NIXON & KENNEDY FACE OFF IN FIRST DEBATE
Chicago, Illinois (JFK+50) On September 26, 1960, Vice-President Richard M. Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy faced off in the first of four presidential debates at the CBS television studios here in the Windy City.
Seventy-four million people tuned in on what would be the turning point of the 1960 presidential campaign. Correspondent Howard K. Smith narrated the debate and the candidates were questioned by four reporters representing the radio and television networks.
Senator Kennedy concluded his opening remarks with these words...
"In 1933, Franklin Roosevelt said that this generation 'has a rendezvous with destiny.' I think our generation of Americans has the same rendezvous. The question now is: Can freedom be maintained under the most severe attack it has ever known. I think it can be. I think it's time America started moving again."
Kayla Webley wrote...
"On the morning of September 26, 1960, John F. Kennedy was a relatively unknown senator from Massachusetts, but by the end of the evening he was a star."
SOURCES
"How the Nixon-Kennedy Debate Changed the World," by Kayla Webley, Time Magazine, September 2010.
"September 26, 1960: Debate Transcript," The Commission on Presidential Debates, www.debates.org/
Kennedy-Nixon Debate #2
WRC-TV (NBC) Studios
Washington, D.C.
October 7, 1960
UPI Photo
