The Press: The Road Shows

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Switches & Whistles. Though many in the 80-man Dewey press corps did not yet really like the candidate, they had to admire his streamlined press relations. The text of each night's speech was Mimeographed by the morning before; coffee and beef sandwiches were at hand in every press workroom along the way. Press Secretary James C. Hagerty's motto was "Make it as easy as possible for them to get what they want—and don't lie."

To relieve the boredom, reporters turned to inventing cynical little ditties. The best the Dewey press corps could work up was a feeble jingle about "Unity plus Dewnity." The boys with Truman were more inspired; they hit their peak with a parody of I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover:

I'm, looking over a well-warmed-over Dewey from '44;

One for the money and two for the show; Halleck was promised but Warren will go.

No use complainin'; I'm still maintainin'; we'll get what we had before:

Harry or Dewey, the same old hooey, again and again and more.