The Presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson (American Presidency Series)

Rating:
Summary: The author makes a few comments, in perspective
Review: I am just a bit bemused by this opportunity. The Presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson was commissioned by University Press of Kansas as part of its Bicentennial Series evaluating all of our Presidents. Virtually every volume has appeared, thanks to the great prowess of Don McCoy, the famous history professor at University of Kansas. I brought to the contract experience co-authoring Herbert Hoover: President of the United States, and work on Franklin D. Roosevelt; there were also three volumes on social welfare and one on labor/politics, plus a stay at RAND and 4 l/2 years in WWII. And I taught contemporary problems courses as a historian/social scientist. Mainly, with my mandate plus my inclinations, I stuck with serious matters and minimized the jazzy and conventional portrayals of Johnson's personality and character. And I really worked hard on the Johnson archives (as then open to researchers). A Moderate Republican who voted for LBJ in 1964, I got only grudging endurance from the Library director, but great help from the professionals there. The book continues to sell, for it is comprehensive, and it ventures daring judgment throughout. Scholarly reviewers were more than generous, except for Kennedy-lovers, who have never accepted even basics about President Johnson. Although many tapes have been made available, candid memoirs long since acquainted persons like me with the so-called "real LBJ." I stand by my final chapter, "History Will Judge"--a quotation from Lyndon himself as he contemplated the end.