Insider's Account Tells Why Goldwater's Loss Was a Success

Human Events, Feb 26, 2007 by Edwards, Lee

But Middendorf stresses that more contributory to Goldwater's decisive defeat was that he was (a) sabotaged by liberal Republicans who wanted to retain control of "their" party, (b) damaged by the illegal actions of President Johnson (who, for example, ordered the FBI to bug the Goldwater campaign plane), and (c) undercut by a hostile press horrified at the prospect of a Goldwaler presidency.

After 1964, Bill Middendorf went on to serve in the Nixon, Ford and Reagan Administrations as secretary of the Navy, ambassador to the Netherlands, U.S. representative to the Organization of American States, and U.S. representative to the European Community-all important assignments. But it was as the treasurer and key fund-raiser of a seemingly quixotic presidential campaign that Middendorf made his most significant contribution to American history. We are fortunate to have his lively and knowledgeable memoir of a glorious chapter in the story of the American conservative movement.

Mr. Edwards is distinguished fellow in Conservative Thought at the Heritage Foundation and author of Goldwater: The Man Who Made a Revolution.