Rebekah’s ulcer; “highly precarious”: RBJ to Lyndon Johnson, March 7, 1950; July 24, 1951. Stories about Josefa: Busby, Knispel, Kyle, Smith, Stehling interviews. Called on: Stehling interview. “If there”: Mayer interview.
“Josefa situation”: Busby interview. If she wasn’t: Lyndon Johnson to RBJ, Jan. 6, 1940, Box 1, Family Correspondence.
“These wonderful”: Caro, Path, p. 183. “He worships”: RBJ to Lyndon Johnson, undated but among 1937 letters, “Family Correspondence, Dec. 1929-Dec. 1939,” Box 1. “Smarter”: Deason interview. “More than”: Mooney, LBJ, p. 195. “He didn’t”: Brown OH. New York trip: SHJ interview; Johnson, My Brother Lyndon, pp. 50–51. “Alcoholic haze”: Lloyd Shearer, Texas Parade, March 9, 1975. NYA: SHJ interview. Wirtz trying: Wirtz to Johnson, July 3, 1940, Box 5, AWPP, LBJL. “When”: Brown OH. Seeing Sam on TV: Sunday Hereford (Tex.) Brand, Sept. 28, 1958. “Just a flunky”: SHJ interview. Would disappear: Koeniger interview.
Rodney, Sam’s son: Rodney Baines interview. “The 1948”: Baines interview. Died of AIDS: William M. Adler, “A Death in the Family,” Texas Monthly, April 1989.
120: SHJ OH. “A shrunken”: Mooney, LBJ, p. 192. “Shattered nerves”: RBJ to LBJ, Feb. 4, 1953, “Family Correspondence, Johnson, Mrs. Sam E., March, 1950-August, 1958,” Box 1, Family Correspondence. Hardshell; “Sneaking”; “almost”: Caro, Path, pp. 91–93. “I don’t”: Caro, p. 163.
“Didn’t sleep”: Rather interview. Picture of Johnson on ranch: Busby, Cox, SHJ, Rather, Reedy, Stehling interviews.
“A wild drinking bout”: Reedy, LBJ, p. 53. More often on the ranch: Jenkins, Rather interviews.
“Her constant pacification”: Sidey, Time, Jan. 14, 1985. Incident in car: Busby, quoted in Russell, Lady Bird, p. 205. “Slapped”: Busby, quoted in Texas Monthly, Aug. 1999; interview with author. “Harem”: Janeway, quoted in Dallek, Lone Star, p. 189.
19. The Orator of the Dawn
“Johnson fixed”: White, Professional, p. 201.
“His native strength”: Hawthorne, quoted in Schlesinger, Age of Jackson, p. 42.
Convention scene, Humphrey speech: Eisele, Almost to the Presidency; Griffith, Humphrey; McCullough, Truman; Ross, The Loneliest Campaign; Solberg, Hubert Humphrey. “The very air”: McCullough, p. 636. “Interpret”: Ross, p. 117. Their first look; “dazzled”: Solberg, pp. 12–13. “Lead”: Humphrey, The Progressive, April 1946. “Who does”; “sellout”: Solberg, p. 14. Only his: Griffith, p. 153. “Joe, you”: Niles, quoted in Solberg, p. 16. “ADA bastards”; “not at all”: Griffith, pp. 152, 153. “Sacrificing”: Ross, pp. 119–20.
“It was sobering”: Humphrey, Education, pp. 112, 113. Freeman: Goulden, Best Years, p. 385.
“Shining”: McCullough, p. 639. “I can see”; “hard-boiled”: Douglas, Fullness of Time, p. 133. “The audience”: Solberg, p. 17. Not in text: Solberg, p. 18. “Parade”: Douglas, Fullness of Time, pp. 133–34. “The latter”: Ross, p. 122. “In part”: Humphrey, Education, p. 115. “Can you”: Anderson, quoted in Solberg, p. 119.
“At the”; “the fact”: McCullough, p. 640. “The only”: Solberg, pp. 18, 19. “It was”; “on fire”: Douglas, quoted in Eisele, p. 68. “The orator”: Douglas, Fullness of Time, p. 133.
“Glib, jaunty”: “Education of a Senator,” Time, Jan. 17, 1949. “Well-knit”: New Republic, Oct. 18, 1948. “I had”: Humphrey, pp. 115–16.
Press conference; “I’ll knock”; Howard speech: Solberg, pp. 135–39. “My God”: Rowe interview. Taking King to lunch: Humphrey, p. 121. “I would be”: Humphrey, p. 147.
“Sometimes”: Solberg, p. 137; Eisele, p. 89. “unprepared”: Humphrey, Education, p. 124. “Anathema”: Solberg, p. 129. “Still”: Humphrey, p. 157. Committee assignments: Solberg, p. 136. “The most sacred”: Eisele, p. 89. Small Business Committee: Humphrey, p. 158. “Of course”: Humphrey OH I, p. 12.
The snubbing: Humphrey, pp. 123–25; Solberg, pp. 136–38. “Too early”: Jenner, quoted in Eisele, p. 89. “‘Can you imagine’”: Russell, quoted in Humphrey, p. 124.
Byrd Committee: Eisele, pp. 90–93; Sol-berg, pp. 143–45. “Ominously”; “The senator”: Solberg, p. 144; “Paddling a Freshman,” Newsweek, March 13, 1950; “The Elephant Hunt,” Time, March 13, 1950; Anderson and Blumenthal, “The Washington Merry-Go-Round,” WP, Aug. 2, 1950. Capehart incident: Eisele, p. 94; Solberg, p. 161.
“I just”: Humphrey OH I, p. 11. “Dark days:” Humphrey, Education, p. 147. “Just couldn’t believe”; “I always worked”: Humphrey OH I, p. 11. “I was prepared”; “I hated”: Humphrey, pp. 124–25. “I didn’t feel”: Eisele, p. 93. Crying: Solberg, p. 136; McCulloch interview.
“Johnson and I”: Humphrey, Education, p. 161. Conversation on subway: Reedy, U.S. Senate, p. 34. “He started”: Humphrey OH I, p. 4. “To invite”: Humphrey, Education, p. 162. “Fascinating”: Humphrey OH I, pp. 15, 16. “I am learning”: Humphrey to Johnson, Dec. 9, 1955, Box 2, WHFN. Humphrey told an oral history interviewer: “In some ways I suppose he was a kind of teacher.” (OH I, p. 18). “Johnson said”: Humphrey OH II, p. 5. “Very beginning”: Humphrey, quoted in Miller, Lyndon, p. 149. “Knew Washington”: Humphrey, Education, p. 162. “At the feet”: Humphrey, on The American Experience: LBJ. PBS Home Video, 1997.
“You have just”; “a lion”: Humphrey OH III, p. 7. “Like a plant”: Humphrey, quoted in Miller, p. 420. “Those great big”; “muscular”: Humphrey, quoted in Miller, pp. 166, 346. “A very strong”: Humphrey OH III, p. 27. “Political lover”: Humphrey OH III, p. 8. “Like a tidal wave”: Humphrey, quoted in Miller, p. 175.
“Always able”: Humphrey OH III, p. 8. “Johnson was like a psychiatrist,” he said on another occasion. “Unbelievable man in terms of sizing up people, what they would do, how they would stand up under pressure, what their temperament was” (Humphrey OH I, p. 26). “What’s so”: Eisele, p. 59. “From the moment”: Rauh interview. Hyde Park visit: Solberg, p. 125.
Why Johnson befriended: Reedy to Johnson, undated but attached to GER to Senator, Jan. 2, 1957, Box 5, PPMF; Reedy, Solberg interviews.
“Nobody can”: “London Dispatch 5434, from Robert Manning” to NA, Nov. 13, 1958 (in author’s possession), p. 3. Humphrey repeated: Manning, Rauh, Rowe, Solberg interviews; Rowe to Johnson, April 8, 1957, Box 32, LBJA SN. In interviews with Solberg, Thomas Hughes said, “Johnson was … opening vistas to him.” Rowe said, “For Johnson Humphrey was a bridge to the liberals. For Humphrey Johnson was a bridge to power” (Hughes interview with Solberg, March 3, 1981; Rowe interview with Solberg, Nov. 3, 1980; both in author’s possession).
“Our little”: Humphrey, quoted in Solberg, p. 161; Humphrey OH I, p. 8.
“A Roosevelt man”: Humphrey OH III, p. 11; OH I, p. 6. “I knew”: Humphrey OH III, p. 11. “Never was”: Humphrey OH I, pp. 6, 7. “We were”: Solberg, p. 163. “I really”: Humphrey OH I, p. 36. “Johnson had”: Humphrey, quoted in Goodwin, Lyndon Johnson, p. 132. “The same old”: Steele to Williamson, March 4, 1958, SP.
Letters from Texas: Johnson to Humphrey, Dec. 15, 1953; Sept. 18, 1956; Feb. 27, Sept. 9, 1957, all Box 2, WHFN; Aug. 27, 1954, “1954 Austin Office General Files,” Box 533, JSP. “The privilege”: Humphrey to Johnson, Jan 26, 1957, Box 2, WHFN.
“You know”: Califano, Triumph, p. 66.
The 7:30 conversations: Solberg, p. 163. “Compromise”: Humphrey, pp. 136, 137. “It doesn’t bother me”: Humphrey OH I, p. 17.
“Senator, Hubert”: White, Professional, pp. 201, 202; Reedy interview. Humphrey and George in cloakroom: Steinberg, Sam Johnson’s Boy, p. 345. Working on Russell: Reedy interview. “The South and”; Russell present: Humphrey, p. 162. “Humphrey utilized”: Steinberg, p. 345. “Came to”: Goldsmith, Colleagues, p. 23.
“Actually becoming”: Humphrey OH I, p. 5. “Since there”: Humphrey, p. 161. “My apprenticeship”: Humphrey, p. 161. Brought Russell around: Humphrey OH II, p. 8.
“Seemed to foresee”: Goodwin, Lyndon Johnson, p. 132.
20. Gettysburg
All dates are 1952 unless otherwise noted.
Steinberg interview: Steinberg, Sam Johnson’s Boy, pp. 320–21. “Despite”: “Who will run with Truman?” undated, Feb. 1952, from internal evidence, SP.
“The only way”: Reedy interview. “Russell has”: Time, March 10. “The chances”: Russell to Ayres, March 2, 1951, Dictation Series, Political, RBRL. “I’m under”: NYT, Dec. 12, 1951.
More for: Fite, Russell, pp. 271–77. “Has to all”: NYT, April 16. “Destroy a fable”: Atlanta Journal, May 29.
Big Ed; McCarran: Fite, p. 287. “Assuming”: Van Linden interview. “Those”: Young, quoted in NYT, March 2. “I am the only”: AC, April 26. For another version of this thought, see Roscoe Drummond, “State of the Nation,” Christian Science Monitor, June 26. “Dick: I hope”: “March, 1945, from President Truman,” in XV, General EE, Redline File, 1941–67, RBRL.
Johnson had persuaded: Unidentified to Russell, Feb. 4, Box 24, II, Intra-Office Communications A., Memoranda: 1952, RBRL. “We felt”: Connally interview. “Richardson regarded”: Connally with Herskowitz, In History’s Shadow, p. 142.
“A new league”: Russell to Cocke, March 14, Political, Presidential Campaign, 1952, RBRL. Arranging: Clark, Connally interviews.
Lined up Texas: Dugger, Politician, pp. 374ff. “Let’s Hussle”: Johnson to Russell, March 18; Russell to Johnson, March 21, LBJ Congressional File, RBRL. Russell’s optimism: Fite, p. 289. “I told”: RBR, “Truman, Harry Memo,” June 10, VI Political, G., Pres. Cmpn., “Winder” Folder, RBRL. And see Fite, p. 290.
“When he started”: Darden interview. “He had”: Connally interview. “A fixation”: WS, April 25.
“Enumerated”; “He could not”; “Morally bound”; ignore: Fite, pp. 285–89.
“Of all of them”: Muskie interview. “‘My God, Senator’”: Reedy OH IV, p. 34; Shaffer, On and Off, p. 207. Bad news: Atlanta Journal, July 13.
“They thought”: Connally interview. “Surprise”: Roy V. Harris OH, RBRL. “Senator Lyndon”: AC, July 25. “In one day”: Anne O’Hara McCormick, NYT, July 22, quoted in Manchester, Glory, p. 622.
“Things began”: Vandiver OH.
A “visceral”: Goldsmith, Colleagues, p. 30. “It’s one”: Reedy OH IV, p. 34. Began to complain; “excellent”: Goldsmith, p. 30. From this time on: Darden interview. “Energy”: Lady Bird Johnson OH, RBRL, pp. 11, 14. “Something”: Shaffer, p. 207. “Bitterness”: Reedy OH IV, p. 35. “Querulous”: Reedy interview.
“He worked”: Russell, “Georgia Giant,” 1970 unedited version, Reel No. 19, p. 25.
“Soberly predicted”: “Washington Report—Staff,” p. 5, undated but with 1952 memos, MP. “Became aware”; “as an instrument”: Reedy interview. “Made no bones”: Reedy OH V, p. 11. “Hope that”: Goldsmith, p. 65. Because “Johnson”: Talmadge, AC, Feb. 20, 1959. “Gave me”; “Master and Servant”; “None”: Talmadge interview. “Bosom friend”: Stennis interview, April 21, 1971, quoted in Stephen B. Farrow, “Richard Russell and Lyndon Johnson,” unpublished senior thesis, University of Tennessee, 1979, p. 34. “You’re just fighting”; “I know”: “The Rearguard Commander,” Time, Aug. 12, 1957; NYT, Jan. 22, 1971. “Was very determined”: Reedy OH VIII, p. 100.
Including, notably: For a discussion of Johnson’s role in the 1952 presidential campaign, see Dugger, pp. 376–77, 471; Martin, Adlai Stevenson of Illinois, pp. 652, 682, 734; Miller, Lyndon, p. 153; Steinberg, Sam Johnson’s Boy, pp. 328–31.
“When McFarland lost”: Ralph Huitt, quoted in Miller, p. 154. “Well, thank you”: O’Brien, No Final Victories, pp. 36–37. “I’ll do”; “must have”; set one: Evans and Novak, LBJ: Exercise, p. 51. “All you’ve”: Baker, Wheeling and Dealing, pp. 60–61; Dugger, p. 379. “I very frankly”: Stennis OH. “I was strong”: Hoey to Russell, Nov. 14, VI, Personal Political 1951–1954, RBRL.
To every: McConaughy to Beshoar, June 10, 1953, SP; MacNeil, Steele interviews. Russell replied: “I have no desire to serve as leader of either the majority or the minority in the Senate. I think Lyndon is entitled to a promotion, and he will do a good job” (Russell to Hoey, Nov. 12, VI. Personal Political 1951–1954, RBRL). “Saw L. Johnson”: Nov. 10, “Winder Materials—Calendars, 1952,” RBRL. “A number”: NYT, Nov. 11. “Practically”: McConaughy to Beshoar, Nov. 12, MP. By November 10: Evans and Novak, p. 54. A majority: McConaughy to Beshoar, June 10, 1953, SP.
He had in mind: Johnson’s thinking is explained in Baker, Wheeling and Dealing, p. 61; Evans and Novak, p. 54; and in Reedy and Rowe interviews. To Hayden: Bibolet, Reedy, Rowe interviews. Bibolet’s boss, McFarland, wired Johnson, “Talked to Carl. All OK and he will call you …,” McFarland to Johnson, Nov. 8, Box 117, LBJA SF. “A good”: Rowe to Johnson, Jan. 12, 1953. On the same date, he wrote Joe Kennedy, “I think Lyndon did very well for Jack on the committee assignments, and I hope you do” (Rowe to Kennedy and Landis, Nov. 12, 1953, Box 32, LBJA SN). “I want”: Kennedy to Johnson, Nov. 13, Box 117, LBJA SF.
McCarran’s problem, possible solution: Murray Marder, “Modern Marbury,” WP, Jan. 1, 1953; Chalmers Roberts, “Political David,” WP, Jan. 4, 1953; “(McCarran),” wire service bulletin, Dec. 29, in Pearson Papers, Box F 162. McCarran asked; Johnson said; McCarran agreed: Truman to Johnson, Jan. 13, 1953, Box 8, WHFN; Jenkins, Reedy, Rowe interviews.
Lists; Winder: VI, political E, Special Name Lyndon Johnson, RBRL; Boxes 116, 117, LBJA SF. Explanation of lists: Jenkins, Reedy, Rowe interviews.
Jenkins snatched: Jenkins interview. “Happy”: “Statement of United States Senator Theodore Francis Green, Nov. 12, 1952,” Box 117, LBJA SF. “At the direction”; “THANKS”: Higgins to Johnson, Nov. 12; Johnson to Green, Nov. 13, Box 117, LBJA SF. “Identified”: NYT, Nov. 13. “Senator Clements”: Jenkins to Johnson, Nov. 12, Box 117, LBJA SF.
“Suggests”: NYT, Nov. 16. “Upset”: Humphrey, Education, p. 163. “Worried”: McConaughey to Beshoar, June 10, 1953, SP. “Knife you”: Jenkins to Johnson, Nov. 13, Box 117, LBJA SN.
“Humphrey wanted”: Baker, quoted in Miller, p. 154. “Their only”: Goodwin, Lyndon Johnson, pp. 107–08. She says that Hill had agreed to support Johnson “only a few minutes earlier,” but actually Hill had agreed several days before this, because the meeting was some time after Nov. 13.
Settling on Murray: Humphrey, quoted in Miller, p. 154. “He had”: Stewart McClure OH. Stevenson telephone call: “Adlai—Stevenson—LBJ,” Nov. 20, “Notes and Transcripts of Johnson Conversations,” Box 1; Johnson to Stevenson (and attached telegram), Jan. 22, 1953, Box 118, LBJA SF.
“Although”: Excerpt from Humphrey on “Reporters Roundup,” Dec. 15, JSP. “More calls”: Reedy interview.
“Hubert can’t win”: Johnson, quoted in Baker, Wheeling and Dealing, p. 61. Promised “candy”: Baker, Wheeling and Dealing, pp. 61, 62. Telephoning; “exhilarating”; “prepared”: Humphrey, p. 163.
Meeting with Hunt, Lehman, Douglas: Humphrey, p. 163; Humphrey OH I, pp. 19, 20. Coming back alone: Humphrey, pp. 163–64; Humphrey, quoted in Miller, p. 154.
Democratic caucus: “Minutes of Democratic Conference, Friday, Jan. 2, 1953,” Minutes of the U.S. Senate Democratic Conference, 1903–1640, Donald A. Ritchie, ed., Washington, USGPO, 1998, pp. 487–93. “Very wonderful”: “Attached are Senator Russell’s notes which he wrote in preparation for the speech. Senator Johnson wants you to put them away safely…,” Rather to Lady Bird Johnson, Jan. 8, 1953, LBJA Subject Files, “Senate, U.S.,” Box 118, “Minority—Russell Remarks.” “Senator Murray”: Humphrey, p. 155. “I’ll never forget”: Humphrey, quoted in Miller, p. 155. “Number One”; “don’t come”; “I would be”: Humphrey OH and Education, pp. 164, 165.
The youngest: Richard A. Baker to Caro, Dec. 2, 1994 (in author’s possession). “He had just”: Pearson, Diaries, p. 246. “Almost”: Evans and Novak, p. 50.
21. The Whole Stack
All dates are 1953 unless otherwise noted.
“I shoved in”: McConaughy to Beshoar, Ju
ne 10, MP; John Steele, “A Kingmaker or a Dark Horse?” Life, June 25, 1956. “The Senate would”: White, Citadel, p. 184.
Grasped quickly; “was a personal”: Reedy to Johnson, Nov. 12, Box 7, SPF; Reedy interview. “Total decay”: Joseph and Stewart Alsop, “The Democrats Rally,” NYHT, Feb. 1.
Foreign Relations going; should be shored; “Mansfield”: NYT, Jan 13; NYT Magazine, Feb. 1; Fleeson, WS, Jan. 14;McConaughy to Laybourne, Jan. 14, SP. Only one example: McConaughy to Berger, Jan. 16, MP; Evans and Novak, LBJ: Exercise, pp. 63, 64; H P, Jan. 19.
The description of Johnson’s changing the committee-assignment system and the Policy Committee’s significance is drawn from memoranda written to Johnson by Reedy between November 21, 1953, and June 18, 1954, Boxes 116 and 118, LBJA SF, and “Papers of George Reedy,” Box 413, JSP; from the intraoffice memoranda and “Confidential Worksheets” cited below; from the Drew Pearson Papers at the LBJL; from Baker, Wheeling and Dealing, pp. 63–65; Evans and Novak, pp. 61–65, Goldsmith, Colleagues, pp. 33–35; Goodwin, Lyndon Johnson, pp. 110–17; Steinberg, Sam Johnson’s Boy, pp. 344–48; from McConaughy to Laybourne, Jan. 14, SP, and to Berger, Jan. 16, MP. It is also drawn from the oral history interviews of Humphrey, McClure, Reedy, and Siegel, and from the author’s interviews with Bibolet, Corcoran, Goldsmith, Jenkins, MacNeil, Reedy, Ritchie, Rowe, Siegel, and Steele. Baker says that changing the seniority system was his idea, but Reedy says that it was his idea.
Sold with humor: Various versions of the story are in Miller, Lyndon, p. 157; Steinberg, Sam Johnson’s Boy, p. 344; Reedy OH. I have used the version from “The Humor of LBJ—25th Anniversary” audiocassette. The South’s last; “I’ve just”; No one was being forced: Reedy, Steele interviews. “LBJ very early”: Reedy OH V, pp. 10, 11. “The foundation”; “Johnson dissembled”: Goodwin, Lyndon Johnson, p. 112.
Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson Page 177