jay through the roberts court. stay with us and we look forward to seeing you all again. thank you very much. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> you are watching american history tv, all weekend, every weekend on c-span 3. to join the conversation, like us on facebook at c-span history. >> wrote of the white house rewind brings the archival coverage of presidential races. decision chronicles of the surprise withdrawal of president lyndon johnson through robert kennedy's

assassination and the national political conventions to richard nixon's victory over hubert humphrey. during the cold war, the u.s. information agency made films for international audiences to promote american society. they couldn't be shown in the u.s. until 12 years after they were produced. this half-hour film is courtesy of the national archives. >> the political situation in new hampshire, the rest of the country is watching us. >> when the united states turns its attention to choosing a leader, a small state becomes the political center of the nation. >> new hampshire clearly wants richard nixon to be the next president. the final campaigning is underway in the new hampshire presidential primary coming up next tuesday. richard nixon is urging republicans to give him a big

sendoff. >> new hampshire signals the start of the national campaign by holding the first primary of the year. the man who wanted to be president, richard nixon, george mccarthy,d eugene drew attention to new hampshire hoping these visits would bring them victory in this first voter test, where one man from each party would win the state support -- when the state's support. a small town in new hampshire, the most popular past time in winter is dogsled racing. >> the problems of the other parts of the country may seem far away but behind this

landscape and home, the people are aware of the challenges their country faces. many became actively involved in the campaign. jim wilson lives here. he is a member of the republican party. he is chairman of the chamber of commerce and he owns the town's camera store. with super eight cameras, this one has a drop in cartridge. cares about the future of his country and he is concerned about away the government spends money. he thinks the republican administration can do a better job and jim thinks there is one man who can do it best. there is absolutely no advantage for nixon to come and debate because as long as nixon , romneyn the background

just digs a deeper hole and buries himself. >> with romney -- >> his wife is still considering other candidates. think he is that middle-of-the-road candidate that we need. >> eugene mccarthy? >> we know he is not going to make it. >> there were others who did not share appraisal of senator mccarthy. jim, ron owns a business. he runs a family-owned electronic firm. he is a member of the democratic party. in 1954, ron had voted for president johnson. this year, he had decided to vote for eugene mccarthy.

mccarthy was opposed to the course of the war and had challenged the president to the nomination. so muchar has taken money out of the economy, taken so much. johnsonon poverty, what called the great society, so much has been taken out of what he tried to do because of the -- put someecome real sin if you think he is wrong. >> we will do that. commerce once of did a series of breakfasts for all the candidates and run and jim and their wives attended them all. ron got his first close look at the man he wanted to see win. >> as i see the campaign and 68,

the issue of vietnam is a vital one. you could pass a heart -- harsh judgment on that war if it were isolated from domestic consequences. underneath all of this, is a to questionjudgment america real role of is, what influence we wanted to have on the rest of the world. this is a fundamental test we have to face up to. [applause] richard nixon came to town a aw days later and jim had chance to meet and talk with the man who was his personal choice for the presidency. nixon had the most practical experience of all the candidates. in the eisenhower

administration, he had been actively involved in running the country for eight years. nixon was a man that republicans had always been able to count on . he attended thousands of dinners and rallies to help the republican cause. the people he helped remembered and appreciated his work. it was this personal contact with thousands of ordinary americans that was to become the back own of nixon's campaign. >> it was my pleasure to have nixon as speaker when i came into office. it's been a wonderful meeting. promote oureally winter events around here. jim was pleased to have nixon as his guest at the world championship dogsled races. >> did it in about an hour and 10 minutes.

i have seen it in alaska. >> it was a pleasure to have you here. >> thank you. jim had promised nixon his vote and he went to work to fulfill that promise by working for the nixon campaign in laconia. >> don't we have any other choice? >> quite a few. >> are you a few -- a true johnson democrat? they are handling things as well as they can be handled. democrats supporting the

president had organized an intense campaign urging voters to endorse the administration by writing president johnson's name on the democratic ballot, asking him to run again. be sure that you write in the name of president johnson. some of them are copied to presidential politics and since many democrats were supporting the president, he began his campaign with few assets. there was little spot -- it'll popular support. every vote was important. >> we are glad you stopped in this morning. >> the mccarthy campaign did have one great asset, young people, many students too young to vote. --y fled to new hampshire to

the children'sd crusade and no one thought they could compete with the professionals and the hard work of organizing a presidential campaign. but leaders were to describe this sudden involvement by thousands of young people in the political process as one of the most important benefits of the election year. >> senator mccarthy also got this report from another unorthodox source. actors and actresses lend their names to the cause and paul newman became the political voice of the smash in laconia. >> if you feel your own dissension and your own questioning, i think it is necessary to get behind the senator now, early in the game and not sit around and wait until you feel that you are ready to make a political commitment that is convenient to

you. few weeks before primary day, the republican race lost the challenger. george romney withdrew. drawl -- romney with -- half favor makes are and have favor rockefeller. thought governor nelson rockefeller might take his place. will vote for any republican candidate that wins in miami. italy either nixon or rockefeller. >> but no one could compete with record nation -- richard nixon in new hampshire.

by the time nixon made his last campaign speech, he had most of the states republican votes. he was already a winner. having met hundreds of you personally and thousands of you i have spoken to, having looked at your faces, you have given me new hope about america. a change is going to come in november. i tell you, turn out. with that vote, you not only will see to it that we will win tomorrow, but that new hampshire will vote for the leadership in november and america will get a new president in january. [applause]

>> primary day in new hampshire was quiet. a sharp contrast to the tent city in the campaign -- and the intensity in the campaign. >> are you going to vote? >> seems like a good time. >> each voter went to the polls to make a choice. the voting procedure was simple. >> republican or democrat? >> republican. >> registered voters receive their party's ballot. they moved to a boost to market in private -- to mark it in private. they had their names recorded to prevent fraud.

>> james r wilson. foronald dotty voted mccarthy but they have a personal request -- personal stake in this election. if elected, he would vote for the senator and representative of his state. at 6:00 butclose until then, campaign workers were busy urging their neighbors to vote. have you voted yet? thank you. yes this is the nixon headquarters. we wanted to be sure to remind you to vote today. tovoters were offered rides the polls, a common practice in both political parties.

snow in laconia. that did not stop the voters from going to the polls. , asrk on a piece of paper simple as taking out a huge -- a new hat. in each voter's mind, there was a feeling that his personal choice of the presidential candidate could make a difference. >> i declare the polls closed. now let's take a recap. >> while mccarthy headquartered in manchester, rocky stayed in

laconia. she was finally -- finding it hard to wait for the final vote count. 316 mccarthy. over 50% of the vote. >> it was an upset. mccarthy made it surprisingly and young people suddenly had proof that they could change the national election by working within the framework of the democratic process. ron was amazed and delighted when he found out he had scored a personal victory. he had been elected as a delegate. dotty was thrilled.

♪ home --nd and stayed jim and anne state home to celebrate. hoped their candidate would win more victories in the future. as the campaign moves out of new hampshire and into other states, ron traveled to nearby vermont to work from that state's democratic convention which is held in stead of a primary. now, mccarthy was facing competition from a new candidate, senator robert kennedy. the decisions made by this convention today. >> there were other unexpected

events. >> every day, i do not -- >> they do not realize at first that he was about to tell the nation he was not running for the presidency again. seekcordingly, i shall not and i will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as your president. ♪ the next president of the united states, thank you. >> vice president humphrey became the last major democratic candidate to enter the race. a substantialred number of delegate votes for the national convention.

kennedy andobert most of his campaign speeches why?the phrase asked i do things that never were and ask why not? before those things could ever become reality, senator kennedy was killed, shot by an assassin in a los angeles hotel. the nation mourned and for a time, politics were forgotten. the country had lost a man that many loved, his death

could not destroy the essential stability of the democratic process. the nation still had to choose a leader and the campaigns began again. >> can we have a nixon poster? , working inn laconia, was looking forward to the republican national convention. the choices were richard nixon, governor nelson rockefeller of new york, and california governor ronald reagan. as the republican delegates gathered in new york city -- in this resort city, it was

clearness and was their choice by overwhelming mandate. the next president of the united states, richard nixon. >> tonight, i again proudly accept that nomination for president of the united states. >> tonight, i see the face of a child who lives in a great city. , mexican,k or white italian, polish, none of that matters. he sleeps the sleep a child does. child, in that great city, is more important than any politicians promise. he is america.

i see another child tonight hearing his train go by. he dreams of faraway places where he would like to go. it seems like an impossible dream but he is helped. a father who had to go to work before he finished the sixth grade sacrificed everything he had so his sons could go to college. tonight, he stands before you nominated for president of the united states of america. [applause] >> nixon selected maryland's

governor for the office of vice president. it is now time for the democratic convention. mccarthy and vice president hunt three -- humphrey with the leaders. dotty went to chicago as part of the delegation. they continued their protests along with many other delegates who wanted to see details of the parties campaign seen. overcome.all we shall overcome someday. other demonstrators protested against the war. these protests erected into a confrontation with police that

drew the attention of many americans. the delegates shared that tocern but first, they had for fill their obligation to .ominate a democrat it became clear that vice president humphrey had the support of the convention. but new hampshire delegates were pledged to vote for mccarthy and they honored that pledge. >> 20 votes for senator eugene j mccarthy and six votes to vice president humphrey. >> vice president humphrey won the nomination. >> ron and dotty went back to

laconia and talked about the convention with their friends. >> it is the very differences of individuals and everything else. democracy, youin believe in rational reason. all people don't look at what's right for human society the same way. you will never get the 100%. anything, you will probably end up with 60%. >> it is never easy to accept defeat but ron endorsed the decision in chicago and support of the nominee, realizing humphrey had been nominated by the rule of the majority. before long, a humphrey poster appeared on the side of ron's house. moves into its

final weeks, the nation considers its choices. , georgesident humphrey wallace, former governor of alabama, and richard nixon. ♪ >> some things -- as the candidates moved across the country, they were surrounded by the traditional vote getting glitter. you.od to see hi. --

there was a theory behind the bands and balloons. each candidate was giving them a the potentialuate president and look closely at him as a man. >> laconia's people are part of one of nature's most impressive paget's. -- pageants. it signals the end of the season with stillness and grandeur open -- interrupted only by the sound of children returning to school. the people of the united states went to the polls to elect their by adent, confronted

decision that could hold the key to the nations future place in the world. they knew that whoever the new president would be, he would need the support of the entire nation as he was given the responsibility of leading the country. in this election year, the nation shows richard nixon bringing to its final conclusion the democratic process that had started months before in new hampshire. >> i know exactly how he felt. sayng one this year, i can -- winning is a lot more fun. it's really very exciting. he made a great speech.

>> where they happy? >> they were. >> i am glad i voted for next and because i believe he can get things started again. clean sweepwanted a and this is what nixon is going to do. he is going to get a bunch of people that we need. pleasede never been so at a political outcome. as a democrat, i am unhappy but i think there was a certain amount of justice. what the american people have , have told the and or johnson or anyone, they are accountable for their actions.

>> you are watching american history tv all weekend every weekend on c-span3. to join the conversation, like us on facebook. this past tuesday, former secretary of state henry kissinger defended his role in the vietnam role to a gathering of policymakers, vietnamese, veterans and war protesters. some 40 years after the fall of withdrawalamerica's from vietnam, he called the 1970 five evacuation one of the saddest moments of his life.