Oral history transcript, Lawrence F. O'Brien, interview 1 (I), 9/18/1985, by Michael L. Gillette

Title:

Oral history transcript, Lawrence F. O'Brien, interview 1 (I), 9/18/1985, by Michael L. Gillette

Number of Pages:

144

Description:

John F. Kennedy's (JFK) plan regarding primaries going into the 1960 Democratic National Convention; assigning JFK staffers to specific state delegations; JFK's decision to address the Texas delegation; JFK's decision to ask Lyndon Johnson (LBJ) to be his running mate and O'Brien's and Robert Kennedy's (RFK) response; LBJ adding "geographical balance" to the ticket; JFK's meeting with LBJ to gauge his interest in the vice presidency; RFK's relationship with JFK; O'Brien's interview with Mike Wallace; opposition to JFK from LBJ supporters and vice versa; LBJ's loyalty to JFK and their professional relationship; 1960 election results, especially in Illinois; JFK's speech to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association addressing his Catholicism; the West Virginia primary and what JFK learned from it; the JFK/Nixon debates; JFK's handling of the Bay of Pigs incident; O'Brien meeting with each cabinet member to review roles in the Kennedy Administration; JFK's and O'Brien's time spent learning their roles, especially regarding congressional relationships and personnel; advice from Bryce Harlow, Clark Clifford, and Dick Neustadt; JFK's early White House staff; efforts to gain enough votes to expand the House Rules Committee; building a relationship between JFK, Congress, and O'Brien's office so that information could be shared; O'Brien's use of the presidential yacht, the Sequoia, to meet with members of congress; brunches at O'Brien's house for members of Congress and the media; building a relationship with Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn; head-counting to insure passage of administration-backed legislation; Vice President LBJ's loss of influence in the Senate; comparing JFK's and LBJ's persuasion and leadership skills; evenings on the Sequoia; the use of Air Force One; O'Brien's swearing-in as U.S. postmaster general at Hye, Texas, and Hye postmaster, Levi Deike; making sure the appropriate people were always given credit and recognition; White House tours and dinners; use of government planes for congressmen and senators; invitations to the LBJ Ranch; the process of evaluating appointment recommendations; how congressional liaison representatives were selected; relationship between congressional liaison representatives, their departments, and the White House staff; judicial appointments; a disagreement between Congressman Mike Kirwan and Senator Wayne Morse over Kirwan's efforts to fund a national aquarium in Washington, D.C.; story regarding Congressman D. B. Saund's photo of his grandson with JFK; exchanging appointments for political support; closing military installations and Veteran Administration hospitals, including a hospital in Mike Mansfield's state; the power that members of Congress have that the president does not; House Judiciary Committee and Charlie Halleck's efforts to gain support for a civil rights bill; O'Brien's relationship with Halleck; how the JFK Administration influenced members of Congress; the authority to speak for JFK; JFK's legislative success; O'Brien's work and the risk of violation of the constitutional separation of powers; O'Brien's work for Congressman Foster Furcolo; the need for a Rules Committee change so that it could no longer block all liberal proposals; the process of a head count; how O'Brien came to be in charge of congressional relations for JFK; O'Brien's sense of duty as an American and his work ethic; Republican support for, and Sam Rayburn's help with, the Rules Committee changes; Judge Howard Smith; Senator Harry Byrd; JFK's popularity; lobbyist groups and cabinet members involved in the Rules Committee fight; the omnibus judgeship bill and the opportunity to name almost sixty judges; Ralph Yarborough's involvement in JFK's November 1963 trip to Texas and relenting to ride in the car with LBJ; Texas judicial appointments; difficulty dealing with Otto Passman, especially on foreign aid; the creation of the Agency for International Development and opposition from Styles Bridges;

Contributor:

O'Brien, Lawrence F. (Lawrence Francis), 1917-1990

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 Lawrence F. O'Brien

Relation:

Go to Interviewee bio page

Rights:

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