Early to Bed

The most relaxed Republican in Washington on Nov. 8 seemed to be Dwight D. Eisenhower. His election-eve campaign speech for Richard Nixon was fervent ("I lived with him in hours of intense discussion and thought and soul searching . . ."). But he coughed occasionally, and afterwards remarked cheerfully of his performance: "By golly, I had a hell of a time with that cold." Sprawled comfortably before a TV set, he nodded agreement to Nixon's final appeal speech from Chicago, then declared: "That's his best speech of the whole damn campaign."

Up before dawn next day, Eisenhower arrived by helicopter at the Barlow Firehouse near his Gettysburg farm so early that he had to wait five minutes for the polls to open at 7 a.m. When asked the inevitable question, Eisenhower pointed to his wristwatch, which bore pictures of his grandchildren at four points around the dial: "That's who I voted for."

Early that evening Ike dropped into Republican election headquarters at the Sheraton-Park Hotel, chatted with Cabinet members and grinned at cheering first returns from his Republican home state of Kansas. He declared himself "an old war horse who smells the smoke of battle. For the past two weeks I've been trying to tell the American people what a wonderful choice they had, what an easy choice between dedication and experience rather than an attitude of arrogance and inexperience.'' (It was still possible then to influence West Coast voters.) To the nervous party leaders gathered in Lodge's suite at the Sheraton, Eisenhower cracked: "I want to go to Augusta, but [Press Secretary James] Hagerty won't let me until this is all settled."

Eisenhower made plans for a Cabinet meeting next day to discuss the transfer of power to his successor. Then, back at the White House, Ike left Hagerty with two telegrams to each party, covering either eventuality, went calmly to bed at 10:30. Next morning, a White House spokesman reported that the President was "not happy" about the election's outcome, but hours later Dwight Eisenhower sent Jack Kennedy his congratulations.

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