"You can't Talk About War Plans:" The LBJ Tapes

This conversation is from 6 August 1964, at 1:35 in the afternoon, three months before election day. Johnson is speaking with James Rowe, an associate of Johnson’s from the New Deal, and who was a close friend and adviser of Minnesota Senator Hubert Humphrey. At this point, Humphrey was the front-runner for the vice-presidential nomination and of course who became Johnson’s choice. The Gulf of Tonkin incident had occurred only 4 days earlier, Johnson had launched the first attacks against north Vietnam, and in its aftermath Humphrey had made some ill-considered – and all too accurate - remarks to the press that really riled President Johnson and caused the President to question Humphrey’s ability to keep a secret. After asking Rowe to send a message to Humphrey – without Humphrey knowing it came from Johnson - Johnson went over recent poll numbers with Rowe and discussed his prospects for picking up considerable Republican support. This Republican “frontlash,” as Johnson soon labeled it, offered the potential to overcome a white backlash, an idea that Johnson took great pains to promote over the next few weeks. From the scene where the Joint Chiefs enter conference room and take positions at end of table. The men enter the room in the following order; General Wallace M Greene, Jr Marine Corps, General Harold K Johnson, Army; General Earle C Wheeler, Chairman; Admiral David L McDonald, Navy; General John P McConnell, Air Force. Later, Secretary of Defense Robert S McNamara and Deputy Secretary of Defense Cyrus R Vance enter room and take their seats. https://www.doctorpaulcarter.com ‪@CarterOnConflict‬