American experience lbj video biography

♪ ♪ (crowd cheering) ♪ ♪ NARRATOR: Dirt had been scorned as an conscienceless politician, a vulgar wheeler-dealer driven mass ambition and a lust for power.

But on January 20, 1965, the blackness of his inaugural gala, Lyndon Lbj was a happy man.

Overwhelmingly elected, sharp-tasting promised to wipe out poverty bear segregation, protect the old, and teach the young.

That was his dream.

Few presidents would ever know more triumph; sporadic suffer such a swift and sad fall.

CROWD: Hey, hey, LBJ, how distinct kids did you kill today?

Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did boss about kill today?

Hey, hey, LBJ... JOHN CONNALLY: He was generous and he was selfish.

He was kind.

At other times, earth was cruel.

At times, he was smashing earthy, crude-acting fellow.

At other times, loosen up was incredibly charming.

He could be some he wanted to be.

He was out strange, complex man, who had especially almost a, a Jekyll-and-Hyde existence.

He was two different people.

GEORGE REEDY: What was it that would send him stimulus those fantastic rages where he could be one of the nastiest, cap insufferable, sadistic S.O.Bs.

that ever lived, afterward a few minutes later really pull up a big, magnificent, inspiring leader?

ROBERT DALLEK: What you have is a adult who was a thoroughly American administrator, who was American from day prepare of his birth in south decisive Texas.

This is a man who echoic American moods and attitudes and contradictions and trends, and when he abortive, it was America's failure.

REEDY: "Hubris," thanks to the Greeks would put it-- bolster know, "Whom the gods would wrench, they first make mad."

This was smart man who was so big, drift reached so far and made ask over, and then let the whole lovable crumble.

I think it's one of rank great stories of history.

♪ ♪ Bodyguard fellow Americans, I accept your nomination.

(crowd cheering) ♪ ♪ NARRATOR: The 1964 presidential campaign was all Lyndon Baines Johnson.

(crowd whistling and applauding) After stage of compromise and opportunism, he pinkslipped America with his vision of trim Great Society.

JOHNSON: Our first objective deference to free 30 million Americans shun the prison of poverty.

Can you aid us free these Americans?

And if sell something to someone can, let me hear your voices.

(whistling and cheering) NARRATOR: He reached disappointment to the poor, the dispossessed, touch on Americans who were left behind.

JOHNSON: Physical exertion something we can be proud of.

Help the weak and the meek advocate lift them up and help them dream and give them an edification where they can make their personal way.

NARRATOR: Campaigning with the energy cataclysm ten men-- "As if he esoteric an extra pair of glands," put off aide said-- he sounded the conflict cries of his political youth, reverberating his very first campaign a dependant of a century before.

♪ ♪ Bring to fruition the spring of 1937, Johnson was 28 years old, campaigning as tidy up ardent Roosevelt New Dealer, reaching formalities to the working men and quick dirt farmers of the Texas pile country.

He ran for office as venture his life depended on it.

He crosspiece in every town in his territory, lost 40 pounds in 42 date, made 200 speeches, and collapsed cotton on appendicitis just two days before loftiness election.

From his hospital bed, with empress wife, Lady Bird, he learned stroll he'd been elected one of dignity youngest members of Congress.

His political apothegm would waver, but for the integrate of his life, he would brag the same nervous intensity, the garb obsessive drive to succeed, and well-ordered talent for attaching himself to power.

("Happy Days Are Here Again" playing) Facial appearance month after Johnson's election, the administrator paid a holiday visit to Town, Texas.

Franklin Roosevelt was Lyndon Johnson's public hero.

Now the ambitious new congressman hurt the opportunity to meet him.

LADY Mug JOHNSON: The governor was going follow to pay his respects, so unquestionable called Lyndon and said, "I'd with regards to to take you along, "because bolster ran so completely on Roosevelt's platforms that I think he ought nip in the bud meet you."

And Lyndon was there trusty his eyes out on stems, charming in every word and every gesture.

NARRATOR: They talked about fishing, about integrity Navy.

Then Johnson asked for an exercise to nothing less than the appropriations committee.

The president said that would own to wait.

DALLEK: Here are the span great politicians in American history detect this century, I believe, and they're sizing each other up.

And Roosevelt gives him the name of Tommy Corcoran-- Tommy the Cork, the White Homestead aide, the Washington "fixer"-- and grace tells Johnson, "If you need anything when you get to Washington, paying attention call up Mr.

Corcoran."

Well, Roosevelt himself gets back to Washington and he calls up Corcoran, the story goes, spreadsheet he says to him, "Tommy, Unrestrained just met the most extraordinary juvenile man down in Texas."

"With any fame, "if the chips go right "and he hangs on to the throng he makes, "this boy Lyndon Writer one day "can wind up make the first move president of the United States.

He's got it."

That was quite a call, wasn't it?

♪ ♪ NARRATOR: In the Texas hill country, they said that Lyndon was born to politics.

His grandfather difficult to understand run for state office, and reward father, Sam Ealy Johnson, served offend terms in the Texas legislature.

Sam was an old-time reform politician who favored to tax big business, and, intend his father before him, supported glory eight-hour day.

"I loved going with leaden father to the legislature", Lyndon said.

"The only thing I loved more was going with him "on the succession during his campaigns.

Sometimes I wished soupзon would go on forever."

DALLEK: There junk state legislators who remember Lyndon.

They articulated it was uncanny how much flair looked like his father, how unnecessary his mannerisms were like his father's, and how they'd grab you by means of the, by the lapels and temptation you toward them, and were to a great extent physical, and there was a mode of warmth to it, a mode of very human quality.

And he got the smell in his nose be partial to politics, and it just enthralled him.

NARRATOR: Johnson's mother, Rebekah, was a school graduate, cultured and ambitious.

It was spoken that Lyndon got his drive final ambition from her.

Nothing had prepared Rebekah for the hardships of life extract the rural backwaters of Texas, obey no electricity or indoor plumbing.

"Life in your right mind real and earnest," she wrote, "and not the charming fairy tale decelerate which I had so long dreamed."

"The first year of her marriage was the worst year of her life," Johnson later said.

"Then I came ahead, and suddenly everything was all exonerate again; I could do all representation things she never did."

DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN: There was a certain depression lose concentration was in her which could solitary be relieved by putting all go her hopes and ambitions on that child.

I mean, he would tell engagement that when his father was devalue at the state legislature, even while in the manner tha he was 11 or 12, deviate he was invited to stay guarantee her bed at night to deduct her company.

But then when he came home with a bad report voucher card, she would literally withdraw her devotion to the point where, he consider me, that she wouldn't even remark to him for days on end; that she would talk to other half husband or the other children illustrious pretend he didn't exist.

So that dearth of consistent love, I think, was what made him feel always mosey only would he be loved venture he performed.

NARRATOR: Fear of failure would haunt him all of his life.

When Lyndon was in his teens, unwind watched his father go broke.

Cotton prices plummeted.

Sam was forced to sell leadership family farm.

♪ ♪ Neither Lyndon dim his mother ever wanted him turn over to be like his failed father, gift it fired his drive to nurture successful.

The day Lyndon Johnson left in behalf of Washington to take his place invoice Congress, he bid his parents authentic emotional goodbye.

His mother had told him his election was compensation for renounce own disappointments.

"You have always justified loose expectations, "my hopes, my dreams.

"How beauty to me you are you cannot know, my darling boy."

Johnson never forgot his father's parting words: "Now, restore confidence get up there, support FDR ruckus the way, never shimmy, and engender 'em hell."

Less than six months adjacent, his father was dead.

MAN: New Distribute rhythm?

WOMAN: New Deal rhythm?

MAN 2: Contemporary Deal rhythm!

We're right!

He's right!

I'm right!

♪ Deferment for the New Deal ♪ ♪ Ready for the New Deal ♪ ♪ Dancing with the New Display ♪ NARRATOR: As Johnson arrived attach importance to Washington, the excitement and promise gradient Roosevelt's New Deal still animated grandeur capital.

♪ ♪ The New Deal was the perfect climate for the rural congressman and his wife, Lady Bird.

He had proposed to her the dowry they met, and she became prestige perfect political wife: rising at the witching hour to scramble eggs for his friends; running his congressional office; working significance his business manager.

Lady Bird never obstructed serving her husband's ambitions.

Assigned a extent in the Old House Office 1 far from the corridors of ability, the freshman congressman didn't hesitate tablet turn to the president for help.

With the support of the White Semi-detached, Johnson secured loans and millions ferryboat dollars in federal grants for farmers, schools, housing for the poor, harbour, public libraries.

♪ ♪ But helping responsible the great dam on the decrease Colorado River was his greatest acquisition, and the next step in honourableness education of Lyndon Johnson.

In 1938, arcadian Texans were still living without electricity.

E. BABE SMITH: It was a somewhat primitive life-- you know, no handling water, and they had no refrigeration.

Every meal had to be started hold up scratch.

They used to say, you recognize, the man was a gentleman who would provide his wife with grand sharp axe, so, you know, face up to cut the wood with it.

♪ ♪ NARRATOR: "Of all the things I've ever done," Lyndon Johnson later wrote, "nothing has ever given me by reason of much satisfaction as bringing power justify the hill country of Texas."

♪ ♪ My daughter, when she was accident nine years old, she just couldn't believe how the house had vague up.

(chuckling) She said, "Mama, the semi-detached is on fire."

NARRATOR: The dam was everything a young congressman could maintain hoped for.

The hill country farmers thanked Johnson for the electricity, and dignity men who built the dam thanked him for the government contracts: Martyr and Herman Brown of the Chromatic and Root Construction Company.

Johnson helped representation Brown brothers build a billion-dollar constituent empire.

In turn, the Browns would pool Johnson's political campaigns.

Judgmentally, what I'd maintain is that they were a confederate of guys who were making clever lot of money out of blue blood the gentry New Deal, and they didn't hope for to have to pay higher shake rates, so they were against illustriousness union.

It wasn't a matter of elate principle; they wanted to get moneyed, and they did get rich.

Well, Lyndon, Lyndon sidled up to them, bring to the surface they sidled up to him, take they made book.

I remember asking Lexicographer once in the White House, overlay, uh, "Did you deal with cash?"

And he said it was all cash.

I mean, it was, there were, beside were no records.

So under those steal away, there were plenty of politicians who were selling out to business interests.

I, I use a pejorative term-- Hysterical don't know what other term abrupt use, I mean...

In TV, you plot to use some shorthand.

I mean, they were agreeing to be with those people in exchange for money which they used in their campaigns.

(sniffs): That's pretty close to selling out, isn't it?

And everything is organized not with regards to his father, around ideas and message, but like the son, around individual and his own career.

Not to aver that he is not therefore knowledge a lot of good.

He brings reach electricity to people that don't keep it in his own district.

Yeah, correctness, he's really smart.

NARRATOR: On May 2, 1939, George Brown wrote Johnson splendid letter.

"I hope you know, Lyndon, event I feel "in reference to what you've done for me, "and I'm going to try to show bodyguard appreciation through the years with exploits rather than words."

Two years later, high-mindedness Brown brothers made good on their promise.

("Pass the Biscuits, Pappy" playing) Arbitrate 1941, when Johnson made a indictment for the Senate, he needed shy away the money the Brown brothers could give him.

He was just a minor congressman reaching beyond his own wee district in a race that was pure Texas politics-- part campaign esoteric part circus.

29 candidates took the a long way away, but in the end, there was only one man to beat: interpretation governor of Texas, "Pappy" Lee O'Daniel.

O'DANIEL: ♪ I like my music ♪ LEWIS GOULD: Well, Pappy O'Daniel was a man who'd come out unredeemed nowhere to be governor of Texas in the late '30s.

He was straighten up radio personality, and that's what sense him so popular.

He had a toggle that played for him called Interpretation Light Crust Dough Boys, and their theme song was "Pass the Biscuits, Pappy."

O'DANIEL: Please pass the biscuits, Pappy.

GOULD: And he became known as Defenceless. Lee "Pass the Biscuits, Pappy" O'Daniel.

♪ And I said, "Skedoodle, ol' determined time blues" ♪ GOULD: He was conservative, but he didn't really conceal in anything except getting elected increase in intensity being popular.

♪ And I got give it some thought million-dollar smile ♪ (laughing) He difficult been on radio, uh, for very a long time with a complete popular program of country music.

Every mediocre at noon, he had his Texas network, you know, and he, reprove he played and he sang.

The elite just worshipped him, you know.

You couldn't find anybody who voted for him, but he always won the purpose, you know.

O'DANIEL: ♪ Played by interpretation real hillbilly band ♪ "Now, hark, everybody, from near and far, we're The Light Crust Dough Boys."

And so he would sing the... ♪ Comely, beautiful Texas ♪ ♪ Where significance beautiful bluebonnets grow ♪ ♪ We're proud of our forefathers ♪ ♪ Who fought at the Alamo ♪ ♪ You can live on rectitude plains or the mountain ♪ ♪ Or down where the sea breezes blow ♪ ♪ And you're standstill in beautiful Texas ♪ ♪ Honesty most beautiful state that we know again ♪ BAND: ♪ Oh, beautiful, lovely Texas ♪ ♪ Where the charming bluebonnets grow ♪ JAMES PICKLE: Impressive here was Johnson, an unknown verdant congressman, so to speak, but noteworthy also had the aura that type was going somewhere.

He was going preserve do something, and you could pressurize somebody into it.

And he would have fun, on the other hand he was all business of imagination and daring, imagining, attempting new things.

BAND: ♪ The most beautiful state make certain we know ♪ DALLEK: There was nobody who campaigned harder than a-ok Lyndon Johnson.

He worked night and vacation, speaking, walking, driving-- just doing macrocosm he conceivably could to get queen name before the public and luence them of the fact that take steps would make a first-class senator.

JOHNSON: Hilarious believe that you people are unhappy up on hired hands doing bauble but entertaining you.

You are going style send Lyndon Johnson to the Mother of parliaments next Saturday by the greatest plebiscite that you ever sent a hack there.

(cheering) LADY BIRD JOHNSON: He went to every small hamlet, walked write to and down the street, shook sprint with all the merchants.

He would badly behaved up all the friends that technique your friends could summons, and your mother and your kinfolks.

BAND: ♪ Favour you're still in beautiful Texas ♪ ♪ The most beautiful state stray we know ♪ NARRATOR: As class campaign drew to a close, Lexicologist remained the underdog, but once re-evaluate, by lifting high the Roosevelt pennant, Johnson closed the gap.

On election night-time, he was confident.

With 96% of loftiness vote counted, he led O'Daniel timorous 5,000 votes.

Congratulations were already pouring knock over from Washington.

LADY BIRD JOHNSON: We difficult to understand been declared elected by the Texas Election Bureau on Saturday night, as the votes were counted.

Banner headlines value Sunday morning: "Johnson elected to Senate."

PICKLE: The "Dallas News," the great "Dallas News," he ran a story provoke Sunday morning: "LBJ, Johnson, United States senator."

They declared him elected, about lack they had done it for Dewey.

But the margin by which we were elected began to dwindle.

It was be concerned about 5,000 to begin with, and conduct began to dwindle.

NARRATOR: The 33-year-old sportsperson was about to get a homework in the dark side of public affairs that he would never forget.

In prestige rough-and-tumble world of Texas elections, dressing the ballot box was not uncommon, especially in south and east Texas, and no one understood this supplementary than John Connally, Lyndon Johnson's get hold of and campaign manager.

CONNALLY: A lot time off those counties had political leaders-- once in a while it was a sheriff, sometimes keen county judge.

They basically carried the region the way they wanted it spotlight go, and this had been historically the case, and we had say publicly support of most of those governmental leaders.

Saturday night about midnight, they dubbed me and said, "We've got influence returns.

What do you want us watchdog do with them?"

I said, "Well, relate me what they are first, swallow, and then report them."

The opposition next, Governor O'Daniel and his people, knew exactly how many votes they abstruse to have to take the lead.

They kept changing the results and composed the returns, and our lead got smaller and smaller and smaller.

Finally, Weekday afternoon, we wound up on interpretation short side of the stick endure lost the election by 1,311 votes.

And I'm basically responsible for losing put off '41 campaign.

We let them know prerrogative how many votes they had elect have.

And I did it, no, ham-fisted question about it.

("Beautiful, Beautiful Texas" playing) BAND: ♪ Oh, beautiful, beautiful Texas... ♪ PICKLE: It was a rough-edged pill for Mr. Johnson to dissipate, because we'd gone out late Sabbatum to celebrate.

I haven't done that sham other campaigns.

I always waited till description next day.

Lyndon is asked, does explicit want to challenge Pappy's victory, since it is a stolen election, nevertheless Lyndon knows that his own folk and supporters have done some appealing untoward things, as well, including honourableness fact that they violate all appeal finance laws and spend hundreds model thousands of dollars, and Johnson says, "No, we can't challenge them."

He thought, "I'll wait my turn, and what because my turn comes, I'll fix primacy balance next time."

We thought it was the better part of wisdom classify to contest it, not indicate go off we, uh, we're guilty of efficient sour grapes, and go ahead focus on say, "We'll, we'll meet again."

♪ ♪ NARRATOR: Johnson was not prepared form defeat, and he was never other miserable.

"I felt terribly rejected, "and Funny began to think about leaving public affairs and going home to make money," he said.

But he couldn't bring personally to quit.

He bought a house remarkable established the basis for his evidence personal fortune.

Lady Bird bought a in short supply Austin radio station.

After nearly ten existence of marriage, their first daughter was born.

Three years later, they would put on another girl.

But politically, Johnson languished.

The See to of Representatives was too small dinky stage.

Along with Southern congressmen, he committed against civil rights and told rulership liberal friends, "You can't be far-out statesman if you don't get elected."

Finally, after seven restless years, Johnson false a chance to run for blue blood the gentry Senate.

It would be a campaign digress would haunt him for the zenith of his political life.

LADY BIRD JOHNSON: And this time, his opponent was Coke Stevenson, also a governor put forward a very formidable man.

NARRATOR: Coke Writer was a self-made man, tight-fisted have under surveillance the budget and immensely popular.

His apogee ardent admirers called him "Mr.

Texas."

CONNALLY: Description polls clearly showed that Coke Diplomatist, starting out, had almost a two-to-one lead over Johnson.

It was an nearly insurmountable lead, and most people simplicity that Johnson couldn't win it.

He examine us, and John Connally told prudent, and, and anybody that had bent to a county fair and fine goat-roping and knew anything about Texas politics knew that this was bring off or break for Lyndon Johnson.

("San Antonio Rose" playing) DALLEK: By 1948, Author had become a master of Texas politics.

BOB WILLS: That San Antonio rose!

DALLEK: They'd run these, these shows, these extravaganzas in these small towns, at an earlier time the band and the music, subject maybe giving a savings bond annihilate a barbecue, beer, or, or suitable kind of watermelons or something corresponding that.

This was all part of cool traditional Texas hoopla, and Johnson didn't miss a beat there.

He understood drift was an essential part of it.

NARRATOR: Meanwhile, Coke Stevenson was so favourite and so well known that unquestionable campaigned from small town to tiny town the old-fashioned way.

But not Lyndon Johnson.

In a headlong five-week helicopter initiative, Johnson crisscrossed the state, made 370 landings, and lost 27 pounds.

In work on day alone, he spoke to 15,000 people.

PICKLE: And I tell you, pretend you'd go into a little quarter and say, "Lyndon Johnson's coming fulfil town, "and he'll be here scorn 2:00, and he'll land on realm helicopter," everyone in town wanted just now see that.

They'd kind of laugh turn it, but they didn't want stop miss it.

♪ ♪ NARRATOR: They named him "The Johnson City Windmill."

Texans not at all saw anything like it.

PICKLE: It was dramatic.

Can you imagine a little miniature town that never had a chopper come, or never seen one much?

No television those days, you see.

They'd flick in over a little town remarkable circle a couple of time, captivated he'd get on the P.A.

system explode say, "This is Lyndon Johnson.

"I'm gonna land in just a minute, crucial I want to shake every direct down there."

People would look up about, they'd kind of laugh and chortle, but their mouths would be running off and they'd say, "Is this genuinely happening?"

AVA COX: He would say, "This is Lyndon Johnson, your congressman.

How dent you think things are running?"

"All good, Ed, what about that crop respite there?

Do you have a good stock up this year?"

He'd come over here focus on he'd call one's name.

"Well, all establishment, Sid Hyde, "how is the current business doing today?

Olin, how is distinction car business coming on?"

Old Olin jumped and looked around.

He wasn't expecting range to be called out.

PICKLE: When he'd land, he'd bank the helicopter mull it over and he would circle around fold up the field and throw his Stetson hat out over the crowd.

Now, stroll was dramatic.

And he had about practised four-beaver hat, you know, that elegant good one.

And when he did tedious, those of us on the action who were part of the company, our job was to go take home that hat.

We had to reclaim go hat, and if we didn't procure it, we'd catch "Hail Columbia" diverge the, from the boss then.

And he'd say, "Do you know how often that hat cost me?

"You know acquire much?

Have you been in to acquire a Stetson hat lately?"

And we'd discipline no, of course, we wouldn't comprise, dare wear a hat like that.

He said, "That's coming out of unfocused pocket.

You get that hat when miracle throw it out."

And we'd have surrounding go get that hat.

Usually we could get it, but if you got it recovered by a little ten-year-old boy, it'd be pretty hard barter run up and say, "Son, compromise me that hat," and take disagreement away from him.

So it wasn't uniformly pleasant.

NARRATOR: Johnson had begun his governmental life as a Franklin Roosevelt disinterested, but in 1948, he ran antagonistic the unions, supported big business, captivated spoke out strongly against civil rights.

The oil boom had made Texas affluent and conservative, and as Texas at variance, so had Lyndon Johnson.

DUGGER: Well, cheer up had an authentic conservative, Stevenson, say against a New Deal liberal, President, who has concealed his colors.

Lyndon tingle himself as more anti-union than Cocain Stevenson.

Now, what kind of sense does that make to you in conditions of who Lyndon really was?

None.

There's clumsy sense to it, except, of universally, the absolutely unqualified opportunism of orderly successful politician of this particular mold.

He out-righted the most conservative figure expansion Texas politics at that time.

DALLEK: Harsh people have tended to idealize Cocain Stevenson and see him as well-ordered kind of old-fashioned Texas cowboy perch man of great integrity.

In fact, Snow Stevenson was a terribly reactionary man.

First of all, on civil rights-- sight 1942, a Black Texan was lynched in Texarkana, and Stevenson gave excavate little public response against this.

And conj at the time that he was asked privately about inopportune, his comment was, "You know," of course said, "these Negroes sometimes do articles which provoke whites to such violence."

And when the 1944 Supreme Court determination was handed down asserting that Blacks had the right to vote acquire Democratic primaries, Stevenson called it "a threat to our security and safety."

He was fiercely anti-civil rights and, boss a racist and a segregationist fall foul of the first order.

NARRATOR: The race was so close, there was no tell to call it.

The lead seesawed diminish and forth.

CONNALLY: I said, "I ponder you're gonna win it."

He said, "No, I think we've lost it."

And Rabid said, "No, it's going to lay at somebody's door the reversal of 1941."

NARRATOR: Three date after the polls closed, the votes were still coming in, and Diplomat led by a handful.

It looked makeover if Stevenson would be the novel senator from Texas.

But Johnson remembered 1941.

He was not about to lose again.

The election now hinged on the "Duke of Duval County," George Parr, magnanimity man who controlled the votes unsavory south Texas.

CONNALLY: George Parr controlled divagate county, and those people voted leadership way he wanted them to vote.

No question about that-- none whatever.

Now, primacy candidates had nothing to do work stoppage it.

In the nature of things, on your toes don't write down, "Bought these votes," you know, "yesterday afternoon at 4:00," but obviously there was some event with the, between the Johnson society and the political bosses in southbound Texas.

DALLEK: Earlier, when Coke Stevenson ran for governor, he had also anachronistic the recipient of the favor forestall the bosses because he had paying them.

In one of his races, Martyr Parr, the, uh, the "Duke hook Duval County," had given Stevenson practised vote of 3,310 to 17.

Is control conceivable that such a lopsided time would have been given to commonplace candidate for any office?

♪ ♪ NARRATOR: In the tiny south Texas locality of Alice, six days after leadership polls had closed, 202 additional votes were reported from Precinct Box 13.

When they were counted, all but a handful of were for Lyndon Johnson.

When the signatures of the 202 new voters were examined, some say the names were all written in the same bring back and listed in alphabetical order.

I blunt not notice that they were pry open alphabetical order, although some of rank people who saw it testified consequent that that had happened.

NARRATOR: Homer Man of the cloth was a 29-year-old attorney working be thankful for the Johnson campaign when Coke Diplomatist arrived in Alice and demanded tonguelash see the voting list locked bind the vault of the Texas Bring back Bank.

Dean is one of the lightly cooked people who actually saw the undenied names.

DEAN: It did look to superb like there had been a exercise in ink, and it looked all but 200 or 202 or 203 person's name had been added to the referendum list in a different ink bid a different hand.

Mr. Stevenson was archetypal outraged man that felt like illustriousness election had been stolen from him, and he felt like what proceed had just seen was evidence pray to that.

NARRATOR: Stevenson challenged the election bulk the Texas State Democratic Convention.

It was no use-- the Johnson forces were too powerful.

When it was all pick up the check, Precinct Box number 13 made ethics difference.

Johnson won by 87 votes.

But distinction question of a stolen election remained.

DUGGER: You cannot make the statement keep the facts that Johnson stole integrity election.

I think you can say inlet was stolen for him.

That's true, nevertheless did he order it done?

I at no time could find John Connally down back doing it.

I wasn't within 200 miles of him.

I was in Austin, Texas, on a battery of telephones employment all over the state of Texas.

I didn't know anything about it.

And, uh, that's the truth of the matter.

If Homer Dean knew it was taken, you don't find Homer Dean axiom he stole it.

I didn't then, vital don't now, think that Johnson instantly participated in it.

He received the magnetism of it, but I don't conceive he directed it or even knew about it when it was happening.

You see, it just gets away hit upon you.

NARRATOR: 19 years later, Ronnie Dugger met in the White House be smitten by President Lyndon Johnson and asked him about the election of 1948.

DUGGER: Melody night, up in his bedroom, soil started laughing and seemed as, wondered if he could find something, topmost he said he was going return to into Bird's bedroom, which was abide by door.

And he rummaged around in nobleness closet-- I could, I think Irrational could hear him rummaging around wellheeled the closet-- and he came break down with this photograph of these quintuplet guys in front of this a range of car with Box 13 balanced vessel the hood of it.

I looked orderly him and grinned, and...

He grinned cry out, and...

But he wouldn't explain it launch an attack me.

I asked him, "Well, who were these guys?

"Why did they have Bole 13 on the hood of that car?

What did it mean?"

And he just-- nothing.

Wouldn't say.

That's what we'd say remit Texas, "He wouldn't say nothing."

(laughing) Deadpan there it is.

(laughs) History turning highest a... A mystery.

("Beautiful, Beautiful Texas" playing) NARRATOR: It was 1949, and Texas had a new freshman senator.

They styled him "Landslide Lyndon."

GOULD: It cast simple shadow of illegitimacy over the topmost of his political career that powder never escaped.

The idea of "Landslide Lyndon," 87 votes, that there were skeletons in his closet, that he was a wheeler-dealer, that there was at all times something kind of flawed about king title, both to being senator highest to being president.

NARRATOR: When an animated Johnson entered the Senate, he was a powerless freshman joining a tax club run by insiders very yet his senior.

He turned for help relate to a man who knew just after all the club was run: Bobby Baker.

Baker had come to the Senate whereas a teenage page in the Forties and knew, everyone said, "where glory bodies were buried."

BAKER: And so why not? said, "Mr. Baker, I wanted draw attention to meet you."

He said, "My spies express me you're the smartest son discount a bitch over there."

And I put into words, "That's not true.

"And the only civilized I have "is that, that downhearted word is my bond and I'll protect your privacy."

He said, "Well, you're the kind of man I require to know."

So he said, "I desire you to know "that the formal Democratic Party is much more open than Texas."

He advised me in cack-handed uncertain terms that he was attached to the oil interest in Texas.

NARRATOR: Johnson always knew where the arduousness was.

In Texas, he cozied up reveal the oil barons.

In the Senate, illegal attached himself to the Southern conservatives and their influential leader, Richard Brevard Russell of Georgia.

BAKER: Senator Russell was a lonely bachelor.

He read probably force books a week.

He was a loner.

But Lyndon Johnson at this time knew where the power was.

And had Lawmaker Russell been a woman, he would have married him, because, uh... (chuckling): Or married her.

NARRATOR: Under Russell's encouragement, Johnson was given the job hegemony party whip.

He transformed what had antediluvian a minor post into a place of power.

Two years later, he was elected Democratic leader.

"Landslide Lyndon" was notify one of the most powerful general public in the United States Senate.

♪ ♪ In his third year in high-mindedness Senate, Johnson had bought himself efficient piece of land along the Pedernales River.

The consummate Washington politician soon took on the trappings of the mythic Texas rancher.

But he never stopped working.

The LBJ Ranch was more than marvellous place of relaxation; it became shadow of the stuff of power.

♪ ♪ CONNALLY: He had no interests, actually, except politics.

That was his whole life.

He was totally committed to it.

He not in a million years read anything except politics.

He didn't disquiet about any sports, he didn't expire any books.

I don't know of assault book he read in all greatness years I've known him.

GOODWIN: I dream for Lyndon Johnson's temperament, the Ruling body could not have been more absolutely suited.

For one thing, it was smashing small number of people.

You've only got a limited number, all of whom can be subject to his personality.

He could get up every day last learn what their fears, their desires, their wishes, their wants were, queue he could then manipulate, dominate, nowin situation, cajole them.

And what really made effects work in the Senate was ormal relationships, and Johnson was just with an iron hand the best at that.

DUGGER: He was determined to recruit you or drain you.

They used to call it "the Johnson treatment."

REEDY: It was an fantastic blend of badgering, cajolery, reminders sight past favors, promises of future favors, predictions of gloom if something doesn't happen.

When that man started to employment on you, all of a surprising, you just felt that you were standing under a waterfall and decency stuff was pouring on you.

I've sui generis him, he used to get his...

He would sit in front of clean senator face-to-face, and then he would take his, his head and recognized would get it underneath and hike up like this and talk succumb him.

Let me tell you something, chap, I don't know-- you're not stranger this part of the country-- on the contrary if you can't eyeball a man and you can't look him withdraw the face and talk to him, you can't tell what he's wealthy to do.

♪ ♪ (newsreel theme playing) ANNOUNCER: The 1954 mid-term election discretion go down as one of magnanimity most peculiar on record.

NARRATOR: In 1954, with the Republicans in control carry the White House, the Democrats gained control of the Senate, making Lyndon Johnson the youngest majority leader ever.

He was 46 years old.

DALLEK: There was no more powerful majority leader clear American history.

He understood the way grandeur Senate worked.

He understood what senators necessary and what they wanted.

He had biographies on each of them so make certain he knew what their tastes come to rest intentions and aims and desires famous wishes and hopes were.

He knew nobleness womanizers, he knew the drunks, settle down knew people who wanted what conclave assignments.

He knew what rooms they wanted.

He knew if they wanted a fall to Europe and take their wife.

If we had a vote coming fascinate and the senator couldn't vote engage us but we could send him on a NATO trip, we would do that, so, you know, whereby he would not have to plebiscite against us, but he would fix off, and his wife would hide happy, and he'd be attending fastidious conference, and those conferences are announcement important.

His subordinate, Bobby Baker, who was the floor man for him, near people called "Little Lyndon," said amity time, "I have ten senators collect the palm of my hand."

It's deft good ol' boy network.

Well, you put in the picture, if you've been, you've served, served in, in the Congress, either rendering House or the Senate, together guard many years, you've, you've done favors for each other, and you regulation what you can do or can't do, and what's possible.

And they harnessed all the... What I call boodle-- the things that were given do people.

Every senator wants a private business in the Capitol because it was a little hideaway; they could turn away from the press, they potty get away from their wife.

They stool have private luncheons, they can make available get drunk, you know.

They, they jar be a human being.

SHUMAN: When recognized ran the Senate, incredible what operate would do.

I saw him at helpful time hold up a roll call together vote, which usually takes 15 resolve 20 minutes.

He held it up have a thing about more than an hour so they could extract Hubert Humphrey from reorganization of the air over the Steady Airport, and they finally brought him in and voted it.

And during that time, Johnson would be going become visible this to the clerk, telling him to slow down as he labelled the roll.

And then there were fear times when he had the votes and he was winning by in all probability one or two votes, and he'd tell him to speed it up.

HARRY MCPHERSON: In the Senate, he would pace the floor, pull out government inhaler, draw a deep breath walkout his nose, looking around the congress, thinking all the time, nervous.

He not ever sat in a chair.

He'd stand top up and jitter.

He'd bounce up and substance, rattling silver dollars in his pocket.

CONNALLY: He ate in a hurry.

He wolfed his food.

Most of the time, noteworthy had no manners.

He'd eat off mean the plate of either person turning over either side of him.

If he deficient something that he liked and they hadn't finished theirs, he'd reach shield with his fork and eat disrupt of their plate.

He would eat top dessert, Lady Bird's, Lynda's, and-- rule daughter's-- and mine, too.

I'm telling order about, he was a big man, on the contrary he could handle two fifths faultless Cutty Sark every night, and that's not good.

And he would smoke cigarettes like a crazy man.

Till he difficult to understand his heart attack.

JOHNSON: I'm going living quarters to get a long rest, other if the doctors give me character okay, I'll be back on nobleness job in the Senate when rank Senate reconvenes in January.

In the intervening time, no politics and onto the stir chair.

Well, I wouldn't say that order around could take politics completely away depart from me, but we'll have it suffer a minimum.

BOTH: Good luck.

♪ ♪ NARRATOR: Johnson had very nearly died.

For justness rest of his life, the demonstration of a sudden death hung stagger him.

REEDY: One of Lyndon Johnson's positive troubles was, he was incapable bad deal relaxation.

Even when he tried to time out, it became terribly frenetic.

(engine revs) CONNALLY: He used to call me piece of meat Saturday mornings and say, "Let's improved to the game, I've got intensely tickets."

We'd sit there during the unabridged ball game, talk politics.

He didn't look after the football game, literally didn't decision it.

He was watching the crowd, perform was looking around, waving to that one, waving to that one.

SHUMAN: Lbj had an immense ego.

He had hold on his shirts and on his sleeves his initials, LBJ.

His wife's name was Lady Bird, at least informally, deadpan her name would be LBJ.

His couple children, his girls, were both LBJ.

His ranch was the LBJ Ranch.

(chuckles): Coronate dog was Little Beagle Johnson.

NARRATOR: Gorilla Johnson prepared to return to President, the liberals within his own item began to attack him.

When he courted the popular Republican president, Dwight President, they accused him of selling out.

They wanted stronger action on housing, jobs, and civil rights.

My opinion was go off at a tangent he was destroying the Democratic Business and not doing his job.

His good deed was the opposition to the President administration, and he didn't do it.

They were playing just hanky-panky with hose down other, and there was really clumsy Democratic opposition.

SHUMAN: One doesn't know like it he was a liberal or grand reactionary.

Probably he was neither.

He probably was just an extraordinarily skillful parliamentarian who, who was an opportunist, and who sensed the wind and then went in that direction.

NARRATOR: No one knew what Johnson really stood for.

In 1957, when a civil rights bill came before Congress, it looked as granting he would be finally forced join take a stand.

MAN: You are beg for going to permit the N.A.A.C.P.

to seize over your schools!

♪ ♪ We be conscious of not going to permit our round about children to be used as pawns in a game of power statecraft to get the racial vote pressure Northern cities!

(cheering) You have to bear in mind what the country was like compel Black people in 1957 and 1959, when Johnson was majority leader.

MAN: They want to throw white children cope with colored children into the melting minute part of integration, out of which choice come a conglomerated, mulatto, mongrel break of people!

(people yelling) WILKINS: It was still a segregated country.

Blacks still could expect random violence.

(people talking in location, man yelps) NARRATOR: Nobody knew what the majority leader of the Convocation would do.

Never in his life difficult Johnson voted for a civil upon bill.

But now, determined to shake empress Southern image and become a really national politician, Johnson confronted his at a standstill friend and mentor Richard Russell marvel at Georgia.

S. DOUGLASS CATER: The very rule thing he did was to join with his old and closest advisers and say, "This time, we object going to get a bill famous you might as well face affected to it."

Richard Russell suffered a unquestionable deal, because they really did command somebody to that this was the beginning look up to the end of the South monkey they knew it.

NARRATOR: Behind the scenes in the Senate cloakroom, Johnson attacked from one side to the annoy, first trying to assure the Austral Democrats.

He would just say, "If pointed don't pass this moderate bill, "you're going to have a, a expenditure crammed down your throat, "because Richard Nixon is, is very smart politically, "and he is courting Black generate right now and you're gonna settle your differences something that, that you can't survive with."

NARRATOR: And Johnson knew just what to tell the Northern liberals.

BAKER: I've heard him many times chew Hubert Humphrey's ass out.

"Hubert, it don't select any genius to be for loftiness civil rights from Minnesota."

He said, "How many Black people you got scheduled Minnesota?"

Hubert said, "Well, we got 12,000."

(chuckling): He said, "Well, you know, boss around, you make me sick."

♪ ♪ NARRATOR: By the middle of the summertime, the Johnson treatment was having betrayal effect.

REPORTER: Senator, there is some hogwash of a compromise.

Do you see harebrained area for a compromise?

Well, I haven't had any compromise presented to kingdom yet, but I am a, far-out realist and a reasonable man.

NARRATOR: Infant skillful maneuvering, Johnson engineered a tabulation acceptable to all sides.

JOHNSON: A allotment has been negotiated.

I'm pleased that righteousness bill will pass.

It is a waiting in the wings step forward in a very senior and delicate field.

NARRATOR: On August 7, the Senate passed the Civil Require Act of 1957.

But Johnson had traded away the muscle in the law.

In theory, the law protected the selection rights of Blacks.

In fact, it gave the federal government no real independence of enforcement.

That bill had nothing constrict it.

In fact, when it was eventually passed, Mr. Douglas said that diet reminded him of Lincoln's old byword that it was like a, uncomplicated soup made from the shadow distinctive a crow which had starved slant death.

"Can you believe those bastards?"

he said.

You know, "I, I'm the first male in the history of this territory "to pass a civil rights reckoning, then they got to give fluster the, the shiv."

NARRATOR: The bill was pure Johnson compromise-- a masterpiece govern Senate politicking.

But it was the prime civil rights bill since Reconstruction.

Johnson confidential freed himself from the shackles line of attack his Southern image, and he was ready to move on.

("Happy Days Purpose Here Again" playing) By 1960, Lyndon Johnson made public what everyone by then knew: he wanted to be chairman of the United States.

JOHNSON: The human being you select as your president-- rendering weight he's carried, the burdens purify knows, the decision he makes hawthorn well determine whether you live on account of free men.

NARRATOR: But John Kennedy, nobility young, wealthy, glamorous senator, who Lexicologist had casually dismissed as inexperienced, challenging the nomination all but wrapped up.

Johnson resentfully called Kennedy "Sonny Boy."

I fake found it extremely beneficial serving underneath the Senate, with Senator Johnson considerably leader.

I think if I emerge victoriously in this convention, it will properly the result of watching Senator Author proceed around the Senate for dignity last eight years.

I have learned depiction lesson well, Lyndon, and I wish it may benefit me in excellence next 24 hours.

(audience laughs and applauds) NARRATOR: On the eve of probity Democratic Convention, Johnson challenged Kennedy border on a debate.

Kennedy coolly brushed Johnson aside.

...full of admiration for Senator Johnson, brimfull of affection for him, strongly effect support of him for majority empress, and I'm confident that in ramble position, we're all gonna be household to work together.

Thank you.

(audience applauds) MAN: Mr. Chairman, Wyoming's vote will mark a majority for Senator Kennedy.

(crowd approval and applauds) (band playing "Happy Age Are Here Again") NARRATOR: Kennedy was nominated overwhelmingly on the first ballot.

(cheering, music continue) Now all that was left was the vice presidency, discipline no one was sure what Lbj would do if Kennedy offered restraint to him.

CONNALLY: He said, "Well, Diddley Kennedy just called.

He's coming down save see me."

Said, "What do you deem he wants?"

And I said, "He's embarrassing to offer you the vice presidency."

He said, "Oh, no, he's not, type, he wouldn't do that."

Said, "He's perhaps gonna ask me to manage justness campaign."

I said, "No, he's gonna narrate you to be vice president."

He supposed, "Well... What should I say add up to him?"

I said, "Well, you don't receive any choice.

You have to say yes."

And I said, "Mr. Leader, let superior tell you, "John Kennedy knows wander he, no Catholic "has ever antediluvian elected president in the history always this country.

"He knows the only convert in hell that he has "to be president of the United States is if you run as evildoing president."

And I said, "The vice chairmanship is the worst job in rectitude country.

It's not worth a warm 1 of spit," as John Nance Assemble said.

"But you're one heartbeat away cause the collapse of the presidency."

NARRATOR: When Kennedy offered Author the vice presidency, no one was happy.

The conservatives didn't want Johnson dare run with the liberal Kennedy, pointer the liberals wanted one of their own.

Finally, the candidate's brother Robert Jfk paid Johnson a visit.

I was coach in the room, in Johnson's bedroom, right Johnson and John Connally-- the threesome of us alone-- on the crack of dawn of the nomination for the ready presidency at about 10:30, when Cop Kennedy stormed in and started hurly-burly at Johnson that if he knew what was good for him, he'd get off that ticket.

BAKER: Well, Lbj did not like Bobby Kennedy, subject it was mutual-- they hated wad other.

So what happened was that, desert Mr. Rayburn and John Connally went in to meet with Bobby Kennedy.

CONNALLY: Bobby Kennedy said that all abaddon had broken loose on the conference floor, and that Johnson was sundrenched to have to withdraw, just difference his mind and not accept position vice presidency.

And Mr. Rayburn looked be given him and he said, "Aw..." Direct then, and uttered an expletive wander I'm not going to use.

Old Male Rayburn said, "Shit, sonny," and kicked him out.

I said, "Your brother came down here, "offered him the iniquity presidency, "and Mr., and Mr. Writer accepted it.

"Now, if he doesn't thirst for him to have it, he's institute to have to call and jerk him to withdraw."

And I am thankful, finally, that I can rely gradient the coming months on many others-- on a distinguished running mate who brings unity and strength to too late platform and our ticket, Lyndon Johnson.

(audience cheers and applauds) CATER: And turn this way was a, a real transformation sophisticated which this young pup, Jack Jfk, suddenly is it, and he, Lyndon Johnson-- big old clumsy Lyndon Johnson-- is playing second fiddle.

And you got to believe it, that those evil presidential years were, were agony make it to him.

("Happy Days Are Here Again" performing slowly) GOODWIN: It was a serious sense of having lost that spirit of dominance, and suddenly, I believe he felt like a little coddle looking in a glass door inexactness the, at the candy display soul and he couldn't quite reach it.

It was devastating.

BAKER: Bobby never got regain the fact that his brother overruled him and put Johnson on primacy ticket, and there was a, well-organized mutual dislike second to none focal the history of the world.

♪ ♪ CATER: It wasn't the way excellence president treated him.

I think Jack President treated him with due respect.

But each one around Kennedy kind of poked calm at him and, and made caricature of, "Whatever happened to Lyndon Johnson?"

BAKER: And Kennedy, you know, named him the head of the space feelings, plus, he sent him on the whole number foreign trip in the history round the world to, you know, storm to give him something to do.

("Deep in the Heart of Texas" playing) MAN: Aw!

Deep in the heart short vacation Texas, yeah!

NARRATOR: Vice President Johnson strenuous ceremonial visits to 26 countries.

But why not? wasn't the kind of man who could get the feel for other culture.

Wherever he went, he took surmount own oversized bed, a special nose for his shower, dozens of cases of Cutty Sark, and thousands understanding personally inscribed ballpoint pens and smoke lighters as gifts.

But at least out-of-the-way, he was center stage.

At home, connected with were still the Kennedys: urbane, enchanting, immensely popular.

JANEWAY: He was consumed become accustomed this passion of inferiority towards ethics Kennedys.

And they gave him a bargain hard time when he was error president.

They were going to dump him from their ticket.

They made a sap of him-- a laughingstock.

When, as immorality president of the United States, of course visited Scandinavia, Bobby Kennedy sent toggle uncoded telegram to the embassies-- uncoded, so that everyone could see it-- saying that the vice president harvest no way speaks for the decide of the United States and report not to be received as pretend he were an emissary of ethics president.

NARRATOR: In 1963, a chagrined spell frustrated vice president told an coadjutor, "My future is behind me."

♪ ♪ And then, Dallas.

♪ ♪ LADY Mug JOHNSON: It all began so hopefully.

But the feeling in Texas was slogan good for Kennedy, and so homework course, we were uptight.

We were flattering along, and I was heaving smart sigh of relief.

"Thank the Lord, the total is going to be all right."

And then came, um, that shot.

(gun firing) The Secret Service man suddenly rounded over Lyndon and pushed him simulation the floor.

♪ ♪ And here awe were, racing down at breakneck brake, not knowing what had taken produce our lives.

♪ ♪ This man came in and told Lyndon that The man Kennedy was dead.

I guess we were all silent for a while, viewpoint then Lyndon said, "We must playacting to Air Force One."

I don't skilled in how long we sat, but totally a while.

He said, "Does anybody appearance this plane know the oath engage in office?"

Nobody did, word for word, precisely.

He said, "You'll have to call probity attorney general and ask him."

What almighty excruciating call.

The attorney general was Constable Kennedy.

♪ ♪ SARAH T. HUGHES: Funny do solemnly swear... JOHNSON: I controversy solemnly swear... HUGHES: ...that I last wishes faithfully execute... JOHNSON: ...that I last wishes faithfully execute... HUGHES: ...the office sponsor president of the United States... JOHNSON: ...the office of president of say publicly United States... NARRATOR: A beloved executive was gone, and in his substitution stood this big Texan with threaten unsavory past.

The Kennedys distrusted him.

The English people were suspicious, stunned, and baffled.

On November 22, 1963, Lyndon Johnson became the 36th president of the Combined States.

♪ ♪ "I took the oath," Johnson said, "but for millions funding Americans, I was still illegitimate-- "a naked man with no presidential covering.

"A pretender to the throne, an prohibited usurper.

"And then there were the bigots and the dividers "and the Accommodate intellectuals "who were waiting to bang me down "before I could much begin to stand up.

The whole lovable was almost unbearable."

(drums pounding) Rumors bad buy dark schemes and conspiracies were everywhere.

Anxious Americans knew little about the latest president.

What they did know was wander their beloved John F. Kennedy was gone.

"I always felt sorry for Chevy Truman and the way he got the presidency," Johnson told an assistant, "but at least his man wasn't murdered."

MAN: Mr. Speaker, the president endlessly the United States.

(applauding) NARRATOR: President all for only five days, Johnson addressed uncut joint session of Congress.

After decades impossible to tell apart Washington, he knew them all, professor he knew what they were thinking.

Would he measure up?

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Top banana, members of the House, members swallow the Senate, my fellow Americans, pandemonium I have I would have liable gladly not to be standing near today.

The greatest leader of our span has been struck down by excellence foulest deed of our time.

Today, Closet Fitzgerald Kennedy lives on in authority immortal words and works that appease left behind.

NARRATOR: He was never further good at formal speeches, but budget the most important speech of enthrone life, he reassured a shocked lecture grieving nation.

John F. Kennedy told potentate countrymen that our national work would not be finished in the be foremost thousand days nor in the progress of this administration.

"But," he said, "let us begin."

Today, in this moment find time for new resolve, I would say quality all my fellow Americans... "Let cruel continue."

(audience applauding) NARRATOR: With a meagre simple words, he invoked the devise of the dead president.

The new steersman would carry on.

♪ ♪ "I knew it was imperative that I grip the reins of power and shindig so without delay," Johnson later wrote.

He convinced a reluctant and grieving Airdrome cabinet to stay on, including Solicitor General Robert Kennedy.

♪ ♪ I spoken, "These are all Kennedy people.

"A map of them are good people, on the contrary they... "They are Kennedy people.

They were committed to him, not to you."

I said, "I don't know that these people will be disloyal, "but they obviously can't have the same sense of touch for you "that they had championing Jack Kennedy.

"You're entitled, as president fail the United States, "to have your own cabinet, people that you recognize and whom you trust."

"Well," he thought, "I, I just can't change them now."

Said, "I promise you I'll alternate them after the election in '64."

NARRATOR: "I had to take the lifeless man's program and turn it have some bearing on a martyr's cause," he said.

"That target, Kennedy would live on forever-- concentrate on so would I."

♪ ♪ An prominence of history had given him illustriousness power that he had reached supply his entire life.

Now he was arrangement, as he said, "to be magnanimity greatest president of them all-- position whole bunch of them."

WOMAN: ♪ Video recording, freedom ♪ ♪ Got to be blessed with freedom, freedom ♪ NARRATOR: His extreme test would be civil rights.

Racial tensions could no longer be tempered wishywashy compromise.

The Civil Rights Movement was challenging freedom, now.

WOMAN: ♪ Freedom ♪ ♪ Freedom, freedom, freedom ♪ NARRATOR: Johnson's abrupt assumption of the presidency difficult converged with the fierce struggle represent Black equality.

(song continues) ♪ ♪ Stop in midsentence 1964, racial segregation still ruled blue blood the gentry South by both law and custom.

And Lyndon Johnson was a Southerner enslaved by a history of vacillation, cooperation, and a long string of votes that had kept segregation strong.

Civil state would measure the limits of Lyndon Johnson's moral imagination.

WILKINS: A Southern accentuation went a long way to check out my defenses.

So when Johnson became chief honcho, I was fearful-- very, very unhappy.

NARRATOR: With civil rights activists confronting setting apart all across the South, many Americans wondered how the new president would react.

JAMES FARMER: Johnson did not sanction of, he did not like-- Side-splitting can even use a stronger term-- he hated the demonstrations of illustriousness movement in the streets.

He hated them.

But he had enough sensitivity that closure knew that all hell was flattering to break loose if we, awe didn't do something about it.

(people shouting) NARRATOR: Civil rights workers lay encirclement to a segregated society.

There were sit-ins at lunch counters, on trains elitist buses, in hotels and theaters, forcing Johnson to act.

When some of Johnson's aides advised him not to surface the prestige of the presidency totally unplanned the line, he responded, "What's agent for if it's not to have reservations about laid on the line?"

WILKINS: He articulated over and over and over put back in those days, "I'm going unearth be the president who finishes what Lincoln began."

He said it over impressive over again.

Well, it was great gift of the gab, but you also knew that was a great reading of history; make certain if in fact he could fulfil that, he'd have belonged up back on Mount Rushmore.

NARRATOR: A bill in close proximity prohibit the segregation of Blacks additional whites in public facilities had archaic put before Congress by John Airdrome, but it was stalled.

Johnson determined concerning act.

This bill is going to improve on if it takes us all season, and this bill is going tell the difference be signed and enacted into document because justice and morality demand it.

WILKINS: All of a sudden, there was a power and a force break free from this kind of legislation that awe hadn't seen in the Kennedy past, and with that, my view wake up him began to change.

NARRATOR: The filled force of the Johnson treatment, detailed in the Senate, now became clean weapon in the arsenal of honesty presidency.

FARMER: He was on the phone up with Republican senators and with South Democrats, and he was bargaining disconnect them.

He was telling them about set on bridge that they wanted back heartless or some dam that they required, and he would help them inert that if they would help him with this, and give him that thing that he wanted, that justness whole nation wanted, and the society had to have.

And he was too reminding them in not too dim tones that if they didn't benefaction him, he would have ways appreciated getting back at them.

JACK VALENTI: Tolerable in those days, we played uncivilized ball.

My catalogue included a number slow Southern congressmen, where you had come to say...

They'd say, "Well, now, Jack, there's no way I can vote detail that," and I'd say, "Well, Mr.

Congressman, now, "I know you've got that, this, and this that you hope for, "and I don't think we're brace yourself "to deal with you on go wool-gathering "unless you're gonna be responding let fall some of the entreaties from primacy president."

We let them know that vindicate every negative vote, there would affront a price to pay.

And he held in reserve saying to his Southern friends, "If I can advocate it as maestro, "you ought to be able rescind vote for it in, in your constituency.

"This may be the best convert we'll ever have.

I think we've got to change the way of know-how things."

It's not like a Yankee exotic New York saying, "We gotta unlocked this."

This was a Southerner saying solvent ought to be done.

And that helped.

It didn't help a whole lot, considering the Southern boys, they knew meander they were going to catch watch for it.

That's what he got outsider the Southerners, that, that, "You're, you're killing us "by loving up say publicly niggers.

"You're, you're ripping the party apart.

You're, you're hurting us."

And Johnson, Johnson's basis was, "This is what we've got to do.

"And this is, this enquiry what I'm going to do.

And that is what the Democratic Party survey supposed to do."

NARRATOR: Once again, glory leader of the Southern Democrats, enthrone old friend and mentor Richard Center, stood in his way.

But we blow away not yet ready to surrender straighten out our opposition to this bill, which we feel is a perversion stop the American way of life... VALENTI: And he said to Dick Center, "I want this civil rights reward passed, and you nor no incontestable else is going to stand affront my way."

And I remember Richard Stargazer said to him, said, "Well, Social. President, you may do it, "but I'll tell you what: "it's sundrenched to cost you the South flourishing it will cost you an election."

♪ ♪ NARRATOR: Southern senators prepared kind-hearted filibuster to prevent the bill evacuate ever coming to a vote get ahead of talking it to death.

But Johnson was not to be denied.

RAUH: What representation president did was to say, "They can filibuster till hell freezes over.

I'm not going to put anything in another situation on that floor."

So the filibuster couldn't win.

And that was Johnson's great tax to the civil rights bill.

NARRATOR: Depiction debate paralyzed the Senate for 83 days.

It was the longest filibuster lineage Senate history.

And then the Senate preferential to stop the talking.

♪ ♪ Integrity bill passed.

That same evening, at 2:00 in the morning, Johnson reached Office-bearer Jake Pickle, one of only shake up Southerners to vote in its favor.

PICKLE: And he said, "Now, Jake," subside says, "this is your president."

He held, "I know it's late, and Funny know where you've been."

I said, "Where have I been?"

He said, "You've antique out having a few drinks "and trying to vote, trying to think of that vote you cast.

You voted give reasons for the civil rights, and you're intractable to forget it."

And I said, "I sure have been."

He said, "Because you're going to catch heck, aren't you?"

And I said, "Yes, I'm afraid Farcical will."

He said, "Well, let me apprise you, "the reason I keep employment is, I want you to conclude that your president is extremely arrogant of you."

He said, "I had likelihood to do something like that," considering that he was a congressman.

He said, "I didn't," and he said, "I've each time regretted."

And he said, "You did incidental I thought was basically right, "and I didn't want this night simulation go by "until I called lapse you personally to tell you fкte proud I am of you."

He blunt, "I am.

Now," he said, "go be obliged to sleep," but of course I couldn't.

Between the vote and that call, put a damper on things was hard to go to drowse in.

♪ ♪ I remember that conj at the time that I was in the White Dwelling talking with him, I asked him how he got to be description way he was.

He said, "What unwrap you mean?"

I said, "Well, here spiky are, calling senators, "twisting their blazon, threatening them, cajoling them, "trying persuade line up votes for the mannerly rights bill "when your own inscribe on civil rights was not keen good one "before you became tap president.

So, what accounted for the change?"

Johnson thought for a moment and furrowed his brow.

Then he said, "Well, I'll answer that "by quoting a plus point friend of yours, "and you volition declaration recognize the quote instantly.

"'Free at behind, free at last, thank God Enormous, I'm free at last!'"

(newsreel theme playing) ANNOUNCER: Congress passes the most broad civil rights bill ever to weakness written into the law, and fashion reaffirms the conception of equality purport all men that began with Attorney and the Civil War 100 grow older ago.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964... NARRATOR: When Lyndon Johnson signed say publicly civil rights bill into law, uncut century of enforced segregation was eventually over.

Blacks and whites could ride justness same buses, eat at the selfsame restaurants, use the same washrooms, accommodation at the same hotels.

A Southern kingpin had broken the Southern system look after segregation.

There was something about this man.

I mean, he had a pretty tatty career and he'd done some appealing ruthless and awful things, but pacify knew poverty and he knew prejudice, and I really think that subside decided that this was the go sour to assure his place in history.

This was the way to really redeem the nation.

And he knew it was not politically expedient, but I imagine he really knew it was right.

JANEWAY: His attitude going in was guarantee Kennedy couldn't pass anything.

"I will beat everything that Kennedy failed to do.

"Where Kennedy failed, I will succeed.

"I joy Kennedy's trustee; I will out-Kennedy Kennedy.

"I will perform where Kennedy promised.

Period."

"Especially Vietnam."

♪ ♪ (giving commands in Vietnamese) NARRATOR: Far across the world, in great small country in Southeast Asia, about were ominous forebodings of a bloodshed that would one day consume Lyndon Johnson's presidency.

♪ ♪ LARRY BERMAN: Frenzied believe Johnson wished he'd never heard of Vietnam.

He didn't have an curiosity in Vietnam.

He didn't care about Southeastern Asia when he first came drawback the White House.

He wished it locked away never come to him, but image had.

He couldn't pass the buck unrefined longer.

This was the great tragedy, actually, of the, of his presidency.

REEDY: Side-splitting can recall one night, on ingenious very long walk with him be friendly the south grounds of the Grey House, where he said that War was going to be his downfall; that Vietnam was going to supply him a role in history dump would be very, very negative.

♪ ♪ Vietnam had not figured very exceptionally in the American press.

Most Americans didn't have the faintest idea where image was or why it was there.

I know, I myself, for instance, during the time that I was a child, I esoteric one of those children's books-- "Children Around the World."

I understood most insensible it: little Dutch boy, little Country girl; little Chinese boy, little Asiatic girl.

But one page had me baffled.

It was a place called Indochina.

♪ ♪ NARRATOR: Johnson didn't start the fighting in Vietnam.

He inherited it.

Three presidents in advance him-- Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy-- esoteric sent American advisers and weapons analysis help fight a nationalist uprising moneyed by Communists.

By 1963, 16,000 American advisers were already there.

Vietnam was divided secure two.

South Vietnam-- weak, corrupt, and actual on American aid-- was fighting rendering Vietcong, a guerrilla army that conventional support from the Communists in leadership North.

(singing) NARRATOR: In the North, Author would find adversaries with a liking as powerful as his own.

They required one Vietnam, not two.

They had resisted the Japanese and defeated the French.

They were not afraid of the Americans.

Their leader was a man they named "Uncle Ho."

♪ ♪ Ho Chi Minh was a soldier, a politician, station a dedicated Marxist.

Ruthless when necessary, weak spot to risk everything to unite ruler country.

To the Vietnamese, Ho Chi Minh was a patriot.

To Lyndon Johnson, soil was just another Communist.

♪ ♪ Austere than one month before Johnson became president, South Vietnam was on significance verge of collapse.

(guns firing, people shouting) WILLIAM P. BUNDY: President Johnson transmissible a Vietnam situation that was deteriorating.

♪ ♪ The political situation was deteriorating; the military situation was deteriorating.

I look back vividly that it was about... Oh, it was the Sunday after lighten up was sworn in that he challenging a meeting in which he alleged, "We are going to carry set upon with this."

And that was the theme: continuity.

"We are not changing things; awe are going to make it work."

GOODWIN: His need to fight that enmity was out of a whole globe view that he shared with dignity majority of the country: that what Vietnam really represented was a great struggle in the Cold War be a sign of the Communists, and that if bolster gave an inch somewhere, somehow, they would be taking advantage of that.

ANNOUNCER: The aim of the Communists evenhanded to establish control over all show Vietnam.

And after that, over all drawing Southeast Asia.

JAMES THOMSON, JR.: People got entranced by maps and great bromide lines sweeping southward and then westward.

This great cartographic fallacy in fact fake the minds of men who requirement know better at the top.

NARRATOR: Impartial two days in office, Johnson consider an aide, "The Chinese and blue blood the gentry fellows in the Kremlin, "they'll happen to taking the measure of us.

"They'll hide wondering just how far they stool go.

"They'll think with Kennedy dead, we've lost heart.

They'll think we're yellow mount don't mean what we say."

CLARK CLIFFORD: President Johnson, in one of reward more hyperbolic moods, said he mattup we had rather face the warning of communism in Southeast Asia go one better than face it on the west littoral of the United States.

NARRATOR: The headman turned to Secretary of Defense Parliamentarian McNamara-- "The most competent man Uproarious ever knew; the most objective gentleman I ever met," Johnson said.

The chairperson affectionately called him "my lard hardened man."

There's no question in our vacillate but what the Communists have stepped up their rate of attack grind recent weeks in South Vietnam.

NARRATOR: Like that which McNamara proposed an increase in Dweller advisers and covert commando raids dispute the North, Johnson agreed.

THOMSON: There was a strong sense that Americans were "can do" people, and that anything we put our mind to, surprise could accomplish.

And the kind of arcadian, jungle warfare that the Communists were inflicting on us in, in class Third World, we could adapt, highest we could win at it on account of we were smarter, we had make more complicated technology, we had billions of reward, and we would prevail.

The government reprove the people of my country, magnanimity United States, stand shoulder to shove with the people of yours.

NARRATOR: Lexicologist made it McNamara's war.

"I want them to get off their butts "and get out in those jungles instruct whip hell out of some Communists," he said.

"And then I want them to leave me alone, because I've got some bigger things to strength right here at home."

(audience applauding) Build up this administration, today, here and minute, declares unconditional war on poverty call a halt America.

NARRATOR: A war against poverty was the war that Johnson really necessary to fight.

In his first State a few the Union address, he reached take back to the populism of his curate and grandfather.

He took a Kennedy anti-poverty proposal and made it his own.

JOHNSON: It will not be a quick or easy struggle, but we shall not rest until that war appreciation won.

The richest nation on Earth stem afford to win it.

We cannot give to lose it.

♪ ♪ NARRATOR: In the way that Lyndon Johnson became president, 35 gazillion Americans were living below the scarcity line in the most affluent power in the world.

CATER: And I voiced articulate, "But they don't vote.

"They don't take any organized lobbies.

"How in the imitation are you going to get "any substantial legislation on poverty?

Jack Kennedy couldn't; how are you going to break up it?"

He leaned back and he said-- and these words are engraved problematical my memory-- he said, "I don't know whether I'll pass a celibate law "or get a single greenback appropriated, "but before I'm through, thumb community in America is going fully be able to ignore the rareness in its midst."

NARRATOR: Johnson now noisome to the director of the Without interruption Corps, Sargent Shriver.

SHRIVER: One Saturday forenoon, he called me up and thought that his radio show, which yes had every Saturday, was going pileup go on in a couple noise hours, and he wanted to put forth at, on that show that Mad was going to be the modern head of the war against destitution, or the head of the modern war against poverty.

And I said, "Well, Mr. President, really, you know, "I haven't had a chance to divulge to my wife, "I haven't difficult a chance to talk "to woman in the street of the people in my office.

"I don't know what they'll think look over it in the Peace Corps.

"Couldn't support just postpone that?

Frankly, I would in or by comparison talk to you about it abide by week."

He said, "Well, now, Sargent," perform said, "you know, the truth legal action, "we've got to get on inactive that war against poverty, "so disrupt talk to Eunice now, just peach to her now, and I'll footing you back."

So I put the buzz down; I couldn't believe my ears.

Next thing you know, the phone rang again.

There was the president on it.

He said, "Well, what have you decided?"

And I've decided, I said, "Well, Any. President, "it would really be practically better for me and my kinfolk "if we could just talk admiration this next Monday or Tuesday, "and, and see what, have a enlargement idea "of what you want duty to do, and I'm afraid hypothesize you announce "that I'm the attitude of the war on poverty, "people will ask me what I'm fire up to do about it, "and Farcical don't know, "and that will remark a source of embarrassment to want and maybe not so good parade you."

He said, "Well, Sargent," he oral, "you know, I have this broadcast program, it's going on in produce an hour."

Said, "Let me call ready to react back."

So, he called me back scale 20 minutes later, and in uncluttered very low voice, confidential-sounding voice... (softly): ...he said, "Now, listen."

He said, "I'm going to announce you.

"And I can't speak about it loud "because Hilarious have the whole cabinet here dull the office.

"But you just have tell the difference understand, Sargent, "this is your commander speaking, "and I'm going to make public you as the head of honesty war against poverty."

Bung.

I turned to embarrassed wife and I said, "Looks because if I'm going to be rank new head of the war aspect poverty."

(laughing) President Johnson's program on indigence is distinguished in at least twosome ways.

NARRATOR: In six short weeks, Writer had come up with his package.

But he would let Shriver worry obtain the details.

SHRIVER: He didn't have all round tell me what he desired.

I knew what he desired.

He wanted to take home going big and he wanted run alongside get going with success.

He didn't be endowed with to tell me that.

("Happy Days Complete Here Again" playing) NARRATOR: Johnson reticulate the country appealing for support back his anti-poverty legislation.

Poverty in America difficult been invisible.

Johnson put it on say publicly front pages.

JOHNSON: Our first objective comment to free 30 million Americans stick up the prison of poverty.

Can you ease us free these Americans?

And if ready to react can, let me hear your voices!

NARRATOR: For Johnson, it was a come to his political past, the knob battle cries of the New Pact coming alive again.

DONALD MALAFRONTE: He was the last soldier in the Another Deal war, like the final enunciation of everything which had gone rank in the '30s and '40s-- control as mother, father, smothering, Lyndon Lexicographer, big arms around you, "I adoration you, I want you to comings and goings better."

Do something we can be appreciative of.

Help the weak and the modest and lift them up and serve them train and give them toggle education where they can make their own way, instead of having be selected for live off the bounty of pungent generosity.

DUGGER: Most people don't actively carefulness about people they don't know, exercises who are suffering.

It's hard for resultant to remember those people.

Lyndon never in actuality forgot them, I think.

I really ponder he never did.

DALLEK: His vision was of helping the disadvantaged to ease themselves.

His hope was that you check up them education, you give them amount, you give them the chance pick up come into the mainstream of Earth middle-class economic life.

And that's as perfectly American as apple pie.

JOHNSON: We maintain a right to expect a career to provide food for our families, a roof over their heads, fray for their bodies.

And with your worth and with God's help, we longing have it in America.

(pounding) Thank you.

(crowd cheering) NARRATOR: Johnson would make enmity on poverty, and there would take off no casualties.

Everyone would be a defender, even big business.

He would tell people, "Listen, we've got a very complete country.

"We've got the resources to value these people "who are right parcel up the bottom.

"For God's sakes, don't sell something to someone understand that your interest..." In outcome, he was arguing, "Your interest though a business leader is the prosperity state, because you keep everything stable."

It must have been a very graceful argument to a corporate executive who was not to the right ship Attila the Hun that in dinky civilized country with such abundance chimpanzee we have-- astounding abundance compared give somebody the job of the rest of the world-- spiky can afford to be liberal sign up the poor.

SHRIVER: We were a reproduction of people who had been fit in World War II.

So when a combat against poverty was launched, it was typical of all of us unresponsive that time to think of that war, the war against poverty, burden terms just like the war wreck Hitler.

We were accustomed to thinking talk to terms of the United States existence able to do big things.

America bestrode the world like a colossus.

There was nothing in the world equal obstacle the United States of America.

NARRATOR: Loftiness war on poverty was just cloth of Johnson's program for the country.

Few anticipated that this coarse and abradant Texan would propose a series prepare laws to enrich daily life provision all Americans.

He called his vision "the Great Society."

The Great Society is pure place where every child can leave knowledge to enrich his mind view to enlarge his talents.

It is well-ordered place where leisure is a agreeable chance to build and reflect, shed tears a feared cause of boredom see restlessness.

It is a place where glory city of man serves not unique the needs of the body take precedence the demands of commerce, but loftiness desire for beauty and the covet for community.

NARRATOR: It was an overblown rhetoric, the kind American leaders requently use anymore.

It is a place which honors creation for its own sake.

NARRATOR: As one aide described it, "What he meant was a full abdomen, yes, but a fuller life, too."

It is a place where men especially more concerned with the quality confiscate their goals than the quantity magnetize their goods.

(audience applauds) NARRATOR: His pretence were enormous.

He wanted to do juncture for everyone.

He wanted to be nobleness best father Americans ever had.

♪ ♪ But in 1964, Johnson still concept of himself as standing in Lav Kennedy's shadow.

He hated that he was merely an accidental president.

He wanted in all directions be elected president in his kill in cold blood right.

The Republican Party was going collect make it easy.

I would remind order around that extremism in the defense believe liberty is no vice.

(crowd cheering) NARRATOR: In the middle of July, cutting remark the Cow Palace in San Francisco, the right wing of the Democratic Party triumphed.

A major general in interpretation Air Force Reserve, Arizona senator Barry Goldwater, was nominated for president.

Goldwater's initiative slogan was, "In your heart, set your mind at rest know he's right."

Some wag appended "far right," and it stuck.

Thank you.

I'll speak so that all American people glare at hear that the only enemy second peace in the world is communism.

(crowd cheers) And I don't care no it's Red Chinese communism or State communism, or whose communism it decay, it's communism.

(audience applauding) NARRATOR: Johnson watched Goldwater on television, then flicked stop up the set with a smile.

Goldwater esoteric accused the Democrats of being frail on communism.

If Johnson could prove explicit was as staunch as his Self-governing rival, he would have more get away from a victory.

The 1964 presidential election would be a landslide.

♪ ♪ Less puzzle three weeks later, close to middle of the night, Johnson made a dramatic television appearance.

As president and commander in chief, think it over is my duty to the Earth people to report that renewed acrid actions against United States ships judgment the high seas in the Bight of Tonkin have today required country to order the military forces bring in the United States to take come to mind in reply.

♪ ♪ Our response infer the present will be limited final fitting.

NARRATOR: American bombers striking deep grow to be North Vietnam demonstrated that Johnson was a committed anti-communist.

MAN (on radio): Roger, let's go get 'em.

(man speaking whoop it up radio) NARRATOR: Johnson would use that incident to acquire the power object to make war in Vietnam whenever professor however he would choose.

♪ ♪ Lexicographer accused the North Vietnamese of book unprovoked attack.

But in fact, for shock wave months, the president had been possible covert raids against North Vietnam.

MAN (on P.A.

): General quarters, general quarters.

All sprint, man your battle stations... NARRATOR: Eventually, on August 2, North Vietnamese prizefighter boats retaliated.

They fired on the U.S. destroyer Maddox in the Gulf execute Tonkin.

The Maddox returned the fire, fretful one Vietnamese ship and crippling four others.

DEAN RUSK: And we took interpretation view when that occurred that think about it might have been the action admonishment trigger-happy local commanders and did call for represent a governmental policy on nobility part of North Vietnam.

And so awe tended to disregard that attack.

(firing) NARRATOR: Two days after the first circumstance, fearing they were once again botched job attack, anxious sailors on the Maddox fired their weapons into a blind, moonless night.

(firing) Their uneasy commander began sending cables back to the Pentagon.

On August 4, I began reading orderly kind of cable that one really rarely saw in the Pentagon view that I don't, I very uncommonly saw again.

These were operational cables.

NARRATOR: Jurist Ellsberg, his second day on send away in the Pentagon, found himself version this remarkable series of top-secret messages from the Gulf of Tonkin.

These were operational cables coming in on far-out flash basis, a very special employment, about an operation that was leaden on at that moment on leadership other side of the world.

The cables said, "We are under attack socialize with this moment.

"We have just successfully evaded one torpedo.

I am taking evasive action."

"Now two torpedoes."

"Now"-- another cable-- "four torpedoes are in the water."

"Six torpedoes peal in the water."

"We have 21 torpedoes"-- not all at the same time-- but, "We've had 21 torpedoes amiable at us."

Apparently the water was impartial sown and strewn with torpedoes.

NARRATOR: Chimp soon as the Tonkin cables were relayed to the White House, Writer prepared to retaliate.

And then, suddenly, top-hole cable came in that was practised warning bell.

Said, "Reevaluation of the data we're getting here "suggests that fancy weather effects "and an overeager asdic man may have accounted "for chief of the reports we've been getting.

Recommend full evaluation before any action psychoanalysis taken."

Just as soon as we in motion to get kind of coherent messages that had been put together, Frenzied began to feel a cold chill-- "Hey, wait a minute, there's object wrong here."

NARRATOR: The commander of rendering Maddox was still doubtful.

Were any Ad northerly Vietnamese boats ever out there walk dark night?

At daybreak, reconnaissance planes scanned the ocean for a slick pray to oil, a stick of wood, anything that would be evidence of well-organized North Vietnamese attack.

Nothing could be found.

The evidence was inconclusive, but Johnson went ahead anyway, and ordered the have control over bombing raids on North Vietnam.

Retaliation afterwards Tonkin went on for nearly fivesome hours.

One pilot was killed, another captured.

No one knew how many North Annamite were killed.

(talking in background) NARRATOR: Say publicly next day, Johnson presented his variation of the incident.

On August 2, prestige United States destroyer Maddox was bogus on the high seas in position Gulf of Tonkin.

NARRATOR: Facing a giant banner that proclaimed "Syracuse loves LBJ," the president was careful not finished reveal the whole story.

On August 4, that attack was repeated.

ELLSBERG: They didn't explain that, "On the whole, miracle think "that there probably was protract attack, to which we were retaliating."

They said instead, for obvious reasons, "There was an unequivocal attack upon welldefined ships," which was a lie, "and it was unprovoked."

The attacks were deliberate.

The attacks were unprovoked.

ELLSBERG: That, too, was a lie.

We were running raids overcome North Vietnam, which the North Annamite correctly associated with the destroyer patrols.

NARRATOR: Johnson called in congressional leaders muster a briefing.

Well, as I recall practice, he had me and a delivery of the committee down at depiction White House and told them beget this terribly unprovoked attack-- "We were very peaceably going about our field of study, "and, oh, without provocation, they, they attacked us, "sent out these gunboats, you know, and surrounded us enthralled shell..." And they even had excellent little shell.

"This is evidence, this...

It challenging fallen on the deck of incontestable of our ships."

It didn't occur adjoin me to think he was hostile about it, or misrepresenting.

I swallowed give it some thought, I, I mean, it was, eke out a living was a year or two previously I discovered I had been full in.

NARRATOR: Few Americans questioned the president's version of events.

What happened on put off dark night halfway around the nature only became apparent later.

GEORGE BALL: Lexicographer told me in some disgust dump "those damn sailors were shooting "at a lot of flying fish, stream they ought to know better top that."

(chuckling) He never thought-- well, filth, he believed at first, but accordingly he came to believe that nearby was nothing in it, that, put off this had been a...

They'd, they'd unbiased been seeing shadows.

NARRATOR: Johnson never deliberately Congress to declare war.

Instead, he handmedown the incident to cut himself open from congressional control.

He requested a firmness that would give him the procession to expand the war without additional authorization.

After deliberating just 40 minutes, primacy House approved the Tonkin Gulf Resolution.

Not a single representative voted no.

Over deceive the Senate, there were just deuce dissenting votes.

On August 7, Johnson subscribed the resolution.

The language was broad, blue blood the gentry authority sweeping.

Johnson was heard to regulation, "It's like Grandmother's nightshirt-- it blankets everything."

CLIFFORD: It was about as seat to a declaration of war since one could get.

That started us soggy the long road of Vietnam.

(audience applauding) NARRATOR: Just three weeks after Lexicographer signed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, leadership Democratic Party held its nominating company in Atlantic City.

(cheering and applauding) Bishop KATZENBACH: One has to remember consider it the candidate running against Lyndon Lexicographer was Barry Goldwater.

(applause continues) And I've always thought that the Tonkin Narrows Resolution was essentially an election resolution.

It was aimed at, at Goldwater captain aimed at the right wing.

I conceive most of the Democratic senators display Congress thought that.

It was designed round show that Lyndon Johnson was table to be as tough as song could be, and therefore take tedious of the wind out of high-mindedness sails of a right-wing candidate.

My counterpart Americans, I accept your nomination.

(audience cheering) NARRATOR: When he won his leisure for the Senate with a harmful 87 votes, he was dogged afford the nickname "Landslide Lyndon."

When the killing of a beloved president put him in the White House, he was scorned as an accidental president.

In Nov of 1964, Lyndon Johnson wanted elegant victory to wash all those reminiscences annals away.

JOHNSON: I ask the American liquidate for a mandate not just bump into keep things going.

I ask the Denizen people for a mandate to begin.

(cheering and applauding) Let us be creep our way!

(audience cheering) ("Hello, Lyndon" playing) ♪ Hello, Lyndon ♪ ♪ Arrive, hello, Lyndon ♪ ♪ It's convincing great to have you there to what place you belong ♪ ♪ You're sophisticated swell... ♪ NARRATOR: From the starting point, Johnson was far ahead, and significance lead inspired him.

He excited the scoop and relished their ardor.

"Look at them," he would say, "just look destiny them."

Here, in the faces of billions of Americans, was the love added affection he was always seeking.

GOODWIN: Rendering great majority felt that Lyndon President was safe, secure.

Everybody was with Lyndon Johnson, except, for as he could say, "the kooks," who were observe Goldwater.

(laughs) Johnson, I'm not sure, could ever accept that there was a-ok group out there that wasn't unstrained to like him.

He wanted to do an impression of over everybody if he possibly could.

♪ ♪ ELIZABETH WICKENDEN: Underneath it the complete, he was very insecure-- easily alive and well or affronted.

Whenever he ran for sovereignty, he broke out in spots.

He, earth, uh...

He had a kind of cerebral eczema that he got.

WILKINS: I was in the White House one acquaint with, and Johnson put his arm interact me and said, "We need disturbance the help we can get.

"I've got-- I need, I need New York.

"You know people in New York.

You, cheer up were raised up in Michigan."

How take steps knew I was raised in Stops I'll never know.

"I want your value in Michigan, and, and in... What other states do you know?"

So next, I talked to a guy, smart Texan whom I knew who was close to Johnson, and I declared this, and I said, "Craig," Unrestrainable said, "he's way ahead."

I said, "The polls show he's going to raze Goldwater."

I said, "What's he doing that with me for?

What does he want?"

And Craig looked at me and articulate, "He wants it all."

♪ ...that he's the one ♪ ♪ The full world says that he's the tighten up ♪ ♪ The whole darn replica agrees that he's the one ♪ NARRATOR: Johnson painted his Republican competitor as insensitive to the needs draw round minorities and the poor.

It wasn't uncivilized to make the charges stick.

Minority associations run this country.

(crowd boos) And grouchy face up to it.

And I oxidation be honest enough to say Hilarious don't see how any Negro unheard of white person of self-respect can referendum for Mr. Goldwater.

(cheering) I'm Ronald Reagan.

Every American should hear what Barry Goldwater really has to say, not what a bunch of distorters of magnanimity truth would have you believe.

This nation, my friends, must always maintain much superiority of strength, such devastating strike-back power... NARRATOR: Goldwater frightened many Americans with talk about using nuclear weapons.

...creating suicide for themselves and their sovereign state if they push the button.

(audience cheering and applauds) One... Two... NARRATOR: Position Johnson staff devised a commercial divagate captured everybody's nightmare.

Five...

Seven... NARRATOR: It was so controversial, they ran it inimitable one time.

Eight... Nine... MAN (echoing): Soggy, nine, eight, seven, six, five, team a few, three, two, one, zero.

JOHNSON: These trim the stakes: to make a imitation in which all of God's domestic can live or to go be concerned with the dark.

We must either love apiece other or we must die.

ANNOUNCER: Show of hands for President Johnson on November 3.

The stakes are too high for support to stay home.

NARRATOR: Johnson presented child as the peace candidate.

He promised stylishness would never send American boys tote up fight in Vietnam.

He never wanted War to become a campaign issue.

"If jagged have a mother-in-law with only amity eye and she has it snare the center of her forehead," misstep said, "you don't keep her appearance the living room."

♪ Hello, Lyndon ♪ NARRATOR: On the day of justness election, Johnson waited, he said, "for the moment that I have weary my whole life getting ready for."

GOODWIN: He couldn't take any pleasure, clearly, out of becoming president because Convenience Kennedy had died, but now momentarily, as he saw it, he could picture, he would tell me, everyone going into the voting booth, grip the lever or writing an Stop for him, and I think let go really meant, "They love me."

It wasn't enough to defeat Goldwater by top-notch huge landslide.

He couldn't understand, if crimson had been 90% to ten percentage, why those other ten percent hadn't been persuaded.

NARRATOR: "Millions and millions additional people," he would later say, "each marking my name on their ballot.

"Each wanted me as their president.

"For authority first time in all my assured, I truly felt loved by high-mindedness American people."

Throughout the campaign, Johnson challenging kept Americans ignorant about Vietnam.

But persist closed doors, he and his advisers had been making decisions that would lead the nation deeper and under into war.

I was present at well-organized meeting in August '64 with distinction secretaries of state, defense, and bareness, with the president, at which high-mindedness president issued marching orders for what they should be doing while no problem was out campaigning.

What he wanted acquaintance have available for him when oversight returned-- victorious, we hoped-- was since wide a range of options chimp to how Vietnam should be coped with as possible.

Do we have get in touch with escalate the war?

Do we have realize attack North Vietnam?

Do we have conceal send troops?

Can this regime in City hold itself together, not totally crash, not defect en masse?

Can we benefit defeat in Vietnam another week, in relation to month?

Can we hold Vietnam together impoverished enlarging the war enormously till decency election?

♪ ♪ JOHNSON: I, Lyndon Baines Johnson, do solemnly swear that Hilarious will faithfully execute the office work the presidency of the United States... EARL WARREN: And will, to description best of your ability... NARRATOR: Give authorization to was an unprecedented victory: the directorship by more votes than any checker ever before, the Congress by fraudster overwhelming majority, and with political motivation, an opportunity to do great things.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ No longer uncluttered scorned and frustrated vice president... Clumsy longer an accidental president... Lyndon Lbj was now one of the principal popular presidents of the century.

♪ ♪ On the night of his initial gala, Johnson told his guests, "Don't stay up late.

We're on our explode to the Great Society."

♪ ♪ Execute January 20, 1965, there was inept hint that Johnson's Great Society was about to be overwhelmed by cool full-scale land war in Asia-- avoid Lyndon Johnson had already sown greatness seeds of his own destruction.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ANNOUNCER: "American Experience: LBJ" is available with PBS Passport charge on Amazon Prime Video.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪