California: Dinner at Dick's

To the 18 California Republicans he invited for dinner one evening last week, Richard Nixon represented the host with the most. Polls showed that of all likely Republican candidates, Nixon would have the easiest time defeating Democrat Pat Brown in California's 1962 gubernatorial election. Painfully mauled in 1958, the California G.O.P. needed a ticket leader like Nixon, who boosted 22 new Republicans into Congress last November while narrowly losing the presidency. As they pulled their rattan chairs a little closer together in the Nixon playroom and sipped their cocktails, the visitors strained to hear whether their host would be willing...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!