he might die on the way. kirby had done what he had most wanted to do and was trying not to. i'll jump ahead and say smith survived and he still alive in.kirby and colin smith remained friends fan for about a week or more, have to check my notes, probably it's in the book, kirby was basically an insomniac walking almost like you can imagine from the fashion, unsure, waiting for word of smith and how his neurology was scary and there came a moment later in the book where he gets a phone call from smith's father who says to him basically as long as i'm alive you'll always have a father in ohio. so that is the outcome of that

scene. [inaudible conversations] >> good afternoon and welcome to the william g mcgowan theater here at the national archives. i am sure to come archivist of the 90s tape and am pleased you could join us weather here in the auditorium return mystery you tube station and an official welcome to our c-span booktv viewers. before we hear from kyl longley about his new book, "lbj's 1968" at that study about two other programs coming up here in the theater this evening at 730 in partnership with the constitution and james madison mark hillier could be presented panel discussion that the united

states constitution in a program entitled for us by us, america's trust and expectations of the constitution, moderator judy woodruff will lead a discussion of the results of a national survey come back to my james madison's montpelier, creed with a vote better understand understand how americans relate to our government and founding documents. on wednesday, september 26, mark lubavitch will be here to tell us about his latest book on latest book, big income in the nfl endangers times in the book signing will follow the program. you may think a sports book is strange fodder for the national archives, but we are getting ready for a big exhibit in tony toni tone all-american sports in the united states. so check our website or sign up at the table outside the theater because he'll also find information about other national archives programs and a dvd is.

another way to get more involved in the national archives is to become a member of the national archives foundation at the foundation supports all of her education in our project dvds and there is an application on their website, archives foundation.org where you can join. 1960 was the year of turmoil that last decompression on those impression on those who lived through it. newspaper in the nightly news were crowded with stories of unrest of civil rights assassinations and looming over all that the war in vietnam. upstairs in the o'brien gallery for an exhibit examining the war from its world war ii origins to the fall of saigon. in the section that covers the events of 1968 to find a page from lyndon to march 31st televised speech that nation. in concluding his speech he made the surprising amount meant that he would not run for president

in the coming election. lbj reflected back in 1968 i sometimes felt i was living in a continuous nightmare. it was so and returned to kyl longley now to hear how lbj meant them. i'm very happy to introduce kyl who happens to be onest sff meme national archives and records administration. in late july kano became the first director of the lyndon baines johnson library in austin, texas. he came to us from arizona state university where he is a professor history and clinical science and held administrative positions including associate director of the school of historical philosophical and religious studies and head of the history department. he's active in national academic organizations including the american historical association, organization of american historians and society of historians of american foreign relations. pilots mostly prize-winning author who has published or

edited eight books with another in january 2019. he's also contributed to "newsweek," the "washington post," "new york times" and "the los angeles times." ladies and gentlemen, please welcome kyl longley. [applause] >> i'm so happy to be here in d.c. although i joke we've had two weeks worth of rain in austin. i haven't seen the sun and i was hoping to get away from that, but unfortunately i can no more rain. we were happy with them we were happy with them in the rain to 12 and a half inches over two weeks is a little much for me especially after leaving arizona where you get eight inches the whole year. it has been a transition but i'm so happy to be here. and happy to be part of the national archives staff. i'm so fortunate and leading a library which i've always worked in or at lease for the last 20 years and it has an incredible staff and that's one of the

reasons and they called me to ask me to apply for the job i said yes because i knew that was an incredible place to be at the incredible archivist, people who develop museum. in fact, we are about to finish a series called get in the game about race and gender in american society, which has been a major exhibit since april. we're looking forward to another was guarding next april in motown. bleeding such an organization within the larger organization has been a great honor and will continue to be. i am happy to come here today to talk to you about lbj in 1968. david did an incredible job. we didn't even coordinate all mess, at setting up the presentation. what i want to do today is it is a larger book in a mix of issues like the pueblo incident, tet offensive, assassinations of robert kennedy and martin luther king, the forward of this affair are nomination in democratic

national convention. many of you in looking across the room, there were a few of you who are of a chicken remember this. not many, but i see a few that might have. people always ask me, would he remember? i was five, so i don't remember a whole lot. as an historian of got another topic quite well. again, and many of my other books have related to the 60s including two books on combat soldiers in vietnam and i'll just tell a quick story. david the first time i met him, the first thing i did was presented him with a copy of my book knowing that he himself is a veteran and i do appreciate all the national archives especially this last year. i think this is something we are going to continue to discuss. it's not going away. i touted every semester almost but i was at arizona state and people would say i'm getting tired of it? the answer is unequivocally no. the 60s unequivocally no.

then they start the day and david did a great job setting this up with about. i will spend my entire presentation on the march 31st decision because i would bet many of you that were old enough remember exactly where you were when you heard that announcement. i found that time and time again. i'd like to step about the news that understanding the book covers a great deal more, but this is sort of good a shotgun approach adopted would be its effect is diving into one particular incident that really i would argue is a transformative. her transformative watershed in american history. that is the march 31st 1968 speech which transformed even more so the rest of the year. so it begins sunday, march 31st, starting with early morning wake-up call for president johnson and his wife who hurried to dress to meet their daughter london who had taken a redeye flight from san

diego. there she left behind her has been, chuck ross who is repairing vietnam. tired in several months pregnant, and arrived around 7:00 a.m. she looked exhausted as so much so that lady bird characterized her as like a ghost, pale, tall and droopy. lbj concurred noting she seemed lonely and bewildered. as the worst separation local intrusions into her young life. obviously distraught after leaving her husband, linda looked at her father announced, quote, why was her has been going away to fight and maybe die for people who did not even want to be protected, end quote. speechless, lbj said he wanted to confront her -- comfort her but could not. linda's question deeply wounded her father could ladybird found him afterwards and observed his face was sagging and there were

such pain his eyes as that had not seen since his mother died. it is vietnam that will ultimately be the achilles' heel as one person described it, the arsenic that will bring down the johnson presidency. but other side of the world as the president sometimes referred to the quagmire consumed him. he consumed the country with daily reminders on television and the newspapers and others became permanently disabled, and johnson really anywhere without someone protesting u.s. involvement in southeast asia. every call to go from wild mood swings between anger and melancholy and had a dramatic effect. by 9:00 a.m. that morning, he added to the west hall to meet with his former speechwriter who occasionally came in and did special speeches. here come it takes the notes johnson instructed his old

friend. he worried and keep in mind the president in his state of the union speech in january had carried the speech announced that he would not seek reelection because he had written a that time, but at the last moment the president decided not to. or decided to pull it. but he worried that this is going to be another repeat of the january state of the union. so he asked the president very earnestly that he said are you serious about this? johnson responded i don't know whether it about another four year term here. i want out of this cage. busby knew that many people oppose the president not seek seeking reelection. one was coming up on 16 years to the date when harry truman had made the same decision. but busby says everyone around you thinks you will do anything

to hang onto power. this impression has colored the whole public reaction to your presidency. in a continued i personally feel if you take a step will help in the long term for the people to see better all you've accomplished in your administration. johnson responded, yes i think you're right. it's very compelling. after a short pause they continued the conversation. johnson says i rather like what you read in january and he instructed busby to put together a draft and to stay in the treaty room and work on it. don't let a soul no year-over-year. then he headed towards the elevator and they are busby asking the obvious question, what you think your chances are going through with it? the president stopped, thought for a moment and replied, 8020 against it. soon the president handed out t-shirts are her husband not

nugent over to saint dominic's. they have been a very warm and pleasant day per the cherry blossoms were in bloom but this day was stark and brewery, rainy and in some ways reflect the mood of the president and the country. as he sat there and massive thing dominick's catholic church, he thought to himself, whenever i walk through the red room and i'll hang in there cometh out of and stretched out upstairs in the white house. but the machinery of american government in disarray around him. this is going to be an important factor in why the president decides not to seek reelection. he talks about his serious heart attack and if you don't mind i'll just digress. he almost died in 1955. he was out visiting a lobbyist they are and what was ironic

about it is in the process of having a major coronary so they decide they need to get back in bethesda. they search for an ambulance. so they ultimately decide they're going to send them in a hearse and address a hearse to northern virginia to bethesda. is fair, the first question he asked the.theresa leigh be able to continue to melt. he'd been smoking three or four packs a day. the doctor said obviously no. can i have one last one? the doctor goes okay, one last one. as he finishes the cigarette he flatlined. that's how close he was to do and it had a dramatic effect as well as his history when of the johnson and with plastic sea. a grandmother who had a stroke and she'd sit there in the family parlor can not communicate in those things sink into his mind. but they were the author things. summer of 1967 had been a

horrible summer with the race riots in detroit and newark. vietnam, protests in the streets. i was talking to a friend before because of another fellow colleagues. mom and dad took him to work and remember the march on washington . johnson ultimately settled in mrs. a couple things important. the issue of vietnam is created hostilities among the americans as i had feared. as they said on that sunday morning he pondered, wanted to quote, heal some of the wounds and restore unity to the nation. the speech might help do that. i deeply hope so. i think there is another level to it that has now been added. it's personal. in the process of having to vietnam and the other, lucius has been for most in the process

of shipping out in the next four to six weeks. suddenly became not to say lyndon johnson didn't let every casualty affect him. he did. he was deeply wounded. he was deeply affect dead. you see that in the cover of my book, the famous shot of him in the cabinet room with his head in his hands as he is with nina chuck roth outlined the loss of several men in my 68 -- i know some are sitting there going he brought it on himself. to a degree that is true, but there's a lot of other fact is pushing him and he always commented on my favorite one was i always felt like a big old cat dish looking at a worm, knowing that i'm hooked and unable unable not to bite into it. when he was talking about vietnam. a number of other things. so as he left, he announced it to lucy and he was hoping for a

good response. i'm really happy are going to do this. she said it's far more complicated than that. but deep down, here's what i think is important. not everybody will agree with this and not everyone has. i truly believe there were two major things here. if he did not think he was going to make it past any know after richard nixon if i'm not mistaken committed after it has been underrated in 1923, lyndon johnson dies, massive coronary. again, he also sees this as a chance to resurrect his legacy. not only in vietnam, but also focusing on arms control with the soviet union. also trying to do some work with the chinese. all related of course to vietnam. always the first thing in the last thing he thinks about for the most part each and every day. but it's important to keep in

mind. so that afternoon he went around. this is typical lyndon johnson. they asked them what their opinion was. but they did ultimately come back after he'd been to church after he made it's rounds around the white house. and that's the person when he comes back to visit, his long face sagged. a deep melancholy filled his eyes and he seemed impossibly tired. well, the president asked him immediately, while judge, how much have you finished? a sentence or two, which was his normal way. inside, but he handed him four pages and his large hands immediately flew up and he says you must really want me out of this town. johnson circles the rooms.

generally found a quiet room. finally this reads much better. except that the initial dreadlocked lovely. you may make a speech writer yet. considering he'd written most of his most famous sons in 19641965. the president quarter hour later returned and again start pacing the room. i is going to the ceiling. after few minutes or so most are small circular table in the middle of the room and took out his pen and dirty scribbling notes. he could never go without editing. finished editing, to the draft and suddenly hear you better take this. i'm going over for a while and it might fall out of my pocket. laughing heartily he winked i don't want the sewing the hands of the enemy. after this he went and delivered it -- the message to several important people, but especially

his wife. he met with arthur graham and his wife, matilda salus lady bird in the piece outlining what the last section of the speech and i bet most of you remember this one very much. i shall not seek and would not accept the nomination of my party is for another term as your president. you can't mean this. but lady bird started taking note, typical of lady bird feared she was dirty preparing. but she knew -- he knew she had an ambivalent about this. she would never -- and she knew if we lost, well, well and good, we are free. but if we didn't run, we could be free without the training of our friends. deep down she still remains increasingly just not do it.

she's famous throughout his career, whether it be in 1964 before the atlantic city convention were you saying i don't need to run. how can these people respect me back to 1948 when he goes basically into a depression as they are fighting out the closeness of the senate race, the democratic nomination. but she still thought and she did enunciate, maybe it was the calm and she didn't say maybe it was time. maybe with the finality of lyndon's voice and maybe we believed him for the first time. he returns to busby again. and again, song and dance. they're all against you. you'll never go to the west wing again. does he thought to himself, well, i knew he must of been testing out the reactions, still deliberating, still wanting to know what other side before he decided what he finally thought that this is not abnormal and outside of this title. he goes ahead and praises this

man. it does appear like it's going to become more final appeared within half an hour after making a few minor adjustments, he hands it has a drive to her to type it. so as they're sitting there, busby sat in the remaking of humor changes. she sat next day not been, but obviously angry. when you think about it he asked? i'll type it. are you for it? i am not. this is going to be important because a lot of people were opposing it. they didn't want. sometimes people have said well, he was not going to run because robert kennedy had gotten into the race and he didn't relish a fight with kennedy. both depp the structure in march march 1968 and had a good chance

of winning. mccarthy and kennedy were going to split their vote. the system at the time was basically a rule were basically it was all superdelegates with only a few respect in their primary results. johnson's polling numbers are actually fairly high -- they had numbers against everyone and he won including nixon by a substantial margin. only nelson rockefeller got close to johnson in his 1968 polls. so i think that sms take that johnson would run away from a fight i must racially if bobby kennedy, who you despise and robert kennedy's competition up there with hamilton and burr and very few i can match as far as american history and it must've been on facebook who compares. great summer over the dominican republic but there weren't many. well, he did have some support,

including governor john calmly. johnson or connolly had called for george christian, his press secretary and said to the president, not directly and i'll explain why in a moment, last night would have been better than tonight because time is running out. he ended up by castigating the president saying no more agonizing reappraisals. they asked why he didn't call directly. george christian laugh. haven't you heard, everything is normal now. they are not speaking these days. this was done outside the norm either. so by the late afternoon, if i'd had enveloped people in the white house.

and looked at each other helplessly -- he wanted to do something, but what? how dare he do anything with the decision so momentous, one i could find no means implement or take the responsibility for making it turn out right. and that's the time drug on she kept looking at the hands of the clock and counting the hours till 9:00 p.m. the president goes through again. clifford had been there when he made his decision to make this announcement march 27th, 1952 but he would not seek reelection. just going back over this was actually march 29th 1952. so people are captivating, is he going to do it? is he not? some silly that he wouldn't.

marvin watson, one of the people closest to him told the secretary lbj had not made up his mind regarding whether he will run or not. even lady bird wavered. wondering about the state of the union speech and here's probably the best line in the whole story. lbj admitted when did i make a decision announced an evening of march 31st 1988, the speech started at 9:00 and i made my decision at 9:01. so as tension fills the white house, as people know this is being debated, the president does enter the oval office around 15 minutes before the speeches start. granted dark black suit, burgundy tie, looking very calm and did and i was happy to hear that there's actually some of the materials in the exhibition related to the speech. just before 9:00, lady bird

walked over to the large dark mahogany desk worker has been sacked. she noticed the lines in his face are deep, but there is a marvelous propose overall. she leaned over and said remember, pacing and drying, she returned to know she takes her seat he begins, tonight i want to speak with you at peace in vietnam and southeast asia. the other question so preoccupies our people. nearly 20 minutes johnson focus on jumpstarting the peace process. he says, tonight i ordered our aircraft in our nato vessels to make no attacks on vietnam. he's going to tell this national audience you need only if section of productivity and see where forces continue to mobilize. as we move towards the end, it got really serious. when america sends in the field far away, with america's future

on the challenge right here at home, with our hopes for peace and the balance every day, i do not believe that i should devote another hour or day of my time to any personal, partisan causes or to any duties other than matt diaz and duties of the presidency of the united state. accordingly, i shall not seek and i will not accept the nomination of my party or another term as your president. he wastes little time making the transition with a rhetorical flourish that what is made jfk. to let men everywhere, however strong, but confident and vigilant america stands ready to seek an honorable peace and stands ready tonight. whatever the price, whatever the burden, whatever the sacrifice and duty may require.

goodnight and god bless all. i know and i've talked to so many people. you may remember exactly where you were and that there was a collect gasp when he made this announcement. people looked at each other. i've got a great picture -- i don't think it's in the book that i've used my presentation of students at kent state looking at each other like did we just hear that? is that what we just heard the president saying he would not seek reelection? and the answer was yes. sitting out the basket as the lights dimmed at all bj felt the weight of the world lift off of him. all day he struggled with the decision. he did it and gladly so. now he could escape the dungeon of the presidency, but hopefully not before securing a path to vietnam and reducing the blemish on his record. as he finished, the family

surrounded him. fighting back the tears, very emotional one, the younger one, linda to support her father and of course lady bird would've been there through thick and thin. deep down ladybird expressed relief. again, she didn't know until the end whether she would actually announce it. she knew about it but she'd seen them do it before. as he leaves, he heads upstairs. richard daley calls in azeri going to draft you cannot all play out in the story of 1968. when he made the announcement, i can think of you standing in front of the wilson portrait. knowing that symbolize the toll it always took on the president. the knife is not over for all bj, changed into blue turtleneck

, appearing very lighthearted, happy and relieved. then he left to meet 35 reporters. enjoying the shock journalism, you could see them wanting and clamoring and how were vocal bullets are decision. just as they were vocal bullets the statement said. completely a revocable. you just take the statement and read it. there were no word, i just made it. another asked whether he felt like you were sacrificed. i am not sacrificing anything. i am doing what i think is right. to permit me to render the maximum possible service in a limited time i have left.

after the press conference ends, the president retired to his living quarters. about midnight deceased arthur looked at his friend and i think this is really important. he said i was never sure of any decision i made in my life and i never made any more unselfish. of the 525,000 men whose very lives depended on what i do. i can't worry about the primaries. now working full-time for the men for the men out there. the only guys that won't be back here by the time i turned and are the guys left in their last day or two. we know how that worked out. i do think deep down he could pull up the middle. the effort to find a way to explicate the united states from vietnam became an all-consuming effort, one that dominated the last nine months of his presidency. it ensured some games, but

ultimately undermined by his inability to let people, others, including the vice president shaped the outcome as well as campaign efforts in undermining the last-minute negotiations. but it became a major part of his struggle to try to resurrect and again we know the outcome. but we also know that fundamental change that occurred that day changed america. it changed the outcome in vietnam. not necessarily for the best, but it did change the trigger to read. after this point you rarely see anyone talking about the idea of winning victory. it is about negotiating even by the nixon people a just and fair withdrawal. this is important. march 31st transformed america and lyndon johnson did this and unfortunately for him, other things interceded. a few days later martin luther

king had been sought and won because he thought his numbers overnight from about 40% support to 60. four days later the country broke apart and that change the true trajectory as well as many other tragedies and night out loud those in the book. so at that point i'll stop here and take some questions. thank you for your attention. [applause] yes, sir. >> mr. longley, thank you so much for being here today. i'm a college student in the washington d.c. area. when i was in middle-school in 2006 i did research at the lbj library and that truly was a formative it's variants. >> of that dear that is the

director. i had the opportunity to visit the library again in august august 2017. and what my question in, there are numerous accounts of president johnson's final meeting with robert kennedy in april 3rd, 1968. do you know when and where president johnson's final meeting with dr. king once? >> that's a good question. i don't have an answer. i'm smart enough to know, but i know people that will have the answer. but that famous one of glad you brought that up, the april 3rd meeting since so much about this rivalry between the two. if you don't mind i will tell that story. if you see me afterwards come

and give me an e-mail and i'll have my people find that answer out. but what happened was right after he announced he was not going to seek reelection, robert kennedy comes trying to determine whether the president with day out in the democratic primaries. and see who the cabinet members could go and basically says yes they can make their own decisions. what's interesting about it is johnson at the end of the meeting after the reading goes and says plainly back the tape. and they went to play the tape and there was nothing on it. bobby kennedy brought a scrambler to the meeting. it's a great story and i'm sorry i cannot do that other one. i'm going to say it's probably back the four defendants speech in 1967. after that it's pretty much irreparable. >> thank you for the

presentation. for the confusion in the 60s, johnson started the war -- [inaudible] better peace and justice for the people. [inaudible] they assassinated -- [inaudible] >> that is a great question. the answer is it is extremely complex than i could write a dissertation on it. you know, my wife always wants me to try and keep my answer short and to the point here is something this complex would not be. for example of the civil rights era he is still seeking justice.

in 65 and 67 in newark and detroit lead to a lot of counter and backlash. the one book i had to tell people to read or understand the last 50 years of america and issues of race is about by dan carter called the politics of rage and how he was able to tap into that backlash. peace in vietnam, infinitely more complex. i don't think he was truly committed. he is a san antonio formula in august 1967, but the north vietnamese weren't interested. so the peace movement really i think begin after the tet offensive and one with the march 31st but they been debated these issues and i could go into great detail and i do talk about this in the book about how it changed the whole dynamic and at the johnson to sort of say we can't win like

this. there's got to find a just and equitable peace, but still fundamentalist south vietnam be notified on its own. again, i can go into much greater detail. it's complex, it's new ones. johnson would change his mind after this decision sometimes daily on vietnam. whoever he was listening to at the time. walt rossdale, much more hawkish than clark with her. it was complex. but here is what i always say about john did in the pivotal year is 1966. 64, 65 great accomplishment. the congressional races have been in you see deceives raises a dynamic than the ones that come in are infinitely more conservative than they align with the derivative democrat and basically stalled johnson programs, which has been made an argument in a number of calls.

infinitely more complex than i can give it a two minute, three minute it there, but i do think it is one worth discussing. thank you. yes, sir. >> thank you. i was have to say i'm not from the united states. i'm from the caribbean from a small island in the caribbean, which i wish i was there today. i want to ask a few questions because there's a sense going into the abyss inheritance from kennedy, right. [inaudible] no question about it. the outcome of the cold war and the competition. but did he at some point, i mean he was surrounded by so-called

investment writers, to a certain extent inherited, was there any serious debate at certain points to say, look, this doesn't make any more sense for certain inherent lamented taking clear it would not reach out anymore. that's the first question. >> let me answer your questions as they come so i don't forget. as i get older, i've only been at the job a few and they still have me running very quickly in the mind is always freezing. then we picked up first question. where there's serious debates about my continuing along the path in vietnam? i would answer absolutely not. there were some voices of dissent like george ball, but if you read the work choosing war, which i think is a classic come to you read h.r. but masters work on a dereliction of duty come you get very strong

indication that there wasn't a serious debate and it was incrementalism that will ultimately cost the united states and this is where you see long-term debate still going on and we could discuss vietnam all day. the idea of the incremental around the other extreme, but there were a lot of questions raised time and time again about the ability of the south vietnamese government to stand on its own. so that is how it would be absurd. you notice to not answer it directly because what i was always taught is to get more information. it's even more complex than giving the shirt totally absurd. these guys they think a really good job. fred lo bought and h.r. mcmaster and many others. staff walked into my office the other day and saw a row after row of all the books on vietnam but i've read.

i didn't realize there was this much in vietnam. you want to see what i have at home. second question. >> the second question you touched on it. i think it's called the chino affair under nixon. we know that he was tremendously troubled about this issue and is a certain point even played with the idea of confronting nixon have even openly speaking about it. how do you see him not really -- there's a complex reason. >> i'll give you three. >> do you see that at the beginning of a kind of potential fundamental corruption of what we have seen with the president? the iran-contra affair, what is going on now, if you had stood up and confronted with all the

problems that led to come and do you believe that would have been a better idea looking back or do you believe the complexity of the situation, the political cost and stuff like that. >> i give you my answer real simply am not. there's two major reasons lyndon johnson did not confront. he actually gave the information and hubert humphrey who also chose not to use it. a number of things will play out. i have a good chapter in the book. also can be as wonderful book in very good, too. the two major reasons i think one is it's very late in the process. he's not sure it would've made that much difference, especially as they gathered more interest. two, he would've had to admit you've been spying on american citizens as well as bugging south vietnamese embassy as well as nsa was spying on the

presidential palace in saigon. that doesn't look good. finally, he didn't want to diminish the presidency because he thought nixon was going to win and a constitutional presence. now, here's the interesting thing. had johnson lived past 1973, they lived in 1976, how deeply with how deeply would they have regretted that decision? he didn't see watergate. he died before it. this is the way of explained it. i would've seriously regretted not bringing that information. i wrote an interesting op-ed on the comparisons between president obama in president johnson on decisions on what to let out their. i think this played a lot to the degree. i think he would've regretted it and not the way i'm going to answer it. what is at finding things? i don't know. we know through the church

committee hearings what was going on. we know through the pentagon papers this has been going on for a very long time, so i don't really think it would've made all that much difference. look, you have the church committee hearing on watergate. did that stop it? no, absolutely not. just one little segment i'm not sure would've made that much difference either. i'll just do the tag team. >> my grand parents invited all adult children and grandchildren to look at this speech. they all felt for sure that johnson would've announced his reelection. i'm going to clean up the language, but my grandma said all the elderly people and the african-americans will vote for him and he'll win. everyone was absolutely shocked. there was a feeling there goes

vietnam. there's no reason for us to be there. we thought we had a chance. my question is, how did members of congress react to this speech and were they any more friendly to any parts of his legislative pack it? >> yeah, i've written a biography of albert senior and he said glowing words about the president's decision. if anything, fulbright did awesome. now, the problem is four days later, king is assassinated and all breaks loose. so while the gains that have been garnered our lost immediately. had that not happened, might change some of the dynamic, but we know that happen and we know what continues to transpire by june the assassination of bobby kennedy, the democratic national convention and into the election. but your grandmother's point was

well made and this was one i made time and time again. hubert humphrey came close. close to it. hubert humphrey had virtually no support in the south. lyndon johnson held onto a lot of support in the south that wallace wallace was dividing them up. nixon was having some troubles in the south but he really developed some strategy in 1970. it's an historical question. we can answer it. i still agree with your grandmother would've been high high probability he would've held on. the people did not necessarily trust nixon. wallace was cutting and today's gains. the problem is poor, poor hubert. he had a great statement and i got this in the book.

they were so strong that it didn't matter when. i could've taken a portion the president and passed on him in times square and people would've said what took you so long. i think that wraps it up pretty good. i talk about this in the book. i think the president did undermine humphrey especially in the august. ended damage his opportunities. so i talk about that in great detail. yes, ma'am. >> first of all, i kind of disagree with his grandmother. i was in high school i was 17 in 1968. it seemed to me at the time that i'm not sure that he would've even got a nomination, let alone one. it was that war -- >> he would've won the nomination no doubt in my mind because he controlled the part t party apparatus. it's not until 72 that we see a reform of the democratic party

apparatus to boot out of the rule which could cause a lot of problems. so i mean come at illinois controlled primary daily, and under the unit will come the basically leadership make the decision on who voted in chicago. i think he would've got the nomination. of course there's all kinds of variables. it is an answer we can't say. but i can just make a point that i do think there is a probability, relatively high that he would've done fairly well. if humphrey could get within 300,000 votes, lyndon johnson would've pushed it. but we can't prove it. thank you. i was a good question and they never mind being good. i'm married, so i'm used to that. don't repeat what i just announced ceramic trouble. [laughter] >> i was a student at kent state in 1968 finishing up the masters

in physics. [inaudible] you said can stay. that's a big difference. and i was also unfortunately on the faculty and can stay the night in 70. but my question historically i like to look back and i had historically. what do you think is lbj's long-term impact on our current political situation? obviously he had a big impact on the democratic party, particularly in the south. what do you think is his long-term impact? >> here's what i'm going to plug for. come visit our library. and when you go to library, the thing that stands out, a lot of people that are not old enough or have a really paid that much attention always think of lbj and they think vietnam.

when you walk through our library and you see the 400 pieces of legislation that were signed by lyndon johnson and of course we've got an outline. how many of you have been there? so a lot of the that can go. you will see the environment, medicare, civil rights. you just go through a whole litany. you're ceramic in the argument in the book and i have to be careful here because i don't want to dive too much into contemporary debate. i would argue very strongly the debates we are having today in congress throughout the country relate much more to the great society than any other part of our political continuum. again, environment, civil rights. you know, education, with several federal government. you just go across the spectrum. lyndon johnson had a significant

impact. probably not exceeded by fdr, but in the contemporary 1933, it is there. even ronald reagan made this point. he said i'm not against fdr, but i didn't like lyndon johnson. given that it was for sale. listen to the debate today, we are still debating lyndon johnson's legacy whether we wreck i again across the spec ram. that the party make in the book. we've been dealing with north koreans for a while. we are dealing with supreme court nominations to the chief justice and homer thornberry was a lame duck president should not build to make that decision. so everything has a continuity there. and again, it and that's what makes it so important to understand the spirit in the

johnson presidency and i will make this argument very strongly both as direct or the 1960s soviet period of fascination throughout our history. read it through the civil war, world war ii. this period, so i know the good thing for me on that his research will continue to come to the johnson library to understand these issues even more so. so i'm happy about that. if you haven't been, please come. we would love to host you. boston's a pretty good time especially for bbq. we do things very, very well. >> i spent 27 years living in texas before relocated to maryland. >> okay, what part? the mac for worth. >> fort worth is a good -- [inaudible] >> okay, you and i are in the same boat. [inaudible] >> remember the newspapers the next day.

i guess one comment with eve as far as it johnson -- how worse the 68 convention without then with him trying to get the nomination. other of the could've been worse. >> that's the problem. johnson contributed to that. i talk about in the book. hubert humphrey wanted to have the convention in miami far away from the radical madison in berkeley. he also knew that there is a higher probability with mayor daley's tax except there would be confrontation. johnson also pointed the chairman of the convention but if humphrey do it with admin muskie. he put myself. the saddest part in the whole

book, it's his birthday in august of 1967 for 68. he's at the ranch any thinking they're going to call him to come up to the convention. maybe even to be drafted, which aides will say he would not have taken anyway. but he would've liked to have been asked. he starts getting the information back about how contentious it is, how would stir it up. again, that is working on the premise of bobby kennedy's assassination. all the different bad things that happen partly because he announces the decision not to seek reelection. i don't disagree, but chicago is going to be hard to get much worse than it was. >> you said at the outset that they were talking that vietnam had to get beyond this. i realized in retirement

recluse, and was there any realization on his part it would take nixon's so long to end the war that vietnam was going to be considered much more than a blemish on his record given how long it was taking to finish up? >> that's a good question. of course he would look at and say if i'd been in control of another lasted this long and 23,000 more americans wouldn't have died. and he would look and say, well, if they interfered in the peace process in the latter stages of a president be and they have been for a year and a half a sickly, maybe we would've got something accomplished. >> it's in a historical question which is historians who sometimes hesitate to answer because we can't answer them. there's so many variables. i teach a lot -- i talk a lot in her honors college at arizona's tape which was the best honors college in the country.

so i had incredible students and i got a lot of engineers taking classes on the vietnam war. the thing that i was frustrated them was i couldn't put it in black and white terms. there was a lot of gray, a lot of nuance and they couldn't basically put it in that way at the way they thought about the world. a lot of them they struggle and you couldn't answer these kinds of questions. this natural law. there are important politics. it's hard to find those natural laws. so again, can answer the questions, but i do think i'd go back to he would've said i would've done a better and i'm going -- i give you one final thing at. he did not like richard nixon despite what they are for trade to have some kind of relationship he was happy he won. that was not the case.

the library was open in 1971 for 72. i'm still learning. i've only been there two months. richard nixon came down for the open. they have this beautiful 10 story building i'm in the library private suite out for the president and he had a special shower because he was a big man with a lot of water pressure. nixon came up. if you've ever been in texas in august you know it's miserable. not a place you want to be. nixon comes up and goes i need to shower. i soaked through my shirt. the 1960 debate overshadowed in not doing well. he says yeah, go take one in the shower. he forgets to tell him what the water pressure is like. he stands outside and when nixon get knocked on the spot, johnson is laughing. so, you can't see that as bad as

we still have that sweet and still just like it was in 1971 and it's a remarkable place. so that makes the point. johnson did like -- not like nixon. is a long-standing animosity going back to 1950 in the senate race when nixon ran against douglas where you just trashed. he didn't forget very easily. .. >> in front row tyler, chief of

protocol for president johnson, who was married on bess able who was chief of staff for lady bi bird. >> this yearbook tv marks 20 years of bringing country top nounon fiction authors. >> former secretary of state john kerry discusses his life and career. he is interviewed by former congresswoman jane harman. afterwards a wokely interview program with relevant guest