Debate Arrangements
9/1/1960
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This is the memorandum for Pierre Salinger concerning arrangements for debates between Vice President Richard M. Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy. On the morning of September 1, 1960, Herb Klein and Pierre Salinger met in the Mayflower Hotel in Washington D.C., to discuss the details of what would be the first televised presidential debate. Klein was press secretary for Republican candidate Vice President Richard Nixon and Salinger was press secretary for Democratic candidate Senator John F. Kennedy. The debate was the first time that so many Americans saw their candidates face-to-face in a real competition. All in all, most people who watched agreed, Nixon had the edge on issues, Kennedy won on looks and image. The results and impact of the debate rippled across the nation. Kennedy said after the election, "It was TV more than anything else that turned the tide." John Fitzgerald Kennedy became the 35th and youngest elected president of the United States, winning in one of the closest elections in United States history.
Text adapted from “Memorandum about the First Nixon-Kennedy Debate” in the October 2010 National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) publication Social Education.
Text adapted from “Memorandum about the First Nixon-Kennedy Debate” in the October 2010 National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) publication Social Education.
This primary source comes from the Collection JFK-POF: Papers of John F. Kennedy: President's Office Files.
National Archives Identifier: 193850
Full Citation: Debate Arrangements; 9/1/1960; Kennedy-Nixon debates: letter detailing arrangement and transcript of first debate, 1 September 1960; Files Documenting Special Events through the Years, 1/20/1961 - 11/22/1963; Collection JFK-POF: Papers of John F. Kennedy: President's Office Files; John F. Kennedy Library, Boston, MA. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/debate-arrangements, March 16, 2025]Rights: No Known Copyright Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
