executive Orders
* Presidential Proclamations

Life and
politics|

* Richard Nixon Foundation
* Presidential Library and Museum
* Birthplace and boyhood home
* Checkers speech
* 1958 motorcade attack
* Kitchen Debate
* Operation 40
* "Last press conference"
* Florida White House
* "La Casa Pacifica"
* Nixon Center
* Nixon v. General Services Administration
* Death and state funeral

Books|

* Six Crises (1962)
* Bibliography

Elections|

* U.S. House of Representatives: 1946
* 1948
* U.S. Senate: 1950
* California gubernatorial election: 1962
* GOP presidential primaries: 1960
* 1964
* 1968
* 1972
* GOP national conventions: 1952
* 1956
* 1960
* campaign
* 1968
* campaign
* 1972
* campaign
* Presidential elections: 1952
* transition
* 1956
* 1960
* debates
* Kennedy transition
* 1968
* 1972

Popular
culture|

* "Nixon goes to China"
* Millhouse (1971 film)
* An Evening with Richard Nixon (1972 play)
* Richard (1972 film)
* Another Nice Mess (1972 film)
* Four More Years (1972 film)
* Impeach the President (1973 song)
* The Werewolf of Washington (1973 film)
* White House Madness (1975 film)
* All the President's Men (1976 film)
* The Public Burning (1977 novel)
* Washington: Behind Closed Doors (1977 miniseries)
* Secret Honor (1984 film)
* Nixon in China (1987 opera)
* The Final Days (1989 film)
* Nixon (1995 film)
* Elvis Meets Nixon (1997 film)
* Futurama (1999 TV series)
* Dick (1999 film)
* Nixon's China Game (2000 film)
* Dark Side of the Moon (2002 film)
* The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004 film)
* Frost–Nixon interviews (2006 play, 2008 film)
* Black Dynamite (2009 film)
* "The Impossible Astronaut" (2011 TV episode)
* Our Nixon (2013 film)
* X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014 film)
* Crooked (2015 novel)
* Elvis & Nixon (2016 film)
* The Post (2017 film)
* Watergate (2019 board game)
* U.S. postage stamp

Related|

* Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act
* Presidential Townhouse
* Richard Nixon mask
* Nixon diamond

Staff|

* Jack Brennan (aide de camp)
* Murray Chotiner (early campaign manager)
* Manolo Sanchez (valet)
* Rose Mary Woods (secretary)

Family|

* Thelma "Pat" Ryan Nixon (wife)
* Tricia Nixon Cox (daughter)
* Julie Nixon Eisenhower (daughter)
* Christopher Nixon Cox (grandson)
* Jennie Eisenhower (granddaughter)
* Francis A. Nixon (father)
* Hannah Milhous Nixon (mother)
* Donald Nixon (brother)
* Edward Nixon (brother)

* ← Lyndon B. Johnson
* Gerald Ford →

* Category

* v
* t
* e

John F. Kennedy

* 35th President of the United States (1961–1963)
* U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (1953–1960)
* U.S. Representative for MA–11 (1947–1953)

Presidency
(timeline)|

* Transition
* Inauguration
* Cabinet
* Judicial appointments
* Supreme Court
* Executive Orders
* Presidential Proclamations
* Presidential pardons
* Presidential limousine
* Presidential yacht
* Resolute desk
* Situation Room

| Foreign policy|

* Alliance for Progress
* Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
* Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
* Flexible response
* Kennedy Doctrine
* Peace Corps
* Trade Expansion Act
* Migration and Refugee Assistance Act
* USAID
* Vietnam War
* Cuba: Bay of Pigs Invasion
* Cuban Project
* Cuban Missile Crisis
* ExComm
* Soviet Union: Berlin Crisis
* Moscow–Washington hotline
* Vienna summit

|

New Frontier|

* Communications Satellite Act
* Community Mental Health Act
* Equal Pay Act
* Executive Order 11110
* Federal affirmative action
* Federal housing segregation ban
* Fifty-mile hikes
* Food for Peace
* Pilot Food Stamp Program
* Presidential Medal of Freedom
* Space policy
* Status of Women (Presidential Commission)
* University of Alabama integration
* Voter Education Project
* All-Channel Receiver Act
* Oil Pollution Act of 1961
* Revenue Act of 1962
* Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act of 1961
* Wetlands Loan Act

Presidential
speeches|

* Inaugural address
* American University speech
* "We choose to go to the Moon"
* Report to the American People on Civil Rights
* "Ich bin ein Berliner"
* "A rising tide lifts all boats"
* Remarks at Amherst College on the Arts
* State of the Union Address
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963

Elections|

* U.S. House of Representatives elections: 1946
* 1948
* 1950
* U.S. Senate elections in Massachusetts: 1952
* 1958
* 1960 presidential primaries
* 1960 presidential campaign
* Democratic National Conventions: 1956
* 1960
* U.S. presidential election 1960
* debates

Personal life|

* Birthplace and childhood home
* Kennedy Compound
* Hickory Hill
* La Querida
* Wexford
* Navy service: PT-109
* Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana
* Arthur Evans
* PT-59
* Castle Hot Springs
* Hammersmith Farm
* Coretta Scott King phone call
* "Happy Birthday, Mr. President"
* John F. Kennedy document hoax

Books|

* Why England Slept (1940)
* Profiles in Courage (1956)
* A Nation of Immigrants (1958)

Death|

* Assassination
* timeline
* media coverage
* reactions
* in popular culture
* State funeral
* Riderless horse
* attending dignitaries
* Gravesite and Eternal Flame

Legacy|

* Bibliography
* John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
* Profile in Courage Award
* Twenty-fourth Amendment
* Civil Rights Act of 1964
* Apollo 11 Moon landing
* Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
* Kennedy Space Center
* Kennedy Round
* U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
* VISTA
* Cultural depictions
* films
* Kennedy half dollar
* U.S. postage stamps
* U.S. five cent stamp
* Lincoln–Kennedy coincidences
* Operation Sail

Memorials,
namesakes|

* Harvard Kennedy School
* Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
* John F. Kennedy Federal Building (Boston)
* John F. Kennedy International Airport
* Boston statue
* Brooklyn bust
* Dallas memorial
* Hyannis memorial
* London bust
* Nashua bust
* Portland memorial
* Runnymede memorial
* John F. Kennedy Arboretum
* John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge
* John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School
* John F. Kennedy University (defunct)
* John F. Kennedy Stadium
* Kennedy Expressway
* Mount Kennedy
* MV John F. Kennedy
* USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)
* USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79)
* Yad Kennedy
* Love Park

Family|

* Jacqueline Bouvier (wife)
* Caroline Kennedy (daughter)
* John F. Kennedy Jr. (son)
* Patrick Bouvier Kennedy (son)
* Rose Schlossberg (granddaughter)
* Tatiana Schlossberg (granddaughter)
* Jack Schlossberg (grandson)
* Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (father)
* Rose Fitzgerald (mother)
* Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (brother)
* Rosemary Kennedy (sister)
* Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington (sister)
* Eunice Kennedy Shriver (sister)
* Patricia Kennedy Lawford (sister)
* Robert F. Kennedy (brother)
* Jean Kennedy Smith (sister)
* Ted Kennedy (brother)
* P. J. Kennedy (grandfather)
* John F. Fitzgerald (grandfather)
* Pushinka (dog)
* Billie and Debbie (hamsters)
* Sardar (horse)

* ← Dwight D. Eisenhower
* Lyndon B. Johnson →

* Category

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