Oral history transcript, Robert J. McCloskey, interview 1 (I), 5/1/1984, by Ted Gittinger

Title:

Oral history transcript, Robert J. McCloskey, interview 1 (I), 5/1/1984, by Ted Gittinger

Number of Pages:

32

Description:

McCloskey's career history; McCloskey's philosophy of public relations as the State Department spokesman during the Vietnam War; Vietnam War reporters; the atmosphere within the State Department, Defense Department, and White House; McCloskey's effort to define the city limits of Hanoi for the press; the credibility gap in the State Department as opposed to the Defense Department; coordinating statements made by the Defense Department, White House, and State Department; the importance of word choice and phrasing; the new mission for the marines in 1965; government's right to withhold information; the press' ability to get the information it seeks; how McCloskey obtained information; McCloskey's "thought, word and deed" message on 1967 war in the Middle East and where the phrase came from; the Liberty incident and whether or not it was accidental; preparing for press briefings; Joseph Stalin's daughter seeking asylum in the U.S.; an attitude of secrecy in the Foreign Service; McCloskey's relationship with Dean Rusk; accidentally misleading the press about a story regarding CIA officials' attempts to bribe the Singapore government; McCloskey's reputation among the members of the press; the LBJ credibility gap; the release of the Pentagon Papers; McCloskey's role as assistant secretary of state for congressional relations under Secretary of State William Rogers; William Jorden; Arthur Sylvester's statement that the government has the right to lie; the renewal of a U.S.-Soviet cultural exchange agreement and LBJ's frustration that McCloskey announced it; pressure from JFK and LBJ for journalists and news executives to edit or not publish certain stories; the relationship between the government and the press; journalists' ability to get information through connections, experience, and personal relationships with government officials.

Contributor:

McCloskey, Robert J. (Robert James), 1922-1996

Collection:

LBJ Library Oral Histories

Collection Description:

Go to List of Holdings

Series:

Transcripts of LBJ Library Oral Histories

See Also:

See all online interviews with Robert J. McCloskey

Relation:

Go to Interviewee bio page

Rights:

Possibly copyright restricted: see deed at end of transcript for details