Oral history transcript, Lawrence F. O'Brien, interview 2 (II), 10/29/1985, by Michael L. Gillette

Title:

Oral history transcript, Lawrence F. O'Brien, interview 2 (II), 10/29/1985, by Michael L. Gillette

Number of Pages:

109

Description:

Information dissemination in the Congress and White House; the public relations value of getting information early; the importance of a president-elect's staff and cabinet choices; O'Brien's meetings with cabinet members to reiterate the president's goals, namely, John F. Kennedy's (JFK) New Frontier program; the requirement that cabinet members yield to White House recommendations; Ed Day as U.S. postmaster general; how JFK envisioned his relations with Congress, his legislative program, and the political responsibilities of appointments and assignments; the influence of organized labor; the ability of the White House staff to speak for the president; limiting congressional contact with the president to increase its effect; Lyndon Johnson's (LBJ) desire to be involved in the legislative process; the work Bob Hardesty and Jake Jacobsen did on legislative matters on LBJ's staff that had not previously been done for JFK; notifying legislators of news so they could be the first to make the announcements locally; Dick Donahue's work with patronage and members of Congress' efforts to get jobs for their constituents; the role of the Democratic National Committee; criteria for ambassadorships; career versus political appointees; politicians' view of patronage; how Matt McCloskey became ambassador to Ireland and Henry Cabot Lodge became ambassador to South Vietnam; the importance to Italian-Americans of the appointments of Salvatore Bontempo and Anthony Celebrezze; the possibility of an ambassadorship to the Vatican during JFK's administration; difficulty managing the great number of lower-level appointments; Robert Kennedy's proposal to raise the salary of Justice Department lawyers; civil rights and the Democratic Party in 1962; Southern Democratic and Republican opposition to national Democratic Party policies; anti-Catholic sentiment in Louisiana that diminished JFK support; the role of Mayor Robert Wagner in New York City patronage; Democratic Party organization in Chicago and Philadelphia; judgeships as congressional patronage; White House influence on public works; the relationship between the president and members of Congress; D. S. Saund; the honor of riding on the president's plane; Wayne Hays' support for the foreign aid bill of 1961; why foreign aid was not popular; O'Brien's and JFK's relationships with Bryce Harlow and Dwight Eisenhower; congressmen using the navy or air force for travel and Sam Rayburn's opposition to these junkets; providing transportation to bring members of Congress back to Washington D. C. in time for a vote; Bay of Pigs events and JFK accepting responsibility for failure there; JFK's trust in the CIA and military; education legislation; opposition from James Delaney to aid to education; Cardinal Richard Cushing's visit to the White House; Cardinal Francis Spellman's political views; debate over the inclusion of private and/or parochial schools in aid to education; Adam Clayton Powell as chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and his relationship with John McCormack; Powell's church in Harlem and his personality; comparing Powell's role as an African-American leader to that of James Michael Curley in the Irish-American community; communication between the White House and House Education and Labor Committee; Edith Green; legislators getting to know JFK after he became president; JFK's phone call efforts to get support from Mendel Rivers and other southern congressmen; head counts and "if needed" votes; the outcome of the education measure; the extension of aid to impacted areas and National Defense Education Act funds.

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