The Triumph & Tragedy of Lyndon Johnson

The White House Years

Joseph A. Califano

• Publisher: Atria Books
• Year: 2014
• eBook ISBN: 9781476794785
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: Politics & International Relations

One of "Five Best Books about Wartime Presidents"—Michael Bechloss, The Wall Street Journal From Lyndon Johnson's closest domestic adviser during the White House years comes a book in which "Johnson leaps out of the pages in all his raw and earthy glory" ( The New York Times Book Review ) that's been called "a joy to read" (Stephen Ambrose, The Washington Post Book World ). And now, a new introductory essay brings the reader up to date on Johnson's impact on America today. Califano takes us into the Oval Office as the decisions that irrevocably changed the United States were being crafted to create Johnson's ambitious Great Society. He shows us LBJ's commitment to economic and social revolution, and his willingness to do whatever it took to achieve his goals. Califano uncorks LBJ's legislative genius and reveals the political guile it took to pass the laws in civil rights, poverty, immigration reform, health, education, environmental protection, consumer protection, the arts, and communications. President Lyndon Johnson was bigger than life—and no one who worked for him or was subjected to the "Johnson treatment" ever forgot it. As Johnson's "Deputy President of Domestic Affairs" ( The New York Times ), Joseph A. Califano's unique relationship with the president greatly enriches our understanding of our thirty-sixth president, whose historical significance continues to be felt throughout every corner of America to this day. A no-holds-barred account of Johnson's presidency, The Triumph & Tragedy of Lyndon Johnson is an intimate portrait of a President whose towering ambition for his country and himself reshaped America—and ultimately led to his decision to withdraw from the political arena in which he fought so hard.

INDEX

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ABC, 168, 173

Abel, I. W., 86–88, 90, 91, 93, 94

Abernathy, Ralph David, 287–88, 305

Abram, Morris, 58

Abrams, General Creighton, 60–61, 282

Acheson, Dean, 113, 231

Ackley, Gardner, 101, 148, 181, 182, 286

Federal Reserve and, 107–10

Penn-Central merger supported by, 161, 162

rail strike and, 189

steel industry and, 87–89, 93, 103, 146

tax increases advocated by, 112, 243, 244

Adams, Brock, 193

Addonizio, Hugh, 211

Adenauer, Konrad, 191

AFL-CIO, 111, 124, 189, 191, 192

Executive Council, 185

Agnew, Spiro, 281

Agriculture Department, U.S., 79, 141, 292

Air Force, U.S., 60, 237, 261

Air Force Reserve, 19, 20

Air Quality Act, 81n

Akron, University of, 172

Alabama, University of, 13, 57

Albert, Carl, 132, 147, 193, 194, 322, 331

Alexander, Cliff, 184, 274

Alsop, Joseph, 200

Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa), 98, 100, 225, 310

American Bar Association, 310

American Independent Party, 258

American Jewish Committee, 310

American Legion, 325

American Medical Association (AMA), 50

American Samoa, 150, 246

Americans for Democratic Action, 222

American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T), 194

American Trucking Association, 124

American University Law School, 316

Anaconda Company, 101, 102

Anderson, Glenn, 59–61

Anderson, John, 276

Annunzio, Frank, 267

Anti-Defamation League, 310

Appel, James, 50

Army, U.S., 23

antiwar demons...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Dedication
• Introduction
• Prologue
• Happy Days
• Sleepless Nights
• Nightmare Year
• Epilogue
• Photographs
• Appendix A
• Appendix B
• Appendix C
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Source Notes
• Index
• Copyright