advocated a postwar alliance with Great Britain and possibly Russia and China. The

publicity surrounding Dewey's proposal eclipsed the formal report of the group,

which also called for both worldwide disarmament and an international

organization.13 Some partisans saw Dewey's comments as a compromise of

principles. The Chicago Tribune, the major organ of the Old Guard, Taft Republicans,

went so far as to call Dewey's proposal "Anti-American." But for Republican

internationalists, Dewey provided a plausible alternative to Willkie.14

 Dewey's statement and its reception in the press made him the frontrunner for

the 1944 Presidential nomination. Born and raised in Owosso, Michigan, Dewey was

forty years old when he was elected Governor of New York in 1942. He had relocated

from Michigan after his law school graduation. Raised by his father in the tradition of

progressive Republicanism, Dewey began his affiliation with Empire State

Republicans as part of a group of reformers working to remove the older, more

entrenched leaders and replace them with energetic individuals who would revitalize

the party and have more appeal to the common voter. By 1935 he had established

himself as an able partisan and was appointed assistant United States attorney. He

parlayed his successful prosecution of government corruption into election as the

county District Attorney. Dewey's time in the public spotlight gave him a reputation

for thoroughness and integrity. With a zealous desire for good government, Dewey

wasted little time in opening investigations into the corruption in Tammany Hall. He

eventually brought down some of the city's racketeering and organized crime rings

and his youthful exuberance and his spotless public image won him the adoration of


13 Although the GOP came out in favor of an international group, they did not elaborate on what
structure or membership would be acceptable.

14 Gould, Grand Old Party, 293-5; Richard Norton Smith, Thomas Dewey and His Times (New York:
Simon and Schuster, 1982), 384-7; Mayer, The Republican Party, 461-2.