Republicans: Nixon's Dream

If Richard M. Nixon's noisy exit from elective politics in 1962 was a classic example of gracelessness, his re-entry last week was the very model of dignified restraint. In fact, about the only surprise in his announcement that he was a candidate for President was its manner.

There was no formal news conference, no crush of reporters, no tangle of television cables. The announcement came by means of an open letter—under a plain letterhead reading "Richard M. Nixon, New York, New York"—that was delivered by messenger boys to the Associated Press and United Press International in Manhattan. As a personal...