"Whistle-Stops: The 1948 Presidential Campaigns" delves into one of the most significant political upsets in American presidential history. This hour-long documentary explores whistle-stop campaigns, a crucial part of American political lore. It presents the narratives leading up to Truman's unexpected victory, as recounted by eyewitnesses and historians.
Throughout this documentary, historic recordings from the 1948 campaign trail are featured. Interviews include insights from Pulitzer-Prize-winning Truman biographer David McCullough, President Truman's aide George Elsey, Dewey biographer Richard Norton Smith, Margaret Truman, Walter Cronkite, and other journalists who reported on pivotal moments during the campaign. Additionally, the documentary explores the two splinter factions that emerged from the Democratic party that year: the Dixiecrats with their candidate J. Strom Thurmond and the Progressives with Henry Wallace.
This documentary serves as a poignant reminder that presidential elections are not determined by pollsters, pundits, or journalists but by the will of the people.
"Whistle Stops: The 1948 Presidential Campaigns" from PRX airs Thursday, November 2 at 3 p.m. on WRVO. Listen on-air, online, and with your smart speaker. Just ask it to "play WRVO."
