hinged on purely local concerns. Bennett's methods, however, often bordered on

unethical and at times angered Taft, who prided himself on intellectual and rhetorical

honesty. When Bennett contacted those regarded as Dewey supporters, he identified

himself as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune and declared that Dewey had either

withdrawn as a candidate or had lost sizable support in the Northeast. While

disinformation had its place in American politics, Bennett was extremely blatant

about his political stance and roused the suspicion of his contacts. Colley Briggs, a

Texas Republican and Dewey leader, advised Brownell that Bennett had called a

number of Deweyites and that one "old man told him to go to hell."33 Bennett's failed

campaign of deception gave the Dewey camp a club with which to attack Taft

throughout the South.34

 Taft had made a number of personal appearances in Alabama, had been a guest

at the homes of both Noojin and Vardaman, and advocated a policy agenda agreeable

to a sizable segment of the voters, but Brownell and Vardaman had worked together

to recruit a popular and electable slate of Dewey delegates. At the 1948 Alabama state

convention, the GOP selected a delegation of mostly Dewey delegates, but tapped

Noojin to the head the delegation.35 Alabama placed a committed Dewey delegate on

the credentials committee and, during the nomination process, yielded to New York,

placing the Governor's name in nomination first.36



33 Colley Briggs, Letter to Herbert Brownell, 30 October 1947. Copy in Folder 4 (Texas), Box 30,
Series II, Dewey Papers.

34 Herbert Brownell, Letter to Claude Vardaman, 13 November 1947. Copy in Folder 2 (Alabama),
Box 21, Series II, Dewey Papers.

35 The results were eight for Dewey, six for Taft, and one for Stassen.

36 Thomas E. Stephens, Memo to Herbert Brownell, 13 May 1947. Copy in Folder 2 (Alabama), Box
21, Series II, Dewey Papers; Herbert Brownell, Letter to Claude Vardaman, 13 September 1947. Copy
in Folder 2 (Alabama), Box 21, Series II, Dewey Papers; Claude Vardaman, Letter to Thomas E.
Dewey 8 February 1948. Copy in Folder 2 (Alabama), Box 21, Series II, Dewey Papers; Memo "Result
of Investigation Alabama" unsigned, 18 December 1947. Copy in Folder 2 (Alabama), Box 21, Series