Campaign Spot: Nixon's Experience (1960) - HISTORY

At the end of a long press conference, then President Dwight Eisenhower was asked about his Vice President, Richard Nixon. He hesitated and replied that he couldnt remember Nixons contributions

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After some misinterpreted comments by President Eisenhower about Nixon that JFK used in a campaign ad against his opponent (Nixons Experience), Eisenhower fully endorses Nixon. But it was too little, too late. JFK won the election, by a slim margin.

This 1960 campaign spot makes use of JFK's relative youth and a repetitious jingle.

Spiro who? In 1968, Nixon chose the governor of Maryland as his Vice President running mate.

For his second run for the presidency, Nixon hired filmmaker Eugene Jones to produce ads that captured the turbulence and unrest in the nation at the time. Convention was one in a series -- mimicking the uneasy mood and tension in the US, suggesting that Nixon was the only man to bring the country together again.

One of Nixons lasting legacies was his trip to China to normalize relations between the two countries which had been cut off for 20 years. No American president had ever visited China. Nixons tip signaled a major change -- for both America and Chinas policies. And for Republicans, a huge reason to re-elect their candidate.

Similar to Convention, Nixon points out Americas major frustrations and links them to breakdowns in the Democratic leadership.

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