The 1964 Presidential fisticuffs—both the preliminaries and the main bout —were the best-covered political event in American history, for reasons that have little to do with their intrinsic interest and importance. Most big news stories break haphazardly, and must be studied in retrospect if they are to be studied carefully at all. But the timetable of a struggle for the Presidency of the United States is largely known in advance. Moreover, the ease and speed of jet travel make it possible for a diligent reporter to be very nearly omnipresent (if not always omniscient) as the battle unfolds. The way was pioneered by Theodore White in his monumental account of the 1960 campaign, The Making of the President 1960. Four years later, it was inevitable that various other reporters, and some of the more articulate participants, would try their hand at similar books. In the circumstances, we should be grateful that at least one major segment of the 1964 story—the struggle for the Republican nomination—happened to be both historically significant and authentically exciting.
Before us today are two offerings: White’s own new effort, The Making of the President 1964 and a volume rather misleadingly entitled What Happened to Goldwater? by Stephen Shadegg, who managed Barry Goldwater’s two senatorial campaigns and played a diminished but still substantial role in his 1964 drive as well. Shadegg does not in fact conclusively explain What Happened to Goldwater (though he has a good deal to
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