Transcripts For CSPAN3 July 1966 20160716

Ago, july 1966. The half hour Program Begins with president johnson relaxing at his ranch in texas for the Independence Day holiday. It concludes with lbj negotiating to end the machinist strike that shut down the 60 of the u. S. Commercial airline industry. Narrator in 1908, few people outside of texas hill country could tell with any certainty where the Pedernales River was located. But on the banks of that river , in a modest springhouse, a baby was born to sam and rebecca johnson, a baby whose grandfather proudly proclaimed to the countryside, a United States senator was born today, my grandson. The old gentleman was partly right, but he set his sights too low. For the son of sam and rebecca johnson, a half century later, visits the same house on the banks of the pedernales, not as senator, but as president of the United States. Narrator here in his beloved hill country, he rests for a few days and quietly observes with his family and friends the 190th anniversary of the signing of the declaration of independence. He would unwind but not completely. For as he celebrates the National Holiday as a private citizen, he still bears the burden of presidency. On the domestic scene, 19 million aged americans were entitled to free medical care which as critic predicted would bring chaos to the hospitals. On the international scene, bombers blast North Vietnam targets on the other side of the world. It was characteristic of his capacity to absorb many detailed facts that, as he received reports on the results of the air strikes, he also wanted to know how many hospital beds would be available in mississippi for medicare patients. But in spite of the issues facing him, there would be time during those first few days of summer to involve himself with the work of his ranch and to take enjoyment from the land. Flying overhead] narrator in july, it was a relaxed and suntanned Lyndon Baines johnson who reported to the nation during his 66th news conference. He prefaced his press conference with a barbecue on the front lawn of the lbj ranch. Narrator his opening remarks emphasize the other war in vietnam, the attack on literacy, illiteracy poverty and , disease. This would be part of a theme that the president would hammer home to the people throughout the summer in an exhaustive effort to make sure every american knows exactly what his government is trying to do in vietnam. Earlier in the year, the president had established an emergency board to investigate and report upon a dispute between five Major Airline carriers and their machinists. On june 7, the president transmitted the report to both parties, strongly recommending that they settle their differences within the reports framework. After 30 days of negotiations, the machinists struck. Narrator as the president s statement reflected his concern was teletyped from press headquarters from san antonio, texas, an empty chair in the white house proclaimed the fact that the problems, the attempt to find solutions, and the final answers continue on a 24hour basis. No matter where the chief executive might be. This has been made possible through the increased mobility afforded the man who holds the helm. When he travels, the president virtually takes the white house with him. An elaborate Communication System keeps him in constant touch with any of a host of carefully selected advisors and department heads. On july 11, the family returns to washington and would conduct business from the main store on 1600 pennsylvania avenue. For his daughter, lucy, and her fiance, pat nugent, it would be the beginning of a whirlwind of prenuptial ceremonies ranging from intimate bridal showers to huge red carpet receptions. For lucys father, it would be the beginning of a busy summer, talking with the American People facetoface across the land, explaining and defining his administrations policies and principally the nations current role in the pacific. But first, there was a bit of business at the pentagon. On july 12, the president personally commended 12 conscious defense officials who trimmed 4. 5 million from the fiscal budget during the past year. Lyndon johnson the record that you have achieved in your part of the governments cost Production Program in my judgment is without equal. Every department of this government today is attempting to imitate and to emulate what you have done, and this record that you and your family can be very proud of. If i would leave no other thoughts with you this morning than this one, i would say that every person within the sound of my voice and every employee of the Defense Department in uniform and out, civilian or military, can take great pride in saying, i was a part of the department of defense in the 1960s, and that is a record that you can point to with pride and that your children and grandchildren will take great pride in. [applause] [rain falling] narrator the same day, the president was scheduled to speak of the Alumni Council in west sulfur springs, west virginia. But his flight was cancelled because of weather. From the white House Theater on nationwide television, he delivered his address to the council, laying out the essentials for a lasting peace , not only in vietnam, but throughout the entire asian community. And again, the president stressed the importance of Building Political and economic strength among those nations as one of the foundations for a lasting peace. Narrator the coast and geodetic ship, the oceanographer, is the latest deepsea ship to come Research Vessel to come down the ways. Lending his support as well as official impetus to the advancement of marine biology, the president attended the commission and at the same time invited seven nations with interest in the union, including the soviet union, to share in the cruise of the oceanographer. The men who sailed before the , mast, has come a long way in their quest for better working conditions, berthing, and shipboard food, but its doubtful that elaborate creations like this will grace many tables on the oceanographers maiden voyage. But underneath the papiermache and frosting, lies a serious commitment by the United States to a better understanding of the sea that divides and yet unites mankind. It is here that in untapped untapped an reservoir of natural wealth, both food and minerals, lies in waiting for the Science Technology that will ultimately conduct the harvest. Part of that technology in the gleaming whitehall of the oceanographer will soon set sail in the evergrowing fleet of 100 federal Research Vessels. One of the ablest supporters of United States policy in Southeast Asia partner in the Development Programs for the peoples of the pacific, Prime Minister holt of australia, returns to the white house as ally, as friend. He would, during the toast of the luncheon the following day, symbolically refer to his friendship with the United States as one similar to the famous aesop fable, the lion and the mouse. Only in his case, it would be more accurate to describe it as the lion and the kangaroo. The secretary of the navys yacht sequoia is a waterborne retreat. For trips like these it done the quiet the toe make, the sequoia becomes an extension of the white house. A very private extension where peace and relaxation are the order of the day. Narrator discussions will continue, but the pace is less hurried, the talks informal. The president repeated to the Prime Minister the ideas he had recently conveyed to the people of americas obligations in the pacific. On july 15, william j. Hopkins was honored by the president for 23 years of the highest possible service as executive clerk of the white house. 23 years that spanned the new deal, the fair deal, the new frontier, and the great society. Deal, the fair deal, the new Lyndon Johnson this is a profoundly symbolic occasion for in honoring mr. Mr. Hopkins, we also honor the whole core of dedicated Civil Servants of which he is so outstanding an example. I have said on many occasions that i believe our country has developed the finest professional Civil Service in the history of the world. And as president , i have not merely expressed that opinion as idle words, i have acted upon it. Narrator three days later, the president again would act on this conviction. On july 18, he put his pen to the Fringe Benefits act of 1966 , observing that the country was in an Economic Prosperity unequal in its history. On the lighter side of the white house scene, lucy was entertained by the dispatch core of the press. Grateful for many prenuptial interviews, and perhaps to make up for the many moments of stolen privacy, the journalists staged a skit for the bridetobe and her mother. One news item that would remain private, however, was the location of the honeymoon. Lucy refused to disclose the secret destination, but she offered to let a dart do the talking for her. If her aim was accurate, only the first family new knew. Mrs. Johnson relieved the president of any responsibility in handling the many details of the wedding, now soon approaching. In a press conference the following day, the president took refuge in this fact. Fairchild newspapers found their press credentials to cover the wedding withdrawn because they had ignored a release date on a news story concerning lucys bridal gown. Challenging the president was with denying freedom to the press, the fairchild representative was apprised of the chief executives positive span on this issue. Lyndon johnson but if i could have your permission to just step aside on any of the details , i wouldg arrangements like very much to do so. Thank you very much. Narrator there were other issues during the month of july, however, on which the president had no prerogative to step aside. On 19 july, he met with congressional leaders to discuss the impact of appropriations increases on the budget. Having just wrapped up the fiscal year with the lowest deficit since 1960, in spite of the ever increasing cost of war, the president was determined to keep federal spending in the upcoming months in line. Knowing that the budget can be a delicately balanced seesaw, the chief executive discouraged any additional expenditures or addons in an effort to hold the line on the inflationary pressures being felt throughout the economy. The president , as commander in chief of the armed forces, had repeatedly expressed his pride in the men who were actively serving in Southeast Asia. And now without publicity or fanfare, he tried to convey this feeling to some of the men who had fought in vietnam and who had come back home bearing the physical scars of war. On deck for this impromptu president ial boarding party were 500 enlisted men most of them wounded veterans from the conflict in asia. The secretary of defense had sponsored this summer outing, on the potomac, inviting soldiers, sailors and marine and airmen from all of the area service hospitals. Here, among these men who had given far more than most of their countrymen, who among all other people could be expected to weigh seriously the cost of war in terms of its toll on human life, came reassuring words and full support for the job the president was trying to do. Narrator it was Late Afternoon on july 20 when the president , speaking for the entire nation, said goodbye to 3,000 Exchange Students who had completed a year of study in the United States. Lyndon johnson when countries speak of sending volunteers into other lands, let them be sent to the real battlefield. The battlefields of poverty and ignorance and disease and suffering. Let them come bearing hope and not arms. Let them cross the frontiers in the bright light of day and not down the jungle trails in the dark of night. Let them volunteer to enlarge the lives of their neighbors, not to take the lives of anyone. This is the kind of volunteer that america understands. Its the only kind that the world needs, i warrant. And i promise you that wherever such a volunteer may walk, he will find an american among the first to give him welcome and to take his hand and to join him in his work for peace. Narrator the arrival of the Prime Minister of guyana, the newest independent state in the americas, prompted the president to talk about other problems that another state faced when it too declared its independence some years earlier. Lyndon johnson we devoted the first decades to mastering the frontier of our rivers and our forest, of our plains and our mountains. And then next, we tackled the frontier of industrial development. Today, we are now pushing forward the frontiers of human aspirations and the needs of human kind. Were committed to rebuilding our blighted cities and preserving the beauty of our land and our landscape. And while doing all of this at home, we will never falter in our commitment overseas to the defense of freedom and in support of economic development. Narrator in these opening remarks to the Prime Minister, the president had summed up in a few words his entire Domestic Program and his administrations foreign policy. But now, he would take these few words and expand them to millions of americans across the heartland of indiana, illinois and kentucky. Although referred to as a nonpolitical trip, with bipartisan leaders from all states invited to come along, no one can deny the anticipated political benefits. The president s crosscountry tour would be a tremendous help to democratic freshmen coming up freshmen in congress coming up for election. Lyndon johnson the evidence is clear. The guerilla war in South Vietnam was inspired by hanoi. It was organized in hanoi. It was directed in hanoi, and it is today being supplied from hanoi. If the American People need any reminder of the kind of enemy we face, the kind of enemy that sticks his head over south southks to take over vietnam, they can be reports this morning in your morning papers, they can hear it on your radio, and the attack on yesterday, the United States Navy Hospital in danaag. At least three of our men who patients in that hospital were injured. And that is the typical of the way the communists fight. Because they cannot hope to win on the battlefield, they rely on terror and on attacks against the wounded and the innocent. There are people who denounce airstrikes against oil depots in North Vietnam, in my own country. But they remain strangely silent when the communists in the south turn their mortars on an American Hospital or blow a bus blowup a bus load of farmers or murder the mayor of a vietnamese town. I just wish they would ask themselves if their standard of judgment is really fair. Narrator fort campbell, kentucky, home of the screaming eagles, the 101st airborne, men alltoofamiliar with the jungles and the red mud of vietnam. Narrator in indiana, the president signed into law the bill establishing the George Rogers Clark National historical park. The first park and the national system, commemorating the opening of the northwest territory. Lyndon johnson we shall continue to try to persuade hanoi that we had rather talked we would rather talk than fight. But i pledge you too that we shall continue. If they refuse to negotiate, to make them pay a high price for their warfare in the south on South Vietnam and on our men. [applause] narrator awarding a beautification citation to the postmaster of jeffersonville, the president concluded his whirlwind tour of the three central states. Johnson the United States was born in hardship. Prospered, because we were not afraid of the frontiers. We always looked towards those far away horizons. And we have not come this Long Distance in history, because we we were either a weak or a frightened or a fearful or a timid people. When america loses its commitment to freedom, that is the day that america will begin to die. The safeties that i have seen and the states that i have visited today have told me that this will never be. Narrator four days later, the president congratulated two americans who is were living examples of this philosophy. Men who are not afraid of frontiers and who in pursuit of their every day occupation looked toward far away horizons on a daily basis. Colonel robert l. Stevens and Lieutenant Colonel walter f. Daniel claimed new world speed and altitude records for the United States air force. Any demonstrator questioning americas resolve in the war might receive a surprising answer from a group of Sioux City Junior High School students. Pulling dimes and nickels, they read billboards and submitted petitions for a new postage stamp honoring the servicemen. Now a reality, the stamp soon goes on sale. First customer, the white house. The month of july was running out, and on the 29th, so it appeared, was the influence, power, and economy of Great Britain. Be set by the worst financial , ands since world war ii finding its military commitments in the far east and in germany economically tenuous, england and personally Prime Minister wilson, was nonetheless welcomed as an old friend. The meeting was a short one by anyones standards, which only furthered the evidence that ties continued to be strong and the dialogues fruitful. Through her Prime Minister, Great Britain confirmed her atlantic loyalties and the pacific ones as well and vowed that the british economy would be strengthened. Lyndon johnson you and i have many things in common, mr. Prime minister. One of course is politics and election results. Including the very difficult problem that goes with an enlarged majority. Another is economics, including that most fascinating and most unfortunately named subject, the balance of payments. The third interest, mr. Prime minister, is our mutual fascination with transportation. Today, im thinking in particular of ships and airplane strikes. Narrator the airplanes were still on the ground and had been since july 7. In a final effort to provide a setting whereby the bargainers could effect an agreement, the president called both sides to the white house. He expressed admiration for their efforts but pointed out that there were other people whose eagerness for a settlement rises in proportion to the number of days the strike continues. These people ranged from the wives of workers to even president s. At 9 52 that night, in a nationwide broadcast from the white house, the president introduced william j. Kurtin, chief negotiator for the airlines, and mr. P. L. Simon of the machinists union, to the people of the United States, who were still waiting anxiously to become airborne. A settlement through free , collective Bargaining Agreement had been reached. Mr. Symiller felt gratified that an agreement had been reached. As the month of july ended, mr. Johnson may have felt confident like machinists had rejected the settlement and the engines of five Major Airlines across the country remained cold. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2016] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] coming up this weekend on cspan3, a look at organized crime in the south in the 1950s. The report concluded that organized crime syndicates really did exist. They were not myths. They depended upon support and cooperation of Public Officials around the country. Author tammy ingram discusses her book, the wickedest city in america. American University History professor will argue if the atomic bomb was needed to end the war in the pacific. He meets with the soviet ambassador in tokyo to discuss the possibility of ending the war. She soviet ambassador write back to the soviet union saying, the japanese were desperate to end the war. At 10 30, the anniversary of the National Others worry organization for women. U