Reagan's 1968 dress rehearsal : IKE, RFK, and Reagan's emergence as a world statesman

"This ground-breaking book weaves an exciting, never-before-told story of Ronald Reagan's first quest for the presidency in the late 1960s. Reagan's goal was to prevent a first-ballot Nixon victory, as many delegates couldn't wait to vote for Reagan on the second ballot. Yet Reagan favored the broad political tent of the Republican Party and said he would support whomever was the nominee. Behind the scenes, Reagan's private political mentor was Dwight Eisenhower, and Reagan's public political foe was Robert Kennedy. Reagan scholar Kopelson's analysis relies on newly uncovered audiotapes from candidate Reagan's days as governor of California, the Eisenhower-Reagan correspondence and files, Ike's post-presidential diary, and interviews with 35 grassroots Reagan activists from 1968. Many of the major triumphs of Reagan's subsequent tenure as president originated during that first campaign: Tearing down the Berlin Wall. Lessening nuclear weapons. The peaceful defeat of communism. Creating a missile defense shield for America. Bringing freedom to Eastern Europe. And dealing with hostage crises. During 1968, Reagan emerged as a world statesman and shaped his crusade to restore pride in America. Kopelson further demonstrates why for Reagan, Ike's tutelage was critical. This political mentorship changed America's national priorities through the end of Reagan's presidency, whose effects are still very much with us today."--Amazon.com Author's Note Acknowledgments Introduction PART ONE: Before the Campaign Prologue: Before "The Speech": RFK, RN, and Ike 1. 1964-1968: Owosso, Ike, Common Sense, and the Citizen-Politician 2. The Governor-Candidate 3. Assembling the Campaign Team PART TWO: 1967 4. The Campaign Begins 5. Coach Eisenhower, Part One 6. Debate, Draft, and Detente 7. Ike Wants Reagan to Run for President 8. Wisconsin Reagan for President Club 9. Return to Eureka 10. Southern Strategy 11. The Gipper Meets the Juice, and Star Wars 12. Professor Reagan Goes to Yale PART THREE: 1968 13. Coach Eisenhower, Part Two 14. Romney, Rockefeller, and Nixon 15. Early 1968: Guns First 16. Dilbeck and D.C. 17. Students for Reagan 18. Citizens for Reagan National Information Center 19. New Hampshire: Watergate on the Merrimack 20. Americans of Mexican Descent and Other Minorities 21. Reagan Rises to Fight RFK 22. Wisconsin April 2, 1968, and the King Assassination 23. The Peripatetic Candidate 24. Reagan's First White Paper Speech 25. Nebraska May 14, 1968 26. Reagan's Second White Paper Speech 27. Reagan Attacks: Southern Solicitation, Part One 28. Reagan's Fifth White Paper Speech 29. Oregon May 28, 1968 30. California June 4, 1968, Favorite Son, and the RFK Assassination 31. Washington State 32. Reagan Ascendant: Southern Solicitation, Part Two Illustrations PART FOUR The Miami Beach Convention 33. The Platform Committee 34. The Media Descends Upon Miami Beach 35. The Siege of Richard Nixon 36. Fun and Snooping 37. The Reagan Delegates 38. The 57-Hour Candidate 39. Reagan Is Nominated 40. Let's Make It Unanimous PART FIVE: Looking Ahead 41. Vice President Ronald Reagan 42. Conclusion: There'll Be Another Day Epilogue: Ike and Dutch Afterword APPENDICES A. Reagan Files at Eisenhower Presidential Library 909 B. Reagan's 1968 Grass Roots Campaign Organizations C. Reagan's 1968 Delegate Vote Totals by State (First Ballot, GOP Convention) D. President Reagan's Public References to His Republican Predecessors E. Reagan's Campaign Speech Domestic Highlights (Seattle, November 10, 1967) BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY