President Carter (left) and former Governor Reagan (right) at the presidential debate on October 28, 1980. Wikimedia Commons.
1. An act of unsportsmanlike ignominy, in 1980 the Reagan campaign acquired a copy of Carter’s briefing book in advance of the presidential debate to provide an advantage for their candidate during preparations
The only debate of the 1980 presidential election to feature both President Jimmy Carter and Republican candidate Ronald Reagan, on October 28, 1980, the pair met on stage in Cleveland, Ohio at the Public Auditorium. With Reagan widely seen as besting his Democratic opponent, in June 1983 Laurence Barrett published evidence Republican aides had stolen a copy of Carter’s briefing book, classified top-secret, to assist with debate preparations. Triggering an investigation by the House of Representatives, the inquiry confirmed the Reagan team had indeed obtained the briefing papers and used them to their advantage during the election.
Whilst Carter bemoaned the incident, claiming the papers contained the “essence” of his campaign and provided an enormous advantage to his opponent, speculation focused upon quite how the Republican team had acquired the documents. Failing to officially resolve the matter, with those involved offering contradictory stories, popular attention centered on William Casey – Reagan’s campaign manager and CIA director – and the potential misuse of intelligence operatives within the White House. In 2009, the incident resurfaced with the allegation Casey had been offered the papers by an aide from Ted Kennedy’s failed primary campaign, embittered by the victory of Carter.
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