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 It's going to be a big issue. It's going to be a big issue in lots of

 states and it's sure going to be a big issue in Florida.

 J.B.: But yet his popularity the Atlanta Sentinel had that poll

 last month, I think and ..

 Thomas: But their poll was a Mickey Mouse poll. The poll that they ran

 was not a real legitimate poll. Because one of the pollsters went to

 Senator Gurney's office down there and said, "Look, I took the poll in

 this area and the people that I polled and talked to, the results that

 I got are not the results that they are showing. Now, Senator Gurney's

 aide down there is pursuing it to see, you know, what happened. In fact,

 he went to the Orlando paper and pointed out to them that here was a

 person that took the poll in this area and said that, "Look, this is

 what I turned in and this is not what was published in the paper." So,

 somebody bent the statistics on it somehow.

 J.B.: Did they respond to that?

 Thomas: No, they haven't.

 W.D.V.: So, in short, because of the climate, the environment, you see

 that it is going to be tough for Gurney .

 Thomas: I think that it will be very tough.

 W.D.V.: And equally tough for the three cabinet members who are mder

 indictment or being investigated by the grand jury .

 Thomas: Almost impossible.

 W.D.V.: And you see the weakness of Askew with the fact of his busing

 stand and the general move to the left. Does that pretty well summarize

 it?

 Thomas: Yeah, plus the fact that we have a very, very good conservative






From the Southern Oral History Program, #4007, Interview 4-I0 in the Southern Historical Collection,
University of North Carolina Library, Chapel Hill. FOR REFERENCE ONLY: PERMISSION TO
PUBLISH MUST BE REQUESTED. WARNING: MOST MANUSCRIPTS ARE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT.