Dewey Defeats Truman

The 1948 Election and the Battle for America's Soul

A. J. Baime

• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN:
  9780358522492
• eBook ISBN:
  9781328588593
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Political Biographies
• Index: History

From the New York Times best-selling author of The Accidental President comes the thrilling story of the 1948 presidential election, one of the greatest election stories of all time, as Truman mounted a history-making comeback and staked a claim for a new course for America.

On the eve of the 1948 election, America was a fractured country. Racism was rampant, foreign relations were fraught, and political parties were more divided than ever. Americans were certain that President Harry S. Truman’s political career was over. “The ballots haven’t been counted,” noted political columnist Fred Othman, “but there seems to be no further need for holding up an affectionate farewell to Harry Truman.” Truman’s own staff did not believe he could win. Nor did his wife, Bess. The only man in the world confident that Truman would win was Mr. Truman himself. And win he did. 

The year 1948 was a fight for the soul of a nation. In Dewey Defeats Truman, A. J. Baime sheds light on one of the most action-packed six months in American history, as Truman both triumphs and oversees watershed events—the passing of the Marshall plan, the acknowledgement of Israel as a new state, the careful attention to the origins of the Cold War, and the first desegregation of the military. 

Not only did Truman win the election, he succeeded in guiding his country forward at a critical time with high stakes and haunting parallels to the modern day.

This riveting work of mid-20th century American history explores the personalities, politics, and pivotal moments of a single year that changed the world:

• A Four-Way Race: Discover the explosive politics of a deeply divided America, as Truman battles not only Thomas Dewey but also the breakaway Dixiecrats led by Strom Thurmond and Henry Wallace’s Progressive Party.
• The Dawn of the Cold War: Go inside the White House as Truman confronts the origins of the Cold War, from the passing of the Marshall Plan to the rising paranoia of the Red Scare.
• The Ultimate Underdog Story: Witness one of the greatest comebacks in political history as Harry S. Truman, counted out by his own staff and even his wife, mounts a history-making campaign to win the presidency.
• Landmark Civil Rights Battles: Uncover the story behind Truman’s watershed decision to desegregate the military, a courageous move that defied his party and set a new course for America.
• Parallels to Today: Explore the haunting similarities between 1948 and the modern day, from partisan division and "fake news" to a fight for the very soul of the nation.

Index

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

Abt, John

background/communism and, 87

HUAC and, 199, 205

Marion (sister), 87

Wallace/presidential campaign and, 87, 93, 199, 205, 241, 242, 334

Acheson, Dean, 34–35, 60, 61, 62

Agg, T. R., Mrs., 231

Aiken, Conrad, 296

Air Force and reorganization, 75

Albright, Robert, 235, 261

Alexander, Perry, 182

Allen, George, 92

Allis, Barney, 331

Allwright, Smith v. (1944), 192, 220

Allwright, S. S., 192

Alsop, Joseph, 237, 277

Alsop, Joseph/Stewart, 51, 58, 86, 143, 235, 246, 275, 337

American Anti-Communist Association, 79

American Medical Association, 16

Amsterdam News, 309, 310

Arab-Israeli War (1948), 109, 210, 288, 353

Arvey, Jacob (“Jake”), 142, 332

Asapansa-Johnson, C., 310

Associated Press, 41, 163, 216, 235, 307

Atlanta Constitution, 42, 180, 221, 246, 315, 336

atomic weapons/bombs

Bikini Atoll test, 35–36

description/future bombs and, 14

detecting use (US) and, 154, 155–56n

Lilienthal on, 154

Operation Sandstone, 121, 154

responsibility discussions, 154, 211, 223

significance of, 5, 33

Soviet using, 154, 154–55n

US bombings of Hiroshima/Nagasaki, 5, 14, 15, 34

as US secret/sharing with Soviets and, 13–15

White House lunch/watching test, 34–35

Auschwitz, 5–6

Austin, Warren, 106

Ayers, Eben, 12, 105, 146, 277, 324

B

Bacall, Lauren, 210, 251

Balance, Elayne, 215

Baldwin, Calvin Benham (“Beanie”)

background/description, 88

Wallace/presidential campaign and, 88, 118, 164, 206, 207, 241, ...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Contents
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Introduction
• The Disintegration of the Democratic Party
• “Whither Harry S. Truman?”
• “The Buck Stops Here!”
• “Can He Swing the Job?”
• “I Was Amazed at How Calm He Seemed in the Face of Political Disaster”
• The Surging GOP
• “You Are Getting as Much Publicity as Hitler”
• “It Is a Total ‘War of Nerves’”
• “The Defeat Seemed like the End of the World”
• “Dewey’s Hat Is Tossed into Ring”
• “Wall Street and the Military Have Taken Over”
• “There’ll Be No Compromise”
• “I Will Not Accept the Political Support of Henry Wallace and His Communists”
• “For Better or Worse, the 1948 Fight Has Started”
• The Conventions
• “We Have a Dreamboat of a Ticket”
• “With God’s Help, You Will Win”
• “What Is at Stake Here Is the Very Survival of Western Civilization”
• Photos
• The Campaigns
• “A Profound Sense of What’s Right and What’s Wrong”
• “What Exciting Times You Are Having!”
• “As for Me, I Intend to Fight!”
• “They Are Simply a ‘Red Herring’”
• “There Is Great Danger Ahead”
• “The All-Time Georgia Champion of ‘White Supremacy’”
• “We’re Going to Give ’Em Hell”
• “The Presidency of the United States Is Not for Sale!”
• “You Will Be Choosing a Way of Life for Years to Come”
• “The Democratic Party Was Down to Its Last Cent”
• Election Climax
• “This Was the Worst Mistake of the Truman Campaign”
• “Could We Be Wrong?”
• “The Campaign Special Train Stopped with a Jerk”
• “We Are Engaged in a Great Crusade”
• “I Stand by My Prediction. Dewey Is In.”
• “Tens of Thousands, and Hundreds of Thousands! How Can He Lose?”
• “Under No Circumstance Will I Congratulate That Son of a Bitch”
• “Dewey Defeats Truman”
• Epilogue
• Acknowledgments
• Notes
• Index
• About the Author
• Connect with HMH
• Footnotes