 By this time , the first wave of what would eventually be more than four million letters , telegrams , postcards , and phone calls had flooded into RNC headquarters and other political offices . While a later study found that only about 7 percent of these communications addressed any substantive issue , they still ran 75 to one in favor of Nixon . Nixon skeptics joined in ; both Stassen and Dewey sent congratulatory telegrams . Many letters included contributions to help pay for the cost of the broadcast ; the RNC eventually recouped four @-@ fifths of the $ 75 @,@ 000 cost . Newspaper switchboards were jammed with calls from people seeking the RNC 's address , while Western Union was caught off guard by Nixon 's request that listeners wire the RNC , and had no extra help on hand . Checkers herself received enough dog food to last a year , and hundreds of collars , leashes , and toys . 
