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Checkers speech
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=== Idea for a speech === On September 20, Republican National Committee official Bob Humphreys first suggested that Nixon give a televised speech to the nation to explain his position. RNC chairman and future [[United States Postmaster General|Postmaster General]] [[Arthur Summerfield]] thought well of the idea, but was concerned about the expense.{{sfn|Morris|1990|p=782}} That evening, Nixon conferred with his aides, who unanimously urged him not to resign from the ticket. Humphreys called Chotiner at Nixon's hotel in [[Portland, Oregon]] that evening, and the campaign manager realized that the broadcast was the best opportunity for Nixon to make his case. Humphreys suggested Nixon appear on ''Meet the Press'', but Chotiner rejected the suggestion, insisting that his candidate must have complete control of the broadcast "without interruption by possibly unfriendly press questions". Humphreys mentioned that Summerfield was concerned about the cost of a television broadcast, but Chotiner noted that the cost of reprinting all campaign materials to reflect a change on the ticket would be far more than that of a telecast.{{sfn|Morris|1990|pp=794β795}} The avalanche of editorial opinion continued the following day, Sunday, September 21, but Eisenhower continued to withhold judgment. Eisenhower considered asking retired [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] Justice [[Owen Roberts]] to evaluate the legality of the Fund, but time constraints ruled him out. Eisenhower decided to ask the Los Angeles law firm [[Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher]] for a legal opinion, while asking the accounting firm [[Price Waterhouse]] to audit the Fund's records. Nixon, meanwhile, was encouraged by a supportive telegram from [[Hannah Milhous Nixon|his mother]] and discouraged by one from former Minnesota governor [[Harold Stassen]] urging him to resign from the ticket.{{sfn|Black|2007|pp=236β239}} New York Governor [[Thomas E. Dewey]], a Nixon supporter, called to tell Nixon that most Eisenhower aides favored his removal, and that if Nixon made the telecast, he should call for people to write to express their opinions. Dewey added that if the response was not strongly pro-Nixon, then he should leave the ticket.{{sfn|Ambrose|1988|pp=281β282}} Nixon finally got a call from Eisenhower at 10:00 pm, [[Pacific Time Zone|Pacific Time]], Sunday night. Eisenhower expressed a reluctance to see him leave the ticket, and felt that he should have a chance to make his case to the American people. Nixon enquired if Eisenhower would be able to make a decision on whether to keep him as the running mate immediately after the broadcast, and when Eisenhower equivocated, he angrily burst out: "General, there comes a time in matters like this when you've either got to shit or get off the pot."{{sfn|Morris|1990|p=807}} Eisenhower replied that it might take three or four days to gauge public reaction.{{sfn|Ambrose|1988|pp=281β282}}
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