Transcripts For CNN 1968 The Year That Changed America 20240909

[chambers brothers Time Has Come Today plays] Time Has Come Today all Strike Strike Strike young hearts can go their way the students push forward and the Police Push back. Cant put it off another day thats what the cops did. I dont care what others say dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , assassinated in memphis, tennessee. Time has come Today Senator Robert Francis Kennedy was 42 years old. The enemy is no longer closer to victory. Oh, the rules have changed today we demonstrate against the war in vietnam. Have no place to stay the number of men killed last week in vietnam was the highest this summer. They are running an allwhite Political Party in 1968. My tears have come and gone we all need george c. Wallace for our President Of The United States. Hey i have no Home Vote Republican in november. The Peace Groups are demanding permission to march on Convention Hall. These cops here are tough. Theyd kill you with a smile. Time as long as i am mayor of this town, there will be Law And Order in chicago. [applause] time this is The Moment Of Truth for the Democratic Party. Time tuesday night, i spent my evening at senator Kennedys Campaign Headquarters to celebrate his victory in california. Tuesday night, i was in ecstasy with joy. Wednesday morning, sorrow. And this morning, utter despair. Because now im lost. Im desperate. And i dont know where were going from here. By the early summer of 1968, there was this ache in the american spirit, of what the hell is happening to us . Is the country coming apart at the seams . No words can really fully convey the feeling that i have towards the Kennedy Family in this time of their particular tragedy, or the feeling that one must have for the nation in the face of this tragedy, this new tragedy. I really think mccarthy felt a sense of guilt, in some weird psychological way, for this outcome, because he has been a very nasty campaigner. This is one trauma too many. And Mccarthy Sort of gave up after bobby died. Instead of pressing on, he drifted away. Theres one guy that offers an opportunity to at least try to find a way to end the war, and thats gene mccarthy, and thats why im here. Mccarthy didnt want to leap in with a bitter campaign so soon after Senator Kennedy had died. But it felt deserted. Like, just when we need him most. Gone. Senator George Mcgovern of South Dakota is said to be announcing tomorrow he is a candidate for the democratic nomination. George mcgovern ultimately feels that he has to come in and declare for the presidency to give the bobby kennedy people a place to go. Representatives of Senator Mccarthy and of my office have been meeting together to work out language on which our supporters could join forces, in terms of a plank on an end to the war in vietnam. You expected to be here with Robert Kennedy. Yes, i think about it all the time. Someone who i know was sorry that they had not participated in the campaign of Robert Kennedy. And they were gonna do it later on, in the summer. And that person said to me that, one thing ive learned in life since the assassination of Robert Kennedy, is never wait for summer. Thats kind of the way i feel about American Politics today. I think if you really feel about something, that you dont put it off, you have to do something about it now. Bobby Kennedys Death changed the nature of the campaign. With him gone, whoever was going to be the nominee of the Democratic Party had to come to grips with What Kennedy represented. Id like to present to you the Vice President of the united states, hubert h. Humphrey, for a few words. [mixed applause and boos] thank you Hubert Humphrey could have come out against the war. But he didnt want to do that, because he didnt want to jeopardize his own nomination. cause Lyndon Johnson had all the levers of power in the Democratic Party. I am the Vice President of the united states. The Vice President of the united states does not make the policy. He is a puppet, so you cant tell what he will think or do in office because hes not used to thinking for himself. The final say in the Delegate Selection was in the hands of the Party Bosses and Lyndon Johnson. Someone questioned johnson about humphreys loyalty. He said, dont worry about hubert. Ive got his pecker in my pocket. Earlier this year, top u. S. Leaders vowed that the marine outpost at Khe Sahn would be defended at all cost. But today, the u. S. Command in vietnam announced that the marines are pulling out of Khe Sahn. Thats the last bunker on this base. Now that the american troops have blown it up, theres nothing to protect them from enemy artillery. So now its time for the final departure from Khe Sahn. Why did we fight so hard to keep it if we were going to give it up like this . Was the question some asked themselves. Others were relieved, because they privately believed Khe Sahn was of marginal strategic importance anyway. Khe sahn revealed the futility of the war. What was the goal . There was no clear goal, if the End Result is abandonment. Khe sahn symbolizes the frustration of this kind of war. A few must remember their comrades, who are among the 2,500 Khe Sahn casualties. I think Khe Sahn stands as a symbol of the whole war effort. We got in for a supposedly, a strategic reason. It became a point of pride for President Johnson and others from the administration. The small number of marines at that outpost were subjected to just brutal bombardment for five months, and when it turned out that the Enemy Wouldnt fight the way that we wanted them to fight, we ended up packing up and leaving. Nowas perhaps befits this strangest of wars one of the most celebrated battlefields of vietnam has been reduced, once again, to a simple meadow. [marching band music] by the time we get to the republican convention in 1968, Richard Nixon had done very well in the primaries leading up to that. But he did not go in to the Convention Hall in miami beach, having been assured of the nomination. He was sure. [car honks] Nelson Rockefeller decides at the last minute to try to make a serious push to gain the nomination, even though he had vacillated for months. I felt the problems facing this nation, at home and abroad were so serious that i had no right not to make available what experience i had for the use of the party and the country. Rockefeller is probably the most liberal republican of the era. They were moderate republicans who were just a few steps from liberals. Mr. Rockefeller would get 41 of the black democrats and republicans and independents, that is to cross over and vote for him. Mr. Nixons whole record on civil rights has not been good. I want you to know that this marks The End of one journey and, we think, the beginning of another one. [crowd cheering] one of the key things that nixon did was to build a network of support among political leaders that would be respected by southerners. Strom thurmond, for example, of South Carolina. All that we could ask for is somebody who would be just and fair, and treat the south like the other sections of the country. Strom thurmond had been a democrat, but he had left the Democratic Party because of the civil rights act. The race is between mr. Nixon and mr. Rockefeller, and i would prefer mr. Nixon. I think he would be better for the whole country. Convention will come to order. [gavel bangs] 1968 is the last president ial year in which it was possible to run for president without entering any primaries. Ronald reagan showed up in miami beach, gave a press conference, and said, im running for president. Yes, as of this moment, uh in response to that resolution by the california delegation, i am a candidate. Reagan is, in many ways, Everything Nixon is not. Hes smooth, hes handsome, people like him. And people are are confused, theyre like, we believe that hes a true conservative, and weve never really trusted nixon. Okay, so, now what are we gonna do . The Name Of The Game right now is stop nixon. Now if a lot of those southern delegates move away from nixon to ronald reagan, then they feel that nixon can be stopped on that first ballot. The real fear was that Rockefeller And Reagan could hold off enough votes, so that that they could prevent us having a victory on the first ballot. And then it would break wide open. Now, i didnt fear rockefeller, i never did, but reagan. Was something else. Are there any circumstances under which you would accept the Vice Presidency . There is no Circumstance Whatsoever that could alter my decision about that. The pressuring of delegates to come out for nixon or not to do so proceeds with a kind of gladhanded desperation. The key to hanging on, as nixon saw it, was to hang on to southern delegates. Why could it go either way . Well, youve got to reckon, theres a lot of strength in our delegation. Many of them really wanted to go with reagan. And thats where Strom Thurmond turns out to be so important. Senator thurmond, im told that there was some slipping toward reagan last night in the south, and specifically in your own South Carolina delegation, and that you personally stopped it. Is that correct . Theres no slippage in the South Carolina delegation. We all are standing for nixon. Nixon persuading Strom Thurmond hes the best candidate who can win. That we went with our hearts in 64 with goldwater. He took us down to a horrible defeat. So lets go with a moderate now, and then once we get in, i can slow down the federal governments efforts at desegregating schools in the south. But the number one reason was that it looked like nixon could win. A candidate needs 667 delegates to win the nomination, but, with nixons estimated total at above 600 now, that air of victory is obvious. Governor, may we ask you what you might have done differently, thinking back now . Nothing; there isnt anything i could have done differently. It was a weary Governor Rockefeller who hotelhopped from one Delegation Caucus to another. Wife, happy, appeared anything but happy as her husband began to show the strain, and, perhaps, the futility of it. With the demise of Nelson Rockefeller and the sort of exclusion of the moderate and liberal side of the republican party, you began to see the reshaping of the republican party. We are having here, in miami beach, the convention of the nice, white people. All together, there are 26 nonwhite delegates and 57 nonwhite alternates out of 2,666. There are none of these magnificent, Wounded Black faces to remind us of whats going on in this country. There are only sunburns, and smiles, and balloons. [crowd shouting] this is a lilywhite delegation there, and, uh they dont know exactly what we want, so we thought that we would get it together and then take it to them. [crowd shouting] violence broke out tonight, in a predominantly Negro Section of miami. Two buildings, reportedly, were set afire. Some looting was reported. More than 200 police were sent to the area, and some Tear Gas was used at one point to disperse a Rock Andbottle throwing crowd. Nobody can really say why its happened, its just the pentup anger, the frustration, and the idea of being trapped in society. Its just a way of saying, i will accept the abuse no longer. [somber music] all [chanting] gop gop gop 55yearold Richard Milhous Nixon has confirmed now that he will get a second run at the presidency of the united states. Nixon knew that he was making one of the great comebacks in american political history. And he was able to tap into his own sense of renewal. As we look at america, we see cities enveloped in smoke and flame. We hear sirens in the night. We see americans dying on distant battlefields abroad. We see americans hating Each Other, fighting Each Other, killing Each Other at home. And as we see and hear these things, millions of americans cry out in anguish, did we come all this way for this . Nixons speech was designed to say, you know, i hear you. Unless we stop shouting at one another, we cant hear one another. I mean, very powerful, powerful words. It is the quiet voice in the tumult of the shouting. It is the voice of the great majority of americans, the forgotten americans, the nonshouters, the nondemonstrators. Nixon wrote that speech, contrary to a lot of his speeches, where he would be getting help from his speechwriters. That speech was all Richard Nixon. Americas in trouble today, not because her people have failed, but because her leaders have failed. And what america needs are leaders to match the greatness of her people. [cheering] Richard Nixon presenting a face of placid calm in a year of chaos. And things are looking pretty good for Richard Nixon. [laughing] what . Is it your purpose here to disrupt this convention . Life is disruptive in america, lets face it. If you believe in life, youre disruptive. You know . I dont want to go and fight in that damn war. You know, thats a disruptive attitude. Theyre gonna have to pull me by my hair. Right . [chuckles] the Activist Part of my generation is divided into two parts those who decide that they can change the world by supporting a viable antiwar candidate, and those who think that the entire system has to be torn down. Political pigs, your days are numbered. We are the second american revolution. We are winning. Yippie [chuckles] yippies were, um crazy people who did street theater. Were not gonna take part in an old mens election. Young people know whos gonna win. The winners gonna be pigasus the pig, cause every partys running a pig. So why did you decide to become a candidate . [pig grunts, squeals] the plan was to have a mass, moratoriumtype antiwar demonstration in chicago. And at the same time, a mass counterculture festival. We must stay in the streets, and stay in active resistance, or else there will be no peace. I was with rennie, davis, and dave dellinger, and we were trying to coordinate the mobilization, which was this coalition of fractious groups who agreed on something like total withdrawal from vietnam now. And Allen Ginsberg wanted everybody to chant ohm, to bring the war to an end and the police to their senses. It was a motley medley of all kinds of people. [tense music] when we first went to see Mayor Daley and we thought his Deputy Mayor to try and get a permit, he took me aside and said, come on, what do you guys really want to do . And i said, well, did you see Wild In The Streets . [chanting indistinctly] which was a movie where young people put lsd into the Water Supply and took over the government. And so this is what the police expected. Our administration will never permit a lawless, violent group of terrorists to destroy the purpose of this national convention and take over the streets of chicago. Before he became mayor, chicago had kind of become a run down, drab city. The city is plagued with strikes, from Cab Drivers to telephone installers. But Mayor Daley says the citys never been in better shape. Mayor daley wanted to show off how hed turned it into a modern showplace. Chicago loves size, scale. One hotel here brags that it has more flush toilets under one roof than any other building in the world. Daleys administration was absolutely committed that, in his city, this was not gonna be a place where protestors were gonna have a platform. This was gonna be a place where they were going to be put in their place. No one will be able to take over the Convention Hall or the streets of chicago. Mayor daley had exercised such control over the city, you couldnt even get near the Convention Center where the convention was being held. So, basically, all you could do is protest among the major hotels in the loop area, where a lot of the delegates were staying. The Peace Groups are demanding permission to march on Convention Hall, the night the democrats nominate their candidate for president. The city says no. That would endanger security. There is a possibility of mass arrests, unless the city allows the demonstrators to camp out in public parks. There is nowhere else for them to stay. I think its in their best interest to let us Sleep In The Park instead of roam the streets at night. Boy scouts could sleep overnight in The Parks, but not hippies. Theres no other place to sleep, so we knew, if youre going to drive people out of The Parks, theyre going to be in the streets. Its gonna be pandemonium. Is that what you want . How do you feel about the antiwar demonstrators . I dont like em. I dont like em one bit. Theres no reason for em. They accomplish nothing. The police, largely workingclass people, whod come up the hard way, see these privileged, white students, and have to wonder, what do they have to be angry about . And many of those Police Officers themselves identified with the soldiers who were coming back from the war in vietnam. We are coming not because our fight is with policemen, or with National Guard troops. Our fight is with the policies of this administration. On this eve, of the beginning of the 35th democratic national convention, chicago is nearly securitytight. The police, several thousand of them, are now deployed. U. S. Army troops began arriving in chicago in substantial numbers this morning, at least 50 planeloads. But they will be available to reinforce some 5,500 illinois National Guardsmen, some 2,000 fbi, secret service, and other federal agents, and the 11,000man chicago police force. We are concerned about the buildup of the force because we think anything thats built up like this is liable to be used. Now, youre a girl. Are you afraid of any violence that may occur . Therell be violence, yes, No Doubt about that, but im not afraid of it. About 500 students, hippies, yippies, radicals, activists, mccarthy kids, and other Peace Demonstrators marched four miles from Lincoln Park to the downtown hotels housing the Democratic Convention delegates. They stayed on the sidewalks. They stopped for Traffic Signals, and they did not try to cross police lines. Kindly obey the Traffic Signals as the protesters marched back toward Lincoln Park, they clashed with police. Whoa, hey cool it we were told that we would have to leave The Park at 11 oclock at night. At 5 oclock, the police started beating people up. All we want The Park we want The Park [crowd shouting] they disperse into the streets. Im giving you one more warning one more warning clear the streets and this is the first melee of many. [dramatic music] [crowd screaming] a whole bunch of them picked me up and drug me, and then they beat me. They put mace in my face. Howd you get that blood all over you . Because i came around and got a picture of him after he squirted me with mace. And he clubbed you . And he clubbed me. A Democratic Convention is about to begin in a police state. There just doesnt seem to be any other way to say it. I present to you now, the able and gracious mayor of the city of chicago, richard j. Daley. [cheers and applause] any political convention is a show. And chicago mayor Richard Daley was a man of absolute control in the Democratic Party. He was a machine politician. This is my town hey, georgie now theyre raising the illinois, uh delegations sign. Apparently a brief effort to start a parade. Lyndon johnson was wary of holding the convention in chicago, but he gave it to Chicago And Daley because daley assured him, itll be a controlled environment. We will keep it under control. All [chanting] one, two, three, four, stop this damn war one, two, three, four, stop this damn war the Democratic Party was closed to change on vietnam unless it faced such massive pressure. Boo that might make it turn. Mr. Vice president , this is the Opening Night of the Democratic Convention. Are you gonna be nominated . Thats my hope, my plan. Thats what were trying to do. The security around this international amphitheater has been worthy of an armed camp. Someone called the amphitheater fort daley. And i think, at this point, that is not very far from the truth. I was distributing Farm Worker literature, and Mayor Daleys henchpeople shoved me aside, and broke my glasses, and so, i mean, i wasnt hurt, but. Thats the floor of the convention. And what is your name, sir . Take your hands off of me unless you intend to arrest me a small group of reporters were allowed at least on the periphery of it. And these guys started to strongarm me. But dont push me take your hands off of me unless you plan to arrest me wait a minute, wait a minute a guy hit me, short punch in the solarplexus, which knocked me down. I think weve got a bunch of thugs here, dan. This was supposed to be a Democratic Convention. The latest Abc Delegate Count show Senator Mccarthy, 706 votes. Senator mcgovern, 123 votes. Senator Eugene Mccarthy has conceded defeat in his bid for the democratic president ial nomination. Hubert humphrey has his lined up. I think Senator Eugene Mccarthy really, uh would have conceded defeat in his heart of hearts a month or two ago. The nomination was really not in question anymore. Mr. Mcgovern . It was not gonna be mccarthy and it was not gonna be mcgovern. It was gonna be Hubert Humphrey. That was a done deal before the convention opened. So the focus became on a Peace Plank in the Democratic Party platform, which was felt very strongly by those of us who had been in the kennedy campaign, or were in the Mccarthy Or Mcgovern campaign. It was our sort of last hope that we might get something, at least. This is The Moment Of Truth for the Democratic Party [audience applause] it was the issue of vietnam, and its deeply held feelings that the killing had to stop that motivated Robert Kennedy to become a candidate for president. [quiet cheering] a bullet stilled that voice, but he is here today. And if he were alive today, he would be on that platform, speaking for this Minority Plank. Thank you. This is still a volatile convention, as you see here with this demonstration on the floor. A Minority Plank is The One that would stop the bombing now, without any preconditions. Theres a minority among us, represented over in grant park. And let me say that the police department, Mayor Daley, must all be related to job, theyve shown that much patience. [applause, booing] they want pot instead of patriotism and they would substitute riots for reason [crowd shouting] move back, please as the forces of the counterculture are girding their loins to battle the police out on the streets, the Civil War within the Convention Hall is almost as intense. Do we accept this war . Or do we reject this war . There could be no greater division. A yes vote here is to stop the bombing now, unconditionally. Alabama votes 30 1 2 no. It was a very moderate resolution. It wasnt immediate, unconditional, universal withdrawal. It was, lets find a way to to crank this down, and bring our troops home. California cast 166 votes aye. [applause] the position of the other side was, we dont want to tie the hands of the commander in chief. No. We dont know enough to make that judgment. Fifteen no. The military will lead us in the right direction, and so lets leave it alone. Illinois, 105 votes no, 13 yes. [whistling, applause] the platform that was prowar, passed on a 1,500 to 1,000 vote of the delegates. All We Shall Overcome nebraska, alaska, and vermont have joined New York in this extraordinary demonstration of antiwar sentiment on the convention floor. Step it down step down all right, the marshals are going to the points when the platform lost, somebody climbed the Flag Pole pulled down the american flag, turned it upsidedown, which is, in the military, a symbol of distress. [crowd shouting] and the police just knocked down all the barricades, ran over all the marshals who were trying to keep peace, beating people wantonly. [crowd screaming, shouting, Gas Canister exploding] everybody being gassed. [cries of alarm, coughing] and inside the convention, it was a replica of outside. Got a lot of pushing, the man being pushed watch it, theyre gonna knock that over. The man is a delegate. Theres a priest in here, dozens of reporters. And the man who got involved in it all is very calmly smoking a cigarette this is a perfect indication of the mood of this convention on the floor. The greatest irony of the Democratic Convention in chicago Richard Daley has an amazing secret. Richard daley is a fierce opponent of the vietnam war, because the son of one of his closest friends has been killed in the vietnam war. And from that moment on, he hates the war. But nobody knows this in 1968. I came here to talk to you about hubert horatio humphrey. On the night of the, uh, nomination. All [chanting] peace now peace now we on the outside gathered in The Park, across from the conrad hilton. And the bridges were all closed off by jeeps, mounted with barbed wire, Machine Guns placed on the streets, pointed at these demonstrators. And the breakdown of Law And Order was being perpetuated by the forces of Law And Order. Downtown chicago, at Balbo And Michigan avenues, there has been in progress, for some time, a peace demonstration. The police have come to put it down. The National Guard has been called to help. [people shouting] police. And demonstrators tussling all over this busy intersection. On this, the night of the president Ial Nominations at this Democratic Convention. It was a police riot. And i had never seen that before in my life. I had never seen groups of policemen with leadknuckled gloves and clubs, going after civilians. There were pools of blood on michigan avenue. Walter, a bit confusing down here on the Floor Shirley Maclaine and Roosevelt Grier are among those in front of a tiny television monitor. What was your reaction to what happened downtown . Oh, its devastating. So unreal as to whats happening here, compared to whats happening down there. A Girl Being carried off to a Paddy Wagon in something. Less than a nonviolent manner. It was supposed to be a nonviolent demonstration today. But one will never know what it was that made it become violent. Mr. Chairman, most delegates to this convention do not know that thousands of young people are being beaten in the streets of chicago. [audience roaring, whistling] it didnt really explode inside the Convention Hall until the delegates saw pictures of the police beating people. And for that reason, i request the suspension overruled, to relocate the convention in another city wisconsin is not recognized for that purpose [gavel banging] [imitates explosion] it just blew to pieces inside the Convention Hall. And it was a rampage. The Security Guards are pushing people back here. [indistinct shouting] you get that get her out of here police all over the place, and delegates, theres a really big fray going on in here. With George Mcgovern as President Of The United States, we wouldnt have to have gestapo sttactics in the streets of chicago [crowd roaring, whistling] how hard it is. How hard it is to accept the truth. The persistent chanting by the crowd, the whole world is watching. [Gas Canister exploding] a shot of gas, is it . Fourteen votes for Hubert Humphrey. Oh, no, i was wrong. Pennsylvania, 130 votes. Oh, here we go. [all talking indistinctly] Vice President humphrey was in his room at the hilton when the Tear Gas began floating over that way. Blown by the wind, he got a good whiff of it. And he began coughing and sneezing; hes alright. [crying out in pain] i think what was happening outside, overwhelmed what happened inside. This is going to do it. And 103 3 4. [audience cheering] and Vice President Hubert Humphrey is the nominee of the Democratic Party for the presidency of the united states. I feel like really jumping hooray, hooray, hooray, hooray, hooray [crowd booing] they cant nominate a man for President Of The United States and expect people to take his candidacy seriously when the country wants Law And Order, and the way theyre conducting Law And Order is to destroy every vestige of respect for Human Dignity and for democratic procedure. How can the Democratic Party do this . Here was humphrey, trying to express his own great moment. All of his political career, this was what he wanted. And it was being utterly destroyed by what was happening on the streets. This was Hubert Humphreys humiliation. As i stood and watched Hubert Humphrey tonight, stand where he has wanted to for so long, at the very top of the Democratic Party heap, my first thought was some heap. The divisions in this party run very deep, indeed. And Hubert Humphrey, uh who wants to be a healer for the party and for the country, has very little time to heal the divisions in this party in terms of the november election. Uh, itsits my judgment that Hubert Humphrey starts out an underdog. Nixon could be gleeful about trumping his enemies, and it gave him great joy to go to chicago to begin his campaign, in the very place where the Democratic Party had been humiliated by a riot. Stand up and lets take the band up here comes Richard Nixon, the uniter, coming through the city of chicago, you know, like a roman emperor, and being cheered by Tens Of Thousands and harassed by no one. So it looks like this would be the fellow that can unite the country. Nixons The One [sirens wailing] humphreys in an impossible situation. Hes associated with the chaos of the antiwar movement, because of what happened at the convention. He has this albatross of a war tied around his neck. And everywhere he goes, chaos follows. And were faced on the other, in the republican party, with the ageold coalition of the conservative republican and the dixiecrats, the nixons and the Strom Thurmonds who prefer to remain silent. Humphrey came out of that convention not only with no convention bounce, but actually going backwards. The problems of Hubert Humphrey are many. His campaign does not have enough money and it has little chance of getting enough money because potential backers feel he has little chance of winning. Ask a humphrey aide about this, ask him, arent you discouraged . And hell tell you, i wouldnt say were discouraged, but i would say that overconfidence is not our thing. Beauties on parade in Convention Hall, atlantic city, during the oldest contest of its kind, Miss America. The winner . Deborah dene barnes, 20yearold miss kansas, a future piano teacher. Lessons, anyone . Women, use your brains, not your body the 1960s was about women demanding justice in the society, and nowhere was this more public and powerful than the 1968 Miss America contest. No more pain no more trying to hold the fat in vain [crowd cheering] we had a Freedom Trash can, and we threw in bras and diapers and highheeled shoes and girdles and steno pads and symbols of womens oppression. [indistinct chanting] it struck a chord with so many women around the country that in some ways it was the first national emergence of a womens movement, per se. Hey [women cheering] i think in 68, everything felt a lot. More on the edge. George wallace was running for president , and it felt like the country could just turn into just a sea of turmoil. You are some of the people that folks in this country are sick and tired of, i can tell you that, all over the united states. They believe in fourletter words. But i know two fourletter words you dont know. Work and soap, you dont know those. What was striking was the extent to which he was drawing support away from Hubert Humphrey specifically, urban, northern white workers. Often union members, often individuals who, traditionally, had been strong supporters of the Democratic Party. What do you think is the biggest attraction that wallace has . Common sense and easytounderstand language. You dont think hes going to win, but you do have the sense that hes gonna get a lot of votes. And what does that say about america . George wallaces audiences have been growing both in size and in emotional outbursts. Here in kansas city, this crowd showed the effect hes having, as he campaigns about the country with growing confidence. If the president ial election were held today, a Cbs News Survey shows that Richard Nixon would win, hands down, and Vice President humphrey would finish third in the electoral vote. Believe the republican candidate owes it to the people to come out of the shadows. All dump the hump dump the hump [faint booing] knock it off, will you, please . By September Of 68, humphrey is absolutely having the worst political moment you could possibly imagine. Hes being heckled at every event that he goes to. He practically has to beg democratic politicians to appear with him, and to endorse him. Its a dispiriting campaign. He has not yet in any particular instance indicated one disagreement with any of the policies of the past four years. Vietnam is defining the 1968 election. And humphrey understands he has to do something dramatic, he has to do something bold, and he knows what that is. As president , i would stop the bombing of the north, as an acceptable risk for peace. Because i believe it could lead to success in the negotiations and thereby shorten the war. Le duc tho, a member of the Hanoi Delegation at the Paris Peace talks, said today mr. Humphreys speech contained absolutely nothing new. Whatever the North Vietnamese say, the Vice President s speech last night was clearly his most serious effort of the campaign to establish his own position on vietnam. Richard nixon played a very subtle political game on the vietnam war. He talked about peace with honor, but never articulated that plan. When and if we win this election, i hope the war will be over, but if it is not over, then i think its time for a new team to go in that will not be tied in to the frozen policies of the past. Now Hubert Humphrey was articulating something that many americans felt, but werent hearing from Richard Nixon. Does this change your opinion of him as a president ial candidate . It might. Why is that . Well, because everyone wants the bombing stopped. When humphrey gave the Salt Lake City speech, it really alarmed me. All we want humphrey we want humphrey because he untied that party which had been ripped apart all year, and you could hear the footsteps behind you, where i was. The antiwar activists, they stop heckling him. In charlotte, north carolina, a crowd of 10,000 people cheered the Vice President wildly, and he loved it. It was about the same wherever he went tennessee, west virginia, florida. And the Vice President seemed to gain new confidence. I need you. Quite frankly, i think you may need me. And i think [applause, cheering] nixon spends his whole life running scared. And all of a sudden, the race that was well in hand is getting close. And he begins to sweat. This means absolutely this is sort of the Kid Stuff that somebody goes through when hes behind. Nix on nixon, thats what its gotta be this is the time and this is the place to take off the gloves, and sock it to em im gonna sting ya, and sting ya, like a hornet and a bee, day in and day out [dramatic music] theres some real advantages in being an underdog sooner or later, your opponent will have to start looking over his shoulder. And thats the time that you pass him on the inside, and get the medals, and win the prize, and gain the victory [cheers and applause] Apollo 7 starts the final push to the moon. North vietnam said there will be no breakthrough in the Peace Talks until the bombing has stopped. Its been a long time, jack, ill tell ya. Lets enlist the people in the handling of the problems of america. He must be gettin saddlesore, straddling all those issues. I dont mind speaking here, but when you start throwing rocks that size who threw it . Its been one of the roughest political years in american history. In the next few hours, well see how it all turned out. [dramatic music]