LBJ Tapes Show Frustration Over Vietnam

CBS Evening News: Final Phone Recordings Show Johnson's Anger As Vietnam Spun Out Of Control

(CBS)  New audio tapes were released Thursday from the final months of Lyndon Johnson's presidency four decades ago. They reveal a leader wrestling with the Vietnam war - and very much involved in the 1968 presidential campaign, even after he decided not to run, CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante reports.

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Forty years before Democrats nominated their first candidate of color, President Lyndon Johnson told 1968 presidential nominee Hubert Humphrey that he should pick a Japanese-American as his running mate.

It was Sen. Daniel Inouye, who was awarded a silver star in World War II, and who lost an arm in battle.

"He answers Vietnam with that empty sleeve. He answers your problems with Nixon with that empty sleeve. He has that brown face," Johnson said.

Humphrey, though he was one of the Senate's foremost liberals, balked.

"I guess maybe, it's just taking me a little too far, too fast," Humphrey said. "Old, conservative Humphrey."

The Vietnam War was tearing the country apart. Democrats wanted their convention platform to call for a halt to U.S. bombing.

From his Texas ranch, Johnson - whose son-in-law was serving in Vietnam - told an aide "no way."

"I'm telling 'em what our position is as Commander-in-Chief that I'm not about to stop this bombing unless they arrest me and take my power away from me," he said. "Because I've got some of my own right there and I'm not gonna shoot 'em in the heart. Not for a bunch of goddamn draft dodgers."

Johnson got his way, but the convention in Chicago was a disaster. He listened without comment as his attorney general, Ramsey Clark, blamed the police.

"It was a very disgusting moment in my judgment, Mr. President," Clark said. "I think it was caused by law enforcement."

But Johnson, who sympathized with Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, was having problems with his attorney general.

"Well, he doesn't see this as you and I see it," Johnson said

Daley argued that his police had been provoked.

"What are you gonna do if someone hits you with human manure in the face, are you gonna stand there?" Daley said.

Johnson did halt the bombing just before the election, which was extremely close. The morning after, Humphrey called to apologize for losing.

"I'm sorry I let you down a little," he said.

Johnson replied: "No you didn't, no you didn't, it's on a lot of other folks but not you. It's our own people in the party that created all the problems."

Today's tapes were the final release of Lyndon Johnson's phone calls - recordings that have provided an extraordinary insight into his presidency. Since LBJ, no politician has controlled the party so completely - and none is likely to do it ever again.

[clovisbuford]

I''''m ready to take my crybaby a$$ to the streets to protest Iraq. I love the propaganda that it''''s being waged to keep America free. Does this mean I wasn''''t free before the Iraq War started?
Posted by DaGrandma at 09:49 AM : Dec 05, 2008 ya kind of missed the boat on that one , you could have joined us in 2002 and 2003 before the war started to say what a crock it is . a trillion dollars later and 4000 American lives , over 30,000 wounded , a 100,000 civilian casualties , you are just a tad late ..but that''s just me

[pawpawmac-2009]

The pola-***** have controlled every war we fought sense WW II and we lost thge all. Put the military in charge of winning and they will

[dagrandma]

I''m ready to take my crybaby a$$ to the streets to protest Iraq. I love the propaganda that it''s being waged to keep America free. Does this mean I wasn''t free before the Iraq War started?

[noaanhc]

The US could have bombed Vietnam back to the stone age and still we wouldnt have won.


North Vietnmese leader Ho Chi Minh was a one very smart man.He knew his enemy better than we knew him. He told his followers that they can bomb us and bomb us and we will never ever stop fighting even if we have to fight another 20 years.The Americans dont have the will power to stay and fight for eventually they will grow tired and leave,just as the France did before them.

Ho knew his enemy,face it people.he beat us,he won.

[hitoyou11]

Frankly, all the nuts live on this web site to spew out their hatred. Like they know sh|t from shinola more than anyone else - but hey - just try to tell them that.
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Posted by Speakinup21 at 02:19 AM : Dec 05, 2008


Are you talkin'''' about yourself or what!?!?

He must be.

[hitoyou11]

HOGWASH.. HE COULD HAVE WON THE WAR IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE CRY-BABY MEDIA AND THE SUPER-LIBERALS IN THIS COUNTRY. THEY BEAT US IN THE STREETS OF AMERICA NOT IN VIETNAM.
Hogwash. They beat us in VIETNAM too. You must not have been there , are you are lying to yourself, to make your cry baby assssssssss feel good.

[rickwar]

HOGWASH.. HE COULD HAVE WON THE WAR IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE CRY-BABY MEDIA AND THE SUPER-LIBERALS IN THIS COUNTRY. THEY BEAT US IN THE STREETS OF AMERICA NOT IN VIETNAM.

Posted by hbevis at 01:26 AM : Dec 05, 2008

Weren''t there were you? (Vietnam) It was a no win situation, don''t think so? Ask the French, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon.

Stop blaming the press or people who might have a different view and labeling them, start looking at American adventureisim and lack of true leadership.

[airboatboy1]

Frankly, all the nuts live on this web site to spew out their hatred. Like they know sh|t from shinola more than anyone else - but hey - just try to tell them that.
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Posted by Speakinup21 at 02:19 AM : Dec 05, 2008


Are you talkin'' about yourself or what!?!?

[brianbwb-2009]

"Sure, sure, LBJ manufactured the gulf of tonkin incident." Posted by Speakinup21

In 2005, an official NSA declassified report revealed that there may not have been any North Vietnamese vessels present during the engagement of 4 August. The report stated

"It is not simply that there is a different story as to what happened; it is that no attack happened that night... In truth, Hanoi''s navy was engaged in nothing that night but the salvage of two of the boats damaged on 2 August."

"And we all know Roosevelt knew about Pearl Harbor before it happened." Posted by Speakinup21

"The McCollum memo outlined eight different steps the United States could do that he predicted would lead to an attack by Japan on the United States. The day after this memo was giving to Franklin D. Roosevelt, he began to implement these steps. By the time that Japan finally attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, all eight steps had occurred (Willy 1). The eight steps consisted of two main subject areas; the first being a sign of United States military preparedness and threat of attack, the second being a forceful control on Japans trade and economy..."

"And of COURSE Bush knew there were now weapons of mass destruction in Iraq." Posted by Speakinup21

Colin Powell, February 2001: "[Saddam] has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbors..."

Well?

[hbevis]

Johnson WANTED to get out of Vietnam. His own belief was that the world of that time would not have understood an American withdrawl. And it would have played into the hands of Soviet propaganda.


Posted by brundage3 at 10:47 PM : Dec 04, 2008

what a bag of dog *** that is!! one Johnson''''s first moves as President was to escalate the "conflict" in Viet Nam.

Posted by lucasnico at 12:24 AM : Dec 05, 2008

HOGWASH.. HE COULD HAVE WON THE WAR IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE CRY-BABY MEDIA AND THE SUPER-LIBERALS IN THIS COUNTRY. THEY BEAT US IN THE STREETS OF AMERICA NOT IN VIETNAM.

JUST LIKE THE WAR WE ARE IN NOW. THE MEDIA IS NOT GOING TO PRINT OR SAY ANYTHING ON THE AIR THAT REALLY TELLS WHAT IS GOING ON OVERSEAS. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON THEN TALK TO SOME OF OUR PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN OVER THERE OR THAT ARE STILL OVER THERE.