A Letter From The Publisher: Oct. 30, 1964

This week THE NATION will do a state-by-state rundown on the presidential election. We will definitely assign each state either to Johnson or Goldwater.

SO began the query that went out from our Manhattan editorial offices to all TIME bureaus in the U.S. in preparation for this issue’s closely viewed reading of the political temperature in each of the 50 states. At this point, forecasting the general outcome of this year’s presidential election seems relatively easy. But political predictions always have their perils-particularly when they take precise rather than general aim.

In an effort to give the TIME reader the best possible advance reading on the election, correspondents in every state considered all the political indicators they could put eye, ear and mind to. We studied polls, the estimates of knowing politicians adjusted for bias, the analyses of local newsmen, the balance of factors for and against each side-and then added to all that the judgments of the TIME correspondent, researcher, writer and editor. The result is what could best be described as a knowing estimate. We will be surprised if our conclusions turn out to be exactly right for every state. But we are confident that not many of them will be wrong.

To round out our coverage of presidential election year 1964, we will print the second extra edition in TIME’S history. (The first was the Election Extra of 1960.) Our next regular issue will go to press as usual on the Saturday night before election, and will be distributed on its normal schedule. Then, on election night, an augmented staff of THE NATION section will produce the 1964 Election Extra with a complete analysis of the key results in state and congressional elections, as well as an interpretation of the vote for President.

This edition will go to press early in the day after election, and will bear that day’s date, Nov. 4. It will be mailed to U.S. and Canadian subscribers as a bonus, and with expedited delivery we hope that it will reach most of them the day after it goes to press. It will be sold on all regular newsstands for 25¢. Readers of TIME’S 500,000 copies distributed in 150 countries overseas will get the Election Extra as a supplement bound into the following regular issue, dated Nov. 13. The problems of international mail delivery schedules being what they are, it is not practical to attempt to send the Extra abroad ahead of the next edition.

GUIDANCE from the editors has already gone out to our correspondents on what and how they are to report on election night. One bit of counsel to them that may seem strange: in most cases don’t bother to tell us who’s winning where. We expect to get that information on all major races from the press-service copy and other general sources. TIME correspondents will concentrate on adding depth and breadth to the general reporting-why the results took the various turns they did, how they were taken by politicians and people, what they mean, the reasons in retrospect for the surprises that are sure to occur, the human reactions of winners and losers.

The correspondents’ reports will flow throughout the night on our leased-wire network to New York, where the staff of researchers, writers and editors-armed with a store of background knowledge-will analyze what the voters have wrought. At the same time, of course, work will be going forward for our next regular issue. It will be an interesting and exciting week for us-and we trust that we can make it so for our readers.