K1c2 formula explained

The K1C2 formula (sometimes stylized as KC),^[1] was a campaign platform and strategy used by Republican candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower during the 1952 United States presidential election. K1C2 stands for 'Korea, Communism, and Corruption',^[2] representing Eisenhower's key attacks on the Democrats throughout the election: the stalemate in the Korean War, the growing fear of Communism, and the allegations of corruption within the Truman administration.^{[3] [4]}

The idea was ultimately successful, with Eisenhower winning the presidency against Democratic candidate Adlai Stevenson and Republicans securing control of both houses of Congress, leading the election to be described as a 'deviating' one against the backdrop of Democratic dominance through the middle of the century.^[5]

Korea

After United Nations forces retook "Line Kansas" in May 1951,^[6] the Korean War was at a stalemate; the conflict continued, but little territory changed hands.

Communism

The election came in the middle of the McCarthy era when the US was undergoing the second red scare over supposed undercover Communists in American public life.^[7] Eisenhower reluctantly supported Joseph McCarthy in his attacks on Democrats, with Republicans believing him to be a "necessary weapon", despite the fact McCarthy had also started attacking Eisenhower's military mentor George Marshall.^[8]

Corruption

Truman himself was not linked to any corruption, but his connections to the Pendergast machine were scrutinized.^{[9] [10]} Several members of the Truman administration had conflicts of interest or were involved in corrupt activities:

• In 1946, Truman attempted to appoint Edwin W. Pauley, a businessman and Democratic donor, to the post of United States Under Secretary of the Navy. Pauley was seen as unsuited to the post due to his close ties to the oil industry and Truman's continued support for his nomination led to the resignation of Harold Ickes as Secretary of the Interior.
• Matthew J. Connelly (Truman's Appointments Secretary) and T. Lamar Caudle (the head of the tax division at the Department of Justice) were found guilty in 1956 of having accepted oil royalty interests in exchange for allegedly giving lenient treatment to a St Louis shoe salesman charged with tax fraud.^[11] It was later suggested that Caudle was made a scapegoat by Republican lawmakers in order to secure convictions after their election, so as to look tough on corruption.
• Major General Harry H. Vaughan (Truman's friend and military aide) accepted seven home freezers for himself and friends in return for using his influence to fix government contracts.^{[12] [13] [14]}
• E. Merl Young, an official in the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, was found guilty of accepting a gift of a mink coat for his wife from a Washington lawyer in return for favourable loans to certain companies.^{[15] [16]}

To try to stem the corruption, in February 1952, Truman appointed Newbold Morris to head an independent investigation as special counsel.^[17] He also signed an executive order compelling members of the executive branch to co-operate with Morris' inquiry.^[18] Truman's Attorney General J. Howard McGrath objected to Morris' line of investigation (believing the salary surveys Morris was giving out were a "violation of personal rights") and, on 3 April, he fired Morris.^{[19] [20]} Hours later, Truman called McGrath and forced him to resign. This high-profile scandal made sure that corruption would be a major part of the election campaign.^[21]

Though Truman may not have condoned the corruption within his administration, "he behaved so willfully as to seem almost a conscious co-conspirator".^[22] The extent of the problem was such that Richard Nixon, who ran with Eisenhower as Vice President, dubbed it the 'scandal-a-day administration'.^[23]

Notes and References

1. Book: Kevin M. Kruse . Kevin M. Kruse . Davies . Gareth . Zelizer . Julian E. . America at the Ballot Box: Elections and Political History . 2015 . . 21 September 2021 . 9 - "Why Don't You Just Get an Actor?": The Advent of Television in the 1952 Campaign. 167–183 . 10.9783/9780812291360-010 . 9780812291360 .
2. Robert Dallek . Robert Dallek . Presidential Fitness and Presidential Lies: The Historical Record and a Proposal for Reform . . March 2010 . 40 . 1 . 9–22 . 10.1111/j.1741-5705.2009.03751.x.
3. Web site: Alonzo L. Hamby . Harry S. Truman: Impact and Legacy . . 4 October 2016 . 21 September 2021.
4. Web site: Chester J. Pach Jr. . Dwight D. Eisenhower: Campaigns and Elections . . 4 October 2016 . 21 September 2021.
5. Sean J. Savage . Review: I Like Ike: The Presidential Election of 1952 . . May 2018 . 84 . 2 . 509–510. 10.1353/soh.2018.0157 . 159801478 .
6. James L. Stokesbury (1990), A Short History of the Korean War, New York: Harper, pp. 136-137, .
7. Book: Brown . Garrett W. . McLean . Iain . McMillan . Alistair . A Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics and International Relations . 2018 . . 9780199670840 . 4th.
8. Book: Larry Blomstedt . Truman, Congress, and Korea : The Politics of America's First Undeclared War . 2016 . . 9780813166117 . 211 . 6 - The Fall of the Trumanites.
9. Web site: Jon Taylor . Harry Truman and the Pendergast Political Machine . The Pendergast Years . 16 June 2017 . . 26 September 2021.
10. James Boylan . Truman Dogged by Charges of "Favoritism and Influence" . . February–March 2021 . 66 . 2 . 26 September 2021.
11. Web site: Robert Hanley . Matthew J. Connelly Dies; Served as Aide to Truman . . 27 September 2021 . 12 July 1976.
12. Web site: HARRY H. VAUGHAN, MAJOR GENERAL WHO WAS AN AIDE TO TRUMAN, DIES . . 26 September 2021 . 22 May 1981.
13. Web site: H. Walton Cloke . VAUGHAN IS READY TO FACE QUESTIONS; FREEZER GIFT CITED; 'No Information Whatever' Is White House Word on Report Mrs. Truman Also Got One . . 27 September 2021 . 13 August 1949.
14. News: J. Y. Smith . Maj. Gen. Harry Vaughan, Aide to President Truman, Dies at 87 . . 22 May 1981 . 10.
15. Web site: . Merl Young of R.F.C.; Was Named in Scandal . . 27 September 2021 . 22 August 1981.
16. John Burke . Review: The Truman Scandals and the Politics of Morality by Andrew J. Dunar . . August 1986 . 48 . 3 . 773–774 . University of Chicago Press. 10.2307/2131187 . 2131187 .
17. Web site: Paul P. Kennedy . NEWBOLD MORRIS NAMED TO CLEAN UP FEDERAL SCANDALS; Former City Council President Stresses He Is Investigator and Not a Prosecutor TO HAVE SUBPOENA POWER Associate of La Guardia Calls Himself Lincoln Republican, Foe of Spoils System NEWBOLD MORRIS HEADS U. S. INQUIRY . . 27 September 2021 . 2 February 1952.
18. Web site: The President's News Conference . . 27 September 2021 . 14 February 1952.
19. Web site: 'Blow the Lid Off': The Fall of Attorney General Howard McGrath . . 27 September 2021 . 10 December 2020.
20. News: NEWBOLD MORRIS FIRED BY M'GRATH Corruption Hunter Is Given News In Letter . 27 September 2021 . . . 3 April 1952.
21. Book: Sean J. Savage . Margolies . Daniel S. . A Companion to Harry S. Truman . 2012 . . 978-1118300756 . 12 . 27 September 2021 . Truman in Historical, Popular and Political Memory. 10.1002/9781118300718.ch1 .
22. Book: Irwin F. Gellman . The Contender: Richard Nixon, The Congress Years 1946-1952 . 2017 . . 9780300220209 . 372 . 10.12987/9780300228137-021 . 27 September 2021.
23. News: Jack Anderson . Jack Anderson (columnist) . The President and the Caudle Precedent . 27 September 2021 . . . 3 February 1974.