OCR
X.A.No,14 for October 1952. REPORT FROM THE S.A. NOTE : this report was written on Friday, September 26th, ab Sen Francisco, Calif. Our observer has covered in the la st fortnight besides a short jump to Washington, mostly the Far West, the socalled Mountain States and the Pacific Seabord. He has been in the States of Oregon, California, to cover Senator Nixon's radio and television speach, Utah, West Texas, Arizona, where in Phoenix Senator Joseph MvCerthy is new taking a short rest before going into battle, New Mexico and Idaho. RK The electoral campaign is now half over. The nerves of the candidates are frayed, and what started as a high-level discussion of principles is turning into a roughhouse of low perscnal umears. The press has taken more and more partisan stands, the polisters, despite their defeat ín 1948, are again around and though a little more cautiously are again peddling their more or less worthless were. The din of the publicity agents, the unbearab le politicking over the fadio, the talking night and day with people who have no more interest than November 4th, all this is liable to engulf even the most hardened and cynical reporter into a fals world, where maddened by the general propaganda, unable to keep his own thinking st'ieight, he loses sight of the basic facts in favour of the universal ficticn. This will go on for the next few .ceks, will be rising to a shear intolerable pitch. It is hence important, in the face of the danger of being enguifed in the maelstrom of propaganda and wishful thinking, that the observer should use a quiet hour to put the facts straight, in order to regain a sane picture of what goes on. Here are the. the relevant facts as seen by this observer at this stage of the game : 1 / The most important fact is thia t the registration ef voters is much higher this year than in any previous campaign. It is hence probable that a large number off hitherto uncommitted voters will come forth on November 4th. What they will do is absolutely impossible.te foretell. Best example of recent times 3 the innumerable D_mocrats of Wisconsin, who, on the appeal of their leaders and of thé New Deal Rgpublicans crossed into the Republican primary - in order to give their votes to Senator McCarthy, against whom everybody believed they would vote. 2 / The voters are much more reluctant to give their views than at any other campaign. The great majority of the voters is clearly refusing to state his preference - as any newspaperman in this country can prove. This means that the so-called public opinion polls this time are more difficult to conduct than at any previous election. 52;