FDR's Closest Contender: Thomas E. Dewey and the 1944 election

Rofe, J. Simon

Abstract

This chapter identifies twin foreign policy influences on the 1944 election. The first and most straightforward was that the United States was, like many others, a nation at war and that this had a huge impact on the campaign. The second influence was the decision by the Republican contender, Thomas E. Dewey, not to campaign on the extent of Roosevelt administration’s prior knowledge of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Dewey’s begrudging discretion strongly encouraged by US Army chief of staff General George C. Marshall, limited the scope of his ability to critique the administration and its prosecution of the war.

Citation

Rofe, J. S. (2017). FDR's Closest Contender: Thomas E. Dewey and the 1944 election. In A. Johnstone, & A. Priest (Eds.), US Presidential Elections and Foreign Policy: Candidates, Campaigns, and Global Politics from FDR to Bill Clinton. University of Kentucky Press. https://doi.org/10.5810/kentucky/9780813169057.003.0003

• Publication Date: Mar 29, 2017
• Deposit Date: Apr 4, 2016
• Series Title: Studies in Conflict, Diplomacy, and Peace
• Book Title: US Presidential Elections and Foreign Policy: Candidates, Campaigns, and Global Politics from FDR to Bill Clinton
• ISBN: 9780813169064
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5810/kentucky/9780813169057.003.0003
• Keywords: 1944 election, Thomas E. Dewey, Franklin Roosevelt, George C. Marshall, World War II