During his rise to national prominence, Richard Nixon was forced to confront the political ambitions of fellow Californians Earl Warren, William Knowland and Goodwin Knight, all of whom shared in his dream of becoming president. The simultaneous growth of these four Republican politicians–dubbed the
four giants
by the regional and national media–led to intense personal rivalries which would affect presidential politics for more than a decade. This book traces Nixon’s relationships with each man from 1946, when he was the least well-known of the four, until 1958, when the experienced vice president facilitated the self-destruction of his two most dangerous rivals. It is the story of a bitter competition moderated by common identity and shared party loyalty, focusing on the personal qualities which made each of these politicians so formidable–and so flawed.