when a Senate page relayed the message from his office. Prescott Bush was sitting

across the table from Taft and reported that the Ohioan, known for his short temper,

"nearly exploded." Taft exclaimed "This is incomprehensible! It's incredible that this

appointment could have been made without consulting any of us."67 The selection of

Durkin violated a number of Senatorial traditions. Regardless of the fact that Taft

disagree with Durkin's labor outlook violently, it was expected that Taft would be

asked to give his consent ahead of time since he would have to work closely with the

Department of Labor. Not only had Brownell left Taft in the dark, but he had not

consulted Senators Homer Ferguson and Charles Potter, the two Senators from

Durkin's home state of Michigan. The Durkin appointment angered Taft for a myriad

of reasons and brought his resentment and distrust of the liberal Republicans back to

the fore.

 Taft believed that Dewey and Brownell had convinced Eisenhower to break the

Momingside Heights agreement. Rather than seek clarification or more information

from Brownell or Eisenhower, Taft issued a statement calling Durkin's appointment

an "affront to millions" of union members and Democrats who had gone against their

party affiliations and voted for Eisenhower. He implied that Brownell had never

mentioned Durkin as a possible nominee during previous discussion and regarded the

move as treacherous.68 The underlying subtext of the Taft statement was that

Brownell and the Dewey faction had reopened the split between the conservative and

liberal factions.



67 Prescott Bush, Interview, OH 31, Eisenhower Library.

68 Sherman Adams later claimed that Harold Stassen had made the Durkin appointment. The former
Minnesota Governor had worked closely with the AFL building trades unions during the campaign and
Brownell deferred to Brownell because of this. Adams claimed that Stassen had forwarded Durkin's
name to Eisenhower and it was approved without consulting Brownell. Taft did not know this at the
time. Sherman Adams, Interview, OH 162. Eisenhower Library.