Thread by @danielsilliman

Just catching up with this @kevinkruse article on George Wallace and it reminds me of a story I found in the Wheaton archives about George Wallace and Billy Graham. nytimes.com/2019/07/28/opi…

It’s really a story about white evangelicals and the temptations of politics. A lot of stories about Wallace are about political temptation.

So how about a Friday history thread?

In 1968, Billy Graham was spending a *lot* of time with Richard Nixon. Graham wasn’t stumping for Nixon, but all-but.

The two have been in regular contact since 1955 and have a high, high level of trust.

Graham always encouraged Nixon to seek higher office. He coached Nixon, early on, on how to talk to evangelicals to win evangelical votes.

Graham even drafted a few speeches for Nixon.

“Please do not think me presumptuous in making some suggestions as to what to say,” Graham wrote Nixon in 1955. “Enclosed in a suggested address for your first engagement at the Baptist Assembly at Ridgecrest, North Carolina, on Sunday.”

After Nixon lost the presidential election 1960 and then lost the California governor’s race in 62, and then looked like such a poor sport about it … he didn’t have a lot allies. But Graham stuck with him.

So in 68, Nixon’s back. Running again. And he trusts Graham. A lot.

Nixon trusts Graham so much that he starts having him do some behind-the-scenes political work. Nixon sends Graham deliver messages and do delicate missions.

One of these is, Nixon has Graham go talk to George Wallace.

Graham is supposed to see if maybe he can talk Wallace out of running for president. Maybe he can convince Wallace that religious voters were happy to support Nixon and a third party run would split the vote, ensure a liberal victory, and be bad for religious conservatives.

Graham is supposed to do this without Wallace figuring out that Graham was working for Nixon.

This is basically impossible, though, because everyone knows Graham and Nixon are quite close. *Everyone* knows.

Regular, random people would send telegrams to Graham with messages for Nixon, it was so public they were connected.

But Graham goes to Wallace, all casual, to try to convince him to withdraw.

Immediately, Graham realizes this is dumb. It’s not going to happen. Wallace is talking and talking about what he’ll do in his administration and Graham thinks, “the Presidential bug has bitten him.”

There’s no way Wallace will withdraw.

Then, Wallace starts pitching Graham. He knows the value of religious support and tries to convince Graham to back him for president. Wallace does’t talk about segregation. His campaign isn’t about “the race problem.” It’s law and order, fight against Communism, moral decline …

“I must confess,” Graham wrote in his diary, “that a lot of his arguments made sense. He did not mention the race problem the entire time.”

Graham already has his candidate, though. He’s for Nixon. So Graham gets up to leave and Wallace has one last thing.

“Billy,” Wallace says, “how about running as Vice President with me?’”

What?

Graham is flabbergasted. He thinks Wallace is serious. The segregation-forever candidate wants famous evangelist Billy Graham to be his VP.

Graham already has his candidate, though. He’s for Nixon. So Graham gets up to leave and Wallace has one last thing.

“Billy,” Wallace says, “how about running as Vice President with me?’”

What?

Graham is flabbergasted. He thinks Wallace is serious. The segregation-forever candidate wants famous evangelist Billy Graham to be his VP.

Graham demurs. He says he’s sorry if he gave the wrong impression, but he’s not interested in becoming a politician, even if, yes, he thinks about politics a lot, talks about politics a lot, and is kind of doing politics …

Graham chalks this up to a misunderstanding.

Then, a few months later, Graham is having a private lunch with Nixon in Nixon’s apartment in New York City.

Suddenly, Nixon looks very serious. He looks at Graham like he has a question.

Nixon asks Graham: “Are you interested in the Vice Presidency?”

Apparently everyone thinks Graham wants to be in national politics.

Graham has to sit there and think, are they right? Does he want to be in national politics?

“I had the feeling,” Great writes in his diary, “that I could have been his running mate if I wanted to.”

Graham was silent for a minute and then the temptation passed. He declined, explaining to Nixon that he was called to be a preacher and preach the gospel.

It wasn’t the last time Nixon would tempt Graham, though.

Nor the last time a politician would take an evangelical minister up to a high place and show him the kingdoms of the world and say “all these … “

The end.