LBJ's 1968 : Power, Politics, and the Presidency in America's Year of Upheaval

1968 was an unprecedented year in terms of upheaval on numerous scales: political, military, economic, social, cultural. In the United States, perhaps no one was more undone by the events of 1968 than President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Kyle Longley leads his readers on a behind-the-scenes tour of what Johnson characterized as the 'year of a continuous nightmare'. Longley explores how LBJ perceived the most significant events of 1968, including the Vietnam War, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr and Robert Kennedy, and the violent Democratic National Convention in Chicago. His responses to the crises were sometimes effective but often tragic, and LBJ's refusal to seek re-election underscores his recognition of the challenges facing the country in 1968. As much a biography of a single year as it is of LBJ, LBJ's 1968 vividly captures the tumult that dominated the headlines on a local and global level. Cover 1 Half-title 3 Title page 5 Copyright information 6 Dedication 7 Table of contents 9 List of Figures 11 Preface and Acknowledgments 13 Introduction 19 Chapter 1 A Nation on the Brink: The State of the Union Address, January 1968 28 Chapter 2 Those Dirty Bastards, Are They Trying to Embarrass Us? The Pueblo Incident, January–December 1968 50 Chapter 3 Tet: A Very Near Thing, January–March 1968 73 Chapter 4 As a Result, I Will Not Seek Reelection: The March 31, 1968 Speech 102 Chapter 5 The Days the Earth Stood Still: The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., April 1968 123 Chapter 6 He Hated Him, but He Loved Him: The Assassination of Robert Kennedy, June 1968 155 Chapter 7 The Big Stumble: The Fortas Affair, June–October 1968 178 Chapter 8 The Tanks Are Rolling: Czechoslovakia Crushed, August 1968 203 Chapter 9 The Perfect Disaster: The Democratic National Convention, August 1968 223 Chapter 10 Is This Treason?: The October Surprise that Wasn’t, October–November 1968 250 Chapter 11 The Last Dance, January 1969 274 Conclusion 292 Glossary of Participants 301 Notes 305 Introduction 305 Chapter 1: A Nation on the Brink 306 Chapter 2: Those Dirty Bastards, Are They Trying to Embarrass Us? The Pueblo Incident, January–December 1968 309 Chapter 3: Tet 312 Chapter 4: As a Result, I Will Not Seek Reelection 319 Chapter 5: The Days the Earth Stood Still 323 Chapter 6: He Hated Him, but He Loved Him 327 Chapter 7: The Big Stumble 331 Chapter 8: The Tanks Are Rolling 336 Chapter 9: The Perfect Disaster 339 Chapter 10: Is This Treason? 343 Chapter 11: The Last Dance, January 1969 347 Conclusion 349 Bibliography 351 Interviews by the Author 351 Telephone Interviews by the Author 351 Memoirs 351 Oral History Collections 352 Government Documents 352 Books 358 Articles and Essays 362 Newspapers 363 Index 365 "The year 1968 was an unprecedented year in terms of upheaval on numerous scales: political, military, economic, social, cultural. In the United States, perhaps no one was more undone by the events of 1968 than President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Kyle Longley leads his readers on a behind-the-scenes tour of what Johnson characterized as the "year of a continuous nightmare." Longley explores how LBJ perceived the most significant events of 1968, including the Vietnam War, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy, and the violent Democratic National Convention in Chicago. His responses to the crisis were sometimes effective but often tragic, and LBJ's refusal to seek reelection underscores his recognition of the challenges facing the country in 1968. As much a biography of a single year as it is of LBJ, LBJ's 1968 vividly captures the tumult that dominated the headlines on a local and global level"--Provided by publisher A Nation On The Brink: The State Of The Union Address, January 1968 -- Those Dirty Bastards, Are They Trying To Embarrass Us? The Pueblo Incident, January-december 1968 -- Tet: A Very Near Thing, January-march 1968 -- As A Result, I Will Not Seek Re-election: The March 31, 1968 Speech -- The Days The Earth Stood Still: The Assassination Of Martin Luther King, Jr., April 1968 -- He Hated Him, But Loved Him: The Assassination Of Robert Kennedy, June 1968 -- The Big Stumble: The Fortas Affair, June-october 1968 -- The Tanks Are Rolling: Czechoslovakia Crushed, August 1968 -- The Perfect Disaster: The Democratic National Convention, August 1968 -- Is This Treason?: The October Surprise That Wasn't, October-december 1968 -- The Last Dance, January 1969 -- Conclusion. Kyle Longley, Arizona State University. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 333-346) And Index. Drawing on an extensive trove of written and oral sources, Longley explores how President Lyndon Baines Johnson perceived the most significant events of 1968 and how he responded. He highlights many of the challenges faced by the president during this year, which LBJ characterized as a 'year of a continuous nightmare'.