the 1965 voting rights act into law. >> limiting access to that vote will strangle liberty and justice for all. >> reporter: the voting rights act of 1965 was quietly brokered between president johnson, reverend martin luther king jr. and other civil rights leaders. one of those leaders and one of king's closest advisers, former u.n. ambassador andrew young, recalls the critical turning point. a secret white house meeting between president johnson and king. >> then we went to see him, and we were talking about voting rights, and he was tied up with the war in vietnam. >> reporter: young says he and king urged johnson to put forward a strong voting rights bill before congress. but the president was reticent about the potential political pushback, having just signed the sweeping civil rights act of 1964. >> he agreed with us and said, but i just don't have the power.