“ While JFK had made the sale on a political level, he had not yet completed it on an emotional one. ”
Organizing a coup was not the same as wanting one.
~ David Pietrusza
John F. Kennedy responded, as he often did when at his best, skillfully mixing dollops of wit with, self-deprecation, and the principle of not-really-going-near-the-question.
Nixon was by nature a excluder. Halderman like to exclude people. When Nixon's need met Halderman's abilities, you had the most perfect formula for disaster. – Jim Shepley
Richard Nixon coveted, to the point of obsession, a controversy-free, stage-managed coronation.