1948

The wild, combative inside story of the most stunning upset in the history of presidential elections: Harry Truman's 1948 victory over Tom Dewey.


"Outstanding. . . . by far the best yet about the fateful [1948] election." -Minneapolis Star-Tribune


"Coherent, compelling. . . . A skillful, authoritative investigation." -Kirkus Reviews

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The wild, combative inside story of the most stunning upset in the history of presidential elections: Harry Truman's 1948 victory over Tom Dewey.


"Outstanding. . . . by far the best yet about the fateful [1948] election." —Minneapolis Star-Tribune


"Coherent, compelling. . . . A skillful, authoritative investigation." —Kirkus Reviews


Award-winning historian David Pietrusza unpacks the most ingloriously iconic headline in the history of presidential elections—DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN—to reveal the 1948 campaign's backstage events and recount the down-to-the-wire brawl fought against the background of an erupting Cold War, the Berlin Airlift, the birth of Israel, and a post-war America facing exploding storms over civil rights and domestic communism.


"A terrific book. . . . a must-read." —Ron Faucheux, former editor-in-chief, Campaigns & Elections magazine


"David Pietrusza brilliantly portrays President Harry Truman's successful efforts to stave off the challenge of New York Gov. Tom Dewey, who was making a repeat bid as the Republican nominee." —David Mark, journalist, political analyst, and author of Going Dirty: The Art of Negative Campaigning


"Sweeping . . . compelling." —Library Journal