 On September 20 , Republican National Committee official Bob Humphreys first suggested that Nixon give a televised speech to the nation to explain his position . RNC chairman and future Postmaster General Arthur Summerfield thought well of the idea , but was concerned about the expense . That evening , Nixon conferred with his aides , who unanimously urged him not to resign from the ticket . Humphreys called Chotiner at Nixon 's hotel in Portland , Oregon that evening , and the campaign manager realized that the broadcast was the best opportunity for the candidate to make his case . Humphreys suggested Nixon appear on Meet the Press , but Chotiner rejected the suggestion , insisting that his candidate have complete control of the broadcast " without interruption by possibly unfriendly press questions " . Humphreys mentioned that Summerfield was concerned about the cost of a television broadcast , but Chotiner noted that the cost of reprinting all campaign materials to reflect a change on the ticket would be far more than that of a telecast . 
