bicentennial commission ask you what you or your organization would like to do to help make the bicentennial a great national success. >> write to the american government bicentennial commission, box 1976, washington, dc. announcer: each week until the 2016 election, "road to the white house rewin" brings you archival coverage of presidential races. next, the 1968 campaign will created for richard nixon, showing the former vice president meeting voters in new hampshire and wisconsin. he went on to win in both of the states. he then defeated democrat hubert humphrey and independent candidate george wallace in the general election, winning 32 states. this half hour film is courtesy of the richard nixon

presidential library and museum. narrator: in an age of impersonal political campaigns, new hampshire is one of the few places where people have a chance to meet the candidates as well as read about them. the new hampshire republican presidential primary, the start of the 1968 campaign trail. from the beginning, the candidate who really has been seen and heard by the people of new hampshire is richard nixon. you are about to accompany richard nixon on the first leg of his 1968 new hampshire campaign. you will be with the candidate, his family, and the nixon staff. you will hear what richard nixon had to say. richard nixon: woollies and everything.

i am glad to find some new hampshire people. arnold, how did you get up here? >> the weather -- richard nixon: how are the eagles going to do? narrator: richard nixon talked about a new vision for america's future. he has said 1968 is the time to begin that future, and the place to begin is in new hampshire. ♪ [indiscernible] narrator: on february 2, richard

nixon held his first press conference of the 1968 presidential campaign in manchester, new hampshire. >> why do you feel that you could win now when you could not win in 1960? richard nixon: i have decided i will test my ability to win, and my ability to cope with the issues in the primaries and not just in the smoke-filled rooms of miami. richard nixon: i have decided i narrator: his schedule for the next three days would include a reception, dinner speech, and conversations with people about issues in public and on television. richard nixon: in 1968, i am looking to the future of the

country, down to the end of the 20th century. in 1960, i necessarily had to think of the past and also of the future, but to think of the past and defend it. in 1968, as you gentlemen will hear in my speeches saturday night, i will talk about america's future, my vision of that future, and what i think i can do with the years of experience i have had behind me. >> the candidate, he looks like a candidate. >> what does this campaign have that previous campaigns haven't have? richard nixon: i think it is preeminently going to have a view of the future. woefully lacking in the last two years. it is going to have a long look at on the last third of the century to year 2000. i do this is important and he thinks it is important because we are at now one of those critical turning periods when the decisions that are made in the next four or eight years determine the president, determined the last sweep of the century.

this is the kind of story the public will hear this year. we are so delighted to be here. you put on such a warm california day for us. [laughter] so that you know, we are, pat, my wife, this is julie, and this is patricia. we are all delighted to meet you. thank you very much. >> nice to see you. good. [indiscernible] >> nice to see you. i am susan mott. >> good, good. >> hello. >> hi, nice to see you. >> you bet. >> hi, hello there, how are you? >> julie, nice to meet you. >> massachusetts.

>> you have a great governor down there and find senators. >> and a fine president coming along. >> you are coming to boston? >> i am glad you wore all your musk. >> i think that is great. it is great to see you. >> i think it is going extremely well. people are in good spirits, and i don't know, it looks like a couple rooms out back, going very well. shake all that are here. he says he will not leave them until they have all been shaken. really take a few minutes and say, what are you actually doing here, identifying people? he said i want to tell them i

will take care of them. it is something that comes up. >> i know the person and, sometimes we don't. they call people from -- one lady he had seen in 1962 when he campaigned in new hampshire and recognized her and mentioned what kind of day it was when they met last. they are always surprised when he does that. >> that is about the only polish i know. >> he did it again. he said i came up and met you in 1952, and i said yes, we had our picture taken. the guy said, yes.

>> somewhere in the neighborhood of six or seven have gone by already. i would estimate that more than 3000 before the afternoon is over. >> republicans or are they a mixture? >> could not say. looking out here, you can't tell a republican or a democrat or independent out here. it is a good cross-section of people in manchester. >> i wonder how many of these people -- >> we do not know how many are coming in. we hope they will all be going out. >> and think he is the man for us today. i think he will do it this time. no.

by his past actions. >> very sincere, very warm, very nice. >> i think he is very well-rounded person. appealing more and more to the younger generation. and some more people at this most important time. >> i think everything he has said and done has improved. richard nixon: they are, there is three. 1, 2 -- all right. that should do it. tell me, is the spell of the good chairman up here? >> in many ways -- a good guy. richard nixon: all right, that is what we hear. we have got a lot of people that said he is too young to be president. i said we don't know.

we don't need someone that is sort of a bill or. are you on his payroll? >> retired. richard nixon: you were in the services? the big one? what division were you in? >> heavy artillery. richard nixon: heavy artillery. the seventh, those were the 675 that you used, or another kind? >> we trained ammo guns. richard nixon: sure. see, you know it is hired to realize many wars since then. we thought that was the end, and

now we have korea and vietnam. let's hope we can get rid of them. >> let's do something. richard nixon: right. good to see you. narrator: richard nixon's interest in people, what they think, and what they do and the questions they ask our the basis of his television conversations. >> in the television material put together, the efforts made to put richard nixon in front of a panel of people. now, he has never met these people before. he is walking on cold. he's meeting for the first time. some are republican and some are democrat and some are independent. one panel is in agricultural group. another panel's youth group. another panel is a business group. narrator: television is a vital political meeting place. to be successful, a candidate must use the medium and use it

well. richard nixon holds informal and no holds barred discussions. richard nixon: how are you? right here. >> mr. hammond. richard nixon: you still have a few cuts. yeah, yeah. i heard they were -- we have heard a lot about your assessment at time off. it is going to be at charge, a separate. >> absolutely. richard nixon: people should not be screaming about the surplus. we should be thankful we have

got it. as a matter of fact, that is another thing we can make a far greater use of that surplus in foreign policy. >> get money for it. richard nixon: weapons for peace. i have a rule about congressmen that some of my professionals on my staff are afraid of. i never plan questions, and i know that most people do. i say most, many do. the reason i don't plan to know is that the answer then is contrived. no one is going to get away with the question where you said, i would like to have this question asked. i also have a feeling where the feeling that the question is a hard and strong and tough, not belligerent, but strong and tough is a better answer. always save me from what i call the easy questions. where somebody is trying to help me because the average viewer or listener's of that kind of a question says, that is a patsy, that is one of his friends. and they always say, why do you want to do this? it is as a man killing thing. you've already put in time. you have served your country. it has occurred to me and my family. i suppose your wife and your children feel even more deeply about their father and husband

being involved and he himself does. because the man who is in the battle, he can fight back and answer, whereas those on the sidelines have to suffer in silence. but on the other hand, the reason that i think motivates me more than anything else is very simply this. i feel that this is the period in the history of the united states where, in which what we do or failed to do can determine the future of peace and freedom for the balance of the century. we did not ask for this.

but it is a role that has been placed upon us because of the power we have and the vacuum of power in western europe, which previously held this. i believe the dangers of world war iii abroad, the dangers of civil war, approaching civil war in a very difficult sense at home, and other problems, are greater than the country have ever had. but on the other hand, i believe that never in the nation's history have we had more capability to handle these problems. in other words, the forces that can bring peace and avoid war, the forces that can unite and reconcile america and bring progress to our cities are now stronger than they have ever been. what we need is leadership. leadership that will take america's great harnessed power and unharness it and put it to work on the unfinished business of home and abroad. by the accident of where i have been, a senator eight years, a vice president, traveled around the world is seven years many times -- by reason of that

experience, i have thought deeply and have reached some conclusions about what we ought to keep the peace abroad and restore peace at home. i think the presidency, i would have the opportunity to put those conclusions in practice. that is the reason why i decided to seek the office. there has been a lot of criticism of president johnson. some of it justified and much of it petty and unjustified. there are those who do not like his accent and those who do not like his style. others that do not think he comes over well on tv. [laughter] i know how he feels. [applause] but my friends, the issue in 1968 is not the johnson personality but the johnson policies. i say whether you look at

america's record abroad or at home, it is not the time to continue with lyndon johnson. it is time for a new leadership under a republican president and a republican administration. [applause] it is time to begin. lyndon johnson says, let us continue for four more years. this is my answer. when the strongest nation in the world can be tied down for four years in the war, with no end in sight, when the richest nation in the world cannot manage its own economy, when the greatest rule of law is torn apart by lawlessness, when a nation that has been a symbol of opportunity has been torn apart by racial strife, when the president of

united states cannot travel at home or abroad without fear of a hostile demonstration, then i say it is time for new leadership in the united states of america. [applause] narrator: ideas are important to richard nixon. he seeks them from a variety of sources. the staff represents a wide range of interests, backgrounds, and their beliefs. and they are all young. richard nixon: one of the great things about my staff is their youth. it is the youngest staff a presidential candidate has ever had, even, perhaps even younger

than the john kennedy staff. when he ran for the presidency, although his was also a young staff. it is good because it bridges the generation gap. although my daughters 19 and 21 help with that, they and their boyfriends that they bring home for dinner. apart from that, we live in a young nation and a young world. have the people in the world right today were born after world war ii. and i, who fought in that war and was part of that generation needed to know what these people are thinking. we live in a world that is looking to the future instead of the past. so this in vigor of mine keeps me involved in the future and also keeps me from turning too

much to the past. narrator: on february 5, richard nixon left after to address people at a university. he would return to new hampshire but before he did, he would initiate his campaign in wisconsin. the primary in that state is only three weeks after the new hampshire primary. the demands of the national political campaign had begun. >> how do you feel starting out on another campaign? mrs. nixon: they are always exciting, and the one that started in new hampshire could have been more so. i think even the local people were surprised at the enthusiasm and the size of the crowd and the wonderful spirit of the people. >> these are very exhausting experiences. do you have a couple of qualms in the back of your mind having to face so many months of this? mrs. nixon: no, i have done it so many times in my heart is in it. i'm a willing volunteer. >> is there anything about the

campaign that you already sense is different from other campaigns in the past? mrs. nixon: not yet. there is always enthusiasm, and always has been but i feel there is even more. also, by the mail we have received, i feel that way. i think people now want a man of experience. they also want a man of principle, and i think that is my husband. >> you are in a campaign because you want to do something about the problems of the country in the world in which the country is involved. from your personal point of view, is very special joy in politics and campaigning that you find a deep personal satisfaction from that goes beyond what you might be looking for in the country? richard nixon: i would not be doing it unless i enjoyed doing it. i enjoy meeting people and discussing issues and arguing for my opinions. defining them, debating them. there is nothing that quite equals the excitement of the battle. [applause]

richard nixon: hi, how are you? that is good. >> thank you. >> you are very beautiful, i can see what you are the queen. richard nixon: are you the queen of the packers too? >> a nice day in green bay in february. richard nixon: they told me to wear long underwear. >> ♪ which nobody can deny which nobody can deny which nobody can deny for he's a jolly good fellow for he's a jolly good fellow for he's a jolly good fellow which nobody can deny ♪ [applause]

>> ♪ for he's a jolly good fellow for he's a jolly good fellow which nobody can deny ♪ [applause] [indiscernible] >> wonderful to see you. >> ♪ for he's a jolly good fellow ♪ [applause] richard nixon: dr. dreyfus, all of the distinguished guests in the audience, it is a very great privilege and an honor for me to be here just prior to the winter carnival. i say prior, because i thought

if somebody would ask me to ski during it. [laughter] [applause] richard nixon: i remember the first time i met bob hope. the year 1952, after i have been nominated for the vice presidency, and we were sitting together at a dinner. populist came up, and they said look at each other. they want to catch you in some silly pose, at least with me. we finally turned to each other, and bob hope with that wonderful humor of his, he has writers, but he can think too.

he said when we get our noses together, what a wonderful ad for sun valley. [laughter] just to set the record on skiing, i did try it once, but i will not try it again. i would have only one need to get to my country. [applause] now we come directly to the subjects of interest, perhaps what i can do at the outset is to lay a framework, a frame of reference so to speak, for the questions that i'm sure will follow. yes, it is a difficult world, and you inherited it and did not create it and those of us who did made a lot of mistakes. but the exciting thing is you can change it. you have the power to change it. the world is changing. it is looking for change. the old isms no longer have their appeal. communism, socialism, marxism. yes, even what we call americanism no longer has the magic appeal it used to. the world is looking for new leadership and new ideas. and what you do can change the world.

and i say to you today, as you go through your studies and look at the prospects of the draft and all the other things which i know hang over some of the men here as well as the fears some of the girls may had with regard to that matter. i can say to you, look at the other side, never as a generation lived a more exciting time in a more exciting place in america. we will find out how exciting because you will ask some exciting questions. thank you. [applause] >> mr. vice president, i understand that yesterday -- richard nixon: october is coming next week. [laughter] [applause]

>> i mean former vice president nixon -- richard nixon: a pleasure. i have been called everything, it's all right. >> in describing the approach in this campaign, a lot has been said about a new mr. nixon. how do you feel about that? richard nixon: my wife says i have less hair than i had before. you know, the hairline goes back. here and there. of course, i am older, 55.

which is of course seven years older than i was when i ran before 1960. and of course, i am more experienced. i know more. i will not make as many mistakes as i would have had i been elected in 1960. others discover that i perhaps have a sense of humor -- which i think i have always had. others discover things they seem to find for the first time. let me answer this question. of course i have changed, but also perhaps the people who are looking at me have changed also. they are looking for a new leadership in this country, and they are taking a fresh look at what i have to offer. and i of course am presenting a new case i was not able to present in 1960. to that extent, yes, i am new. but in another sense, i am not. i am really the most difficult man in the world when it comes to a so-called public relations firm. nobody is going to package me or make me put on an act for television. i will not engage in any gimmicks or stunts or wear a silly hat, do some for the purpose of getting a publicity picture. i'm not an actor, not a good actor.

i am just going to be myself. when people say to me i have got to change myself, take lessons about how to stand, how to talk, how to act, look in the mirror and listen to my voice on the radio, look on my self on television, the answer is i never have, and i am not going to start now. if anything that i do have to offer to the american people and to leadership as far as our view and our role in the world is concerned, it is what i deeply say and that i am myself and i will continue to play that role. if people looking at me say that is a new nixon, all that i can say is maybe you did not know the old nixon. >> ♪ jolly good fellow which nobody can deny ♪ >> let's hear it for mr. nixon. [applause]

>> during campaign 2016, c-span takes you on the road to the white house as we follow the candidates on c-span, c-span radio, and c-span.org. camor this year's student contest, students told us the thanks to all the students and teachers who competed this year and congratulations to all of our winners. every weekday in april, one of the top 21 winning entries will air at 6:50 a.m. central on c-span. all the winning entries are available for viewing online. >> next on american history tv, from recent abraham lincoln symposium on his life, and legacy, thomas carson, the author of "lincoln's etc,