>> from minneapolis, the life of hubert humphrey is profiled in "the contenders."

[shouting] >> mr. chairman, my fellow americans my fellow democrats, i proudly accept the nomination of our party. [applause] this moment, this moment is one

of personal pride and gratification. one cannot help but reflect the sadness that we feel over the troubles and the violence which have erupted in the streets of this great city. and for the personal injuries which have occurred. >> that is hubert humphrey accepting the 1968 democratic nomination for president. the democrats had gathered for the convention in the midst of the vietnam war while thousands of protesters demonstrated outside. hubert humphrey is the focus of this week's program. we are live from minnesota

history center. mick caouette is the documentarian of hubert humphrey's life. we are standing in the middle of an exhibit about the tumultuous year of 1968. i want you to set the stage for people. this country was in an uproar about the vietnam war. set the stage. >> the vietnam war had been going on for 15 years. it was obvious to everyone that the war was not being one. it reached all the way to the american embassy in saigon. president johnson's approval ratings just plummeted. bobby kennedy was joining the race. it was utter chaos. right after president johnson --

three days later, martin luther king was assassinated. the first part of the year was a terrible chaos. >> people were turning on their radios to wake up and there seem to be another huge story every day. we will try to tell some of that story. we will be here for two hours. we will learn more about the history of the times and the biography of senator humphrey. we will begin taking your telephone call so you can be part of our discussion. what is important for young people to understand? what is different about the wars we fight today is the draft. this was real in the sense for american families. >> the draft was the point at which the protest started. when the draft was instituted. now people have a choice. if they are against the war, they can stay away.

in those days, there was no choice. that is what caused the protest parade people were not even able to vote -- this is what caused the protests. people were not even able to vote. that is the biggest. >> was it fair to say that every american family had a personal connection to this war? >> some have someone who went to the war and someone who was against it in the same family. lyndon johnson -- his own kids were against the war. families were broken over it. >> the other thing that people should understand that made this real was television. television was bringing it into people's living rooms every night >> it was wide open

because nobody had really done any kind of -- television was not restricted. it was all brand new. nobody in the administration had any control over it. the journalists were just going out there and getting whatever they found. we do not have that now. it is much more controlled on the battlefield. it had a profound effect on the country. another reason why people came out against the war because they were seeing it all the time on television. 300 body bags were coming back every week. they were showing the body bags coming back. it had a profound effect. it changed the average person's mind. >> we have to remind people that the war started before lyndon johnson's term. it had been raging for 15 years. about johnson's attitude the war was what?

>> i think he was confused about a for a long time, but it was important to him to win the war. it colored everything that he did. when people tried to talk about any kind of the settlement, he would not do it. he was interested in winning the war. once he got into it, he did not have a lot of options. that was the only one he wanted. it affected when he left office, too. he wanted someone to come into the office to continue this war policy. >> lyndon johnson and hubert humphrey became teammates in 1964, following the assassination of kennedy. what was the relationship like? how was this. for senator humphrey? >> the intensity in vietnam started at the same time he became vice president.

there was a resolution in congress that lbj past four and it was passed. humphrey signed on to that. the convention came later in the summer and humphrey became vice president. he walked into the beginning of johnson's involvement with the board. they never really talked about the vietnam during the campaign. it was more about barry goldwater being trigger happy. vietnam was not talked about. they were talking more about nuclear annihilation. they won by a landslide. in the spring, in the early part of the year, there was another

incident in vietnam. johnson called a cabinet and adviser meeting. he is already decided to bomb north vietnam in retaliation. he asked people around the table what they thought of this. everybody pretty much agreed and humphrey said it was not a good idea. he had written a memo earlier this and we should not get involved. this is not a good in -- a good idea. he spoke up again at this meeting. johnson got angry. hunter went back and wrote another memo, a lot of detailed. at that point, he was completely frozen out of any discussion about a vietnam. >> we have to videos to show you. the first one is 1964. lyndon johnson had been operating without a vice- president. there was a great deal of speculation coming into the convention about his choice would be. here is a film from the 1964

convention as lyndon johnson announces his choice for vice president. >> the next vice-president of the united states -- my trusted colleague -- senator hubert humphrey of minnesota. [applause] >> democrats and most republicans and the senate vote for the education legislation, but not senator goldwater.

most democrats and most republicans in the the senate voted to halt the united nations and its peacekeeping functions when it was in financial difficulty, but not goldwater. >> i cannot help but think that particular moment how far we had,, all the hard work and effort, this was a great moment in my life. >> mr. johnson said in his judgment, mr. humphrey was the best man to be president in case anything happened to have. no longer is the vice presidency just another job. >> that video is from mick caouette's documentary on hubert

humphrey. first of all, the scene of the energetic hubert humphrey addressing the crowd and having the crowd eating out of his hand and the cutaway to lyndon johnson, who did not seem to share the moment. what was happening? >> he did not like the spotlight being taken from him. humphrey was believed to be a better public speaker. he was a little bit upset about a humphrey taking the show away. that was lyndon johnson. the goldwater part of that speech was written by a number of people. it was written by -- there was a call and response kind of thing that caught on. that was an early one. >>: response? >> not center goldwater -- not senator goldwater. >> senator humphry had ambitions

for the presidency for quite a while. he toyed with it in 1952 and made a real bed in 1960. -- bid in 1960. he earned the nickname the happy warrior. he loved politics, right? >> he loved politics. he was joyful about politics. he believed it was a way to better the country, to change the country. it was an innocent way. he believed in the american people. he really believed in our system. that was the way for him to change the country. >> another clip, and this was later on in 1974 when hubert humphrey was gathering -- made audiotapes. he talks a bit, and this is just one example, of the

relationships you referenced. and how it became very testy between lyndon johnson and hubert humphrey over vietnam. he reflects on some of the ways that lyndon johnson used the powers of the office to keep his vice-president under control. let's listen. >> there was not a time that i ever got a -- if anybody would ever tell you that johnson was extravagant, it surely was not with this vice-president. many times he would say to me, it was better to take a smaller plane. if you have a plan that is too big, there will be too many people who want to ride with you. you will be encumbered with people that see there is an extra seat that has not been used. from time to time, on short trips, up and down the atlantic seaboard, i would take one of the smaller planes that were available.

for our lager trips, we used the jet star. never in the continental united states, did we use air force wind. those were to be only used for overseas trips. at no time was i ever permitted to bring a newspaperman or a person of the media with me on any track within the united states. the president forbid it. i respected his command and his wish. i gather he felt that the vice- president should be heard and seen, but not reported upon too much. >> of course, lyndon johnson had been the majority leader in the senate. these two men had a long relationship and served in leadership together. could you talk more about how

johnson used the levers of power to control of hubert humphrey? >> he had an argument with johnson about vietnam, and johnson froze him out for at least a year. he cut off his privileges. he shortened his staff. at one point, he tapped his phones. he did a number of things to control humphrey. he did not want him speaking out against vietnam. he did not want him speaking out about anything. he wanted to keep quiet. he had a way of calling him "my planes" and "my boats." he had a possessive attitude about that. humphrey dealt with it a lot. there were times when he gave three or four speeches per week.

the freeze lasts about a year. >> did hubert humphrey talk about how he reacted to this? he had to been unhappy. >> he was miserable for a long time. johnson was shutting him out of any -- of the inner circle. he was on the outside. he wanted to be involved in what was going on. it was a bad time for him. then he was back to his vietnam and things changed in 1966. >> we are going to walk around this exhibit tonight and give you a sense of the exhibit that has been put together. a focus on politics. i want to remind you about your participation. in about 10 or 12 minutes, we will start taking calls. here is how you can do it.

we really look forward to your comments on 1968. the year in which hubert humphrey was a contender for the president of the united states. how did you first get interested in hubert humphrey? >> i grew up here, so he was always in the air when i was a kid. i spent some time working here and saw his archives. the archive -- for a documentary filmmaker, that is a gold mine. >> hubert humphrey had four children. are they still here? >> his daughter is no longer alive. his grandson is more involved in politics than the others. the suns are basically in sales. -- sons are basically in sales. >> we are at the exhibit about the politics and political life

of hubert humphrey. he was not born in minnesota. >> he was born in south dakota. 90 miles from the minnesota border and one of those little railroad towns. he was born in 1911. it was a remarkable little town. his father was the druggist. his mother was -- his mother was methodist, a social gospel. great combination of the preacher and the politician. >> he went to a pharmacy school himself. how did the end up in politics? >> he went to pharmacy school for a job. he always wanted be in politics. he did it for a short time to help his father with the drug

store. i do not think he ever really want to be a pharmacist. >> he ended up getting a doctorate as i understand. >> he went to get a master's degree. >> why was studying politics? >> i initially, he was going to get a doctorate and teach. he was so good at public speaking and so good at communicating, a lot of people convinced him to run. he ended up coming back to minnesota and becoming the mayor of minneapolis. >> when did he served as mayor? >> he came back from lsu from grad school. minnesota had been a republican state and never elected a democrat to the senate. the non republicans were divided between the democrats and the labor party. he helped to unite the two parties and built himself. the city was corrupt and all

kinds of problems with segregation. when he first came, nation magazine called it the capital of the anti-semitism in the united states. when he left, he got an award from the national council of christians and jews for what he did. >> hubert humphrey was the founder. >> he was the greatest negotiator of the group. >> what does it stand for? ideology standpoint? >> at the time, it was a group of farmers and laborers who had differences with a more professional democrats. fdr democrats. they just did not like each other and humphrey was one of the people that convinced them

they will never win an election if they did not get together. >> he ran for senate, then? >> he ran for senate in 1948. >> we will talk a little bit about the speech. from 1960, when he first seriously thought about running for president. this is one of those joy of being a politician. let's watch. >> how do you think your race is going? >> it has been an uphill fight. i think we have been doing quite well. >> what has been the most exciting part of the campaign? >> right now. >> thank you, senator. >> this is good fun. politics ought to be fun. >> boats for hubert, hubert vote for hubert,

hubert humphrey, the president for you and me ♪ >> ec am enjoying life. did he bring this to his politics all the time? >> it would be 11:00 at night and he would get off of a plane and work until 3:00 in the morning. he would still be like that. >> what were some of his other characteristics? i read that he was known for talking a lot. >> absolutely. he was also a good listener. he did talk a lot. he would come with a prepared speech and to stop for an hour. he knew a lot about a lot of things. he was really intelligent. astounding memory. >> what a gift, to be able to remember names. >> he could remember their name, the family's name, what they did for a living. remarkable memory. >> we will start taking some

calls. and then we will learn more about his political philosophy. first up is ohio. >> it is a wonderful program to be participating in. >> thank you. >> you mentioned 1948. i remember hearing an actor named ronald reagan who endorsed hubert humphrey in 1948 for the u.s. senate. when you think about it, were they on the opposite end of the spectrum? i want to find out what hubert humphrey's relationship was with barry goldwater in the senate converses with their private life was like? did hubert humphrey and jack kennedy did along very well when they're running against each

other in 1960? in 1956, when they vied for the vice-presidential nomination to run with adlai stevenson. >> thank you so much. his relationship with ronald reagan? >> he was a lifelong friend of ronald reagan. ronald reagan was pretty much the same politics back in those days. he was the head of the actors' union. he was a democrat and he had the same philosophy. ronald reagan changed, but humphrey remained the same. but they did remain friends. >> goldwater? >> they were even better friends. they were giving speeches in iowa on the back of a hay wagon. they district each other apart.

-- the district each other apart. later on, someone saw them having dinner together. >> before we talk about kennedy, talk about the united states senate. people recognize the names from history books today. was there by partisanship? did people work across the aisle? >> there was a lot of camaraderie. humphrey was friends with a lot of republicans. it was more cordial and there was more camaraderie than there is now. i am not in the senate now, but they were very close. >> jfk and their relationship? >> in the early years, they voted together on many of the same bills. humphrey helped him with farm legislation because he knew nothing about it.

their relationship changed dramatically in 1960. >> in what way? >> they have these debates in the primaries in wisconsin and western agenda. they got to know each other that way. -- west virginia. they got to know each other that way. when kennedy became president, humphrey gave him many of his ideas to use in the administration. he was the idea factory in the kennedy administration. >> let's take a call from indianapolis. >> how are you doing? i love your show. i have a question. back in 1968 -- 1948, humphrey spend time with martin luther king --

>> we will spend quite a bit of time talking about the civil- rights movement. this is from your fellow man -- from your film. hubert humphrey talks about his view of the world and its brand of liberalism. >> [ no audio] >> we do not have that clip. >> to answer the question, the civil-rights was in him from the time he was born. lyndon johnson was -- had to deal more with the idea of the issue of race and getting elected. humphrey felt and believed

deeply what he was up against. what he did in that speech, lyndon johnson called the most courageous political act in the 20th-century. he could have destroyed the democratic party. he really believed in civil- rights. >> the caller was asking about humphrey's commitment compared to the other two. can you make a value judgment? >> kennedy -- johnson was more in line with humphrey. kennedy was a reluctant civil- rights person pretty came to later. body came to which even more. it wasn't -- body can do it even more. -- bobby came to it even more. upper was involved with the african-american community. he did know a lot of the

leaders. >> let's listen to cynthia in iowa. >> good evening. i was a member of the television news team, but i happen to be in washington, d.c., reporting to the day we withdrew from vietnam. i had the pleasure of interviewing hubert humphrey on that very day. i asked him how we felt about losing the vietnam war. he said he, too, was a casualty of the vietnam war. he was quite emotional and had a tear in his side. >> the two trips he made to vietnam while he was vice- president -- the first trip was scheduled for him. he was watch pretty closely.

he saw only the good side of the war. the second time, he decided to go out on his own. he went to hospitals, talked to people. at that point, he quit cheerleading the war. he found out about the corruption and the south vietnamese government. he realized it was lost. he came back from the second trip knowing that the war needed to be over. he was boxed in. he had been speaking out for the war for the last year period lyndon johnson was not going to let him speak against the war. he was in a bad situation. >> the truth -- the two great issues in his political career or civil-rights and the vietnam war. the 1948 speech really launched him on to the national stage. we're going to listen to that speech to the convention in philadelphia in 1948. we will be joined by another

guest will me come back. juan williams, the author of the number of books that deal with civil rights and american history. >> mr. chairman, a fellow democrats, fellow americans, i realize that in speaking on behalf of the minority on civil- rights that i am dealing with a charged issue. an issue which has been confused by emotionalism on all sides of the fence. i must rise at this time to support the minority report, the report that spells out our democracy. a report that the people of this country can and will understand and a report that they will claim the on the great issue of civil rights. to those who say that we are brushing this issue of civil rights, i say to them, we are

172 years late. i had been the destroyer of the democratic party, the enemy of the south. i never felt so lonesome and some on wanted in all my life as i did in those first few weeks and months at this united states senator. >> that second clip was hubert humphrey reflecting on what it was like coming to washington in 1949 after his big speech in the convention. juan williams, welcome to our conversation. how important in the history of civil rights was hubert humphrey? >> that 1948 speech was truly a landmark. that is the moment at which you see organized politics behind what we think of as the modern 20th-century civil-rights movement. the democratic party it shed

some much of the paralysis engendered by been reliant on the southern democrats. you see someone rise up in the democratic party in the form of this very public convention. his voice is heard nationwide at the convention. he is saying to people across the land, this is an abomination. this is not what the democratic party, not with the american people should be standing for. he is speaking in terms of national morality. he doesn't as a back -- at a cost. -- he does it as 8 -- at a cost. it has a tremendous consequence that will fall like dominoes throughout american history. " name some of those who walked

out of the convention. >> i am trying to think. thurman would be the big one. you had some of the other governors and members of the senate who were right there. >> how risky was forced to -- for hubert humphrey to put his neck out on the line for civil- rights? it was a controversial here at tom? -- was a controversial here at home? >> he was still mayor, but he was a candidate. >> to speak out for civil rights, was that considered -- >> it resonated here fine. in other parts of the country, it was a real problem. >> how did truman feel about it? >> when you first started the speech, truman called in a pipsqueak he thought he had ruined the election for him. he was upset.

truman condemned him for it. he learned later on that it had helped him. he turned it around and used to get the african-american vote in the north. >> want in flames his commitment to civil rights? where does it come from? >> nobody knows. he got it from his father, but where did his father get it in the middle of south dakota? his father raised him to believe that people are people. it was remarkable. there were no african-american and a small town he was then. -- there were no african americans in a small town he was then. no one can come up with a reason. >> let's go to another call. >> good evening.

how're you doing? i was hoping that you could comment on the relationship between center robert kennedy and hubert humphrey and how it developed from being political in 1960 to 1968 when they were vying for the democratic presidential nomination? >> ok. >> the rfk relationship started in 1960. he did not have much of a relationship with them before that. it did not start off well. he learned to like robert kennedy he campaigned for kennedy in 1966 when he ran for the senate. in 1968, they had a meeting. they agreed that of humphrey got

the nomination, kennedy would support of. kennedy got the nomination, humphrey would support him. he was a party person. >> next up is ron from washington. >> i would like to jump back -- forward to the 1968 campaign. can you elaborate -- my recollection that president johnson tried to scuttle humphries effort. that was one of the closest elections in history. it is my recollection that it might have made the crucial difference. can you elaborate on that? thank you. >> did lyndon johnson tried to scuttle his bid for the white house? >> he did not help him very much. he did these kinds of things were he had nixon had a ranch

and then hubert humphrey had the ranch. he would tell humphrey that no press could be there. part of the belief among historians is that johnson believed that humphrey might end the war and make him look bad. nixon thought he might continue the war. nixon played a few dirty tricks, and so he came out for humphrey at that point. he was really late in the campaign when he started working for comfrey. -- a humphrey. >> i want to bring the story back to civil rights. civil-rights legislation is being pushed forward. tell that story. >> humphries involvement is that the democratic whip in this event. you have lbj as president.

kennedy, there was some doubt about his commitment, what he was willing -- was he willing to pay the price in terms of the southerners that would oppose it? after the assassination, johnson and had a commitment to get this done in honor to president kennedy. >> does he make comfrey the point man? >> humphrey becomes the point man in the senate. the man who has been persistent in terms of calling for civil rights and justice as part of the democratic agenda. he takes up the cause in the senate. he is up against it because the rules were different then. you could filibuster to no end. i believe the numbers are something like 67 votes required

in order to end the filibuster. if you look through history, there are few points at which you get enough votes to end a filibuster. it is almost unheard of. it takes a great deal of effort by hubert humphrey to hold off a republican effort to prolong the filibuster. he was finally able to do it. what is interesting is the legislation cannot even be put through the normal channels. you would have run -- it is kind of extra judicial process been put in place. >> what were the opponents to civil rights constitutional arguments? >> we have a right to run our

business. we have a right to allow whoever we want and. the constitution allows us to do that. that was one of the main arguments. there were a number of them. the southern democrats were the biggest obstacle for him. he had a number of republicans that were on his side. there were a coalition of republicans and democrats that made it happen. those people -- there was no way you're going to change any of their minds. it was an interesting group. the opposition was conservative republicans. barry goldwater was against the civil rights bill. >> the drop of this filibuster

coming down to the wire -- a drama of this filibuster coming down to the wire. we have another clip. this is hubert humphrey and strom thurmond debating the civil-rights bill. let's watch the debate on 1964. >> we know that fellow americans who happen to be a negro have been denied equal access. the night in their travels a chance for a place to rest and to eat. it is not -- this will lead to integration of private life. and the city of birmingham, alabama, there was an ordinance that said if you're going to have a restaurant and you were going to permit a negro to comment, you have a seven-foot wall down the middle of the restaurant. how foolish this is.

isn't that an invasion of private property? >> we live in a country of freedom. under our constitution, a man has a right to use his own public property. >> this bill creates new jobs. therefore, whose jobs are it these -- >> we must as individual citizens speak out against prejudice and discrimination. we must be willing to accept the fact that every american is entitled to equal rights under the constitution and under the law. no less than that. >> the most difficult task that i have as the floor leader of the civil-rights bill is just being there. having to watch every move and make sure that we have 51 senators.

one of the tactics of the opposition is to call for repeated quorums. it means we have to produce 51 senators to enter the role. >> that story, always to have 51 supporters of the legislation on the floor. how did you organize people? >> he had teens. quorum, the't get a senate would be shut down. they were able to bring only two or three people. they had this rotating basis. they did things like drive to baseball games and play center out of a baseball game. they did all kinds of things. they had a list and they had a schedule for centers that had to be -- it was well done. they had some moments. they had to get people from outside the senate.

>> was the opposition largely regional? was it the southern college and that opposed civil rights? >> you had goldwater, for example. he is a westerner. he was from arizona. his opposition was libertarian. this is a free country, a matter of private property. you should not be telling a man what to do. you see much of this gets reflected in strom thurmond of language. he is not speaking in terms of racism. he is saying this is a violation of my rights as a maid greek -- as american to make personal choices and freedom. humphrey is saying, this is ridiculous. this is not a genuine argument. what you are doing is perpetrating the worst kind of racism. that becomes the argument. it is interesting to go back and

listen to that clip. we have such arguments today about the jobs in our country. you can hear strom thurmond saying, this legislation does not produce jobs. clearly, he was comfortable saying this. it had some effect in that era. it is not as if he was speaking into a void. it was generating a political response and strong opposition to the civil rights legislation. >> let's take a call from west virginia. >> i am so glad you called me. this is wonderful. i have not spoken, but one of the sons of senator humphrey. i think i spoke with skip. i am the fellow who saying at the shimmered -- the hubert

humphrey songs. i of such a wonderful love for him. over the years, he took me everywhere. i saying everything. he taught me politics. he had great respect for me because i came from a family -- my father worked railroad, my grandfather worked the coal mines. hubert humphrey heard me sing on a radio station in 1960. he gave me $25 a day to travel with them. teddy white became one of my best friends. teddy taught me a lot and everyone in minnesota that i have maps and throughout america -- and i have matched and throughout america, the people all over this country. i am 77 years old.

i still record -- i did record for capitol records for years. hubert humphrey was, to me, like my father. >> thank you so much for that personal story. >> i will not sing them, but i know them. he was with them very closely. he is one person i had lost in this whole search for interviews. i am glad he is alive and well. >> 77 years old. we have to get one more relationship established. the developed a friendship with martin luther king? >> he had a relationship with king are around legislation.

if you look inside the reaction of the black community, there were lots of people who were militants who do not to the value of this legislation. king is saying, this is a necessary step. if you go back to the great march on washington in 1963, in large measure, it is to say to the congress, passed the civil rights act. humphrey if one of the great supporters of this. he is at the march on washington. he is someone who is in fact in his support. even as you get people saying, we should not have a march on washington. they're just trying to pressure us politically. humphrey thought it was a good and necessary step. >> at the early stages of the filibuster, he met with martin luther king. he said to him, i want you to

know that we are on the same page. his policy was to treat them with respect. use the humphrey weight rather than the johnson way. i am just saying this because we are -- we want this bill to get past. >> we can hardly do justice to his career before he ran for president. at least to get some sense of this work on the national stage in 1968, he decided to run for president. we did not establish this, but lyndon johnson made the decision early in 1968 that he would not seek the office. that is setting the stage. at that point, how many democratic contenders are thinking about challenging lyndon johnson? >> bobby kennedy.

april 27 -- >> was that a surprise to the nation? >> it was a shock to humphrey. he showed up at humphrey's department. -- apartment. you should listen to the speech. he had not decided yet. humphrey was in mexico. he was called out to watch this broadcast. he announced that he was leaving the office. they thought they heard that he was immediately leaving office. there was all this commotion. they realized he was leaving at the end of his term. it was a complete shock to him, and the country. >> citizen, as you asked about who was running against him, it really was mccarthy.

he is the one that was in new hampshire. he was taking on johnson. johnson is not actively campaigning, but he had people all around. mccarthy is the anti- establishment, anti-johnson candidate. he has support from people who were superstars. they were people who were anti the vietnam war. all of the college students are emphatic about mccarthy. mccarthy does surprisingly well in new hampshire. that is after mccarthy's success is when you start to see robert kennedy willing to jump and. -- jump in. that sets the table. even as hubert humphrey is

thinking that he is trying to pull back on the war, he is pressured by the fact that he is loyal to the man who gave him the vice presidency, lyndon johnson. it is one of those wonderful political stories. hubert humphrey is a good guy. he is not going to put lyndon johnson in a position where it johnson feels that he is being undercut by his number t2. johnson is a totally dismissive of humphrey. especially his contribution or desire -- this war is not the right war. >> let's get to another call. this is larry in sherman oaks, california. >> i am a big fan of humphrey. for many years, it took me quite a while to accept the fact that he was never going to be president. even after his passing.

in 1998, i visited the humphrey institute. we looked and the catalogs and did not see any items surrounding middle east war. i would have thought humphrey would have made some speeches or interviews or something. did not see anything. that surprised me. " was he involved in middle east policy? >> i do not think that was at the forefront. there was too much else on his plate. i do not remember seeing anything either. >> the early primaries and lyndon johnson's announcement sent things into warp speed. what happened in the country with the king assassination? >> it is hard to summarize it.

you have riots in cities like washington, d.c., chicago, kansas city. it becomes a national moment of crisis. you had people fearful that they're going to be large-scale racial war in the country. the unrest that surrounded the vietnam war is still present, but now it becomes a background. king was an opponent of the vietnam war. he said it was an unjust war. there were people who were trying to join the civil rights movement would be anti war movement. king, who would not been political, it is becoming more

political. there are people inside the civil rights movement who recognize that johnson has been supportive in terms of civil rights. why are you, dr. king, challenging this administration ? king says he feels safe moral imperative to say that this is part of an injustice that is being perpetrated by america. america is on the bronx side of world history in pursuing -- is on the wrong side of world history in pursuing the war effort. he is out there speaking against it. a year before he is assassinated, he is at the riverside church in new york making a speech that gets a lot of attention. he is at the national cathedral in washington, d.c., speaking

against the war. it becomes part of the energy that surrounds him. it puts them in a position of being an opponent of the johnson administration. >> syracuse, n.y., this is ralph. >> thank you for "the contenders." i have a quick comment and a quick question. i had a big deal at home -- i have the video at home. it was about to hubert humphrey and do you speaking at a gathering. it was towards the end of his life and he is still smiling. he had a great coach at the end of this speech. i would rather live 50 years like a tiger than a hundred years like a chicken. i want to move up to 1968. i met a guy about 20 years ago is that he worked on the humphrey campaign in 1968. he said he came on after working

on the campaign and he was at the hotel. he was looking out at this park. the news came on and said there was a humphrey protest in the park. he called hundred the next day when he had a meeting and on 3 said, -- he called home for the next day and he said there is nothing we can do about it. nixon was doing it to try to link humphrey to anti-war protesters. i was wondering if you've ever heard a story like this? >> people were paid to cause trouble. it is hard to document. it probably happened. there is no way to know for sure. >>