Transcription
R e g i o n a l Oral H i s t o r y O f f i c e486 The B a n c r o f t L i b r a r yU n i v e r s i t y of C a l i f o r n i aBerkeley, C a l i f o r n i aGovernmental H i s t o r y Documentation P r o j e c tGoodwin JhightIEdmund Brown, S r . , E r aSAN FRANC1SCO REPUBLICANSGeorge C h r i s t o p h e rMayor o f San F r a n c i s c o and R e p u b l i c a nP a r t y CandidateCaspar W. WeinbergerC a l i f o r n i a Assembly, R e p u b l i c a n S t a t eC e n t r a l Committee, and E l e c t i o n s ,1953-1966I n t e r v i e w s Conducted byG a b r i e l l e M o r r i s , S a r a h S h a r p , and M i r i a m S t e i ni n 1 9 7 7 , 1978, and 1979With a n I n t r o d u c t i o n byG a b r i e l l e Morris
This manuscript is made available for researchpurposes. No part of the manuscript may be quoted forpublication without the written permission of theDirector of The Bancroft Library of the University ofCalifornia at Berkeley.Requests for permission to quote for publicationshould be addressed to the Regional Oral HistoryOffice, 486 Library, and should include identificationof the specific passages to be quoted, anticipated useof the passages, and identification of the user.Copy No.Copyrightc1980 by the Regents of the University of California
PREFACECovering the years 1953 to 1966, the Goodwin Knight-Edmund G. "Pat1'Brown, Sr., Oral History Series is the second phase of the GovernmentalHistory Documentation Project begun by the Regional Oral History Officein 1969. That year inaugurated the Earl Warren Era Oral History Project,which produced interviews with Earl Warren and other persons prominent inpolitics, criminal justice, government administration, and legislationduring Warren's California era, 1925 to 1953.The Knight-Brown series of interviews carries forward the earlierinquiry into the general topics of: the nature of the governor's office,its relationships with the legislature and with its own executive departments, biographical data about Governors Knight and Brown and otherleaders of the period, and methods of coping with the rapid social andeconomic changes of the state. Key issues documented for 1953-1966 were:the rise and decline of the Democratic party, the impact of the CaliforniaWater Plan, the upheaval of the Vietnam War escalation, the capital punishment controversy, election law changes, new political techniques forced bytelevision and increased activism, reorganization of the executive branch,the growth of federal programs in California, and the rising awareness ofminority groups. From a wider view across the twentieth century, theKnight-Brown period marks the final era of California's Progressiveperiod, which was ushered in by Governor Hiram Johnson in 1910 and whichprovided for both parties the determining outlines of government organization and political strategy until 1966.The Warren Era political files, which interviewers had developedcooperatively to provide a systematic background for questions, wereupdated by the staff to the year 1966 with only a handful of new topicsadded to the original ninety-one. An effort was made to record in greaterdetail those more significant events and trends by selecting key participants who represent diverse points of view. Most were queried on alimited number of topics with which they were personally connected; a fewnarrators who possessed unusual breadth of experience were asked to discussa multiplicity of subjects. Although the time frame of the series endsat the November 1966 election, when possible the interviews trace eventson through that date in order to provide a logical baseline for continuingstudy of succeeding administrations. Similarly, some narrators whose experience includes the Warren years were questioned on that earlier era as wellas the Knight-Brown period.
The present series has been financed by grants from the California StateLegislature through the California Heritage Preservation Commission and theoffice of the Secretary of State, and by some individual donations. Portionsof several memoirs were funded partly by the California Women in PoliticsProject under a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, including a matching grant from the Rockefeller Foundation; the two projectswere produced concurrently in this office, a joint effort made feasible byoverlap of narrators, topics, and staff expertise.The Regional Oral History Office was established to tape record autobiographical interviews with persons significant in the history of Californiaand the West. The Office is under the administrative direction of James D.Hart, Director of The Bancroft Library, and Willa Baum, head of the Office.Amelia R. Fry, Project DirectorGabrielle Morris, Project CoordinatorJanuary 1980Berkeley, California
INTRODUCTIONOne of t h e more i n t e r e s t i n g f a c t o r s i n C a l i f o r n i a p o l i t i c a l h i s t o r y i st h e c o n t i n u i n g t e n s i o n between San Francisco and Los Angeles a s f o c a l p o i n t si n t h e n o r t h v e r s u s s o u t h dynamics of a long, narrow s t a t e coping w i t h t h el o g i s t i c s of managing n a t u r a l and f i n a n c i a l r e s o u r c e s i n response t o s h i f t i n gdemographic p r e s s u r e s .For many y e a r s , t h e b a l a n c e of t h i s e q u a t i o n r e s t e d w i t h San Franciscoand w i t h t h e Republican p a r t y . The p r e s e n t volume p r e s e n t s i n t e r v i e w s w i t htwo n o t a b l e San F r a n c i s c o Republican l e a d e r s r e p r e s e n t i n g s i g n i f i c a n t l yd i f f e r e n t approaches t o s t a t e w i d e p o l i t i c s and p a r t y . Where George C h r i s t o p h e rcan be s e e n a s a p a r t y l o y a l i s t concerned with t r a d i t i o n a l e x p e c t a t i o n s ,Caspar Weinberger c l e a r l y speaks t o t h e pragmatic n e c e s s i t y of updating p a r t yo r g a n i z a t i o n and o p e r a t i o n s . Both shed l i g h t on t h e r o l e of n o r t h e r nC a l i f o r n i a i n t e r e s t s and a t t i t u d e s i n shaping e v e n t s i n t h e s t a t e .A s mayor of San F r a n c i s c o , C h r i s t o p h e r e n e r g e t i c a l l y l e d t h e c i t y i n t oredevelopment and c i v i c i n n o v a t i o n ; h e had worked h a r d f o r t h e p a r t y , andt h e govbrnor's o f f i c e and l e g i s l a t u r e had been r e a s s u r i n g l y Republican. Yetl a t e r when h e r a n f o r s t a t e w i d e o f f i c e , i n 1958, 1962, and 1966, t h e p a r t ys u p p o r t h e expected was n o t forthcoming, nor d i d h e succeed i n p u t t i n gt o g e t h e r a s t a t e w i d e o r g a n i z a t i o n f o r h i s own candidacy. It was no l o n g e renough t o b e a San F r a n c i s c o Republican w i t h good p a r t y c r e d e n t i a l s .Looking a t t h e county c e n t r a l committee a few y e a r s e a r l i e r , Weinbergersaw l a c k of energy and narrowness of view and s e t about b r i n g i n g i n newpeople and new i d e a s . I n t h e s t a t e assembly and l a t e r on t h e s t a t e c e n t r a lcommittee, h e played a key r o l e i n developing o r g a n i z a t i o n a l s t r u c t u r e s t h a twould encompass r e g i o n a l d i f f e r e n c e s and go beyond f a c t i o n a l d i s p u t e s t oc o n c e n t r a t e on b r o a d e r g o a l s . For t h e p a r t y , such goals were t o e l e c t moreRepublicans t o s t a t e w i d e o f f i c e and m a j o r i t i e s t o t h e l e g i s l a t u r e .Taken t o g e t h e r , t h e s e i n t e r v i e w s o f f e r an overview of Republicani n f l u e n c e i n t h e s t a t e i n t h e t e n y e a r s spanning t h e d i s a r r a y following t h eWarren y e a r s , when n o r t h e r n i n f l u e n c e had been g r e a t , and t h e r e b u i l d i n g oft h e p a r t y w i t h c o n s i d e r a b l e s o u t h e r n weight.Gaylord Parkinson, Thomas C a l d e c o t t , and Donald Doyle, among o t h e r s ,provide f u r t h e r documentation of t h i s s t o r y i n o t h e r volumes of t h i s series-.Gabrielle MorrisP r o j e c t Coordinator25 J u l y 1980Berkeley, C a l i f o r n i a
iiiGOVERNMENTAL HISTORY DOCUMENTATION PROJECTAdvisory CouncilJames R. W. LeibyAlbert LepawskyDean McHenryFrank e s l d *James R. M i l l sEdgar J . P a t t e r s o nC e c i l F. PooleA. Alan PostRobert H. PowerBruce J. PoyerAlbert S. RoddaRichard RoddaEd SalzmanMortimer D. SchwartzVerne ScogginsDavid SnyderCaspar WeinbergerDon A. AllenJames B a s s e t tWalton E. Bean*P e t e r BehrW i l l i a m E. BickerPaul BullockLou CannonEdmond Costant i n iWilliam N. DavisA. I. DickmanHarold E. GeiogueC a r l GreenbergMichael H a r r i sP h i l KerbyV i r g i n i a KnightFrank LantermanMary E l l e n LearyEugene C . LeeProject InterviewersSpecial InterviewersMalca C h a l lAmelia R. FryG a b r i e l l e MorrisJames RowlandSarah SharpJ u l i e Shearer*Deceased during t h e term of t h e p r o j e c t .Eleanor GlaserH a r r i e t NathanSuzanne R i e s sMiriam Feingold S t e i nRuth T e i s e r
Regional Oral H i s t o r y O f f i c e486 The B a n c r o f t L i b r a r yU n i v e r s i t y of C a l i f o r n i aBerkeley, C a l i f o r n i aGovernmental H i s t o r y Documentation P r o j e c tGoodwin KnightIEdmund Brown, S r . , E r aGeorge C h r i s t o p h e rMAYOR OF SAN FRANCISCO AND REPUBLICAN PARTY CANDIDATEAn I n t e r v i e w Conducted byS a r a h Sharp and Miriam S t e i ni n 1977 and 1978
Copyright@1980 by t h e Regents of t h e U n i v e r s i t y of C a l i f o r n i a
TABLE O F CONTENTS--G e o r g e ChristopherINTERVIEW HISTORYiBIOGRAPHYiiiBIOGRAPHICAL DATAII1ivTHE 1 9 5 0 REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL CAMPAIGN1THE 1 9 5 8 SENATORIAL CAMPAIGN AND THE "BIG SWITCH"4I11 RICHARD NIXON AND THE RACE FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR I N 1 9 6 2IVVVIVIIVIIIIXXXIXI1XI11XIVXVXVIHARSH EZELINGS P E R S I S T ABOUT 195811CHRISTOPHER ASSESSES H I S ROLE I N THE REPUBLICAN PARTY13THE 1 9 6 4 REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN O F NELSON ROCKEFELLER I N CALIFORNIA15THE WERDEL DELEGATION, 1 9 5 217CHRISTOPHER'S MAYORAL PERIOD, 1 9 5 6 - 1 9 6 4Donald ClearyBARTCandlestick ParkTHE 1 9 5 6 REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION31ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE 1958 AND 1 9 6 2 CAMPAIGNS32DEVELOPMENTTHEO F THE CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN LEAGUE, 1964I S S U E OF CAMPAIGN FINANCING3940THE 1966 CAMPAIGN FOR GOVERNOR I N CALIFORNIA42THE FREE SPEECH MOVEMENT50CORPORATE LOBBYING AND THE INFLUENCING O F P O L I T I C A L ELECTIONS52REFLECTIONS ON P O L I T I C A L CONDUCTTAPE GUIDEINDEX8
INTERVIEW HISTORYDuring t h e p e r i o d when Goodwin J. Knight and Edmund G. Brown, Sr.,were governors o f . C a l i f o r n i a , not o n l y was George C h r i s t o p h e r mayor of SanF r a n c i s c o , h e was a l s o a l e a d i n g Republican contender f o r t h e o f f i c e s ofl i e u t e n a n t governor, governor and U.S. Senator. Members of t h e s t a f f oft h e Governmental H i s t o r y Documentation P r o j e c t interviewed Mayor Christophertwice on v a r i o u s important p o l i t i c a l t o p i c s from t h i s e r a .The f i r s t i n t e r v i e w w i t h Mayor Christopher was conducted by D r . M i m iS t e i n on 2 May 1977 i n h i s small o f f i c e , which was l i n e d t o overflowing withf i l e c a b i n e t s , a t C h r i s t o p h e r D a i r i e s i n San F r a n c i s c o . Mayor C h r i s t o p h e r ,t a k i n g time o u t from a h e c t i c b u s i n e s s day f o r t h e i n t e r v i e w e r , reminiscedf r e e l y about t h e s t a t e and n a t i o n a l Republican campaigns of 1950, 1958, 1960and 1964. I n t h i s f i r s t i n t e r v i e w , h e c a n d i d l y recorded h i s own p r i v a t ef e e l i n g s about being one of t h e l e s s s u c c e s s f u l Republican c a n d i d a t e s o f t h i se r a . A t t h e c l o s e of t h e i n t e r v i e w , h e gave D r . S t e i n a copy of GeorgeD o r s e y ' s C h r i s t o p h e r of San F r a n c i s c o , w r i t t e n i n 1962. T h i s book provedmost h e l p f u l i n l a t e r r e s e a r c h on Mayor C h r i s t o p h e r .I arranged a second i n t e r v i e w t o probe more deeply i n t o t o p i c s a l r e a d yd i s c u s s e d and t o a s k a d d i t i o n a l q u e s t i o n s . We met on 31 August 1978, l a t ei n t h e a f t e r n o o n because of h i s busy schedule, a t h i s spacious condominiumwhich i s s i t u a t e d on Cathedral H i l l i n San Francisco. Both Mayor C h r i s t o p h e rand h i s g r a c i o u s w i f e , T u l a , g r e e t e d me when I a r r i v e d . A panoramic view o fdowntown San F r a n c i s c o dominated t h e l a r g e window o f t h e l i v i n g room wherewe interviewed. Greek a r t i f a c t s decorated t h e o t h e r w a l l s and c a b i n e t s ; t h e s ec o l o r e d s t a t u e s and o t h e r o b j e c t s , gathered c a r e f u l l y on t r i p s back t o Greece,c o n t r a s t e d warmly w i t h t h e s o f t b e i g e t o n e s of t h e w a l l s and rugs. A t t h ec l o s e of t h e i n t e r v i e w , t h e C h r i s t o p h e r s served t h e t r a d i t i o n a l Greek d r i n kouzo and h o r s d 'oeuvres.An o u t l i n e f o r t h i s i n t e r v i e w and supporting m a t e r i a l t o s p a r k MayorC h r i s t o p h e r ' s memory had been s e n t ahead. A s with t h e f i r s t i n t e r v i e w , h ed e c l i n e d t o review t h e m a t e r i a l , p r e f e r r i n g i n s t e a d t o speak extemporaneouslyand f r e e l y on t h e t o p i c s I wanted t o cover. Before t h e t a p e r e c o r d e r wast u r n e d on, h e remarked t h a t h e thought i t was h i s d u t y a s a p a s t p u b l i co f f i c i a l t o g i v e h i s view on t h e period o f C a l i f o r n i a p o l i t i c s i n which h ehad been involved. T h i s comment was a f i t t i n g i n t r o d u c t i o n t o t h i s secondi n t e r v i e w because h e seemed t o enjoy t a l k i n g about a wide range of t o p i c ssuch a s h i s own p o l i t i c a l disappointments, t h e Free Speech Movement, t h ec o r p o r a t e i n f l u e n c i n g of p o l i t i c s , and t h e n a t u r e of p o l i t i c a l conduct a s h eviewed i t . I n e d i t i n g both i n t e r v i e w s t o g e t h e r , I was impressed by how d e e p l yh e f e l t about h i s c a r e e r i n C a l i f o r n i a p o l i t i c s .
When Mayor C h r i s t o p h e r r e c e i v e d h i s t r a n s c r i p t o f t h e i n t e r v i e w s t oe d i t , h e d i d so q u i c k l y . Along w i t h t h e t r a n s c r i p t , h e s e n t a l o n g t o metwo items from h i s p e r s o n a l p a p e r s which h a v e been included.The f i r s ti t e m i s a l e t t e r from M r . A.E. Bagshaw t o M r . George T. D a v i s , d a t e d 4Nobember 1955, and t h e second i t e m i s Dick Nolan's column from t h e SariF r a n c i s c o Examiner f o r 4 F e b r u a r y 1962. Mayor C h r i s t o p h e r s e n t t h e s edocuments t o more f u l l y e x p l a i n d e t a i l s of "The M i l k Case."T o g e t h e r , t h e two i n t e r v i e w s conducted w i t h Mayor George C h r i s t o p h e rh e l p t o e x p l a i n c r i t i c a l e p i s o d e s i n C a l i f o r n i a ' s p o l i t i c a l h i s t o r y from1950 through 1966.Sarah Lee SharpInterviewer-Editor1 8 September 1979Regional O r a l H i s t o r y O f f i c e486 The Bancroft L i b r a r yU n i v e r s i t y of C a l i f o r n i a , Berkeley
B IOGRAPHYI was born i n St. P e t e r , Greece (a remote m u n t a i n v i l l a g e about f o r t ym i l e s n o r t h of T r i p o l i s , Arcadia, Greece). I was brought t o San F r a n c i s c oa t age t h r e e , i n 1911, and have r e s i d e d h e r e s i n c e . I a t t e n d e d LincolnGrammar School a t 4 t h and H a r r i s o n S t r e e t s i n San F r a n c i s c o and then I wentt o h i g h school f o r one year o n l y ( G a l i l e o High).I l e f t school a t age s i x t e e n due t o my f a t h e r ' s i l l n e s s and I g o t ajob a s a copy boy a t t h e San F r a n c i s c o Examiner d u r i n g t h e day, d e l i v e r i n gpapers i n the e a r l y a.m. and a l s o i n t h e p.m. f o r the o l d C a l l - B u l l e t i n .I continued n i g h t h i g h school c l a s s e s f o r f o u r y e a r s (Humboldt Evening).I graduated and e n r o l l e d i n Golden Gate U n i v e r s i t y (accounting c l a s s e s ) . Igraduated a f t e r four y e a r s w i t h a Bachelor of Commercial Science degree,making n i n e y e a r s continuous n i g h t school s t u d i e s . I am happy t o n o t e t h a tI am now a l i f e - t i m e t r u s t e e of Golden Gate U n i v e r s i t y .P o l i t i c a l m a t t e r s a r e noted on t h e a t t a c h e d s h e e t , but I can s a y t h a tmy e l e c t i o n m a j o r i t i e s have never been equaled i n San Francisco.I receivedtwo and one h a l f o u t of every t h r e e v o t e s c a s t i n t h e l a s t e l e c t i o n f o rs u p e r v i s o r , and i n my mayoralty r a c e , received a m a j o r i t y of o v e r 85,000v o t e s . F i f t e e n t o 20,000 v o t e s today i s considered a l a n d s l i d e .A f t e r g r a d u a t i n g from Golden Gate, I e n t e r e d p u b l i c accounting, butd i d not c a r e f o r it. I purchased a defunct d a i r y p l a n t f o r 3,000 and b u i l ti t i n t o a s u b s t a n t i a l e n t e r p r i s e with s a l e s i n t o t h e m i l l i o n s of d o l l a r s .I s o l d o u t t o Berkeley Farms i n 1970 and am now t h e i r c o n s u l t a n t .I married t h e former Tula S a r a n t i t i s i n 1936, and a f t e r f o r t y - t h r e ey e a r s of married l i f e , we s t i l l enjoy a b i t of t r a v e l i n g and c i v i c work.George C h r i s t o p h e rSan F r a n c i s c o , 1979
BIOGRAPHICAL DATAFormer Mayor George C h r i s t o p h e rGeorge C h r i s t o p h e r i s a product of San F r a n c i s c o ' s n i g h t schools.S i g n i f i c a n t l y , he l a t e r r e t u r n e d t o t h e c o l l e g e h e graduated from a s at r u s t e e of t h a t c o l l e g e .I n 1945, M r . C h r i s t o p h e r e n t e r e d p u b l i c s e r v i c e through e l e c t i o n t ot h e San F r a n c i s c o Board of Supervisors.San F r a n c i s c o rewarded h i s a b i l i t yby r e - e l e c t i n g him by overwhelming m a j o r i t i e s .I n 1955, h e was e l e c t e d mayor, and t h e n r e - e l e c t e d by t h e l a r g e s tm a j o r i t i e s ever given a c a n d i d a t e f o r t h a t o f f i c e , a record t h a t s t i l ls t a n d s today.San F r a n c i s c o , under Mayor C h r i s t o p h e r ' s guidance, was designated byFortune magazine a s "One of t h e Best Administered C i t i e s i n t h e UnitedS t a t e s . ItTwo former p r e s i d e n t s of t h e United S t a t e s (Dwight D. Eisenhower andHerbert Hoover) p r a i s e d him p u b l i c l y f o r h i s administ r a t ion of San Francisco.J. Edgar Hoover, t h e l a t e F.B.I.d i r e c t o r , s a i d t h a t Mayor C h r i s t o p h e r hadt h e b e s t law enforcement program i n t h e n a t i o n .He h a s been decorated by t h e governments of France, I t a l y , Denmark,Greece and Sweden f o r h i s c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o i n t e r n a t i o n a l good w i l l , andh a s received numerous awards from o t h e r n a t i o n s f o r h i s work i n i n t e r n a t i o n a lunderstanding. H i s meetings w i t h heads of s t a t e throughout t h e world becameh i s t o r i c during t h e cold war p e r i o d , e s p e c i a l l y w i t h General De Gaulle andN i k i t a Kruschev.He h a s a l s o served a s a d v i s o r t o t h e S t a t e Department and U.S.of Commerce on economic m i s s i o n s t o o t h e r lands.Department
San F r a n c i s c o C h r o n i c l eS e p t . 1 5 , 2000
ITHE 1950 REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL CAMPAIGN[ I n t e r v i e w 1: May 2 , 1977]#/#/Stein:You were j u s t t e l l i n g me about Goodie [ o o d w i n ]Knight whenh e was s t i l l l i e u t e n a n t - g o v e r n o r and wanted t o run f o r governor.Christopher:It must have been, yes.ran f o r governor.Stein:Yes.That ' s when i t was.Christopher:Yes.That was an i n t e r e s t i n g a s p e c t of i t .Stein:What was t h a t s t o r y ?Christopher:Well, t h e rumor g o t out p r e t t y s t r o n g l y t h a t Warren would n o trun again. As a r e s u l t , Goodie Knight, of course, began t ocampaign on t h e b a s i s t h a t Warren wouldrun.It was j u s t t h e l a s t time b e f o r e h eI had j u s t emerged. I t was '49. No, it was j u s t '50,I had j u s t been r e - e l e c t e d s u p e r v i s o r i n t h et h a t ' s right.C i t y and County of San F r a n c i s c o f o r my second term, and Icame i n w i t h an astounding v o t e a t t h e time. It was about180,000. Well, nobody e v e r wins now by more t h a n 60-70,000.A t t h a t time I happened t o g e t about two and a h a l f v o t e s f o revery t h r e e c a s t .But h e was impressed, Goodie Knight was. He c a l l e d me upfrom Los Angeles. He wanted t o s e e me, and h e did. He and Iwalked up and down Market S t r e e t w i t h my w i f e a l l t h e way fromThird up t o Ninth, and a c r o s s t h e s t r e e t and came a l l t h e way#/#CThissymbol i n d i c a t e s t h a t a t a p e o r a segment of a t a p e h a sbegun o r ended.For a guide t o t h e t a p e s see page 58.
Christopher:back again.I r e c a l l very v i v i d l y how h e bought a couple bagsof popcorn from t h e vendors on Market S t r e e t . He j u s t l i k e dt o pop corn i n t o h i s mouth, you know. He was kind of a nextrovert.There was n o t h i n g t o hold h i s enthusiasm back, and t h ep r o p o s i t i o n was t h a t h e would be running f o r governor, hebeing from t h e south [ s o u t h e r n C a l i f o r n i a ] , and I would berunning f o r l i e u t e n a n t -governor from t h e north [ n o r t h e r n a l i f o r n i a ] . Of c o u r s e I was f l a t t e r e d . I was only asupervisor.I s a i d , "Well, t h a t I s p r e t t y good i n my f i r s t term a sSo I decided t h a t t h a t would be f i n e , with asupervisor."p r o v i s o , of c o u r s e , t h a t E a r l Warren d i d n ' t run f o r r e - e l e c t i o n ,because, I s a i d , "I d o n ' t t h i n k you want t o have a c o n f l i c t i nthe party. ""Oh no," h e s a i d , "I have t h a t a s s u r a n c e , I am a b s o l u t e l yp o s i t i v e t h a t E a r l Warren i s n o t going t o run again."Well, about a month went by, and I heard rumors t h a tWarren w a s going t o run. So I c a l l e d Warren up i n Sacramento."Governor," I s a i d , "I would l i k e t o know because h e r e ' s t h es t o r y : I f y o u ' r e n o t going t o run, Goodie Knight of coursei s going t o run f o r governor, and i t h a s been suggested t h a tI be h i s running mate, which i s not a bad i d e a a s f a r a s I ' mconcerned.""But ," I s a i d , "I t o l d Goodie t h a t I would n o t doi t i f you were going t o be a c a n d i d a t e f o r r e - e l e c t i o n . ""I could t e l l you r i g h t now," Warren s a i d , "I am going t oThat s e t t e d t h a t .be running f o r r e - e l e c t i o n . "I had a l r e a d y t o l d Goodie I was going t o p l a c e t h i s c a l lt o Sacramento. A h a l f an hour l a t e r Goodie Knight c a l l e d mefrom Los Angeles. He s a i d , ' m a t d i d you f i n d o u t ? " I s a i d ,'%Jell, I found o u t t h a t E a r l , t h a t t h e governor, i s going t orun again."He s a i d , '%Jell, I ' m going t o r u n anyway."'well,"I s a i d , "You may, b u t I won't."I s a i d , " I ' m n o t going t o doit. As f a r a s I ' m concerned i t w i l l be d i s r u p t i v e .I f youa r e going t o run a g a i n , - I j u s t c a n ' t r u n w i t h you. That wast h e pledge I made t o you a t t h e time."He was u p s e t then. He was q u i t e upset. Perhaps i t wasmore show than r e a l l y being upset because a s h o r t time l a t e rh e withdrew h i m s e l f , so t h a t was t h e end of t h a t p a r t i c u l a rstory.
Stein:L e t me a s k you one o t h e r q u e s t i o n .was encouraging Knight t o run?Do you have any i d e a whoChristopher:Well, yes, I t h i n k I might say t h a t a l o t of t h e s o - c a l l e dc o n s e r v a t i v e s i n t h e s o u t h e r n p a r t of t h e s t a t e were urginghim t o run. They w e r e n ' t t o o happy with E a r l Warren who wassupposedly t h e s o - c a l l e d l i b e r a l p a r t o f t h e Republican p a r t y .So Goodie Knight d i d have a l a r g e segment of t h esouthern C a l i f o r n i a c o n s e r v a t i v e s , t h e Orange County conserI d o n ' t know what t h e y c a l lv a t i v e s , they c a l l e d them then.them now. They d i d have t h i s f e e l i n g about Warren.G e n e r a l l y speaking however, Warren d i d have a widespreada t t r a c t i o n . The handwriting was on t h e w a l l , a s soon a sWarren a c t u a l l y made t h e announcement. Even t h e s e c o n s e r v a t i v e sdown south could s e e t h e handwriting on t h e wall. TheySo t h e ydetermined it was a f u t i l e c a s e t o t r y t o d e f e a t him.a l l backed away.Stein:Do you know who some o f t h e s e c o n s e r v a t i v e s were?Christopher:Well, I d o n ' t know, but I have an idea. I d o n ' t t h i n k i twould do any good f o r me t o s t a r t g u e s s i n g a t names a t t h i stime. They were t h e u s u a l c o n s e r v a t i v e p a r t y members,e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e southern p a r t of t h e s t a t e .No, I c a n ' t g i v e you t h e names s p e c i f i c a l l y .
I1 THE 1958 SENATORIAL CAMPAIGN AND THE "BIG SWITCH"Christopher:That was t h e f i r s t time I got involved with him. The nexttime I g o t involved was when t h e s o - c a l l e d "Big Switch" camealong. That was a t e r r i b l y embarrassing t h i n g because, a s Isay, Goodie Knight and V i r g i n i a , h i s w i f e , and I were over a tf r i e n d s . I respected them very much, and I l i k e d h i s outgoingp e r s o n a l i t y . He always managed t o put people a t ease.He was running f o r r e - e l e c t i o n a s governor u n t i l B i l l[William F .I Knowland came i n . Knowland decided h e was goingt o go up and down t h e s t a t e , and s o - c a l l e d "stump t h e s t a t e "t o f i n d o u t i f h e had any support t o run f o r governor. Hewas going t o f e e l o u t t h e p u l s e of t h e p u b l i c t o see what t h e ySo h e made a s e r i e s of t a l k s up and down t h ewere thinking.s t a t e : r o t a r y c l u b s , Lions, and E l k s , anybody who wouldlisten.The f a c t of t h e m a t t e r i s t h a t even today, t h e Republicansof C a l i f o r n i a always v o t e f o r t h e i r most c o n s e r v a t i v e Republican.A middle of t h e roader o r a l i b e r a l Republican encounters more1t 's always t h e most c o n s e r v a t i v e Republican.difficulty.We were t a k i n g p o l l s c o n s i s t e n t l y a s t o t h e popular s t a n d i n gbetween Goodie Knight and B i l l Knowland. Well, I remember onep o l l t h a t showed Knowland l e a d i n g by about 55 t o 49, o r t h e r e abouts.It was f a i r l y close. T h i s was a t t h e very o u t s e t ,b e f o r e h e s t a r t e d campaigning. Well, a s soon a s B i l l Knowlands t a r t e d t o go down t h e C e n t r a l C a l i f o r n i a Valley and s t a r t e dmaking speeches, and h e s t a r t e d t o g e t a l i t t l e p u b l i c i t y , andpeople s t a r t e d t o surmise t h a t h e might run f o r governor, t h esecond p o l l showed him up t o about 60 t o 40. And i t came t o65 t o 35. Well, t h e l a s t p o l l showed B i l l Knowland runningahead by maybe 70 t o 30. It was t h a t bad. It was obvious t h a tGoodie Knight was going t o l o s e t h e nomination of h i s own p.arty.
Christopher:So h e disappeared o v e r i n Arizona f o r about seven o r e i g h tdays, and f i n a l l y decided t h a t h e would make a switch t o r u nf o r United S t a t e s Senator, f o r B i l l &owland's s e a t . I n themeantime, I was supposed t o be running f o r United S t a t e sSenator, and I had seen Goodie on a t l e a s t a dozen o c c a s i o n s .T h i s was i n '59, w a s n ' t i t ?Stein:The "Big Switch" was '58.Christopher:Oh, '58 then, okay.It was t h e e a r l y p a r t o f '58I s a i d , "Now, Goodie, t h e r e i s one t h i n g t h a t I ' d l i k et o know from you. I want t o have your commitment," and t h i swas i n f r o n t of h i s w i f e . " I f y o u ' r e going t o r u n f o r Senator,"I said, "sIu r e d o n ' t want t o do it. I c a n ' t b e a t you. Ihave no i l l u s i o n s . But I d o n ' t want t o have my d i g n i t y - h u r tt o t h e p o i n t where I ' m c o m i t t e d and I am s t i l l compelled t orun a g a i n s t you, because I c a n ' t s t a n d t h a t . Once committingm y s e l f , I ' l l be i n f o r good.""No, no, no, I ' m n o t running. I ' m n o t running. I ' m n o trunning. '1 So h e t o l d me t h i s c o n s i s t e n t l y a t l e a s t seven o re i g h t times.But f i n a l l y , when h e saw t h e p o l l s so adverse t o him, a sI s a i d h e disappeared i n Arizona. T h a t ' s where h e went t h a ttime. He f i n a l l y r e t u r n e d and t h e "Big Switch" was made.Well, a l o t of people surmised a t t h e time t h a t h e hadc o n f e r r e d w i t h B i l l Knowland about making t h e switch. Theyaccused I h i g h t of a c t u a l l y e n t e r i n g i n t o a n unholy d e a l . Butt h e r e was no d e a l , r e a l l y . There was no d e a l between Knowlandand & i g h t t h a t t h e y would simply switch p o s i t i o n s . As am a t t e r of f a c t t h e y w e r e n ' t even t a l k i n g t o each o t h e r . Theywere t h a t f a r a p a r t .The f a c t i s t h a t when Goodie Knight r e a l i z e d , saw t h eh a n d w r i t i n g on t h e w a l l , h e j u s t became f r a n t i c .
Regional Oral History Office University of California 486 The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California Governmental History D
