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Kansas City's civic leaders could hardly contain their excitement. They escorted their unsuspecting guests to the Bartle Hall convention complex, which had most recently been host to the National Water Well Association, paused, then dramatically parted a thin blue curtain. Behind it, a Democratic Convention was in boisterous progress.

Wearing campaign boaters and waving state-delegation signs, nearly 2,000 local volunteers hollered and whooped. Red, white and blue balloons dropped from the ceiling as a band played Happy Days Are Here Again. On the giant podium, a Harry Truman impersonator gave a rousing speech nominating Kansas City as the location for the...