HAMUN 39
Historical Joint Crisis Committee
The US Presidential Election of 1960
VS
INTRODUCTION
The date is July 1st, 1960. The next presidential election will occur three months and eight days
from the committee’s starting date. Approximately two weeks previously, the Democratic National
Convention ended with the nomination of Senator John F. Kennedy and the selection of Senate Majority
Leader Lyndon B. Johnson as the Democratic candidates for President and Vice-President. The
Republican National Convention took place shortly thereafter, where Vice-President Richard Nixon was
nominated, followed by the selection of United Nations Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr as Nixon’s
running mate.
RECENT HISTORY
President Dwight D. Eisenhower has served as president since his inauguration in January 1953.
The 22nd amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1951, prohibits him from running for a third
term as President.
The United States is now fully embroiled in a so-called “Cold War” between western
democracies, primarily led by the US, and communist states, led by the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics. Over the past eight years there have been substantial fears by many Americans that the Soviet
spies may have infiltrated the government, the media, labor groups, and political movements. These fears
led to a series of hearings conducted by Senator Joseph McCarthy, who claimed to have evidence
confirming these fears. Eventually, his movement broke down following President Eisenhower’s refusal to
cooperate with McCarthy’s investigations into White House personnel, at which point Senator McCarthy
was censured by the Senate. However, despite the collapse of McCarthyism, and the death of Joseph
McCarthy in 1957, fears of Communist subversion are still alive and well in America.
Outside the country, there is no question that Communist movements are actively attempting to
spread. In the Middle East, the Eisenhower doctrine has prevented Communist revolutions with
economic and military aid, including troop deployments. The revolution in Iran which overthrew Prime
Minister Mossedegh and restored the Shah to power was supported by the American and British
governments.
The West’s involvement in Southeast Asia has
been somewhat less successful. France’s attempts to
maintain their colony in Indochina, or Vietnam, have
mostly failed, and France has, for the most part, stopped
trying to oppose the Communist forces there. Under
President Eisenhower, the US has sent 900 American
advisors, as well as monetary and military aid, to the
government of Free Vietnam, based in the Southern half
of that peninsula. President Eisenhower has come to the
conclusion that stronger American involvement is
Flag of "Free Vietnam,"
needed, and has commented that Indochina will be the
the
government
of South Vietnam
most important issue facing the next President.
Under President Eisenhower, conventional military forces have been reduced substantially from
their levels in the Korean War, and emphasis has been directed towards nuclear weapons, for deterrent
purposes. Thermonuclear weapons (or H-bombs) have been developed and tested by the US, the
USSR, and the UK. Finally, and probably most importantly for our purposes, the US military, under
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President Eisenhower, has completed the implementation of President Truman’s decision to desegregate
the armed forces.
President Eisenhower has made
desegregation a priority in several areas. The
national and D.C. governments are, for the most
part, desegregated. After the Brown vs. Board of
Education decision was made, Eisenhower
ensured implementation of that decision,
including sending the 101st Airborne to Little
Rock, Arkansas, to integrate the high school
there, and to federalize the Arkansas National
Guard, which had, under the Governor of
Arkansas, attempted to oppose the Supreme
Little Rock, Arkansas, 1957
Court’s decision. Several laws dealing with civil
rights have been passed, but the problem is by no
means resolved. Strong segregationist and desegregationist movements are still active in the country.
POLITICAL SITUATION
Kennedy has strong support from the liberal wing of the
Democratic Party, backed primarily by labor unions. Johnson was
chosen as Vice-President with hopes that he would be able to
ensure that the South continued to vote for the Democratic Party,
despite its more liberal stance. Kennedy’s support for civil rights
will likely make holding the South difficult. Additionally,
Kennedy’s Catholicism is likely to become an issue, as many
Protestants feel uncomfortable voting for a Catholic. Nixon is also
likely to attack Kennedy on the issue of experience. If elected,
Kennedy would be the youngest man ever to serve as President.
Nixon also supports civil rights, but faces substantial
opposition from his own party, including members of his own
campaign, on those issues. Although he easily won his party’s
nomination, a significant number of votes went to Barry
Goldwater, the leader of the Conservative wing of the
Republicans, who only conceded to Nixon after a fiery speech at
the RNC where he encouraged the right wing to take control of
the party. Nixon faces significant challenges on domestic issues,
but he (and his running mate) both can make claims to significantly more international experience than
the Democratic ticket.
THE CAMPAIGNS
Each committee contains politicians, leaders of industry, and campaigners. Each committee has
one task and one task only: to elect their candidate. The campaigns will have to cope with new
challenges, which have never been seen before in American politics. For the first time in American
history, presidential debates will be broadcast on television. Each committee will have to prepare for
debates, both by creating debate strategies for their candidate, and by attempting to discover and preempt
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the other committee’s strategy. In addition, the
committees will have to cope with issues faced
by every campaign, from what states are worth
campaigning in, to what image the candidate
should try to present. Each committee will
likely face more controversial issues as well.
It is expected that not all tactics used
by the campaigns will be completely ethical.
Politics is often brutal, and campaigns may
have opportunities to gain advantages through
secrecy, manipulation, and occasionally
outright criminal behavior. In general, there
are only two rules which delegates will be
expected to abide by. One is roleplaying.
Stick to things that the historical figures you
are representing might plausibly have done. Second is realism. You will only be able to do things that
your characters would have been capable of doing. Depending on your character’s position, that can
range from hiring spies to engaging in diplomatic talks with foreign powers. Beyond those two rules, the
actions undertaken by each campaign will be left up to the delegates.
Happy Campaigning!
Kenny Bolster
Crisis Director of the Historical JCC
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CAMPAIGN STAFFS
Senator John F. Kennedy
Bobby Kennedy, JFK’s younger brother
Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Baines Johnson, Candidate for Vice-President
Pierre Salinger, Campaign Press Secretary
Kenneth O’Donnell, Director of the Campaign Schedule
Larry O’Brien, National Campaign Manager
David L. Lawrence, Governor of Pennsylvania
Michael DiSalle, Governor of Ohio
Abraham A. Ribicoff, Governor of Connecticut
Richard J. Daley, Mayor of Chicago
Robert F. Wagner, Jr., Mayor of New York City
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., Speechwriter and Special Assistant
Paul Butler, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee
Vice President Richard Nixon
Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., Candidate for Vice-President
Senator Thruston Ballard Morton, from Kentucky, Chairman of the Republican National Committee
George W. Romney, President of the American Motors Corporation and Campaign Aide
Senator Strom Thurmond, from South Carolina
William Timmons, Campaign Strategist
John Newton Mitchell, Campaign Counsel
Representative Gerald Ford, from Michigan’s 5th District
Robert Finch, Campaign Manager
John Ehrlichman, Aide to Mr. Nixon
Fred LaRue, Aide to Mr. Nixon
Herb Kalmbach, Attorney
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