The Republican nominee was Dwight D. Eisenhower, the hero of World War II. Although he refrained from making personal attacks during the campaign, other Republicans filled the void, especially his Vice-Presidential candidate Richard M. Nixon, Senator William Jenner and the infamous Senator Joseph McCarthy.
The trouble started in the years before the campaign. The Republicans had not won a Presidential election since 1928, and knew they had a good chance in 1952. They began attacking President Truman and his Democratic administration with charges of corruption and appeasement of communism. Also, the stalemated Korean War presented more opportunities for the Republicans. The Republican campaign in 1952 was built on the issues of Communism, corruption and Korea. Truman had every right to take these attacks personally, but that was not what really made him angry.
General George C. Marshall, who Truman called the greatest living American, had been the top general during World War II, and had been responsible for promoting Eisenhower to the command of the European theater. In short, Truman believed that Marshall had made Eisenhower’s career. He also believed that Marshall had saved Eisenhower’s career.
During the war, Eisenhower had apparently become involved with his driver, Kay Summersby. It is not known how far the affair went. Summersby later wrote a book (after Eisenhower’s death) entitled “Past Forgetting: My Love Affair with Dwight D. Eisenhower” saying that they had fallen in love during the war.
According to Truman (in the book “Plain Speaking: An Oral Biography of Harry S. Truman”), at the end of the war Eisenhower had written to Marshall saying that he was going to divorce his wife and marry Summersby. Marshall wrote back to Eisenhower in very strong terms, and apparently brought him back to his senses. Marshall said he would bust Eisenhower out of the army and make his life miserable. In short, Marshall made Eisenhower’s career, and then Marshall saved Eisenhower’s career. After the war, Marshall retired, but was called back to serve as Secretary of State (where he instituted the Marshall Plan) and later as Secretary of Defense in the Truman administration.
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