chris matthews was here peddling his latest jfk book. he is a huge fan. was jfk under estimated? that is the debate going on. talk about controlling the message. in the obama administration, we talk about their view of the press. they are so controlling of the press. >> they have not done a good job. >> that was a campaign that was brilliant in its use of new media. that again is striking. every president uses the medium of their own time. radio, tv with kennedy. we have not seen this white house effectively harness and the -- any of the media. >> goldman sachs. >> one of the reasons i supported president obama was i did not want to see larry summers in the white house. [laughter] with hillary clinton, until the end of her campaign, there was not a sense of how she could bring her history to bear. it was very much a restoration ist campaign. he fell if you are going to get the clinton administration part 3. -- you felt as if you were going to get the clinton administration part 3. if you feel it was such a crisis and panic at that time as many say it was coming out of the calamit

kept that secret for 40 years before she was outted by robert dallek, the historian in his book, his biography of jfkas after that that she began to think about unburdening herself with this secret because she began to see her story in paragraphs in other people's books. she finally decided that she wanted to just tell her story her way. >> i've also written down the word "recklessness." wow. >> well, she -- both she and dallek are interesting and use the same word about jfk. they say he had this ability to compartmentalize his life, very measured in what he did but on the other hand so reckless in his personal life and beyond that there was a dark side that mimi talks about as well. it went beyond being reckless. >> you deal with these intimate details with as much care and grace and caution as is humanly possible which brings us to an actual word of caution. this is where the material gets a little dicier and a little racier, so a word of caution to those who perhaps may be watching with children in the room. and with thanks to meredith, with that word of caution in mind, let's now return to meredi

you can read these books and see the immediate change when jfk dies and lbj assumes the office, there this bill install and he works his magic and the phones and gets his way on that and gets his way on the tax bill that kennedy couldn't get through. my question is when you look at the great skills and the talents that lbj had dealing with the senate and congress, do they really apply in the era of hyper polarization that we live in? the republican leader. does mitch mcconnell respond with the same? >> i think you have to remember that there was terrific polarization in the 1960s. the democratic party was in control of tourn democrats who were against the kifl rights bills and controlled the mitties. the house were mostly in control of people against the bills. they were also against most of the great society programs. he had to find republicans that would support him. what the hell is say presidency for is a quote of johnson when early 64 before his first state of the union after kennedy died, his entire staff said don't go for the civil rights bill. it's a presidential election year

>> don't jfk i read stephen king's book about man who discovers the ability to go back in time and tries to stop the assassination. more people will read this book rather than watch the film. and put a thing on the front that says this didn't actually happen? where is the line. at what point is it a responsibility to find out whether there's a backing up of the argument. it seems ridiculous when it's about time travel. there's nothing of that yet. the idea of lyndon johnson behind the asass assassination of jfk is absurd. >> i think the answer to, you know, to somebody who will look at watch "24" and see there's a code watcher and the film and the americans americans are torturing, you know, mongers. i'm i think the question is the effect and the cause and effect of this -- of art and public perception and behavior. would i personally feel responsibility in i thought about it. and i think we all bear some responsibility but not complete responsibility. somebody who doesn't the have critical capacity to turn on the show and recognize it's a fiction that, you know, that this is not a renta

if i had to say it, i would call it the holy grail of jfk memorability. 723 lots and thens ousands of i in all. invitations and books and gifts from the kennedy family. take a look at this. jfk's bomber jacket. that has an estimate of 20 to $40,000, but undoubtedly it will go for more, probably a lot more. we are talking about really incredible stuff. it coincides with the 50th anniversary of jfk's assassination. i want to take you through the more interesting items. in addition to the bomber jacket and take a look at this amazing photo. a jfk jacquelyn and ethyl kennedy. you can see jackie holding the camera. she took this photo of the three of them as they looked in a mirror. they look so young. photos of jfk and jackie celebrating his 46th birthday in may. other photos there in may of 1963. an important date. this was just a couple of months before he was assassinated in dallas. just look at that. incredible items. tons of photos. letters and signed booked and itineraries and invitations. incredible stuff. >> it is and these items come from the family of david powers. what can you tell us about him and how the it

c-span: got selection of lbj vice president running mate for jfk jfk there's a huge amount of your bookt is back and forth. not a huge amount. the back and forth of bobby ken city's involvement. did he really try to stop his brother from putting lbj on the substantial? >> guest: well, let's say he tried to get what there's no question about. he tried desperately to get lyndon johnson to withdrawal or not to accept the offer of the vice presidency. kennedy has won in the scene the night before with 806 votes on the ballot. the next morning at 8:00, kennedy goes -- now it's in the built more hotel in los angeles. the two suites for the duocandidates in the back corner of the hotel. johnson on the seventh floor and 7334. kennedy two floors up. they were suites. c-span: i have to stop you. did you go to the suites? >> guest: yes. c-span: how long? >> guest: it's been renovated. it's not -- it wasn't productive. you couldn't tell what they had been like before. c-span: okay. go ahead. i'm sorry. [laughter] >> guest: but so there's a back stairs, in the chapter of my book is called the back s

the research in the book really extends from the presidential memo to the grassroots manifesto. so the presidential archives and library, every president from jfk to others. and i've also done research in the styles and documents and collections of grassroots politics. everything from the national organization for women, gay and lesbian rights organization, the national association of evangelicals, which was a very important organization. i've done research in over 50 archival collections. and i have used about 200 different collections to amass the research for the book. going into the research, if anything surprising it was actually the extent to which the family was essential political metaphor of an icon of liberalism. i went into it expecting that i would find family being central to a post-1960s conservative politics. but what surprised me was how central the family was to liberal politics as well. that was something i had not anticipated. the power and strength and compelling nature of that within liberalism of the middle decades of the 20th century. whether we are still in a pattern about political debate of the family is an interesting

jfk. for the first time, confirmation what his brother, bobby, thought so too. that story ahead. >>> millions of women made this bookguilty pleasure, now 50 shades of grey is a musical. i'm not kidding you. >>> and go inside the golden globes. talking the stars, the parties and, of course, the gowns. officeyour business needs...k... at prices that keep you...out of the red. this week get a bonus $15 itunes gift card with any qualifying $75 ink purchase. find thousands of big deals now... at officemax. so if ydead battery,t tire, need a tow or lock your keys in the car, geico's emergency roadside assistance is there 24/7. oh dear, i got a flat tire. hmmm. uh... yeah, can you find a take where it's a bit more dramatic on that last line, yeah? yeah i got it right here. someone help me!!! i have a flat tire!!! well it's good... good for me. what do you think? geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. >>> for those of you just joining us, welcome. thank you very much for being with us. i'm martin savidge in for fredricka whitfield and here with the stories we are following now from t

the research in the book extends from the memo and the presidential archives, presidential libraries of every president since jfkand i've done extensive research in the files and documents and collections of a grassroot politics, everything from the national organization for women, various gay and lesbian rights organizations to the national association of evangelicals, a really important evangelical christian organization so i've done research in over 50 collections using 200 individual collections to amass research for the book. going into the research, if anything surprised me, it was actually the extent to which the family was a central political metaphor, a central political icon for liberalism. i went into the project expecting that i would find the family to be central to a post 1960s conservative politics, but what surprised me was how central the family was to a liberal politics as well. that was something i had not really anticipated, the power and strength and compelling nature of that image of the family within liberalism in the middle decades of the century. whether we're still in a pattern of polit

jfk had survived, fidel castro would not have survived until 64? >> an interesting question. one of the most interesting personalities i wrote about in the book a very senior cia officer, fits -- fitzgerald, says if kennedy had lived, castro would still not have been in power by 1964. fitzgerald, behind the most detailed, the most sophisticated assassination plot to kill castro, truly believed that. >> who is renadlod? >> he was a recruited spy by the cia, a man who had been very close to the castro brothers, a hero of the revolution, a trained assassin, accomplished assassin, recruited by the cia after a series of meetings in europe and latin america. he told the cia that he despised castro, turned against him, and he wanted to assassinate him. this was music to the ears of under tremendous pressure from the kennedy administration, especially bobby kennedy, to get the term -- the term of art was to get rid of fidel castro. he was recruited as a spy for the agency, and he was trained in demolition, in france, by cia officers, trained in secret writing. he was their greatest hope to assassinate fidel crass trough. >> and? >> he turned out to b