Stranica 1 [1]
sere ee Rep =
Aelia or Octo .
THE CAMPAIGN IN THE USAs
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NOTE s this report is written " with General Eisenhower in Salt lake ~
City, Utah, 10th October 1952. " Our observer has been all over the
USA in the past fortnight, having followed President Truman for two
days, Governor Stevenson, VicePresidential Candidete Nixon, Senator
Taft in order to compare techniques and crowd reactions.
The cempaign, as we have written before, is probably the
most bewildering of alle As of present it seems almost impossible to
make any real predictionse People are intensely interested, they turn
out in huge masses at the different meetings, but even the shrewdest
politicians do not dure to prediet what is going to happen, They are
furthermore scared and confused by the large registration of voters,
which no one cen dare to interpret honestly* The numerous polis which
are taken all suffer from the "gilent vote" which hangs ominously over
November 4the Something big is under way, which no one can really
predict. The polisters who again ure in the field, are suffering under
‘the handicap which we have outlined in a previous dispatch at the
beginning of the cempaigne This stands also to the judgement of the
results of the Gallup poll, that over 507 of the people are for Eisen=
howere This is undoubtedly truee Eisenhower on his popularity can not
be met by anyone 3; but whether this means votes is quite another ques=
tione Probably it was Elmo Roper who got closest to Gepicting the
real situation, when he told that over 50% of the people hze still
unclear what way they will votee They may not be unclear 3 they just
refuse to state theirpreference.
if nevertheless this observer feels it to be his duty, after
criss-crossing the United States, to make a certain prediction on the
basis of his personal impressions it would be roughly as this ¢ At
present public opinion is shifting definitely towards Eisenhower in
parts of the Solid South = Texas, Louisiana, Florida = and in the
Mountain States. It is moving in favour of Stevenson in the farm belt,
especially in Minnesota and North Dakota, where the Republican Senator
William langer id trying to play into the hands of the Democrutse
In the other areas the situation is doubtful at present, though it is
the impression of this observer that right now the trend is towards
Eisenhowere He has gained and: is still gaining votese Only it is the
feeling of this observer, that it is doubtful, whether the trend is
fast and strong enough to offset the earlier gains scored by the
56.