Why 1960? Ever since the chaos of the 2020 election—a president refusing to concede his defeat, the failure to conduct a normal transition, the bogus attempts to contest the election, and then the deeply shocking January 6 attack on the Capitol—I have found myself thinking back to all the elections I’ve covered over the past half century.
We knew the rules of democracy in America: Somebody won, somebody lost, both sides acknowledged it, and we moved on. It wasn’t something we discussed. That’s just the way it was.
But 2020 shattered that. And I’m not sure we will ever return to the same unspoken confidence that our political leaders will accept those rules and abide by them.
Somehow, that brought me back to 1960. It was the first presidential campaign I truly became engaged in (my mother told me that back in 1952, I kept saying, “I like Ike”). But at the ripe old age of thirteen, I was fascinated by the Nixon-Kennedy contest. I read about it in the papers, watched it on television, and sat beside my parents in front of the TV set for all four of the debates.
I was rooting for Nixon. And “rooting” is the right word. It was like the way you support a sports team. And looking back, I think I was just pulling for the underdog. Kennedy was so rich and glamorous. Nixon was neither of those things. But he was serious and earnest.
After the election, I remember hearing stories about possible fraud—especially how Mayor Daley held back the vote in his Chicago precincts until the downstate numbers came in. But Nixon was a good loser (remember I was thirteen). He accepted his defeat—was there on the inaugural stand and was one of the first to congratulate Kennedy after he took the oath of office.
I think that’s where I learned the rules. And after the deeply disappointing events of 2020, that’s where my thoughts kept returning—to the presidential campaign of 1960. That was an election that may truly have been stolen. But the losing candidate accepted defeat. That was the paradigm—until Donald Trump turned all that on its head in 2020.
What struck me in researching and then writing this book is that the events of 1960 were even more dramatic, more highly charged than I understood back then. The campaign corruption and voter fraud were even more egregious. The pressure on Nixon from some Republican leaders to contest the election was real. Some scholars told me they suspect Nixon was egging that on behind the scenes. But in the end, he did the right thing.
I couldn’t imagine a sharper contrast to the events of 2020.
To tell this story, I got the Countdown team back together. Mitch Weiss is a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter for the Associated Press. He has a remarkable ability to dig up facts and find the indelible anecdote that puts the reader in the middle of the action. It was a powerful experience to immerse ourselves in 1960 and the coverage of it, from contemporary accounts to more recent works, to bring this year to life.
Lori Crim is my treasured researcher. She’s been by my side for the Countdown books and two presidential debates. When I left Fox News for CNN in 2021, I asked one staffer to come with me—Lori.
I wouldn’t have even considered taking on another Countdown book without Mitch and Lori. And I was thrilled and honored when they signed up.
Then there are the folks I have called my Sherpa guides and consiglieres in the previous Countdown books. Larry Kramer is my longtime manager. Claudia Cross and Frank Weimann of Folio Literary Management know the publishing industry. They take care of everything on the business side—but do so much more, providing wise counsel and invaluable perspective.
Part of that counsel was the decision to take this latest Countdown project to the esteemed Dutton Books. Publisher Christine Ball made us feel like we had a safe and supportive new home. Editor in chief John Parsley made this book so much better—sharpening our storytelling and coming up with new ideas to explore. And we had the backing of the great team they have assembled. I want to thank Amanda Walker, Sarah Thegeby, Stephanie Cooper, Nicole Jarvis, Ella Kurki, David Howe, Melissa Solis, and Erica Rose.
Along the way, there were people who helped us put this book together. I want to thank Tim Naftali, a celebrated historian who ran the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum for five years. He gave me thoughtful guidance and set me up with the library’s extensive collection of oral history interviews. When we were writing about the Greensboro Four, we came across Anne Moebes, who opened up the collection of her late photojournalist father, Jack Moebes. And then there is Maryrose Grossman, an archivist at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, who went above and beyond in helping us find just the right photographs of JFK and his family to help tell our story.
As I worked on this book, I never forgot about my real job. I want to thank CNN for its support and understanding. I am deeply grateful to Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson, Senior Vice President of Communications Emily Kuhn, and Senior Communications Manager Alex Manasseri. I also want to thank the team that does double duty on my two shows, Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? and The Chris Wallace Show, that sometimes had to pick up the slack, especially executive producer Javier de Diego.
Finally, Mitch and Lori and I again thank our families for their understanding while we took time from them to work on this book. You put up with a lot of “I’ll be right down,” after yelling from downstairs that it was time for dinner.
Once again, I want to conclude by expressing my deep gratitude to two members of my family. My daughter Catherine, who spent more than a decade in publishing, came up with the Countdown format for writing history. It is a great way to turn the dusty past into a page-turning thriller. Thank you for sharing the idea with me, instead of one of your other writers.
And then, there is my dear wife, Lorraine. Lord knows, you put up with a lot. But you make every day a joy and an adventure. I can’t wait to see what happens next.