Title Card: The Bronze Warrior

NARRATOR: Richard Nixon was the favorite to win the Republican presidential nomination in 1960. Events of the last four years had made him one of the most visible vice presidents in history. During a tour of South America, he had faced down angry leftist mobs that spat upon him and his wife and attacked their motorcade. Maintaining his composure throughout the ordeal, Nixon returned home to a hero's welcome. And in Moscow, he had confronted the leader of the Communist world, Nikita Khrushchev, in an impromptu televised debate.

Vice Pres. NIXON: There must be a free exchange of ideas. There are some instances where you may be ahead of us, for example, in the development of your ... of the thrust of your rockets for the investigation of outer space. There may be some instances -- for example, color television -- where we're ahead of you, but in order for both of us... [Khrushchev interrupts] for both of us to benefit... for both of us to benefit... you see, you never concede anything.

NARRATOR: Nixon's combination of toughness and humor played well back home. In July 1960, Republicans embraced him as their presidential candidate.

MAN: ... that Vice President Richard M. Nixon has been unanimously nominated to be the candidate of the Republican Party for the office of president of the United States.

NARRATOR: Just 14 years after he was tapped by a group of small-town businessmen to run for Congress in California, Richard Nixon stood at the top of his party. As he mapped out an ambitious 50-state campaign, he was challenged by his opponent, John F. Kennedy, to a series of televised debates, the first in American history. Even when hospitalized for two weeks with a knee injury, Nixon remained confident, anxious for the debates to begin, eager once again to use television to talk directly to the voters.

HERB KAPLOW, NBC News: At the time, there was a feeling that this, overall, might be a mismatch. Nixon was the candidate who had more prominence, who had been a member of the House, a member of the Senate and the vice president of the United States. Kennedy, he didn't have a particularly strong reputation in Congress. There was some feeling that he was, to some extent, a playboy, that he wasn't too serious a senator and so, I think people felt that Nixon had the edge and I think Nixon felt that he had the edge.

HOWARD K. SMITH, Moderator: The candidates need no introduction: the Republican candidate, Vice President Richard M. Nixon and the Democratic candidate, Senator John F. Kennedy. According to the rules set by the candidates themselves each man ...

NARRATOR: The Nixon-Kennedy debates would forever change the way Americans chose their presidents. Political rallies and old-fashioned hand-shaking became much less important than the image on the television screen.

Mr. ROGERS: You must understand that Nixon himself had said, "I don't want any makeup on for these particular debates." What I tried to explain to Dick was he has these certain characteristics of his skin where it's almost transparent. And it was a very nice thought to say, you know, "I don't want any makeup," but that he really needed to have what we would have called even an acceptable television picture. And of course, JFK, here he'd been riding in motorcades all over California with the top down. He looked like a bronze warrior when he came into Chicago. He really did.

Senator JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY: [Nixon-Kennedy debate] Mr. Nixon comes out of the Republican Party. He was nominated by it. And it is a fact that through most of these last 25 years, the Republican leadership has opposed Federal aid for education, medical care for the aged.

Vice Pres. NIXON: I know what it means to be poor. I know what it means to see people who are unemployed. I know Senator Kennedy feels as deeply about these problems as I do, but our disagreement is not about the goals for America, but only about the means to reach those goals.

NARRATOR: The first debate was costly to Nixon. The radio audience thought he had won, but the largest television audience in history had seen the vice president haggard and drawn and had been given its first sustained look at the Kennedy style.

HERB KLEIN, Nixon Press Secretary: Kennedy had a great charm for not only the voters, but also for the press. The press corps had sort of a love affair with Jack Kennedy and no matter what things we might do to make things better -- we could serve a hot meal, they would serve a cold meal and the press liked cold better -- and so that he felt he was running up against impossible odds.

Vice Pres. NIXON: And I say we can't afford to have the White House as a training ground for an inexperienced man who is rash and impulsive.

Senator KENNEDY: This administration has failed to recognize ... has failed to recognize that in these changing times, with a revolution of rising expectations sweeping the globe, the United States has lost its image as a new, strong, vital revolutionary society.

Vice Pres. NIXON: I have been to Russia and I've seen it. I've been to the United States and I've seen it. And there is no need for a second rate psychology on the part of any American.

First REPORTER: Mr. Vice President, what did you think of your reception today?

Vice Pres. NIXON: Well, of course, it was the greatest of the campaign and I think this means that we're on the way to victory in New York.

First REPORTER: [to Pat Nixon] How about you? Do you agree?

PAT NIXON: Oh, it was wonderful.

NARRATOR: Election night, Nixon remembered, was the longest night of his life. It appeared at first to be a Kennedy sweep, then became too close to call, then edged back toward Kennedy again.

Vice Pres. NIXON: [1960 election concession speech] And I ... please, please. And I ... as I look at the board here, while there are still some results still to come in, if the present trend continues, Mr. Kennedy ... Senator Kennedy will be the next president of the United States.

I just ... and I want ... excuse me.

SUPPORTERS: [chanting] We want Nixon! We want Nixon! We want Nixon!

Vice Pres. NIXON: Thank you very much.

NARRATOR: In the end, it proved to be one of the closest elections in history. Kennedy won by only 100,000 votes and charges of Democratic fraud were widespread. Much of the winning margin came from Lyndon Johnson's Texas and Richard J. Daley's Chicago, but Nixon refused to demand a recount.

"If it failed to change the results," he wrote "charges of 'sore loser' would follow me through history and remove any possibility of a further political career."

Mr. MORRIS: Richard Nixon is forever embittered by the experience and -- taken with the example, I think -- feels that never again will he be caught short, never again will his opponents outdo him and never again will he trust the ordinary, normal and honest devices of American politics to function as they're supposed to.

NARRATOR: In his last official act as vice president, Nixon presided over a joint session of Congress on January 6, 1961, and announced his own defeat.

Vice Pres. NIXON: I now declare that John F. Kennedy has been elected president of the United States and Lyndon Johnson vice president of the United States.

President-Elect KENNEDY: [taking oath of office] I, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God.