brian: robert caro in 2003, was at the lbj library. want you to hear what he was saying and the program we did with them. [begin video clip] >> it is just baloney to say you can come in here as a historian and the work without their help. there is no way anybody can know what is in these files. for all these it years, they have been directing me to the right places. so when you say these administrations in this library has not looked in favor on my books -- >> why would that be? >> you have to ask them. that is quite an understatement. i will leave it like that. i think the archives here has never stopped helping me. [end video clip] brian: a couple things. at that time, you cannot buy one of his books at the library. i want to show you a picture recently taken at the lbj library and there you see his books in the shop being sold. what do you think happened to change that and what does that say to you as you are doing the research that they didn't use to sell them? anthony: harry middleton was hand-chosen by president johnson, friend o

. >> host: i think robert caro uses a typewriter. how many words do you do a day? >> guest: in the old days when i was full of beans i would do four pages a day, now i try to do two pages a day. two pages a day is ten pages a week, and i'm often asked how much of my time i spend writing and how much of my time i spend doing research. >> how much time do you spend thinking? what is the answer? what is the answer? >> guest: a lot. if you were looking in the window you might think that guy is asleep. >> in one of my roles at the smithsonian, >> let's talk about this book. you have written 10 books before, this is your 11th book. you talked about your 12th book for five years in 2019, this is a compilation of your >> and honorary degree commencement talks. you have gotten 55 honorary degrees. >> the setting of every talk, you know something about the university or college where you are speaking or invited to speak at the white house or capital, you have to do the homework. i do a lot of research, very conscientious, what i'm saying will go on the record. >> host: let's

. >> i think robert caro still uses a typewriter the how many words do you do a day before you say okay that's it? >> in the old days when i was full of teens i would do four pages a day when i was rolling. now i try to do two pages a day and two pages a day is 10 pages a week or more because i work seven days a week and by the end of the month you have a chapter or the beginnings of a chapter. i'm often asked how much of my time i spend writing and how much of my time is spent doing research, perfectly good questions. nobody has ever asked me how much time do you spend thinking? >> how much of your time do you spend thinking? answer. >> yeah. you are the first man. >> what is the answer? >> answer? >> allah, allah. if you are looking out the window at work you might think that guy is asleep. [laughter] but i'm thinking deeply. the mac in one of my roles at the smithsonian whenever you do retire in can you give us aou typewriter? >> i'm not sure. i'll have to talk to the boss. >> are right to let's talk about this book. you've written 10 books before this is your 11th book. you talk sho

. >> i think robert caro still uses his typewriter as well. >> yes, he does. >> how many words do you do a day before you say, okay, that's it? >> well, in the old days when i was full of beans -- [laughter] i would do four pages a day when i was rolling, underway. now i try and do two pages ato day. two pages a day is ten pages a week or more because i often work seven days a week. and by the end of a month, you've got a chapter. or the beginningsings of a chapter. >> right. >> i'm often asked how much of my time i spend writing and how much of my time i spend doing research. perfectly good question.n. nobody's ever asked me how much of your time do you spend thinking. >> how much of your time do you spend thinking? [laughter] >> yeah. there you are, david, first man. [laughter] >> all right so what's the answer? >> a lot. a lot. [laughter] now, if you were looking in thea window where i work, you might think the guy's asleep. t [laughter] but i'm thinking deeply. [laughter] >> so whenever you -- well, in one of my roles at the smithsonian, wherever you do retire, can you give us tha

[laughter] >> robert caro said as much in his series of biographies on johnson. their relationship was really complicated even by washington standards and i read road to camelot, a good book, and it begins with in 1956, the patriarch, joseph kennedy urging lyndon johnson to start running for president and he promises, i will finance your campaign even four years before the race on the condition you accept my son as your vice presidential nominee. the twists and turns are incredible in that relationship. >> the same book -- others have done it too, at the convention in 1960 and the disagreements between jack and robert about how do we do it, what do we want them to say, it was extranet. -- extraordinary. robert kennedy said in later years that the success in the wasction of johnson critical. success in the south was dependent on having lbj on the ticket. others suggested if you had someone else, you could pick up some other states that they didn't get. in terms of the relationship in office, very fraught, as you say . >> yes, sir? >> we began with john f. kennedy'