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The Johnson White House Tapes |
Taking Charge: The Johnson White House Tapes, 1963-1964 |
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Recently the Lyndon Johnson Library in Austin, Texas has been gradually releasing these tapes to the public.
Historian Michael Beschloss has edited the tapes into a set of interesting books which would interest any
student of the 1960s, or Presidential historian. Beschloss has made comments and notations to all conversations,
giving the reader a context for the calls.
It is interesting to note that only Johnson knew the calls were being recorded, the other parties did not. The result is a transcription of how leading figures of the world spoke candidly to the President of the United States.
Why did Johnson do this? Perhaps he wanted people to remember him working with these major figures, brokering deals and being friendly. Perhaps LBJ wanted to control as much as possible what history thought of him. Historians like Beschloss, Robert Caro and Robert Dallek have chronicled their conclusions on this subject in their major biographical works on Lyndon Johnson.
For now, if you wish to literally be a fly on the wall of the Oval Office, look at these books. Taking Charge starts immediately upon
the assassination of John F. Kennedy. There are conversations about who killed JFK, and Johnson's
handling of the Warren Commission. The book conatins much about the 1964 Civil Rights Bill, which
faced substantial trouble in the Senate from Southern Senators. There are conversations about
Robert Kennedy's drive to be Vice President, and other business regarding his upcoming
election in November, 1964. There are significant conversations on the expanding war
in Vietnam with powerful figures like Adlai Stevenson, McGeorge Bundy and Senator Richard Russell (D, GA).
A friend of mine listened to the CD-Audio verison of this book on his drive down from Minneapolis, MN to Texas for Christmas. He loved it, and it made the long trip terrific accompanyment. In the case of this book, audio-book listeners will hear the actual LBJ tapes.
Reaching For Glory: The Johnson White House Tapes, 1964-1965 |
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The second book in the series is titled Reaching For Glory. In this edition, it is late 1964 and Johnson just won his re-election, defeating old Senate counterpart Barry Goldwater. It requesting in'his speech to Congress to pass the Civil Rights Bill of 1965. We get to read the President's comments and thoughts on Alabama Governor George Wallace, and conversations with other Southern figures and behind the scenes applications of the famous arm-twisting "Johnson treatment".
Johnson was the kind of man who only played ball when he knew he could win. During this time, he's up at bat and going full swing.
Lyndon B. Johnson Political / Collectible Memoribilla:
Visit our political collectibles page for
Lyndon B. Johnson. Lots of interesting stuff!
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Commentary By Steve Labinski