Senator Barry Goldwater (R-Arizona) is nominated by the Republican Party to run for president. During the subsequent campaign, Goldwater said that he thought the United States should do whatever was necessary to win in Vietnam. At one point, he talked about the possibility of using low-yield atomic weapons to defoliate enemy infiltration routes, but he never actually advocated the use of nuclear weapons in Southeast Asia. Although Goldwater later clarified his position, the Democrats very effectively portrayed him as a trigger-happy warmonger. This reputation, whether deserved or not, was a key factor in his crushing defeat at the hands of Lyndon B. Johnson, who won 61 percent of the vote to Goldwater's 39 percent.
Also on This Day
- Lead Story
- Nixon announces visit to communist China, 1971
- American Revolution
- Lafayette selected colonel-general of the National Guard of Paris, 1789
- Automotive
- Ford Motor Company takes its first order, 1903
- Civil War
- CSS Arkansas attacks Union ships, 1862
- Cold War
- Nixon announces trip to China, 1971
- Crime
- A notorious English killer is executed, 1953
- John Walker Lindh accepts plea bargain, 2002
- Disaster
- Volcano buries victims in fiery mud, 1888
- General Interest
- Rembrandt born, 1606
- Pike expedition sets out, 1806
- Mariner 4 studies Martian surface, 1965
- Versace murdered in Cunanan killing spree, 1997
- Hollywood
- Die Hard debuts, makes Bruce Willis a movie star, 1988
- Literary
- Iris Murdoch is born, 1919
- Music
- Columbia Records drops country legend Johnny Cash after 26 years, 1986
- Old West
- The Mad Trapper of Rat River heads for U.S., 1904
- Presidential
- Jimmy Carter speaks about a national "crisis in confidence", 1979
- Sports
- Tex Schramm dies, 2003
- Vietnam War
- Goldwater nominated for president, 1964
- Nixon announces a visit to China, 1971
- World War I
- Second Battle of the Marne begins with final German offensive, 1918
- World War II
- Garbo makes an appearance, 1941
Jul 15, 1964:
Goldwater nominated for president
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This Week in History, Jul 15 - Jul 21
- Jul 15, 1964
- Goldwater nominated for president
- Jul 15, 1971
- Nixon announces a visit to China
- Jul 16, 1965
- McNamara visits South Vietnam
- Jul 16, 1973
- Senate begins investigations into secret bombing of Cambodia
- Jul 17, 1969
- Wheeler visits South Vietnam
- Jul 17, 1972
- South Vietnamese paratroopers fight for Citadel
- Jul 18, 1955
- Soviet Union agrees to grant Hanoi economic aid
- Jul 18, 1968
- Johnson meets Thieu in Honolulu
- Jul 19, 1964
- President Khanh calls for expanding the war
- Jul 19, 1972
- Peace talks resume
- Jul 20, 1964
- Viet Cong troops overrun town
- Jul 20, 1969
- Duck Hook plan completed
- Jul 21, 1965
- Johnson considers the options
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