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 Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

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

Background

In 1960, the Republican Party nominated the incumbent vice president

as their presidential nominee, with Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., the

United States ambassador to the United Nations The United States ambassador to the United Nations is the leader of the U.S. delegation, the United States Mission to the United Nations, U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The position is formally known as the Permanent representative to the U ...

, as his running mate. John F. Kennedy, a senator from Massachusetts, was nominated by the Democratic Party as their presidential nominee. He chose the Senate Democratic leader

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

as his running mate. Most polls after the party conventions showed the NixonLodge ticket having a six point lead over the KennedyJohnson ticket.

Debate schedule

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

The first presidential debate between Vice President

and Senator John F. Kennedy took place on Monday, September 26, 1960, at the WBBM-TV studios in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. The debate was moderated by Howard K. Smith of CBS with Sander Vanocur, Charles Warren,

Stuart Novins Stuart Novins (March 30, 1914 – December 7, 1989) was an American television journalist. He was a CBS News correspondent for 35 years. Novins covered Fidel Castro's ascent to power in Cuba and later reported on the Bay of Pigs invasion. From 19 ...

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. 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: Nixon blamed his poor performance on hitting his knee on a car door in

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...

, after which he had to be hospitalized for a staph infection.

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

The second presidential debate between Vice President

and Senator John F. Kennedy took place on Friday, October 7, 1960, at the

WRC-TV WRC-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Washington, D.C., serving as the market's NBC outlet. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Class A television service, Class A Telemundo outlet W ...

studios in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

The debate was moderated by Frank McGee of NBC with Paul Niven,

Edward P. Morgan Edward Paddock Morgan (June 23, 1910 – January 27, 1993) was an American journalist and writer who reported for newspapers, radio, and television media services including American Broadcasting Company, ABC, CBS networks, and the Public Broadcas ...

, 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)

The third presidential debate between Vice President

and Senator John F. Kennedy took place on Thursday, October 13, 1960, were held virtually at the

ABC studios ABC Signature was a production arm of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios, a sub-division of the Disney Entertainment business segment and division of The Walt Disney Company. The studio's ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

(for Nixon) and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, 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. 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)

The fourth and final presidential debate between Vice President

and Senator John F. Kennedy took place on Friday, October 21, 1960, at the

, New York. The debate was moderated by Quincy Howe of ABC with Frank Singiser, John Edwards,

Walter Cronkite Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009) was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the ''CBS Evening News'' from 1962 to 1981. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trust ...

and

John Chancellor John William Chancellor (July 14, 1927 – July 12, 1996) was an American journalist who spent most of his career with NBC News. He is considered a pioneer in television news. Chancellor served as anchor of the ''NBC Nightly News'' from 1970 to ...

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.

References

Works cited

Books * * Other sources * * * * * * {{John F. Kennedy United States presidential debates Presidential debates Presidential debates Speeches by John F. Kennedy Speeches by Richard Nixon United States presidential debates Debates 1960 in American television 1960 in radio Simulcasts Articles containing video clips