1952 Steel Seizure Revisited - Systematic Study In Presidential Decision-Making

Chong-do Hah and Robert M. Lindquist There is a paucity of conceptual approaches to and systematic case studies of presidential decision making, especially in the area of domestic policy. The three models advanced by Graham T. Allison in Essence of Decision are applied to the 1952 steel seizure to explain why President Truman decided to seize the mills. In the first model analysis, the steel seizure is explained as the action that maximized Truman's goal of maintaining steel production. In the second, it is interpreted in part as the result of the actions of governmental organizations that dealt with the dispute. In the third, it is explained as a makeshift compromise concocted under the pressure of an approaching strike deadline. The Allison approach has some weaknesses, but is found to be useful for explaining presidential decisions. The limitations of presidential power in domestic decision making are noted.'