This back in the day A list evangelist knew what he was doing when he scheduled a series of rallies at the same time this President would be in the same city.

All of his followers hated the President.

One of those followers, with three names, did something about it.

Billy Graham

John F. Kennedy

Lee Harvey Oswald

How Billy Graham Tried to Prevent JFK From Winning the Presidency

According to his 1994 book, Beyond Peace, Nixon himself suggested Graham should stay out of the fray. “Government cannot reach into people’s hearts. Religion can,” wrote the controversial politician. “I told [Graham] he would undermine his own ability to change people spiritually if he engaged in activities designed to change governments politically.”

Still, Graham had his biases: He was personally much closer to the Republican candidate, having visited him several times over the past decade to discuss theology and politics. Additionally, Graham believed Nixon’s eight years as vice president left him better suited to take over the top job in the White House.

So, while a public stance didn’t serve his purpose well, there was little stopping his behind-the-scenes efforts to tip the scales toward his preferred candidate.

As noted in Carol George’s 1992 biography of Peale, God’s Salesman, Peale sent Nixon a letter while vacationing in Europe in August 1960, divulging that “Recently I spent an hour with Billy Graham, who feels as I do, that we must do all within our power to help you.”

The book also told of a secret meeting of influential allies around that time, as revealed through a letter from Peale’s wife, Ruth, to a friend. “Norman had a conference yesterday at Montreux, Switzerland, with Billy Graham and about 25 church leaders from the United States,” she wrote. “They were unanimous in feeling that the Protestants in America must be aroused in some way, or the solid block Catholic voting, plus money, will take this election.” – Source


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