The Passage of Power (151 page)

“I knew”
:
Johnson,
Vantage Point,
p. 29.

“George”
:
Transcript, “10:17 A.M. to George Meany,” Nov. 23,
TPR,
Vol. I, pp. 93–94.

Telephoned each of them:
Transcripts, “4:20 P.M. to Walter Reuther,” Nov. 23,
TPR,
Vol. I, p. 120; “4:15 P.M. to Dave McDonald; President Johnson joined by Arthur Goldberg,” Nov. 23,
TPR,
Vol. I, pp. 116–19.”
“Liked”
:
Goodwin,
Lyndon Johnson,
p. 181.
“Should be told”
:
Reedy to Johnson, “Diary Backup—November 23, 1963,” Box 1, Diary Backup, Nov. 23.

“It’s just”
:
Transcript, “9:20 P.M. to Martin Luther King, Jr.,”
TPR,
Vol. I, pp. 161–62.
“Sort of”
:
“5:55 P.M. to Whitney Young” and “6:23 P.M. from Whitney Young,”
TPR,
Vol. I, pp. 137–42.

Albert, Weisl, Kappel, Bundy, Brown, Reynolds and Rolvaag transcripts:
TPR,
Vol. I, pp. 94–95, 101–2, 97–100, 95–99, 121–23,132–34,157–58.

Johnson woke:
Salinger,
With Kennedy,
p. 331. In this book, he says simply, “I told him I would stay,” but Shannon, his friend, wrote on the day of President Kennedy’s funeral that Salinger told him he would resign the next day. Shannon,
NYP,
Nov. 25.

Schlesinger’s lunch:
Heren,
No Hail, No Farewell,
p. 16; Shesol,
Mutual Contempt,
p. 143.

“Almost all”
:
Goldman,
The Tragedy of Lyndon Johnson,
p. 17.
“I keep supposing”
:
Schlesinger,
Journals,
p. 206.
“We came”
:
Walton interview.

“I’d like”
:
Sorensen,
Counselor,
p. 368.
“George, I wish”
:
Reedy OH III.
“Johnson really”
:
Dungan OH, LBJL.

Comparing notes:
Wechsler column,
NYP,
Dec. 4.
Johnson reminded him:
Galbraith, quoted in Miller,
Lyndon,
p. 337; Sorensen interview. See also Schlesinger,
Journals,
p. 206: “A telephone call from Ken reported that he had seen Johnson, and that Johnson had asked him to work with Sorensen on the message. Ken seemed in high spirits.… He is a realist.”
“I just want”
:
Schlesinger,
Journals,
p. 209.
With Stevenson;
“I know, and you know”
:
Evans and Novak,
LBJ,
p. 342; Schlesinger,
Journals,
p. 211.
“Don’t expect me”
:
Nicholas Lemann, “The Unfinished War,”
The Atlantic Monthly,
Dec. 1988. Also see Evans and Novak,
LBJ,
p. 340.
“I’m afraid to”
:
Sorensen,
Counselor,
p. 382.
“He did not have”
:
Walter Heller, “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL—Notes on Meeting with President Johnson, 7:40 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 23, 1963,” Papers of Gardner Ackley, microfilm Reel #2, LBJL.
“I don’t know”
:
Dungan OH.
“Please stay”
:
White,
The Making of the President, 1964,
pp. 44, 45.
“In these”
;
“Never once”
;
“restraint”
:
Goodwin,
Lyndon Johnson,
p. 175.
“In [these] first”
:
Evans and Novak,
LBJ,
pp. 339–40.

Bundy entered:
McPherson,
A Political Education,
p. 216.
“Magnificent”
:
Evans and Novak,
LBJ,
p. 340.

“Associates”
:
NYP,
Nov. 25.
“With swollen”
:
Heren,
No Hail,
p. 17.
“Talk the same”
:
Schlesinger,
Journals,
p. 211.
“If you act”
:
Schlesinger,
Journals,
p. 209.

“To me”
;
“I know”
;
“I want you”
:
Sorensen,
Counselor,
pp. 378–80.

“By remaining”
:
Johnson,
Vantage Point,
p. 19.
“Intensity”
:
Evans and Novak,
LBJ,
p. 339.

“The end of the service”
:
Manchester,
Death of a President,
p. 603.
Telephoning O’Brien:
Transcript, “4:04 P.M. to Larry O’Brien,” Nov. 25,
TPR,
Vol. I, p. 158; Busby interview.
O’Brien went to work:
Johnson,
Vantage Point,
p. 39.

“Abrupt, urgent”
:
White,
Making 1964,
p. 48.
“President Johnson”
:
NYT, WP,
Nov. 26.
“Hoping”
:
Box 1, Diary Backup.

“Electricity”
;
“Unprecedented”
:
WES,
Nov. 26.
“Take the measure”
:
Duke, quoted in Miller,
Lyndon,
p. 334.
“Had never worked out”
:
Read interview.
“The President had had”
:
Read, quoted in Miller,
Lyndon,
p. 334.
Prince Kantol:
“Meeting with Prince Kantol, Prime Minister of Cambodia,” Box 1, President’s Appointment File [Diary Backup], Nov. 26.
“Grasping the essence”
:
Read, quoted in Miller,
Lyndon,
p. 334.
“The average dignitary”
:
Nov. 26.
“Understood”
:
Duke, quoted in Miller,
Lyndon,
p. 334.
“The shrewdest man”
:
White,
Making 1964,
p. 45.
“Without smiles”
:
NYT,
Nov. 26.

And then came:
“Memorandum for the President, Subject: Revised Recommended Schedule for Your Meetings with Visiting Chiefs of State …,” Nov. 25, Box 1, President’s Appointment File [Diary Backup], Nov. 25.
De Gaulle had lectured:
Frankel reported in the
NYT
(Nov. 26) that at their previous meeting, “de Gaulle showed scant deference to the then Vice President. ‘What have you come to learn?’ he asked Mr. Johnson coldly that day.”
Unpleasantness had been rekindled:
Johnson,
Vantage Point,
p.23.
“Does that”
:
Transcript, “4:00 P.M. from McGeorge Bundy,” Nov. 25,
TPR,
Vol. I, p. 157.
When de Gaulle now asserted:
Johnson,
Vantage Point,
p. 23.
With
“the real”
:
Read interview; Read, quoted in Miller,
Lyndon,
p. 334.

As he had been walking:
White,
Making 1964,
p. 45.
He had realized:
Reedy interview.
Scranton was waiting:
White,
Making 1964,
p. 45.
Talking points:
“For the President: Agenda for the Meeting with the Governors,” Nov. 25, “Agenda for the Governors’ Meeting,” Box 1, President’s Appointment File [Diary Backup], Nov. 25.
Johnson’s talk to the Governors:
“(
NOT TO BE RELEASED
)—OFF THE RECORD REMARKS OF PRESIDENT JOHNSON TO A GROUP OF GOVERNORS OF THE UNITED STATES PRESENT IN WASHINGTON TO ATTEND THE FUNERAL OF JOHN F. KENNEDY, HELD IN THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE BUILDING, 8:30 pm., Monday, Nov. 25, 1963,” Box 1, President’s Appointment File [Diary Backup], Nov. 25.
“He just”; Reedy was
:
Valenti, Reedy interviews.
They … applauded:
McGeorge Bundy was to say later that evening that “I heard their outburst, and I thought that was very touching—and good.” Transcript, “9:29 P.M. from McGeorge Bundy,” Nov. 25,
TPR,
Vol. I, p. 164.
“Astounded”
:
NYT,
Nov. 26; Reedy interview. Evans and Novak, who spoke to some of the Governors after Johnson’s talk, were to write that “The Governors … were strangely comforted.… There was an atmosphere of confidence, a
presidential
atmosphere of latent power and decision” (italics in original) (Evans and Novak,
LBJ,
p. 348).

“The President showed”
;
“The most impressive”
;
“What about your tax bill?”
:
“HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL—–Troika Meeting with President Johnson, Monday, Nov. 25, 1963. Notes by Gardner Ackley, Box 1, Appointment File [Diary Backup]; Heller OH II.
“Tell them to lay off”
:
Heller OH II.
“I can defend”
;
“you won’t pee”
:
Heller OH II.

Dillon and others had believed:
Dillon to Johnson, Nov. 25, p. 3, “Ex FI 11–4, Nov. 22, 1963—Jan. 22, 1965, Box 59, WHCF SF, LBJL. That attitude is shown when Moyers, in a conversation with Sorensen, says that the President feels that if he can get the budget down in the one hundred billion dollar range, “then he’ll … talk to [Byrd]. Sorensen replies, “I think you can get the tax bill—I
know
you can get the tax bill without doing that … I think that a budget of 101.5 [billion] dollars can be described in such a way—and accurately so—that it’s very clear that it’s an economy-type budget.” A lower figure is not necessary, he says. “The tax bill has the majority of votes on the Finance Committee and has a majority of votes on the Senate floor.” Shortly thereafter, Johnson comes on the phone and tries to explain, saying, “They’re not going to give [us] the tax bill unless we get our budget down to 100 billion [dollars],” and therefore “it’s a question of” either cutting the budget to Byrd’s figure, or losing the tax bill. To which Sorensen replies, “I don’t think that really is the choice.” The president again tries to explain: “Byrd’s just not going to … report any bill, unless somebody gives him assurance it’s not going to be over 100 billion.… I don’t think that 100 billion with the tax bill is as bad as 102 billion without one.” “I’m not sure that
is
the choice, yet,” Sorensen replies. (Transcript, “10:10 P.M. to Ted Sorensen; preceded by Bill Moyers and Sorensen,” Nov. 25,
TPR,
Vol. I, pp. 154–71.
“The President indicating”
;
“We won’t have the votes”
;
“It was as simple”
:
Ackley notes.

To get the budget down:
Ackley notes, pp. 2, 3.
Dillon, Heller agreed:
Ackley notes, p. 3.
They had felt:
Gordon OH.
“Even now”
:
Sidey,
A Very Personal Presidency,
pp. 40–41.

Telephoning not only:
Evans and Novak,
NYP,
Dec. 4.
“All of us”
:
Johnson,
Vantage Point,
p. 39.
“Murdered”
:
Transcript, “10:10 P.M. to Ted Sorensen, preceded by Bill Moyers and Sorensen,”
TPR,
Vol. I, p. 168.

“Charming”
:
Newsweek,
Dec. 2. The
NYHT
commented (Nov. 28) that in the past “he has mumbled or sped through his speeches.”
“Overshadowing”
;
“He knew”
:
Miller, Loye to Parker, “PREX WEEK—–11
(NATION),”
Time
files, in White Papers, Box 321, “LBJL of 22.”
“If it failed”
:
Miller,
Lyndon,
p. 337.

Kilgore telephoned:
Evans and Novak,
LBJ,
p. 419; Kilgore interview.
Telling Busby:
Busby interview; Evans and Novak,
LBJ,
p. 349.
On a notepad:
His full scribble on this point was: “Yesterday product of hate—get rid of object—desire—Hate—International—Justice—Poverty Equality.” Box 1, President’s Appointment’s File [Diary Backup], Nov. 23.

“Commit LBJ”
:
Sorensen,
Counselor,
p. 381.
Short shrift except for Busby:
Sorensen says (
Counselor,
p. 381) that after he had “reviewed all these drafts,” he “decided to start fresh.” And Hubert Humphrey tries to take credit (Miller,
Lyndon,
p. 338) for the crucial line, but in fact the three-paragraph segment is on page 3 of Busby’s draft (“DRAFT: MESSAGE, JOINT SESSION,” p. 3) attached to “The speech as drafted is 1900 words,” “Busby to Johnson, Nov. 26,” Box 89, folders 1 and 2, “Nov. 27, 1963, Remarks of the President before a Joint Session of Congress, House Chamber—Capitol,” Statements File.
“I who cannot”
:
“TCS—Nov. 26, 1963, Mr. Speaker …,” Box 89, folder 1, “Nov. 27, 1963, Remarks of the President before a Joint Session of Congress,” Statements File, LBJL. “At the time I resented the deletion, but now acknowledge that this and other changes were wise,” Sorensen says (C
ounselor,
p. 382).

“A little corning up”
:
Evans and Novak,
LBJ,
p. 348, has “I corned it up a little,” and Murphy that he “added some corn pone” (
Fortas,
p. 119).
“Well, what the hell’s the presidency for?”
:
Fortas, quoted in Miller,
Lyndon,
p. 337.
“Never”
:
To: Parker, From: Miller, “PREX WEEK—11 (NATION),” Nov. 29, White Papers.
His edits:
On “Mr. Speaker …”
A
lso on “TCS—Nov. 26, 1963,” Box 89, Folder 1, Statements File, LBJL.
The text:
“FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—–OFFICE OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY … (AS ACTUALLY DELIVERED), Nov. 27, 1963.

Later he would explain;
“I never thought”
:
Goodwin,
Remembering America,
p. 335.