Oral history transcript, Lawrence F. O'Brien, interview 26 (XXVI), 8/26/1987, by Michael L. Gillette

Title:

Oral history transcript, Lawrence F. O'Brien, interview 26 (XXVI), 8/26/1987, by Michael L. Gillette

Number of Pages:

42

Description:

Lyndon Johnson's (LBJ) role in Hubert Humphrey's presidential campaign, especially in Texas; why LBJ wasn't more involved in the campaign; Humphrey's Salt Lake City speech about Vietnam; what LBJ could have done to help Humphrey; efforts to gain access to President's Club money and a membership list; Robert Short's fund-raising efforts as treasurer of Humphrey's campaign; whether LBJ was not willing to help with Humphrey's campaign or he was not asked; LBJ's efforts to find solutions with regard to Vietnam; the Anna Chennault situation and suspicion that Richard Nixon might be influencing the South Vietnam government to delay peace negotiations; Humphrey's response to Nixon's behavior; requests that Humphrey use prepared statements and not speak off-the-cuff; Humphrey's refusal of donations that obligated him to certain political stances; loans to the campaign that donors did not expect to be repaid; efforts to repay campaign debt; Nixon and Humphrey's views on law and order and proliferation of nuclear arms; Abe Fortas' nomination as Supreme Court chief justice; the effect of George Wallace's candidacy on both Nixon and Humphrey; voting results in New Jersey and Illinois; the effect of polling and publicizing poll results; poll accuracy; Ohio election results and O'Brien's difficulty accepting Humphrey's loss; election night in Minneapolis; fading optimism election night and the experience of losing versus winning an election; O'Brien's post-election plans; how Humphrey took defeat; the Humphreys thanking the O'Briens for their service; LBJ's and JFK's negligence in party leadership; O'Brien's missed opportunities to connect the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and White House more closely; the historical relationship between the president and the DNC back to Franklin Roosevelt and Jim Farley; how the relationship between the DNC and LBJ might have been different if LBJ had a close friendship with the DNC chairman; O'Brien's meeting with LBJ before he left office; LBJ's reaction to Humphrey choosing Fred Harris as the next DNC chair; the assertion in Citizen Hughes that O'Brien arranged a meeting between LBJ and Robert Maheu so Maheu could offer LBJ one million dollars from Howard Hughes to stop a proposed nuclear test; O'Brien's opinion of Citizen Hughes author Michael Drosnin and falsehoods in the book; Hughes' $25,000 donation through O'Brien to Robert Kennedy's campaign; O'Brien's trip to Ireland after the 1968 election.

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