Lyndon Johnson's secretly recorded tapes offer us the only chance we are ever likely to have to eavesdrop on an American President from his first moments in office until the end. This universally acclaimed volume captures LBJ's private passions and bedrock beliefs as he takes command after John Kennedy's assassination; makes his first fateful decisions on civil rights, poverty, and Vietnam; and runs against Barry Goldwater for President. Michael Beschloss's observations and annotations enhance our understanding of Johnson, his era, and his lasting impact on American politics and culture.
By the time he suddenly succeeded to the presidency in November 1963, following John Kennedy's assassination, Lyndon Johnson had been secretly recording his private conversations for years--first by having an eavesdropping aide take shorthand notes on telephone calls, and then, as recording technology advanced, by committing conversations to tape. Even on his first night as president, he remembered to make sure that the tape recorder was working. His motives were apparently practical--a kind of hands-free note-taking, and a way to document the commitments he and others had made.
Whatever his reasons (and despite Johnson's desire that the documentation remain sealed until at least 2023), the tapes are a boon to students of politics and history. Masterfully edited and annotated by presidential historian Michael Beschloss, they reveal a quintessential political animal at work. It's fascinating to listen in as Johnson works the levers--cajoling, trading favors, calling in chits, twisting arms, and occasionally playing rough--often in a pungent, earthy Texas patois. The book covers the period from November 1963 through the Democratic convention in August 1964, when Johnson was nominated for reelection. Its biggest single revelation is that Johnson believed Fidel Castro was behind Kennedy's assassination; another, less sensational, is that his reservations about the deepening war in Vietnam were greater than previously known. Most importantly, though, these tapes provide an invaluable, uncensored look into a complex presidency--and president.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Beschloss Pulls It Off:
I'd have to imagine that writing a book like this is not as easy as some would assume; not only does the author need to transcribe tapes that are nearly a half-century old, but the intrepid historian must then determine which tapes are relevant, edit out all superfluous verbiage, and synthesize the remaining material into a coherent narrative. That Beschloss manages to thus provide the reader with scads of invaluable information about the first nine months of Johnson's presidency is to his credit; the fact... more info
Outstanding work by Michael Beschloss:
"Taking Charge" is another outstanding book from the great presidential historian Michael Beschloss. You will feel like a fly on the wall as LBJ speaks to many politicos, Jackie, Bobby, etc. As the leading civilian authority on the Secret Service, I was especially interested in what LBJ had to say about Secret Service agent Roy Kellerman: "he was as dumb as an ox."
Vince Palamara
Secret service expert, History Channel, author of 2 books, in over 30 other author's books, etc.
The Angriest President?:
Lyndon Baines Johnson was a lot of things, but couth wasn't one of them. After starting his presidency by calling Rose Kennedy, the mother of his murdered predecessor, to offer sincere condolences, LBJ quickly set off putting his own stamp on the White House, driving to the point of rude, focused to the point of nasty. At times he could be charming and sympathetic, but what comes across most clearly from these collected transcripts of Johnson's conversations is just how sick in the head our nation's leader... more info
This one you need to hear, not read:
The story is told that when Nixon took office, LBJ showed him around the White House and revealed a hidden taping system. He made the argument that everything a president said or did should be taped for posterity.
Johnson has fared a little better than Nixon viz. the results of such executive record keeping. In the case of excerpts chosen by Michael Beschluss for these tapes (and as the review title suggests, do by the audio version), there is no criminal activity uncovered. Instead, we hear things as... more info
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