proportion of those who represented the Taft side."12 The Senator was more

concerned with Eisenhower's administration then the Republican campaign and

believed that he had an opportunity to prevent the GOP from emulating the policies of

the Truman administration. He thought that Eisenhower was more conservative than

Dewey and the rest of the Eisenhower leadership, but feared that the Governor's

influence would create a "Republican New Deal administration," which, in Taft's

opinion, would be more difficult to combat in the Senate than four more years of

Democratic rule.13

 Despite such forebodings, however, Taft believed that he could shift the

campaign and the next administration to the Right. This outlook stemmed from his

opinion that the Eisenhower campaign was floundering in its early stages. Most

observers agreed with this assessment. Nebraska Senator Hugh Butler, for example,

told Carlson point blank that Eisenhower's rhetoric was falling flat in the Midwest

and the campaign needed Taft's endorsement to rally the troops.14 Guylay reported

that the pre-convention power struggle between Dewey, Lodge, and Duff had

continued after Chicago and had prevented the formation of a clear strategy, thus

hindering the campaign..15 Human Events noted with some irony that the Eisenhower

leadership had advised the General to fly to Taft's vacation home in Murray Bay,

Ontario. The magazine noted that "The proposal is variously attributed to



12 Robert A. Taft, Letter to B. Carroll Reece, 14 August 1952. Copy in Folder (1952 Campaign -
Tennessee P-S), Box 407, Taft Papers.

13 Robert A. Taft, Letter to Jesse Jones, 13 August 1952. Copy in Folder (1952 Campaign Texas I-
K), Box 409, Taft Papers.

14 Hugh Butler, Letter to Frank Carlson, 23 August 1952. Copy in Folder (Eisenhower, Dwight D. (4)),
Box 1286, Taft Papers.
15 L. Richard Guylay, Letter to Robert A. Taft, 13 August 1952. Copy in Folder (1952 Campaign -
Miscellany Richard Guylay), Box 453, Taft Papers. Guylay's information came from Jim Ellis, a
public relations man who had recently lost the contract for the Eisenhower campaign.