secret communication that lyndon johnson, the democratic president is having with richard nixon, the republican nominee about vietnam because he's a trying to get nixon to make sure the democratic nominee humphrey stays in line on vietnam with the johnson. this is a stunning the stuff. johnson at the same time has a secret discussion with republican nelson rockefeller urging him to get in and run. johnson was just an incorrigible politician and what i mean is he loved politics so much. he just loved everything about the game of a and he was always trying to figure out every angle of the game of it and if so he thought he saw this way for rockefeller. he saw what rockefeller should do. he als rockefeller. he saw what rockefeller should do. he also saw what nixon should do. lyndon johnson would have been, may be the greatest campaign manager in history if that's what he decided to do with his life. he might have been the greatest democratic party version may give watch roger ailes eventually became, someone who got people elected president and then someone who eventually figured out how

lyndon johnson would come up the hill from a little hotel. he would always be walking and then suddenly when he was in front of the capitol he would break into a run and run the length of the capital to the office building which was on the other side. so she said first i thought it was because he didn't have a top coat and he was cold but then spring came and it was warm and he still ran. i thought i'm trying to show something about things about lyndon johnson. i didn't quite know what at the time but what was the reason he was running from the capital every morning? so i would go and sit there trying to find a reason time after time, day after day and i never saw anything in particular except this long white front of the capitol. it just seemed like no one way to the capital. something occurred to me. i'd never gone to sit there and look at it at the same time lyndon johnson passed which was early in the morning 5:30 or 6:00. i started to do that on all of a sudden there was something really different because the sun comes up. this is facing

lyndon johnson would come up the hill to the little hotel. he would always be walking and then suddenly, when he was in front of the capitol he would run the length of the capital to the other side. she's at first i thought it was because it was windsor and they didn't have a top coat. he was cold and running. but then spring came and he still ran and i suddenly thought while i am trying to show some things about lyndon johnson i didn't quite know what at the time. was there a reason he was running in front of the capitol every morning. so, i would go and sit there trying to find a reason time after time and day after day and i never saw anything in particular except in front of the capital it seemed but then something occurred to me. i'd never gone there to sit and look at it at the same time that lyndon johnson passed which was early in the morning, 5:30 or 6:00 so i decided to do that. and all of a sudden there was something really different because the sun comes up this is the east front facing the part of the capital but this is the east

lyndon johnson would come up the hill from the little hotel. he would always be working and then suddenly when he was in front of the capital he would break into a run and run the length of the capital to the house office building on the other side, so she said first i thought it was because it was winter and he didn't have a topcoat and he was cold when he was running. then, spring came and it was warm and he still ran and i suddenly thought well, i'm trying to show something about things about lyndon johnson i didn't quite know what a time, but was there a reason he was running in front of the capital of a morning, so i would go and sit there trying to find a reason time after time day after day and i never saw anything in particular except there is this long white front of the capital that just seems like a long white front of the capital. event something occurred to me. i had never sat there and looked at the same time that lyndon johnson passed, which was early in the morning, 5:30 a.m. or 6:00 a.m., so i decided to do that and all of a su

for example, lyndon johnson comes to washington as a secretary to her congressman. he's 72 years old, very poor, can only carry a broad case and he doesn't -- in these going to work then i happened to find the woman who worked in the office with her. had worked with him and 20s. here is the theme and she told me about this scene she would see every morning. the capitol building is here. the library of congress is here. lyndon johnson was in a little hotel down at the bottom of capitol hill. near union station. a style is in a boarding house over here, so she -- they are both from texas so they get up very early. so they get up very early in the morning and she is walking in this direction and she would always see the same thing. the new johnson would come up the pool from the little hotel. always be walking then suddenly in front of the capitol, they break into a run and run the length of the capital to the building on the other side. so she said, first i thought it was because i was with her and he didn't have a topcoat and he was told that he was running. but then

johnson had made this decision? let me point out that this decision was made by lyndon baines johnson himself. and i will tell you more about it as we go through it. this is a personal decision by the president of the united states to set a strategic direction for the american participation in the war and he was going to against his secretary of defense mcnamara, the joint chiefs of staff and did not consult the cia or the state department. the track record and the documents in the humphrey library thanks to professor stone, i was able to go there and find stuff which has been overlooked by scholars for many years that have been sitting there in the files which shows you the steps in the story. let me try to set a historical context of the vietnam war coming down to the fall of 1966. as you know, the french colonized indochina in the 19th century. during the end of world war ii, the japanese, they were occupying indochina, and they overthrew the french governing authority. they placed the french military in containment camps and they created a vietnamese government, a nationalist government. p

damn well that that attack was carried out by israel and i don't and i for one second that lyndon baines johnson is a first class traitor on many levels and a pervert to boot so i'm not in any way defending that traitor however to suggest that lyndon baines johnson manipulated the israelis into it in tack for his own personal gains is insulting and absolutely contrary to the facts as i mentioned earlier their radio transcripts which are now a matter of public record in which the israeli pilots themselves are saying or questioning the order to attack what is clearly an american ship and the order is repeated to attack that ship so please don't tell me or anybody else that lyndon baines johnson manipulated that it is insulting now i'd like to get back to another point as well which is that of course as soon as we talk about the jewish state of israel and the jewish supremacists talmudic ideology which effectively puts all of us the rest of us the glory as cattle to be used and we look at the actual pattern the lavon affair the u.s.s. liberty and direct direct involvement in nine eleven in fact it

johnson and lyndon.ued heavy rain storms lashed the campus, but the thousands who had come to witness history stood their ground. ♪ >> they had talked for more than four hours, delving even deeper into the many questions that separated their two countries. at 6:20 in the evening they had finished. >> we have made further progress in an effort to improve our understanding of each other's thinking on a number of questions. i believe more strongly than ever that these have been very good and very useful talks. >> premiere had been visibly touched by the warmth and enthusiasm exhibited by the people of glassborough. he personally thanked them and saluted friendship between the soviet and american peoples. >> these meetings just have not ended our troubles and our dangers, and i cannot promise you that that will not happen again. the world remains a very small and very dangerous, and all nations, even the greatest of them, have very hard and very painful choices ahead of them. but i can tell you, and i have n

lyndon johnson, as we think of him, both the vietnam lyndon johnson and domestic lyndon johnson, is somebody who came along later, not in 1960. >> perfect. thank you very much for coming tonight. wonderful to have you. thank you. [applause] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2017] >> you are watching american history tv, 48 hours of programming on american history every weekend on c-span3. follow us on twitter for information on our schedule and to keep up with the latest history news. next, historians look at emotion in foreign policy and the role it has played in the cold war diplomats. used the kennan containment policy to -- panelists pay attention to the essays written on kennan by petra goedde, one of the speakers at the event. this took place at the historians of foreign relations annual conference. >> we arre

lyndon johnson may not have known about the cia's plots to assassinate castro yet he appeared to share the cia's impulse to avoid the risks of war that a full-scale investigation could haven't held. johnson said "we have got to take this out of the arena whether testifying that khrushchev or castro did this." a war that can kill 40 million americans in an hour. johnson used this fear to browbeat several men in accepting his appointment to the warren commission. cia leaders concluded, if they had not already, that the root to be best truth, as the agency called it, was to push the story that oswald acted alone. in fact, that the narrative may have been established as early as three days after the assassination. on november 25, 1963, the deputy attorney general sent a famous memo to president johnson's press secretary, bill moyers. he recommended to appoint a commission to investigate kennedy's death. and he laid out in that memo to johnson what he thought should be the commission's clear purpose "the public must be satisfied that oswald was in the assassin, that he did not have confeder

lyndon johnson as we think of vietnam lyndon johnson and domestic lyndon johnson, is somebody who came along later, not in 1960. >> perfect. thank you very much for coming tonight. wonderful to have you. thank you. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2017] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> interested in american history tv? c-span.org.bsite, you can preview upcoming programs and watch college lectures, museum doors, archival films and more. american history tv at c-span.org/history. >> c-span, where history unfolds daily. a 1979, c-span was created as look service by america's cable television companies and is brought to you today by your cable or satellite provider.

he did put 16,000 in, but i think lyndon johnson raid athlete up to 500,000 troops. mcmaster, just read yesterday his book. he wrote a book about 20 years ago, which he really blame this johnson -- president johnson, mcna player and the others -- mcnamara as the 0s as having behaved differ honorably in the war and not realizing the outcome. that's something that -- i would -- if you had a microphone, i'd like to hear you view because hi brother came back with a lot of people that knew what was going on. >> time for one question. >> go ahead. >> just as a reminder. >> what's your comment? [inaudible] question. >> i will say the president -- the cambodian thing was a success from the standpoint it cost a lot of people but the american casual -- casualties from cambodia to kent state. they were losing guys at 200 to 300 a week. >> yes, we have time for one more question. nixon's white house wars are available for purchase in the colonnade and the book store and pat will sign books for you. our final question. >> it's an honor to ask you this question, pat. you have been

of course, you can now look at kennedy and lyndon johnson had to 500,000 troops.nd the national security adviser that wrote a book 20 years ago saying that back in america at -- nec america and the others didn't realize what the outcome would be. but the my brother came back with a lot of people's views that were wrong. >> [inaudible] was say success but the american casualties were straight down all the way to the end of the war. there between 200 and 300 a week when we came in. >> "nixon's white house wars" is available for purchase we have one final question and. >> is an honor to rescue this question you have been my idol since i was a kid probably go about bringing younger millenials to our cause? [applause] >> as they say on tv it is a great question propriety time to think about it. [laughter] if this hard to say because the really think the '60s was the time for that small particular site -- a slice of the country that animated the country and those that were impervious with issues of race and that ideology has deepened the we cannot do that anymore. the c

lyndon johnson before president obama lyndon johnson was the last president to have a second cook cooking most presidents have a white house chief executive chef do everything, cook for the family and guests and dinners. >> including recommendations for the replacement? >> sometimes they will make a recommendation but typically someone on staff may be elevated or someone the president -- someone the president knows from their prior life they bring into the white house kitchen if they are going to make a change. since 1960 most presidents have kept a holdover from the previous administration was a guy named henry holler who was a swiss born guy served from johnson all the way to reagan. there was a reagan chef, there was walter scheiber came in with the clintons and served until the end of the first term of george w. bush and an assistant chef who came in under the clinton administration, got elevated white house executive chef and she has been there ever since. >> is very food budget? >> if there is. the interesting thing, before you get to truman, presidents had to pay out of their own p

lyndon johnson eventually becomes a running mate to jfk. i have seen this picture published in parts of the world where they are discussing the cuban missile crisis. or they are discussing armament. for this is a hotel where they are meeting with chris jeff -- with khrushchev. it wasn't long before he secured that nomination and really had to go out on the road to -- out on the road to improve himself. in california he is up there with governor pat brown. preparing some notes for a democratic rally. the wonderful thing about the kennedys as they never push photographers or writers away. they knew that if they made themselves accessible to the media -- it was a groundswell. there is no question about it that the media coverage of jfk was the first time we had ever seen anything like it. --paigning in amarillo's amarillo, texas. jfk gets upset that lyndon johnson is hollering turn the engine off area he carried around a lot of the copies of this book called profiles in courage. he used to throw them out to the audience. the publisher sold a l

he saw something in lyndon johnson. the way that lyndon johnson first became a political figure in texas was through the fundingtion of federal going to the districts. this was a very controversial issue at that point, the idea of federal money going to state and local projects. so lyndon johnson was able to use that as one of the conduits for that cash to build a power base. when he came to washington and served in congress, he was one of fdr's most loyal supporters. fairlystill a junior congressman, but he believed in everything fdr appended to do. he was trying to fill the work of franklin roosevelt. he truly believed his war on poverty, the idea of lifting up people who were most in need, his civil rights agenda, the civil rights and voting rights acts, these were directly related to the work of franklin and eleanor roosevelt. there are a few people he idolized more. ranch,was visiting the one of his daughters was showing me something that fdr had given lyndon johnson. she said it was his most prized possession. the

lyndon johnson followed by the heart attacks. his father comes right into it, he has this notion that eisenhower may not run again. what should happen is despite these heart attacks that he will bankroll it and his son would be the running mate. a preposterous idea, of course. johnson dismissed it out of hand. that is the moment when you see kennedy reacting to politics. there is this look at the vice presidential nomination. it starts there. from that moment in the fall of 1955 every time he was faced with some issue that makes it impossible to know if you are going to go forward or backwards always forward. >> one of my favorites moments from the fall of 1955, one of the things we used to do is in a presidential election year. we would speculate about the running mate. in the spring of 1955 there was a item in newsweek where they had a lot of gossip. there was a list and mention on that list were running mates for stevenson. kennedy's name was on that list. this intrigued in the hell out of him. he called the editor at newsweek

lyndon johnson was greet bid jake pickle. ♪ at least one seemed a little unsure a.rsuasion was all that was needed to bring him into the fold. the tab for techbing was $1,000 per plate. there was a democratic poeaefrt party and a chance to relax in a down home atmosphere. >> after three weeks of wrestling with the middle east it's a real pleasure to come home tonight to the peace and quiet of texas politics. in case there should be in evidence tonight any differences of opinion i want to make my own position abundantly clear in the beginning. i am for peace, territorial integrity an the unrestricted navigation in the houston ship channel. >> the lt returned to the white house and among them some rewarding moments. he had often remarked that one of the most important jobs is attracting able and talented public servants. the month of june, first alexander and thurgood marshal. the president introduced mr. marshal to a group of 121 teenagers. each had demonstrated academic achievement and each was awarded a medallion in a white house ceremony. lyndon johnson is at his

when lyndon johnson told mr. on the right up to the inaugural, where everybody was praising muskie and what a wonderful job is done. and johnson didn't think anything of it. but he thought i knew had really done a way and they helped us in north carolina, tennessee. against north carolina, tennessee and states like that. >> a question in the center. right here. >> okay. >> he speak a lot about what president nixon inherited in vietnam. i lost my go to vietnam. looking back in hindsight of the things that kennedy, johnson or nixon might have done to either change the outcome of the war or speed of the country's departure from vietnam? >> obviously since, my brother was over there. and i was supporting the war from the very beginning from the time i was in school when jack kennedy put the 16,000 green berets went in. george wallace was not all wrong when he said his slogan was win or get out. he was all wrong. i think, the united states of america reduced the japanese empire to rubble. the greatest empire age i'd s

i was going back to this small college at the end of the summer, and lyndon johnson at his desk said, "you know, i think you ought to transfer to the university of texas." that's where he lived and that's where he had a television station and i said, "mr. leader i don't have any money, "i'm going to get married, and i've got a job "in north texas in denton," he said, "i'll give you a job-- - [don] ktbc? - [bill] ktbc the radio station which somehow mysteriously was the only station in the country that could broadcast all three networks. (audience laughs) - i wonder how that happened. - they had a monopoly, the favorable gods were looking down, and i got a job with him. he had promised me that he would pay me a hundred dollars a week that was astonishing in '54. it was more than my father had ever made in his life as i said earlier and i went down and he worked me 40 hours a week but we bought the first mobile unit in texas. and i used to tool around town study, covering accidents and murders and the state senate the state legislature and that was probably the biggest crime scene in au

lyndon johnson was in austin, texas. was attending the 51st birthday party of governor john conley. johnson come in the after my death in the aftermath of the cronkite show says we should recommit to end the war of vietnam successfully. let's bring home a victory. he said on more than one occasion in the aftermath of the cronkite show. if this was such an epiphany for the president, he did not make it clear that this had changed his mind in the public comments after that. host: your take on it? >> i think it is true what he said, the president probably never said, if i lost walter cronkite i lost america. i don't know if he was watching tv when cronkite made that broadcast. i'm sure johnson saw and heard it at some point. it does not seem to mean to be ontradictory to say that johnson's help was significant of cronkite criticizing the war effort. because he was an astute politician, recognized that that was a very serious blow to his efforts to rally americans behind the cause. it is true that he continued to make that e

spiro agnew down because he competed very well and frankly ther there's a quote iny book where lyndon johnson. nixon on the ride up to the inaugural where everybody was praising what a wonderful job he had done and johnson didn't think anything about it. but north carolina, tennessee and states like that. >> do you speak a lot about what he inherited in vietnam and next monday is memorial day. looking back at hindsight are there a couple things president kennedy, president of them nor nixon might have done to change the outcome of the war or speed up the country? >> obviously since my brother was over there i was supporting the war from beginnin the beginm the time i was in journalism school put the 16,000. my view george wallace in 68 wasn't all wrong when he said the slogan was win or get out. the united states of america that had reduced the japanese empire, the greatest empire seen in four years could have won that for that i think what happened is the american establishment was broken on vietnam and lost the will and would take the measures necessary to win the war and therefore when pre

the difference between lyndon johnson and donald trump is night and day. >> yeah. >> lyndon johnson reallyut certain things. if you looked what he did in a very short period of time. he passed the civil rights act, the voting rights act, medicare, medicaid, head start. i mean, all these were things he cared deeply about. and he did what it took to get those things done. donald trump is somebody who doesn't care about anybody but himself. and that's the difference. >> you look at that health care vote and the indifference, almost, of donald trump as to what was in the bill. you see in this film the herculean task, the minutia, ka jo cajoling of people. he was deeply involved. >> not only was he deeply involved, he was brilliant at it. he understood how government works, how the congress and the senate worked. he understood that in order to get something big like that passed -- we're talking about health care -- you need both sides. he had republicans -- there were a lot of democrats he lost. the southern democrats were gone when he tried to pass civil rights legislation. he needed the repub

supposedly lyndon johnson was watching the cronkite show. when cronkite atoned his assessment, he supposedly leaned over and said something to the , if i lost cronkite, i lost middle america. it does not take much research to find out he was not at the white house that night. lyndon johnson was in austin, texas. 51sts attending the birthday party of governor john colony. johnson come in the after my death in the aftermath of the cronkite show says we should recommit to end the war of vietnam successfully. let's bring home a victory. he says is some more than one occasion in the aftermath of the cronkite show. if this was such an epiphany for the president, he did not make it clear that this had changed his mind in the public comments after that. true what he is said, the president probably never said, if i lost walter cronkite i lost america. i don't know a few was watching tv when cronkite made that broadcast. i'm sure johnson saw and heard it at some point. it does not seem to mean to be contradictory to say that significantlp was of cronk

lyndon johnson was the have a second coat just cooking for the family must have the white house chief executive chef do anything with negative everything for family and cast -- guess. sometimes they will make a recommendation but typically somebody on the staff may be elevated or somebody the president knows from their prior life that they bring into the white house kitchen if they're going to make it change the 1960 most have kept the holdover from the previous administration. johnson all the way to reagan and then walter k. the bid with the clintons in the first term of george to be bush. and the assistant chef was elevated to white house executive chef. >> what is the food budget?. >> yes. before you get to ruth trotman the president had to pay for the food out of his own pocket. driven eventually gets a budget if you order food on an air force one or on the yacht or the kitchen it is building is that it counted is not a free-for-all is allocated by congress. so to give you more history the creation of the white house is a reflection of this because after it is renovated there was

president lyndon johnson delivered an oval office address to the american people in 1967 at the end ofeek of widespread disorder and violence. he announced the formation of a national advisorco

absolutely ther is that this building, hoover building that was built during the time of president lyndon johnson and the beatles were still at the top of the charts, it is showing its age, and the 10,000 plus fbi employees who work in the building are not being well served without getting access to a new headquarters. the fact that congress has appropriated more than $900 million to move the process and it was a process strongly supported by fbi the men comey, to give and women who work in the building a new, modern facility. it is extraordinarily strange to me that this administration would, with virtually no explanation, and before we have a new fbi director and place, -- director in place, would bring this multiyear process to a halt, is very concerning. my hope is that mr. wray gets confirmed and he will take a fresh look and try to advocate for the men and women who work at the fbi headquarters, because they deserve a new modern facility to work in. i'm happy to take questions. >> what is related in the committee's efforts to bring donald trump junior before the committee? to jaredpect to t

president lyndon johnson delivered an oval office address to the american people on july 27, 1967 near the end of a week of widespread disorder and violence. president johnson announced the formation of a national advisory commission on civil disorders, also known as the kerner commission, to investigate the causes of uprisings in many cities that summer. he also details his legislative efforts to address poverty and discrimination. president johnson: my fellow americans, we have endured a week such as no nation should live through.

president lyndon johnson delivered an oval office address to the american people in 1967 at the end of the week of widespread disorder and violence. he announced the formation of a national advisory commission also known as the kerner commission to investigate the causing of uprisings in many cities that summer. he details the legislative efforts to address poverty and discrimination. president johnson: my fellow americans, we have endured a week such as no nation should live through. a time of violence and tragedy. for a few minutes tonight, i want to talk about that tragedy and talk about the deeper questions it raises for us all. i am tonight appointing a special advisory commission on civil disorders. the governor of illinois has agreed to serve as chairman. mayor john lindsay of new york will serve as the vice chairman. six other members will include fred harris, senator from oklahoma, united states editor from massachusetts, the united states representative from california 22nd district los angeles, the u.s. representative from the state of ohio fourth district, the president of

but here's lyndon johnson. this will be our closer. thank you. s in the fields far away -- johnson: -- america's future is a challenge right here at home. with our hopes and the worlds hopes for peace in the balance. every day i do not believe i should devote an hour or a day of my time to any personal dutiesn causes or to any other than the awesome duties of this office, the presidency of your country. seekdingly, i shall not and i will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as your president. ♪ announcer: for free transcripts or to give us your comments about this program, visit us at q&a.org. you and day programs are also available as c-span podcasts. ♪ >> if you enjoyed this "q&a" with mark, here are others you might enjoy. documentary film maker who depicts the final days of the vietnam war in her film "last days in vietnam." about his experience and the autobiography of what it is like to go to war. going back to the vietnam war. you can also see these interviews online at c-span.org. >> monday night on the communicators. as

president lyndon b. johnson said 5000 federal troops. property damage was estimated at more than 30 million. the affected areas still bear the scars of the riots.

but here's lyndon johnson. this will be our closer. thank you. egin video clip] president johnson: -- america's future is being challenged right here at home. with our hopes and the world's hopes for peace in the balance. every day, i do not believe i should devote an hour or a day of my time to any personal partisan causes or to any duties other than the awesome duties of this office, the presidency of your country. accordingly, i shall not seek and i will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as your president. [end video clip] ♪ announcer: for free transcripts or to give us your comments about this program, visit us at q&a.org. q&a programs are also available as c-span podcasts. ♪ >> politico is reporting that mitch mcconnell is unleashing the full force of his political machine in an all-out forced to start two far right conservatives who had threatened to make his life miserable in the senate. brooks congressman mo and states of cream justice roy moore are running against luther strange at special election next month. both me

yet somehow he managed to do it, playing president lyndon johnson. >> we're making history here, everett, and you have to decide how you want history to remember you. >> i'm steve kroft. >> i'm lesley stahl. >> i'm bill whitaker. >> i'm anderson cooper. >> i'm scott pelley. those stories, tonight on "60 minutes." get ready for a more vividup - window into your games. with a stunning 4k display and graphics that bring all the action to life. peter! are you still with us? the dell inspiron 15 7000 gaming with a 7th gen intel® core™ i7 processor. your screen, superpowered. see it in spider-man: homecoming. dell, as real as it gets. "oh no, the fridge just died." don't worry. at lowe's, we offer free next day delivery on in-stock appliances. hurry in to lowe's and get up to 40% off select appliance special values. the lincoln summer invitation is on. it's time for a getaway. now get our best offers of the season. on the agile mkc. on the versatile midsize lincoln mkx. or go where summer takes you in the exhilarating mkz. the lincoln summer invitation sales event. ask about complimentary pick

it was hard for herbert humphrey and lyndon johnson. >> pence is pulling it off.supporting president trump. he was quite supportive of a president in a speech today. it's wouldn't call it a rah-rah nature to his support. his sticking to policy. listen to things that pence said. his speeches. in his conversations with lawmakers on capitol hill, he's a policy guy and sticking to promoting the agenda. he's popular on capitol hill. i know the lawmakers like him. he's very involved on a day-to-day basis actually. i don't see him really -- especially in a statement that came out yesterday where they make the point these things happened before he joined the campaign. he's fencing himself off from the controversy -- >> neil: he's right on that. the vice president's press spokesman, caught this and didn't like the insinuation that employed a new strategy. but professor, one of the things i see, that is the conundrum for a vice president when the heat is on. you almost can't win. >> it's a very difficult position. hubert humphrey used to remind everybody that lyndon johnson

first in newark, and t detroit. 50 years ago, five days into the detroit riots, president lyndon johnsonshed a commission and directed it to answer three basic questions. what happened? why did it happen? and what could be done to prevent the riots from happening again? the kerner commission, named after its chair, illinois governor otto kerner, jr., visited the affected cities, heard witness testimony, and gathered information about the underlying causes of the violence. their conclusion? "our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white -- separate and unequal." next week, we'll look back with eye-witnesses, journalists, and talk about detroit's future as we sit down with the last surviving member of the commission. senator fred har who says we haven't learned from our past. fred harris: that's the sad thing. we made progress on almost every aspect of race and poverty for about 10 years after the kerner backward. about 10 yearsr we began to give tax cuts to the rich people. and we began again to cut programs for training and education and safety net programs and so forth

nationally, president lyndon johnson appointed an 11-member advisory commission on civil disorders aimed to identify the root causes. it was chaired by illinois governor otto kerner. after a seven-month investigation, the kerner commission's conclusions were devastating. our country was deeply divided between black and white -- unequal, unstable, unfair. the last surviving member, of the kerner commission is former oklahoma senator fred harris, now 86 years old. why did president johnson want to start the commission? fred harris: well, we were having these terrible disorders, riots all over the country. the worse were of course were in detroit and newark. nobody knew how it was going to end and whether it would be a kind of continuing thing. was it a harbinger of things to come. and so, he said, i want you to say what happened, why did it happen and what can be done to keep it from happening again and again. what we found in the kerner report was as for example here in detroit or in other cities, conditions were so horrible and relations between the police and the people in these central