Summary

A documentary based on Theodore H. White's examination of the 1960 presidential campaign. Includes footage of the following people and events: Sen. John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard M. Nixon on election day; Nixon with President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev; presidential hopefuls Adlai Stevenson, Stuart Symington, Lyndon B. Johnson, Hubert H. Humphrey, Nixon and Nelson Rockefeller. In addition, the Democratic primaries of Wisconsin and West Virginia are reviewed, and the U-2 Affair is noted. Democratic convention coverage includes the following: the opposition led by former President Harry S Truman and Lyndon B. Johnson; Adlai Stevenson; Robert Kennedy, the roll call, the nomination of John F. Kennedy and his acceptance speech. Coverage of the Republican race includes: Nixon, Rockefeller and Barry M. Goldwater, and the nomination of Nixon and his acceptance speech. Clips focus on post-convention activities and include speeches by Kennedy and Nixon; a pre-airtime look at the first debate as television director Don Hewitt explains the format to the candidates; excerpts from the debate; vice presidential candidate Henry Cabot Lodge; and Kennedy's concern regarding the arrest of Dr. Martin Luther King. The eleventh hour coverage includes Dwight D. Eisenhower and Nixon and election-eve speeches. Election coverage begins and includes concession and victory statements. The program concludes with Kennedy's inauguration. Includes commercials.

(This program originally aired on December 29, 1963.)