sold Two Days After the Election of 1964, Reagan Praises Mentor Barry Goldwater

Vows to continue the fight “with a bigger army” and calls LBJ "that bum in the White House".

This document has been sold. Contact Us

Barry Goldwater, five-term United States Senator, is the politician most often credited for sparking the resurgence and re-constitution of the American conservative political movement in the 1960s.  He advocated a strong national defense and limited government and his ideology built the conservative movement that has dominated American politics for decades.

The Republican...

Read More

sold Two Days After the Election of 1964, Reagan Praises Mentor Barry Goldwater

Vows to continue the fight “with a bigger army” and calls LBJ "that bum in the White House".

Barry Goldwater, five-term United States Senator, is the politician most often credited for sparking the resurgence and re-constitution of the American conservative political movement in the 1960s.  He advocated a strong national defense and limited government and his ideology built the conservative movement that has dominated American politics for decades.

The Republican Party nominated Goldwater to challenge Lyndon Johnson for the presidency in 1964. The Johnson campaign and other critics painted Goldwater as an extremist.  Johnson was in the end able to tie himself to the popularity of the Kennedy years, and get credit for the Civil Rights Act and his social programs, the latter then very popular.  Goldwater’s utter defeat allowed Lyndon Johnson and the Democrats in Congress to pass the Great Society programs, but the defeat of so many older Republicans in 1964 also cleared the way for a younger generation of American conservatives to mobilize.

Perhaps the most important of Goldwater’s conservative disciples was Ronald Reagan.  On the evening of 27 October 1964, Ronald Reagan delivered a nation-wide paid political telecast on behalf of Goldwater’s presidential candidacy. His presentation was so forceful and engaging that Reagan, previously a second tier political figure, became overnight a force in the Republican Party. Reagan’s reputation was firmly established and, in fact, it made his political career. Soon he would recover the fortunes of the Republican Party with his victory in the presidential election of 1980.

Here, in one of his first communications after Goldwater’s defeat on the November 4, Reagan writes friends, praising Goldwater and vowing to continue the conservative fight.

Autograph Letter Signed, Pacific Palisades, November 5, 1964, signed "Dutch."  "Dear Myrt and Norman, Well its all over now and we didn’t get our man. I was disappointed but I am not downhearted. Maybe we tried too much too soon. At any rate, we’ll continue the battle with a bigger army than we had before. At least from that standpoint we are ahead.  I wish you two could know this fellow. I met him some year’s ago and we’ve been good friends since. He is so unlike the picture they’ve painted of him.  He is one of the most honest and likeable guys you could imagine and compared to that bum in the White House, well… if I let myself think about that I’ll have an upset stomach.  One of these days I’ll probably be back there again because I guess I’ll still travel the mashed potato circuit until we either win or the other side states putting us in concentration camps, and I’m not quite sure they haven’t got that in mind.  Nancy sends her best and I hope we will see each other soon."

Frame, Display, Preserve

Each frame is custom constructed, using only proper museum archival materials. This includes:The finest frames, tailored to match the document you have chosen. These can period style, antiqued, gilded, wood, etc. Fabric mats, including silk and satin, as well as museum mat board with hand painted bevels. Attachment of the document to the matting to ensure its protection. This "hinging" is done according to archival standards. Protective "glass," or Tru Vue Optium Acrylic glazing, which is shatter resistant, 99% UV protective, and anti-reflective. You benefit from our decades of experience in designing and creating beautiful, compelling, and protective framed historical documents.

Learn more about our Framing Services