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sere ee Rep = Aelia or Octo . THE CAMPAIGN IN THE USAs \ \ 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.
