Lyndon B. Johnson

A major work of documentary history--the brilliantly edited and annotated transcripts, most of them never before published, of the presidential conversations of Lyndon B. Johnson regarding the Kennedy assassination and its aftermath.The transition from John F. Kennedy to Johnson was arguably the most wrenching and, ultimately, one of the most bitter in the nation's history. As Johnson himself said later, "I took the oath, I became president. But for millions of Americans I was still illegitimate, a naked man with no presidential covering, a pretender to the throne....The whole thing was almost unbearable."In this book, Max Holland, a leading authority on the assassination and longtime Washington journalist, presents the momentous telephone calls President Johnson made and received as he sought to stabilize the country and keep the government functioning in the wake of November 22, 1963. The transcripts begin on the day of the assassination, and reveal the often chaotic activity behind the scenes as a nation in shock struggled to come to terms with the momentous events. The transcripts illuminate Johnson's relationship with Robert F. Kennedy, which flared instantly into animosity; the genuine warmth of his dealings with Jacqueline Kennedy; his contact with the FBI and CIA directors; and the advice he sought from friends and mentors as he wrestled with the painful transition. We eavesdrop on all the conversations--including those with leading journalists--that persuaded Johnson to abandon his initial plan to let Texas authorities investigate the assassination. Instead, we observe how he abruptly established a federal commission headed by a very reluctant chief justice of the Supreme Court, Earl Warren. We also learn how Johnson cajoled and drafted other prominent men--among them Senator Richard Russell (who detested Warren), Allen Dulles, John McCloy, and Gerald Ford--into serving. We see a sudden president under unimaginable pressure, contending with media frenzy and speculation on a worldwide scale. We witness the flow of inaccurate information--some of it from J. Edgar Hoover--amid rumors and theories about foreign involvement. And we glimpse Johnson addressing the mounting criticism of the Warren Commission after it released its still-controversial report in September 1964. The conversations rendered here are nearly verbatim, and have never been explained so thoroughly. No passages have been deleted except when they veered from the subject. Brought together with Holland's commentaries, they make riveting, hugely revelatory reading.From the Hardcover edition.

"Reaching for Glory is a mesmerizing journey into the inner psychological and emotional life of a frightened, lonely, driven, suspicious man. The Johnson of the secret tapes sees hidden enemies all around him. Disloyal aides are flirting with his nemesis, Senator Robert Kennedy. In Johnson's conspiratorial mind, Communists are behind the Vietnam demonstrations on college campuses. The Soviet Ambassador is manipulating U.S. Senators to oppose the war. Right-wing fanatics are behind black rioters in Los Angeles."--BOOK JACKET.

The recent declassification of "top secret" Vietnam War papers of the Johnson administration provides an unusually intimate portrait of presidential decision making and fills an important gap in the literature on presidents and on the Vietnam War. For years, the Pentagon Papers served as the most influential published collection of Vietnam-era policy making documents. However, as Vietnam scholar George McT. Kahin has written, the Pentagon Papers are "generally very sketchy and inadequate with respect to the political dimension; and for the critical years, 1964–1968, the gaps are particularly extensive." Drawing upon the newly declassified documents and many other Vietnam papers, David Barrett's Lyndon Johnson's Vietnam Papers fills the need for a one-volume collection detailing interaction and confrontations concerning the dilemmas of Vietnam policy. He chronologically presents notes of meetings and phone calls between President Johnson and advisers, as well as meetings with some war critics; memoranda to and from the president; and notes and letters written by friends and associates of Johnson describing his thinking and concerns about the war. This volume offers a first-hand documentation of how and why the United States fought in Indochina in the 1960s; an introduction to the archival holdings for future researchers; and documentary evidence of the major players and their roles in making policy.

Synopsis of the government paper on proposed changes to the constitution.

Pres. Johnson penned this volume as an autobiography from his years in the White House and as Pres. Kennedy's VP. He quite well not only discusses his Presidency but devotes sections of the volume to Vietnam worthy of mention and consideration.

President of the United States discusses his philosophy of government and his views on many great issues of the day.

When her mother has to leave home suddenly, Amanda learns how demanding it is to run a household and care for a baby.