One for a moment, not because its not an interesting question but because i really have to think that through. Eisenhower and reagan have gotten comparisons because of their age, because of their politics, and because of the size of their victories, but im the times were so different. Id have to think about that one. But in terms of what happens with the moment in milwaukee, one way of looking at this is that eisenhower deluded what could have been a strong statement of support for his mentor. In so doing, he could have made and taken the opportunity to position his presidency against such irresponsible statements. Even if they were true. Yes. Right . But he doesnt do that. He either he does one of two things for certain. He either amends the speech, himself, or he allows his speechwriters, john hughes, to cut this out at his bequest. What does that say about eisenhower . That says that either eisenhower wants to try to keep peace in the valley with mccarthy, and he sees mccarthy as being too big to take on on the National Stage right here, or he needs to win wisconsin. I mean, wisconsins a lot of electoral votes now. You dont throw those away. Must have take and page out of fdrs book then. Thats an interesting point. Thats a good point. I know you. So, dr. Greene, bob, thank you very much for another excellent program. If the library can find a way to get you back for a fifth program in five years, ill certainly be here. Thank you, henry. Thank you all very, very much. While congress is on break, were showing you American History tv normally seen weekends here on cspan3. Coming up, the president ial campaign of Adlai Stevenson. In about two hours, well show you his acceptance speech at the 1952 Democratic National convention and in about an hour and half, a discussion of the impact on the 1952 campaign between Adlai Stevenson and Dwight Eisenhower. American history tv primetime continues wednesday night with a look at the 16 1964 president ial campaign of barry goldwater. It begins at 8 00 eastern with the contenders, two hour discussion of the life and career of the republican nominee. 10 05 p. M. Eastern, Barry Goldwaters nomination acceptance speech. 10 50, a look at his role in the Conservation Movement in the 1950s and 60s. The cspan radio app makes it easy to continue to follow the 2016 election wherever you are. Its free to download from the Apple App Store or google play. Get audio coverage and up to the minute information for cspan radio and television plus podcast times for our popular public affairs, book and history programs. Stay up to date on all the election coverage. Cspans radio app mean you always have cspan on the go. Now the contenders. Our series on key political figures who ran for president and loft but nevertheless changed political history. Tonight we feature Adlai Stevenson, former governor of illinois and twotime president ial candidate. This program was recorded at Adlai Stevensons family home in libertyville, illinois. It is about two hours. This is American History tv only on cspan3. Ladies and gentlemen of the convention, my fellow citizens, i accept your nomination and your program. And now, my friends, that you have made your decision, i will fight to win that office with all my heart and my soul. And with your help, i have no doubt that we will win. Help me to do the job in this autumn of conflict and of campaign. Help me to do the job in darkness and of crisis which is stretch beyond the horizon of tonights happy vision, and we will justify our glorious path and the loyalty of silent millions who look to us for compassion, for understanding and for honest purpose. Thus, we will serve our great tradition greatly. I ask of you all you have. I will give you all i have and that was our contender this week. Adlai stevenson accepting the democratic nomination for president in 1952. We are joined by historian Richard Norton smith here in add l Adlai Stevensons old study in libertyville, illinois. Who was this one of term governor of illinois . Well, to millions of americans, thats all he was, a oneterm governor of illinois. They knew nothing more about him. Theyd never heard a voice like his. They did not know that in some ways a Political Revolution was being touched off that night and that for the next decade Adlai Stevenson would be certainly the voice of the Democratic Party. Someone who would transform american politics even though he was never successful in his quest for the white house. How did he get the nomination in 1952 and in 1956 . Hes arguably the last candidate to be drafted and hes the last candidate to require more than one ballot at a convention. He didnt want the nomination, is the shofrt answer, especially in the republicans nominated, as they did, Dwight Eisenhower, who everyone thought was unbeatable and stevenson thought wouldnt be a bad president. There was a vacuum in the party. Harry truman was retiring and there was no obvious successor and stevenson gave a remarkable welcoming address at the Chicago Convention that had the effect almost of William Jennings bryants cross of gold. It touched off this draft and a couple of days later he was delivering the speech that you just heard. And welcome to libertyville, illinois, and the contenders. This is the ninth in the 14week series, looking at the men who ran for president and changed american politics. Tonight our focus is Adlai Ewing Stevenson 19001965 were his years of living. We are joined by wellknown author and historian Richard William smith. Were live from libertyville, illinois, 40 miles outside chicago at the stevenson family farm. We are in Adlai Stevensons old study right now in the house and in just a moment were going to be joined by newton minow who worked and knew Adlai Stevenson for years and were also pleased to tell you that we will be joined by senator Adlai Stevenson iii, the son of Adlai Stevenson, and tenyear senator from the state of illinois. Richard norton smith, before we leave the office here, there are some things setting around that i want to hopefully get to learn a little bit more about governor stephenson. First of all, what is this hand . Stevenson talked about himself that he suffered from a bad case of hereditary politics. There are multiple generations that are part of this story. His greatgrandfather was a man named jesse feld who helped persuade Abraham Lincoln to run for president in 1860. The lincoln connection was a very powerful one with stephens stevenson. This, in fact, is a cast of lincolns hand and part of the white mast that was created in 1860. Now also on the desk here on Adlai Stevensons desk is an address book. Some of the names in this address book include eleanor roosevelt, walter and gene cur, jackie kennedy, john steinbeck, archibald mcleash. It hints at the catholicity of stevensons appeal. He was a very unusual he was a nonpolitician in many ways who was lionized by intellectuals and academics, by men and women of letters and eventually by millions of americans who proudly declared themselves stevenosonians. And standing between us is this old office chair. Yeah, very historic piece. This, in fact, is governor stevensons cabinet chair. During the kennedy administration, no doubt well talk about this later on, he had a historic stint as American Ambassador to the United Nations and as such he was made a member of the cabinet. This is the chair that commemorates that somewhat difficult relationship that he had with the kennedy administration. Now, Richard Norton smith, you referred to the dynasty, the stevenson political dynasty a little earlier. Here on the wall are some artifacts, very quickly. Yeah. Governor stevensons wife, ellen, said the stevensons suffered from a bad case of ancestor worship. They had pretty impressive ancestors. Under Grover Cleveland. Under Grover Cleveland. Then he ran again under William Jennings bryant, unsuccessfully. Anyway, this is grandfather stev stevensons hat. You can see the Campaign Items from the Grover Cleveland campaigns as well. Again, welcome to you. Thanks for joining us tonight for the contenders live from libertyville, illinois. Richard norton smith and i are going to work our way over to the barn, the stevenson barn here on the family farm. Were currently in the house, in the study. But next to it is a barn. This is a working, semiworking farm at one point with animals, sheep, horses, et cetera, and were going to work our way over there where theres a new display about add lay stooemlai. Youll be able to see that as well. First, we want to show you Campaign Commercials so you can see some of the video of Adlai Stevens stevenson. These Campaign Commercials are from 1956 and 1952 and one of them we will show you was filmed right here in this study. Its wonderful how sitting right here in my own Library Thanks to television i can talk to millions of people that i couldnt reach any other way, but im not going to let this spoil me. Im not going to stop traveling in this campaign. I can talk to you, yes, but i cant listen to you. I cant hear about your problems, about your hopes and your affairs. To do that ive got to go out and see you in person and thats what ive been doing. For the past several years ive traveled all over this country hundreds of thousands of miles. Ive been in every state. Many of them more than once. And i have met thousands of you and millions of you have seen me. Its adlai to you, adlai to any i dont care how you care it adlai, adlai, dont pronounce it just go out and vote it stevenson id lather have a man with a hole in his shoe than a hole in everything he says id rather have a man who knows what to do when he gets to be the prez i love the gov, the governor of illinois i know the gov will bring the dove of peace and joy when illinois the gop double cross he was the boy who told all the crooks get lost adlai, love you madly and what you did for your own great state, youre going to do for the rest of the 48 were going to choose the gov that we love he is the gov nobody can shove we have the gov, the president of the you, me and the usa old mcdonald had a farm back in 31 conditions filled him with alarm back in 31 not a chick, chick here, not a moo, cow there, just broken down farmland everywhere snoit farmer man doesnt want to go back to the days where there wasnt a moo or quack to the days of 1931 when they didnt have bread when the day was done farmer mac knows what to do, election day of 52 going to go out with everyone in the usa to vote for Adlai Stevenson to keep his farm this way with a vote, vote here and a vote, vote there and a vote for stevenson everywhere note for if its good for mac, you see, its good for you and its good for moe all america loves that farm, vote stevenson today and if you should elect me your president next november, i shall be the better for having done it, im sure, because i know that the strength and the wisdom that i need must be drawn from you, the people. So finally, i hope that the next time we meet it will be persontoperson and facetoface. Im Adlai Stevenson. You and i have been hearing from our republican friends the things are so food, they couldnt be better. Better for whom, i wonder . Do you think things cant be better for the small businessman like this one . Small business profits are down 52 . That they cant be better for our farmers like these . Farm income is down 25 . Are your schools good enough for the richest nation in history . Your schools like this one need a third of a million more classrooms. And what about you . Are you now out of debt . Do you have a comfortable backlog in the bank . Are you paying less for the things that you buy or more . Do you really think things cant be better . Of course, they can. Working together we can and will make them better. Vote democratic. Rising cost of farming . Lower farm income . Caught in a squeeze . Then vote democratic, the party for you, not just the few. Vote for Adlai Stevenson for president and Estes Kefauver for Vice President. And we are back live at the stevenson farm in libertyville, illinois. Richard norton smith and i are now joined by newton minow. You may know him as the former chairman of the federal communications commission. If youve ever heard the phrase tv is a vast wasteland, that was newton minows phrase. But for our purposes tonight, he worked with and was an associate of Adlai Stevenson for many years. Newton minow, if you could start by telling us, when did you first meet governor stevenson . I was a law clerk at the United StatesSupreme Court for chief justice vinson. And one of our law professors carl mcgowan came to visit one day. He later offered my coclerk a job as his assistant in springfield as assistant counsel to the governor. Turned out that howard wasnt interested, but i was. And i ended up being interviewed by governor stevenson at 7 00 a. M. For a breakfast in the spring of 1952. And he said to me, if i hire you, young man, is there any reason why you wouldnt take the job . And i said, if my current boss boss, chief justice vinson, runs for president , and it was rumored in the press that he would be a candidate for president , and if he asked me to stay with him, id like to do that. And governor stevenson looked at me and said, i dont think thats very likely. I then drove him to his next appointment. I went to work at the Supreme Court. I picked up the new york times. It said, truman offers stevenson the president ial nomination semicolon, vinson out. This was the morning after president truman had asked aldai to run. Well, i was hired. I reported for work and he was then nominated for president. What was he known for as governor . Even as a student, i have worked in his campaign for governor and was a College Student in 1948. He was known as being, first of all, totally honest, which was not necessarily a prerequisite for election in illinois. But he was a different kind of candidate. He was honest. He was an intellectual. He was he cared deeply about good government. And he brought a whole different culture and tone to the office of governor. Richard norton smith, the u. S. In 1952, set the stage for us. Well politically, theres no doubt, i think one of the reasons, and you would know much, much better than i, that entered into his hesitation, at least, about seeking the presidency, was a sense that the democrats had been in power for 20 years. And even the most partisan democrat who thought theyd been 20 glorious years nevertheless thought that perhaps the party as well as the country would be well served by a change. But the great issue was which Republican Party would replace harry truman, if harry truman were to leave . Would it be the isolationist, conservative midwestern party of bob darst taft or would it be the internationalist, if you will, modern republicanism of Dwight Eisenhower . And stevenson had to among other things weigh and calculate the chances of which party he might be running against. He was very reluctant to run, wasnt he . He did not want to run. Of course, it was who could have beat Dwight Eisenhower . It was like running against jesus christ. It was an impossible thing to win. And as richard said, hes got it exactly right. If it had been robert taft as the opponent, i think adlai would have relished running because there would have been a clear difference in philosophy about americas place in the world. But you got to remember the democrats tried to draft general eisenhower. The democrats tried to get eisenhower to run as a democrat. Eisenhower was a candidate of both parties. Well, newton minow, when Adlai Stevenson gave the welcoming address at the Democratic National convention in chicago, in 1952, was he a nationally known figure at the time . Was he considered a candidate . He was not that well known. I remember the first time he appeared on National Television was that spring. He was on meet the press. First time he was ever on National Television. And adlai was never any good on television. Why . If youre with him, he was a lot of fun, he had a great personality, and you always went away feeling better about yourself. But when you watched him on television, he was either nervous, but he was never himself. But the country didnt know him. So he gives the welcoming address and he essentially gets drafted, wins on the second or third ballot. Is that correct . Thats right. And it was really unfortunate for him because the timing was wrong. If he had run for president , against a Dwight Eisenhower, he probably could have won. And, remember, just how different the Democratic Party was in 1952. Who does he pick for a running mate . John sparkman, senator from alabama. Its still the solid south, and, in fact, he has to worry about keeping the solid south solid. Exactly. And it taught me a lesson also about how we pick Vice President s. John sparkman was picked at the last minute. Did he have a relationship with John Sparkman . No, not really. And the way we do things in this country, its amazing, we have staged this so successfully for a couple hundred years. Did kefauver want to be on the 52 ticket . Kefauver, i think, was always interested in running for president. Adlai did not like kefauver at all senator Estes Kefauver of kentucky. Of tennessee. Of tennessee. Excuse me. Who ended up being the Vice President ial candidate in 56. Who harry truman liked to call cow fever. He liked him even less i think than Richard Newton smith, than then newton minow. Truman is regarded as a dear, great president , someone we all look up to for his decisiveness, for his ability to make big decisions. And commit the United States in the cold war. The fact is at the time he was a very unpopular president. The korean war was an unpopular war. He had fired douglas macarthur, which again, today, basically theres a consensus he did the right thing for the right reason but at great political cost. Harry truman had been in power seven years, and he had decided seven years was enough. He had the power to prevent cow fever from becoming the nominee. He probably had the power to make Adlai Stevenson the nominee, but with that power went in some ways the dead weight of the truman administration. And i think my sense is that truman and stevensons relationship never quite recovered from that fact. I think it was worse than that. The there was another factor. There have been a lot of corruption in the Democratic Party. There have been a scandal with one of president trumans assistants and there had been it was not a happy thing to become the democratic candidate for president in 1952. Especially if you had Harry Trumans ipmpromoter on you. As i left the Supreme Court to work for stevenson, i went to see the chief justice to say goodbye and he was very, very close to president truman. Chief justice vinson. And the chief said to me, your guys not going to make it. And i said, what . He said, no, i was with the president last night and he told me that hes lost patience with adlai, doesnt say yeses, doesnt so no, its going to be barkley. Barkley was then the Vice President of the United States. Age 74. Right. And they tried to actually tried to get it for barkley, but everybody said hes too old. So that opened it up again and then stevenson was drafted. And we are live from libertyville, illinois, the stevenson family farm about 40 miles outside of chicago. The phone numbers are on the screen because we want to hear from you as well. Especially if you remember Adlai Stevenson as a candidate. 20273700 o1. For those of you in east and central time zones, 2027370002. If you live in the mountain and pacific time zones. The results, 1952, by the way, that election was held 59 years ago tonight, november 4th, 1952. Adlai stevenson won 27 million votes. He got 89 electoral votes and he 9 states. Dwight david eisenhower, 442 electoral votes. He won 34 million votes and he won the rest of the states which would have been 40 some at that point. 41 states. One thing to keep in mind about that election is to compare it with 1948. In losing, governor stevenson got 3 million more votes than harry truman had in winning three years earlier. Dwight eisenhower got 12 million more votes than tom dewey. What you had was the largest increase in voter participation. Why . In 4 years since the 1820s. Why . Because you had two, in many ways, outstanding candidates. Each in their own way who were able to excite the electorate in a way that i dont think weve seen in this country for some time. Heres a little bit more of Adlai Stevenson at the 1952 convention. What does concern me of both parties is not just winning this election, but how it is won. How well we can take advantage of this great quadrennial opportunity to debate issues sensibly and soberly. I hope and pray that we democrats, win or lose, can campaign not as a crusade to exterminate the opposing party, as our opponents seem to prefer, but as a great opportunity to educate and elevate a people whose destiny is leadership. Lets talk sense to the american people. Lets tell them the truth that there are no games without pains, that we are now on the eve of great decisions. Captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2008 captioning performed by vitac campaign for president. He claimed he spent too much time attacking nixon. It was a blemish on a very stellar career. The think that the campaign was a low point of stevensons political career . Did he spend too much time attacking nixon . Should she1956 campaign. 1956 campaign, in my opinion, was not as stellar as it was the 1952 campaign. The reason for the emphasis on nixon in 1956 was the fact that president eisenhower had suffered a bad heart attack and had some bad health problems. There was great concern in the country of what would happen if present eisenhower president eisenhower was at the 1956 convention. I come here on a solid mission. Solemn mission. I accept your nomination and your program. [applause] i pledged to every resource of mind and strength that i possess to make a good win for our country and our party. Four years ago, i stood in this same place and under those same words to you. Four years ago, i did not seek the honor that you bestowed upon me. This time, as he may have noticed, it was not entirely unsolicited. [laughter] [applause] there is another big difference. That time, we lost. This time, we will win. [applause] thunder about the 1956 convention and jack kennedy. One of my favorite comments was something that harry truman said about Adlai Stevenson, that is spent more time thinking about what he was going to do rather than doing it. He spent a lot more time talking to College President s that he did to cabdrivers. Anyway, 1956, Richard Norton smith made a comment to Adlai Stevenson doing something unprecedented in, opening the conviction the convention to picking a Vice President ial nominee. Very f of Adlai Stevenson talking about the democratic platform. To the threshold of a new america. In the america of the great ideals and noble vision. I knew america where poverty is abolished and our abundance is used to enrich the lives of every family. [applause] i mean a new america where freedom is made real for all, without regard to race or belief or economic conditions. [applause] i mean a new america with the ancient ideas these are the things i believe then. These are the things i will work was a marine in 1952. He takes time out from this campaign to attend the graduation of his son from the marine officer candidate school in quantico, virginia. It is a proud father and an equally proud son on occasion important to both. The home that in libertyville. We are in what used to be the barn and it is right next door. It is now set up with an exhibit. What is going o is now the home of the Adlai Stevenson center for democracy. We try to bring people together from all parts of the world vote. I went door to door and did whatever i could. I was crushed that he did not win. I thought he would contribute so much more on the world stage. I will never forget how disappointed we were qualified s that he could find. It was a sacrifice to serve. They were reforming state government. He wanted to finish the job. He was also reluctant because eisen ehe called it the founr the do frontier and the great society. In fact, i heard the lake and famous historian who was very close to do 10 always call attack attack. John f. Kennedy, the executor of the stevenson revolution. Those campaigns were substantive. He used half hour blocks of timeperity and growth. Eisenhower was popular. The war ended and that would come later in korea. What happened one of the things that happened, i would have never gotten reelected anyway. With the uprising in hungary and the invasion of suez by france, britain, and israel, these International Crises that rallied the country as they always do behind the president had changed in that eight years if Adlai Stevenson had been president rather than pork eisenhower . Senator stevenson. Lets start with you. Dwight eisenhower has been quoted and fixed forever. I remember there was a disappointment at the convention because there was not a contest that there had been in 1952. I was wondering if you could elaborate on how the decision was made to throw it open to the convention whether it was for everybody to have a good time or whether it was at least in part to be able to dodge the animosity of all of the candidates who did not get it. If you could start and then senator stevenson, we want to hear about your role. I think adlaiarranged as to n nomination. He decided to open it up. I think it turned out to be as he predicted. It turned out to be an exciting contest. It introduced jack kennedy to the country. There were a lot of big things for it. There was a circle or very protective circle around john f. Kennedy, which is always fearful and resentful. In this case, concern that stevenson was a threat. People were pouring in from across the country. They were literally hint cameron on the at the 1960 convention. Adlai stevenson at the podium. I wanted to tell you how grateful i am. For this he moving well, of the 1960 democratic convention. [applause] i have an observation. After getting in and out of the hotel and at this hall, i decided i know you will nominate. It will be the last survivor. [applause] the details of my participation have not been worked out, but i would drive the campaign were i or he wanted me to. I suspect that will be in the west and the east and everywhere in between. I hope so. What would you do about it . How would you go about it . I hope by the participation in the campaign i have not had much doubt that they would support the ticket. I hope they will supported vigorously in the same manner that i did. I hope it will fall you as vigorously as you did in los angeles. Almost stevensons moment and he threw it away. He was in a position with the right to remarks to have taken the convention a way. Is that unrealistic . Was that Convention Jack kennedys no matter what happened . Can you see a scenario in which stevenson at the peak of his form might have said something i have said something on fire . I think he knew it was not going to happen. They told him the illinois delegates were going to vote for kennedy. I think he knew at that point. We will see what adlai says if he agrees with me. I have always thought jackie keg about Adlai Stevenson and jfk. Telling you he had to have the un. I could remember jack telling me about that. Did that give him a lot of difficulty . It was unpleasant. He did not like it. He was not going to give him the state department. At the earliest times a we spoke of it, you new governor stevenson would get the un not state which he wanted. It is unpleasant to tell somebody that. Stevens said he did not have anything to say or something funny. Why do you think he decided not to have stevenson for state . It was not just bitterness. Look at all the people jack took who had been a against him and for someone else. They knew he felt that man had a real disease of being done able to make up his mind. Stevenson irritated him. I dont think he could have him cominghave irrefutable evidencet the soviets are in fact installing offensive Nuclear Missiles on castros cuba. What transpires is a great paradox. I cannot think of a less sound bite political figure it then Adlai Stevenson. Is immortalized by a glut of the great sound bites of the 20th century. We will listen to it right now. Let me ask you one simple question. Do you the night that the u. S. S. R. Has placed and is placing medium and intermediate range sites and missiles in cuba . Yes or no. Dont wait for the translation, yes or no . Mr. Stephenson, will you continue your statement please. He will receive the answer in due course, do not worry. To embarrass khrushchev. He wanted to give them an opportunity to retreat. That did not happen. Khrushchev was embarrassed just as my father feared. He fell. He was succeeded by a group from which he emerged the Democratic Party. Here he is in 1952 talking about the Democratic Party kurt i have been hardened by the conduct of this convention. You have argued and disagreed because as democrats to care and do care deeply. But you have disagreed and argued without calling each other liars and thieves, without spoiling our best traditions. [applause] you have not support our best traditions and any struggles for power. You have written as a platform that neither contradicts nor even aids. You have restated our partys record. Its principles and its purposes and languages that none can mistake. Nor am i afraid that the Democratic Party is old and fat. After 150 years, it has been old for a long time. It will never be indolent as long as it looks forward and not back. As long as it commands the young and the hopeful during the dreams and xi the visions of a better america and a better world. You will see many people express concern about the continuation of one party in power for 20 years. I dont to be little this attitude. But change for the sake of change has no absolute merit in itself. The people are wise wiser than the republicans think. The Democratic Party is the peoples party. Not the labor party. Not the employers party. It is the party of nobody because it is the party of everybody. [applause] w frontier. He holds the banner of liberalism in the 1950s a difficult era. It is an interesting brand of liberalism. He believes in american exceptional was on every bit as many of the right to do today. It was an exceptional was some debt was about ideas and ideals. It was leading by example. It was not an exception allows some enforced by military force. He brought a whole generation of young people who were inspired by his words, his example, his approach, his lead and let alone a franklin roosevelt. That is why we have created the Stevenson Center to try to address these systemic weaknesses that might make an Adlai Stevenson possible. We try as i do in my book to recall all of these lawyers and history that created this country and contrast them with our politics today. Agreed on much, i have been exposed to his speeches, his rhetoric, and a lot of things he said. I am of the opinion that he is one of the last really great political speechmakers in our age. We were speaking a moment ago about jingles and things like that. I saw him making the speech, he was taking some of it from his notes in the pre teleprompter days. It was not coming off of the paper. He knew what he was saying. It was coming from his heart. I always admired his speechmaking abilities. I just dont see that in our political process today. He had something to say. He took a little time to say it at times