After the Twist

In Suite 408 of the Sheraton-Blackstone Hotel, Averell Harriman and his lieuten ants sat looking at the face of Harry Truman on their television screen. When Truman named Harriman as his Democratic candidate, Ave glowed all over, murmured: "This is marvelous." Forty-five minutes later, Averell Harriman, wearing a grin so wide that it almost could be seen from behind, came out to face television himself. Making small clucking sounds all during his statement, Harriman exulted: "I am deeply moved by this mark of confidence from my old boss."

In the Royal Skyway suite of the Conrad Hilton Hotel, Adlai Stevenson and his lieutenants sat looking at the face of Harry Truman on their screen. When Truman said the Democrats should name the candidate with greatest experience in foreign affairs, Adlai grunted, reached for his pencil and pad, began taking notes. Fifty-five minutes later, Stevenson fought his way through a crush of humanity to his downstairs headquarters, paid strained but polite respects to Harry Truman, and said: "I expect to be the Democratic nominee."

Steadfast Bastard. Thus last week did Harry S. Truman, the snappin', cracklin', poppin' man from Missouri (TIME, Aug. 13), bring the 1956 Democratic Convention to life by twisting all the previous political equations. With Truman's twist, many Democrats were torn, e.g., Truman Biographer Jonathan Daniels of North Carolina, asked by Harry to support Harriman, replied mournfully: "I feel like a bastard at the family reunion. After you announced that you wouldn't run in 1952, you told me to go out and get Adlai Stevenson to run. Stevenson is still running, and I'm still running for Stevenson."

Although there were no immediate, crashing switches from Stevenson to Harriman, there were tremors in several delegations. Washington State, previously counted at 21 for Stevenson, five for Har-rinian, erupted when Delegation Chairman Henry P. Carstensen, already a Harriman man, declared that Truman's statement had had a "terrific impact" and left the delegation split even. Furious Stevenson delegates from Washington denied Carstensen's statement, began talking about ousting him as their chairman.

Hopeful Sons. Truman's announcement had the greatest immediate effect on the favorite-son candidacies. Southerners, who had been leaning toward Stevenson as a lesser evil than Harriman, began talking about the possibility that a truly conservative candidate might have a chance. Texas' Johnson moved into the convention forefront, with Missouri's Symington also looming large. The Ohio delegation, previously poised to jump from Favorite Son Frank Lausche to Stevenson, took another look, tentatively decided to stay with Lausche for a while. Michigan's Governor G. Mennen Williams, strong in his control of 44 big delegate votes, soared into a highly strategic position. New Jersey's Governor Robert Meyner, with his uncommitted delegation of 36 votes, became highly popular. Even Kentucky's clownish Governor "Happy" Chandler thought he had a sounder basis for his boast that "if Stevenson and Harriman get into a deadlock and it goes beyond the second ballot, then I've got a better chance than anyone else." In fact, the only man that Harry Truman really ruined was Tennessee's Estes Kefauver, who had used up his arm in a sand-lot game last fortnight and, beyond doing what he could to keep his delegates with Stevenson, had little left for the big pitch.

This week all the top Democrats were working--and some were praying. Harry Truman talked to Meyner and two outright Stevensonians: New York's Senator Herbert Lehman and Eleanor Roosevelt. Both Stevenson and Harriman appeared before the 26-vote Arkansas delegation (whose chairman, Governor Orval Faubus, said later that Arkansas was uncommitted but still leaning to Stevenson). Harriman and Stevenson went to church, and it was there that Stevenson got an unkind cut: Fourth Presbyterian Church Pastor Calin Devries chose for his text the words: "Thou has beset me behind and before and laid thine hand upon me."

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