Episode #383: Lyndon Johnson #11: Vietnam: Escalation (1965)

Episode #384: Lyndon Johnson #12: Guns and Butter? (1965-1966)

Lyndon Johnson #12: Guns and Butter? (1965-1966); Topics covered include: 1966 State of the Union Address urging funding for both the Great Society and the war in Vietnam, strong GDP growth, bombing pause in Vietnam (did not work), pushback from Congress, the press, and from protesters, staff changes (and criticism over treatment), weddings for Luci and Lynda Johnson, Lady Bird's firm support for her husband, Johnson approves additional troops for Vietnam, and the 199 midterm elections which strongly favored the Republicans which would make congressional support for guns and butter much more difficult going forward Key people include: Robert Weaver, William Fulbright, Jack Valenti, Bill Moyers, George Reedy, Harry McPherson, Joseph Califano, Sam Houston Johnson, Robert McNamara, Luci Johnson, Patrick Nugent, Lynda Johnson, Charles Robb, Lady Bird Johnson, William Westmoreland, and Richard Nixon For more information on the "Presidential Chronicles" series, please visit https://www.presidentialchronicles.com/

Episode #383: Lyndon Johnson #11: Vietnam: Escalation (1965)

Lyndon Johnson #11: Vietnam: Escalation (1965); Topics covered include: Instability in South Vietnam, the Viet Cong attacks Americans at Pleiku, Johnson responds with a bombing campaign (Rolling Thunder), General William Westmoreland requests additional troops, 3500 Marines are sent to Da Nang and are soon involved in combat operations, protests begin on college campuses, Johnson speaks to the nation from Johns Hopkins University about the war, a rebellion opens in the Dominican Republic and Johnson responds with U.S. to protect American lives and thwart Communist expansion, Defense Secretary McNamara offers an assessment an options for Vietnam including large escalation of troops which Johnson approves, and a comparison is provided on how John Kennedy responded to a similar challenge early in his presidency in Laos Key people include: Maxwell Taylor, Robert McNamara, McGeorge Bundy, William Westmoreland, Milton Eisenhower, Dwight Eisenhower, William Bennett, William Fulbright, and John Kennedy Correction at 6:19: should be "87 vote victory" not "87 point victory" For more information on the "Presidential Chronicles" series, please visit https://www.presidentialchronicles.com/

Episode #382: Lyndon Johnson #10: The Apex: Landslide Lyndon, Medicare, and the Voting Rights Act (1965)

Lyndon Johnson #10: The Apex: Landslide Lyndon, Medicare, and the Voting Rights Act (1965); Topics covered include: Election of 1964, selecting a running mate, Johnson receives the Democratic nomination by acclamation, the general election campaign and Johnson's landslide victory over Republican Barry Goldwater, 1965 Inaugural, Great Society legislation for 1965: Medicare, Education Assistance, and Voting Rights Key people include: Bobby Kennedy, Mike Mansfield, Eugene McCarthy, Hubert Humphrey, Barry Goldwater, Walter Jenkins, Lady Bird Johnson, Franklin Roosevelt, Wilbur Mills, Martin Luther King, Jr., James Reeb, and Everett Dirksen For more information on the "Presidential Chronicles" series, please visit https://www.presidentialchronicles.com/

Episode #381: Lyndon Johnson #9: Making the Presidency His Own: The Great Society and the Tonkin Gulf (1964)

Lyndon Johnson #9: Making the Presidency His Own: The Great Society and the Tonkin Gulf (1964); Topics covered include: War on Poverty, Economic Opportunity Act (and impact on poverty in the U.S.), formalizes the Great Society program, instability in South Vietnam, agrees to increase number of military advisers, conflict between the U.S. Navy and the North Vietnamese in the Tonkin Gulf (some of which was unclear to have actually occurred), Johnson orders a military response and seeks congressional support, and passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution providing broad authority for military operations in Southeast Asia to the Commander in Chief Key people include: John Kennedy, Franklin Roosevelt, Richard Goodwin, Robert McNamara, Maxwell Taylor, John Herrick, Ulysses Sharp, Ernest Gruening, Wayne Morse, and James Stockdale For more information on the "Presidential Chronicles" series, please visit https://www.presidentialchronicles.com/

Episode #380: Lyndon Johnson #8: Let Us Continue (1963-1964)

Lyndon Johnson #8: Let Us Continue (1963-1964); Topics covered include: John Kennedy assassination, beginning of the Johnson administration, Johnson's staff, Warren Commission (and report), initial decision on Vietnam, announces War on Poverty, pushes for Kennedy's tax cut (approved after budget cuts added to the package) and civil rights bill (also approved after extensive filibuster is overcome by Johnson's maneuvering behind the scenes, with the report of Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen) Key people include: John Kennedy, Richard Goodwin, Bobby Kennedy, Walter Jenkins, Jack Valenti, Horace Busby, Bill Moyers, Earl Warren, John McCloy, Allen Dulles, Richard Russell, John Sherman Cooper, Hale Boggs, Gerald Ford, Ngo Dinh Diem, Walter Heller, John Maynard Keynes, Harry Byrd, Martin Luther King, Whitney Young, Roy Wilkins, and Everett Dirksen For more information on the "Presidential Chronicles" series, please visit https://www.presidentialchronicles.com/