. >>> welcome to the lbj rank. we're here this morning to learn about the life and times of our 36th president lyndon b. john n johnson. joy served as the president's right-hand man on domestic policy issues throughout most of his presidency. let's start at the beginning of the white house term for lyndon johnson. what approach did he take when he learned he was going to be president of the united states. >> he immediately felt and i talked to everybody that he intended to use these years to do all the things he had always wanted to do. and that he was going to change the world in effect for education, for health care, for the environment. he was totally focused on the dmes domestic changes in the country. you have to remember at that point in time the kun stri going through massive changes. >> how did he establish his legitimacy? >> when he was elected the greatest landslide of any president what he ran against barry goldwater. he brought in every leader, every business leader, every labor leader, every -- he knew

it's worth just hearing lbj make that connection. let's listen to that as we go out. >> i told martin luther king, i said hell i'm for voting and we're going to get voting. that's not your problem. the big thing, dr. king, with you is a billion nor negroes only. who makes less than -- 2,000 a year if it's negro. [ coughs, sneezes ] i have a big meeting when we land, but i am so stuffed up, i can't rest. [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu liquid gels don't unstuff your nose. they don't? alka seltzer plus night fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a decongestant. [ inhales deeply ] oh. what a relief it is. we still run into problems. that's why liberty mutual insurance offers accident forgiveness if you qualify, and new car replacement, standard with our auto policies. so call liberty mutual at... today. and if you switch, you could save up to $423. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? mom swaps my snack for a piÑa colada yoplait. and when mom said i was going out too much, i swapped it for staying in

it was lbj who channelled the grief over jbk's death. to twist arms and aceh civil rights under law. to push for his own wild liam bishs war on poverty and to get his way. jfk's death gave way to the lbj landslide of 1964, one of the most thorough presidential victories apassed. a power lbj with an extraordinary super house and senate, gave us perhaps the most productive session in american history, a congress that set a standard for sweeping progressive change that no future congress has lived up to. kennedy's tragic death gave rise to what we might today remember as one of the greatest presidencies in history. were it not for a military entangle. in southeast asia, that would eclipse to erase in many people's minds what lbj achieved on a domestic front. all that downfall was still to come in 1964, back then at the national christmas tree lighting ceremony, johnson said, quote, these are the most hopeful times since christ was born in bethlehem. all that began today, 50 years ago today we will show a review and exchange from that previo

already lbj was being rushed back to love field. those relationships as we're discussing with robert caro were so intricate and so complex, the call at this hour to bobby kennedy and tollup call of lbj. >> 50 years later it seems almost impossible, andrea, 50 years this moment the midnight blue limousine rushing from dealey plaza, as we have seen that scene in dallas today, to parkland hospital. we've seen these scenes so many times. remember what this was. john kennedy had been mortaly wounded. he fell into her arms. she bent over them as they sped to the hospital. it was such an enormous shock to her, she did not remember anything between the shots at dealey plaza and the moment the car screeched up to the door of the hospital, which would be 50 years ago in about one or two minutes. from that on she remembered. you have these scenes we've seen so much of the president being brought in, finally being brought out. mrs. kennedy goes to love field. the new president, lyndon johnson, sworn in on that plane. we've seen it so many times

and as all things lebron, this one is scoring big. [ chants ] >> all: lbj! lbj! lbj! >> reporter: for one week a year, every year, for nearly a decade, this is lebron james. >> all of the fans over here, what do you think about -- oh, this is crazy. >> when i first came here nine years ago, i was, like, wow. >> if i told 10-year-old lebron james you'd end up going to china more often than a place closer to ohio, like nebraska or kansas, what would you have thought? >> i remember when i was known outside of my hometown, akron, ohio. >> lebron. >> lebron. >> i was a freshman. we went to columbus for a state tournament. oh, that's lebron. that's the freshman everyone is talking about. i'm 120 miles away from home, i was, like, wow, this is pretty cool. a thousand miles away from home, you know, and for people to love me, it's just all surreal. >> lebron james! [ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> reporter: james is one of the richest and most famous athletes on the planet. but being a global phenomenon doesn't just happen by itself. >> when i became a professional athlete, i b

did lady bird johnson want lbj to accept the nomination and would have lbj have been as successful in his various jobs without the support of lady bird johnson? host: we can start with the second one first. guest: she would say that. an enormous part of his success. guest: she and others did not want him to take the second spot on the ticket. they considered john kennedy junior member of the senate -- a junior member of the senate and he should wait his turn. no one could have campaigned harder than she did. guest: sam rayburn had to be convinced. my father went to him and said do you want richard nixon to win? there you are. host: how did she choose her cause, beautification? guest: it was a heartfelt thing. she did not choose the project. she did not change the curtains that needed changing because she said the next family might not like it and she acted as though that would be the last year in the white house. after lyndon johnson won so big in 1964, she sent out requests for advice on what she should do and the word came back she, like other first ladies, should do something about

did lady bird johnson want lbj to accept the nomination and would have lbj have been as successful in his various jobs without the support of lady bird johnson? host: we can start with the second one first. guest: she would say that. an enormous part of his success. guest: she and others did not want him to take the second spot on the ticket. they considered john kennedy a junior member of the senate and he should wait his turn. no one could have campaigned harder than she did. guest: sam rayburn had to be convinced. my father went to him and said do you want richard nixon to win? there you are. host: how did she choose her cause, beautification? guest: it was a heartfelt thing. she did not choose the project. she did not change the curtains that needed changing because she said the next family might not like it and she acted as though that would be the last year in the white house. after lyndon johnson won so big in 1964, she sent out requests for advice on what she should do and the word came back she, like other first ladies, should do something about washington. the beautification

good lady bird johnson want lbj to -- did lady bird johnson want lbj to accept the nomination and would have lbj have been as successful in his various jobs without the support of lady bird johnson? host: we can start with the second one first. gues: she would say that. an enormous heart of her -- his success -- part of his success. guest: she and others did not want him to take the second spot on the ticket. they considered john kennedy junior member of the senate -- a junior member of the senate and he should wait his turn. no one could have campaigned harder than she did. guest: sam rayburn had to be convinced. my father went to him and said do you want richard nixon to win? there you are. host: how did she choose her cause, beautification? guest: it was a heartfelt thing. she did not choose the project. she did not change the curtains that needed changing because she said the next family might not like it and she acted as though that would be the last year in the white house. after lyndon johnson won so big in 1964, she sent out requests for advice on what she should do and the word

and i would like to think that experience with lbj as a historian changed me forever, because i am not judging these people, i am trying to make them come to life. >> rose: we conclude with josef joffe, he is the publisher and editor of "die zeit" his new book is called the myth of america's decline. >> in fact, you are right when you say a sound economy at home is one of the preconditions for an active role abroad, but what we see in the obama administration is retraction, i am not calling it's population, i am calling it retraction, pulling back from the tra veils of the world, tremendous veils and i don't see anything else who can with housekeeper of the world, doris kearns goodwin and josef joffe, when we continue. additional funding provided by these funders. >> and by bloomberg, a provider of multimedia news and information services worldwide. >> from our studios in new york city, this is charlie rose. >> the great fundamental issue now before our people, it is are the american people fit to govern themselves to rule themselves, to control themselves? i believe they are. my oppon

continues sunday with lyndon johnson's november 27 address to congress, and your questions live with lbj biographer robert caro and presidential historian naftali. oflowed with coverage resident kennedy's state funeral. remembering jfk this weekend on c-span3. >> the senate earlier today voted to change the filibuster rules concerning judicial and executive nominees. following that vote, we heard from the republican leaders just outside the senate floor. >> good afternoon. this is not a very proud day in the history of the senate.

lbj is volunteer. >> that's the volunteer? >> reporter: that swearing in aboard air force one produced this iconic image of lbj with a shaken jackie kennedy by his side. after air force one was in the air, crews could be heard scrambling to sort out logistics. >> volunteer wants a patch with mrs. rose as soon as possible. mrs. rose kennedy. >> reporter: you can even hear lbj passing on condolences to jfk's mother, rose kennedy. >> i wish to god there was something that i could do. i wanted to tell you this. >> reporter: just as interesting as what is on the tapes is what is not. there are a number of obvious edits. >> i think it's pretty simple, whoever created the tapes had certain parts of the conversations they didn't want anybody to hear. >> its's good for people to listen for themselves and see how things developed. sometimes seeing the roughness of history. >> reporter: john mcadams is a political science professor at marquette university and says these recordings are not likely to be the last pieces of history to surfac

lbj had reason to be afraid. rfk introduced the film that thursday night, it set off an ovation that lasted for 22 minutes. the making of the kennedy mystique, that's next. you start at point "a." and you work hard to get to the next level. it feels good when you reach point b, but you're not done. for you, "b" is not the end. capella university will take you further, because our competency-based curriculum gives you skills you can apply immediately, to move your career forward. to your point "c." capella university. start your journey at capella.edu. i got this. [thinking] is it that time? the son picks up the check? [thinking] i'm still working. he's retired. i hope he's saving. i hope he saved enough. who matters most to you says the most about you. at massmutual we're owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. whether you're just starting your 401(k) or you are ready for retirement, we'll help you get there. >>> on tuesday, caroline kennedy, john f. kennedy's daughter, was sworn in as the new u.s.

>> i don't know, i feel so strongly still about lbj and, you know, i think maybe as i get older i would like to think about it, not as a 30-year old when i wrote it, right after knowing him, and feeling that sense of friendship, but as a historian, so many years later, yeah i think so-so. >> rose: you really should, i don't know, if any 24 years old had a relationship with a president in terms of how he actually -- he was crazy about you because of your brain and experience and -- >> , no it was my physical being. (laughter.) >> rose: i was hoping you would say that. (laughter.). >> rose: i wanted you to lead me into that. >> squabble i did that. >> rose: i am so lucky. jack welch wait until this moment. >> anyway -- >> rose: you can't get out now. >> i will always be grateful to lbj, i think what happened then, i saw him in a vulnerable stage in his life. >> rose: exactly. >> when he needed so las and i developed and empathy for him and i would like to think that empathy is what i brought to all of these people. even with taft, you start off knowing almost nothing about him except he w

but just listen how to lbj leaned into him. this is a phone call between president johnson and richard russell. this is only a week after president kennedy's death. and what happens on this phone call is that senator russell is pleading, trying in vain to get out of serving on the warren commission and lbj squashes him like a bug. this is amazing. listen to this. >> well, now, mr. president, i know i don't have to tell you of my devotion to you, but i just can't serve on that commission. i'm highly honored you'd think about me in connection with it, but i couldn't serve there with chief justice warren. i don't like that man. i don't have any confidence in him. >> dick, it's already been announced and you can serve with anybody for the good of america. now, the reason i've asked warren is because he's the chief justice of this country and we've got to have the highest judicial people we can have. the reason i ask you is because you have that same kind of temperament and you can do anything for your country. and don't go giving m

you just put lbj courtship letters and you can read the transcripts. they were conduct a hot and heavy courtship there. >> and fast. he was not going to waste any time. she was either going to marry him or not. >> he was at the time a congressional aide. >> right. >> so she knew she was going to be selecting a life in politics. >> i guess so. i mean, you could be an aide and not run. but he clearly had ambitions. and she was for those ambitions. >> and he seemed like -- you call it whirlwind but it seemed like he called it, if you raeld the books, very directed. he knew he wanted her from the get-go. was she encouraging this? did she have any doubts about it? >> from her own oral history she basically says hold on here. as anybody would. and he essentially said, well, are you going to marry me or not? because if not let's just not see each poop she didn't want to have him gone. so she finally said, okay. >> did her father approve? >> he liked lind okay but he thought it was too fast. they met on september 6th and lyndon showed up on halloween. so what

. >> how is it lbj? >> well, it's important to understand lbj, the man. he was a coors loud mouth bully. corrupt, ruthless, and nasty. one secret service agent said he hadn't been president of the united states he would have been locked into a mental institution. in fall, 1963 he has two major corruption scandals. the bobby baker scandal, baker is his back man and he knows kennedys going to dump him from 1964 ticket he's facing prosecution and jail. in november, 1963, he's increasingly desperate man. >> so those are the -- that is the back story. automotive. automotive. what is the proof you think you have that would back that up? >> sure. i think there is actual evidence holding up in federal court we have, and the sixth floor of the texas school book depository building they find mack wallace, book i tie johnson to eight murders in texas prior to jfk, murders to cover up corruption, and to cover up fraud. not only that, but six witnesses see a man in the window of the 6th floor of the texas school book depryitosit building. so i think it ties him to the

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when she moved to lbj's ranch to help him write his memoirs after he left office. >> he couldn't sleep so he could come a into my room and know he was coming in so i would get up even earlier and come into the bed. >> at 5:00 a.m. and pull the sheets up and mornings were hard for him because he was thinking about all that he had lost, and i would sit in the chair and he would just talk to me. >> you are sitting in a chair in your room and a former president of the united states is in your bed with the covers up to his neck just cash. >> telling his story. >> i mean, it seemed malthen, now i look at it, oh, my god what was going on? >> she says she never worried about things going too far, except once. >> one day he invited me to go on a picnic by the river, and tablecloth and wine and romantic trappings and i think what is going to happen and he says door royce more than any other woman i have ever known. >> you remind me of my mother. >> and it was so embarrassing. >> there was, she was this big buxom woman except she was an intellectual and loved reading and she would have been, he t

opposed by, that's right, lbj. you wouldn't have needed a 64 act is lbj and his democrats had not fought nixon and eisenhower on the original civil rights -- not the original. republicans have been passing them since the civil war, always blocked by democrats, always passed by republicans. the only civil rights act most young people today have even heard of is the 1964 civil rights act. because it was the person ever pushed by democratic president ever. as i quote in my second to last book, "mugged," and this nonsense about lbj saying oh, pushing the 19 safety four civil rights act, democrats has lost forever. that was a quote invented by bill moyers. even if he said it i don't know why a self-serving statement by politician somehow takes on this, well, he said it, it must be true. and a name or -- i am more inclined to believe because this is what actually happened, the quote from the stewart on air ar force one overhearing lbj explained a couple of democratic senators after passing the 1964 civil rights act and s

an entanglement that would come to eclipse and erase so much of what lbj achieved. all that was still to come. in 1964, at the national christmas tree lighting, johnson said these are the most hopef f times in all the years. the events that would lead a president say a thing like that. make a country believe him. would make a congress act as if it were the case. those events began 50 years ago tonight. that speech to congress marked the start of what was one of the most consequential presidencies in modern american history from a man whose rise to power as of literally five days earlier was essentially unfathomable. that does it for us tonight. be sure to catch my show this weekend. saturday, sunday. 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. eastern time. now time for the last word with lawrence o'donnell. have a great night. >> you know what is going to happen tomorrow. to some of you anyway. you are going to be at the table, one of your crazy relatives is going to go off on obama care, or benghazi, iran deal, our socialist president. and the smart thing to do of course is to just ask fo

my question is did lady bird johnson on lbj to accept the vp nomination and would lbj have been a successful individual in all their various jobs without the support of labor johnson? >> i think that we can start with the second one first. everyone agrees that would've would have been a different lyndon johnson without lady bird. >> she was an enormous part of his success. >> then in the 1960s, it seems fairly clear that she and a lot of others did not want him to take the second spot and they considered him a member of the senate and i think that she came out as though no one could have campaigned harder than she did. >> would happen is that sam had to be convinced and my family said, do you want richard nixon to win, and there you are. >> how did she choose your cause? >> it was a heartfelt thing. that first year in the white house that they had the rest of the kennedy term, she didn't choose a project or change the curtains that needed changing because she said they might might not like that. but then after lyndon johnson won so big in 1964, she sent out a request for advice on what she s

lbj understood not only is the world watching, american young people are watching. people are anxious. we hadn't been through a moment like this in a very, very long time. and he knew that the strength of this system, the continuity of the presidency, the seamless continuity of our politics, everybody must be reminded that continues. we're going to grieve, we're going to watch this tragedy but nothing changes here, america goes on. >> schieffer: what do you think so many people still cannot accept the fact that lee harvey oswald acted alone? >> well, i think opened this new age of skepticism, we're doubtful of what we're told by public authorities, it has become much worse in recent years. going through a particular acute period that have right now, i think that the fact that jack ruby got in there was able to shoot lee harvey oswald so easily, we forget, you were here, bob, you understood the dallas-fort worth culture for the country to see ruby get in there and do that it's as if he's trying to silence him. that made a big -- >> schieffer: it's very hard for peopl

. >> reporter: that swearing in produced this image of lbj can jackie kennedy by his side. crews can be heard to sort out logistics. >> the casket is in the rear come partment. >> volunteer wants a patch with mrs. rose as soon as possible. >> lbj is passing on condolences to jfks mother, rose kennedy. >> i want to tell you, we are grieving with you. >> thank you very much. >> just as interesting as what is on the tapes is what is not. there are a number of obvious edits. >> i think it's simple, whoever created the tapes had certain parts of the conversations they didn't want anybody to hear. >> it's good for people to listen for themselves and see how things develop. sometimes see the roughness of history. >> john mcadams is a political science teacher at marquette university. he says these are not going to be the last tapes to appear. >> a lot of stuff fell between the cracks. this tape, which was in the possession of general clifton took almost half a century to show up. the historical record on all kinds of fronts is more ragged than one might think. >>> make sure to wat

point, there was a very good relationship with lbj. >> this is the phone conversation was just 10 days the death of her husband. this is a phone conversation with lyndon johnson. >> you just have to give me strength. >> i wasn't going to come over. >> you just come over and put your arm around me, let's walk around the backyard. let me tell you how much you mean to all of us, and how we can carry on, -- i know how rare a letter is in the president's handwriting. i have more in your handwriting than i do in jack's handwriting, for you to send me the thing today, the announcement and everything -- >> i want you to know that i told my mother a long time ago, when everyone else gave up about you haveon in 1948 -- a lot of courage that we men don't have. so we have to rely on you and depend on you and you have something to do. you have the president relying on you, there are not many women running around -- so you have the biggest job in your life. >> i ran around with two presidents, that is what they will say about me. ok, anytime. thank you for calling, mr. president. >> do come by. >> t

at that point, there was a very good relationship with lbj. >> this is the phone conversation was just 10 days after the death of her husband. this is a phone conversation with lyndon johnson. >> you just have to give me strength. >> i wasn't going to come over. >> you just come over and put your arm around me, let's walk around the backyard. let me tell you how much you mean to all of us, and how we can carry on -- >> i know how rare a letter is in the president's handwriting. i have more in your handwriting than i do in jack's handwriting, for you to send me the thing today, the announcement and everything -- >> i want you to know that i told my mother a long time ago, when everyone else gave up about my election in 1948 -- you have a lot of courage that we men don't have. so we have to rely on you and depend on you and you have something to do. you have the president relying on you, there are not many women running around -- so you have the biggest job in your life. >> i ran around with two presidents, that is what they will say about me. ok, anytime. thank you for calling, mr. pres

good lady bird johnson want lbj to -- did lady bird johnson want lbj to accept the nomination and would have lbj have been as successful in his various jobs without the support of lady bird johnson? we can start with the second one first. that.she would say an enormous heart of her -- his success -- part of his success. others did not want him to take the second spot on the ticket. they considered john kennedy anior member of the senate -- junior member of the senate and he should wait his turn. no one could have campaigned harder than she did. sam rayburn had to be convinced. my father went to him and said do you want richard nixon to win? there you are. host: how did she choose her cause, beautification? was a heartfelt thing. she did not choose the project. she did not change the curtains that needed changing because she said the next family might not like it and she acted as though that would be the last year in the white house. so bigyndon johnson won in 1964, she sent out requests for advice on what she should do and the word came back she, like other first ladies, should do somet

and very soon lbj would love parkland for air force one to return to d.c. in dallas, you've been covering politics for 20 years, how would you describe the climate there, even here we are a solid red state still, perhaps purple one day some would say, but nevertheless how would you categorize dallas' legacy with the events today? >> it's been a long, long haul for dallas. whereas, everybody else in the country responded when they heard the news with grief and shock in dallas it was grief and shame. it is 50 years of the process of moving from denial and shame to acceptance and trying to embrace the idea of history. part of that was what you talked about. there are everywhere in dallas, the reminders, the texas theater where lee harvey oswald was captured and parkland hospital. the widow of lee harvey oswald was a 72-year-old grandmother living in suburban dallas, everywhere around us are remembrances, the process of healing and dallas accepting what happened and not simply wanting to deny what happened, but make it and embrace it as part of history, has bee

at that point, there was a very good relationship with lbj. >> this is the phone conversation was just 10 days after the death of her husband. this is a phone conversation with lyndon johnson. >> you just have to give me strength. >> i wasn't going to come over. >> you just come over and put your arm around me, let's walk around the backyard. let me tell you how much you mean to all of us, and how we can carry on, -- >> i know how rare a letter is in the president's handwriting. i have more in your handwriting than i do in jack's handwriting, for you to send me the thing today, the announcement and everything -- >> i want you to know that i told my mother a long time ago, when everyone else gave up about my election in 1948 -- you have a lot of courage that we men don't have. so we have to rely on you and depend on you and you have something to do. you have the president relying on you, there are not many women running around -- so you have the biggest job in your life. >> i ran around with two presidents, that is what they will say about me. ok, anytime. thank you for calling, mr. pre

at that point she had a very good relationship with lbj. but she would not have been too happy to know he was having this call taped. >> this is the phone conversation was just 10 days after the death of her husband. this is a phone conversation with lyndon johnson. >> the first thing you got to learn, you got some things to learn. >> i wasn't going to send you in. putou just come over and your arm around me, that's all you do. we haven't got anything else to do, let's take a walk. walk around the backyard. let me tell you how much you mean to all of us, and how we can carry on. >> you know what i want to say about that letter? i know how rare a letter risen the president's handwriting. you know i have more of your handwriting than i do object's -- of jack's now, and for you to send me that thing today, the announcement and everything -- >> i want you to know i told my mother a long time ago, when everybody else gave up about my election in 1948, my mother and you havend my sisters, a lot of courage we men don't have. we have to rely and de

southeast asia and that's what it is that kennedy would not have gone into vietnam in the way that lbj did and then extended that he went through and withdrew the forces that would kennedy, what you know about him as an anti-communist and not wanting to lose another country to communism, but he had also gone and jumped into southeast asia with both feet? >> guest: i examine that and here's my conclusion, kennedy deserves part of the plane because for vietnam he put a lot of advisers and some troops in their undercover. so he started the trend. but here's why i delete he never would have done what johnson did. johnson got 535,000 troops in the bomb. first of all if there is one word describes president kennedy in office it is cautious. second, you always look to the politicians facing you know this well. what was kennedy's faith? intellectuals from universities, colleges? the first place you get strong opposition to dramatically increase -- >> host: but the crowd and all of them were very skeptical and in 59 and 61 she said he wasn't comfortable with the liberals in the democratic party

what did you learn in all of your work on lbj and jfk about why jackie kennedy did what she did that day. >> i think what she wanted was for the country to see what this man or these people had done to her husband. she wanted that stain to be emboldened and emblazened in the minds of people. then following that up with extraordinary poise during the entire funeral, with the way she handled the kids. we may have taken it for granted at the time, but looking back 50 years from now that that young -- she's so young, jackie kennedy, had such an amazing sense of just how to deal with this for the country, both in keeping the pink dress on and then in having the poise during the funeral, the two sides of the thing. >> do you think was she trying to shape history with her work with manchester, a relationship that went sour, was she trying to create a legend or trying to reassure the nation about continuity and dignity and respect? >> i think all those things at once. i think she definitely had a sense of history. there's no question. when she herself talked about camelot and what that meant

we saw kennedy as a civil rights hero, even though it was lbj who pushed through legislation. i visited the library in boston where the city of legacy and come lot turned strong. jackie said it was raw even though it was her who pushed for its inclusion into the famous he is a for "life" magazine but i still to prefer to think about jfk in that light. a way i think of honoring him. that does it for "the cycle". >> it is friday, november the 22nd, 50 years on from that fateful day in dallas. >> only a matter of minutes. he's a wonderful man. >> something has happened in the motorcade. >> three shots were fired. >> a flash from the associated press "dateline" dallas. >> president kennedy died at 1:00 p.m. central standard time. some 38 minutes ago. >> a white man was seen at the window of the building. >> the texas school book

it could be felt by his nine predecessors in office from lbj to president obama. larry sab atoe explores his lasting experience in his new book "the kennedy half century." he joins us now. just to make the point, make the point of how kennedy, i know i agree with you, has had an influence that has gone well beyond his short time in office. >> chris, it was really remarkable. most of this book is about his legacy and we looked at it in two different ways. we scoured the presidential record for kennedy's nine successors in the white house from lbj to obama, and we found that kennedy was the most cited former president. now, why do they cite a former president so often? they want to use kennedy's words and deeds to get their own ag d agendas accomplished. and why do they do that? they do it because he was very popular and is very popular. we did a massive study. the largest public opinion study ever done on a historical figure. we found kennedy is by far the most popular post-world war ii president, and i think you'll be interested in this, chris. he is the only pres

at that point, there was a very good relationship with lbj. >> this is the phone conversation was just 10 days after the death of her husband. this is a phone conversation with lyndon johnson. >> >> you just have to give me strength. >> i wasn't going to come over. >> you just come over and put your arm around me, let's walk around the backyard. let me tell you how much you mean to all of us, and how we can carry on, -- >> i know how rare a letter is in the president's handwriting. i have more in your handwriting than i do in jack's handwriting, for you to send me the thing today, the announcement and everything -- >> i want you to know that i told my mother a long time ago, when everyone else gave up about my election in 1948 -- you have a lot of courage that we men don't have. so we have to rely on you and depend on you and you have something to do. you have the president relying on you, there are not many women running around -- so you have the biggest job in your life. >> i ran around with two presidents, that is what they will say about me. ok, anytime. thank you for calling, mr.

part of the way wisconsin lb -- part of the way with lbj. want to see the con shen sunday objector. if you don't have a vietnam war, you have a lot more young people responding to one of the best parts of kennedy, which was civic engagement, a lot of people engaged in the domestic peace corps and vista. i asked tom hayden -- in the back i have tom hayden going to work for the office of economic community. i was asked where did you get that? i said, tom hayden he told me. woodstock you would have had. altamont, you would not have hat. youth rebound -- youth rebellion, but not he turn toward an apocolyptic view. so what about kennedy's personal life? which was outrageous. this was not some sort of charming rogue who was -- "time magazine" had this code in the old days. if he were somebody's mistress, you were his great and good friend. if you were gay you were a confirmed bachelor, and if you hit on every woman you saw you had, quote, an eye for a well-turned ankle. that was honest to god the "time magazine." dish kennedy is in a different clamps when you're having sex with the mistre

whether he could have lbj stuff, have him over, been in the white house, i don't know. i think he should have done more of it. it doesn't hurt to have him over and use the white house as a tool for persuasion. it just seems stuck. and the only chance is to mobilize the public to pressure from the outside in. i don't know if it can be done anymore. when he gave a speech, roosevelt did, it would be put in full in the newspaper. it was the way he wanted it to be reported. when fdr on the radio, 84% of the people were listening to him. you could walk down the street on a hot chicago night and not miss a word of what he was sailing. early days of television, ray dan gan, for jfk up to reagan, they gave a speech, networks report it. you watch your own cable network. you see an excerpt of the speech. the pundits are tearing it down before you begin. our attention span is limited. i'm not sure we're focused. new breaking news comes in. i think about the gun control thing, there was a case when barack obama won the second term, he announced he was going to put everything he had

his push for those tax cuts that lbj eventually got passed was all that big investors had to hear. and his policy's launch, the dow was up about 18% during that period, pretty much holding the kennedy gains throughout. but getting back to the assassination itself, look at this reprinting of the then very liberal "new york post" from november 23rd, 1963. we couldn't help but notice the ads for the television in the back pages right here. they're just about the same price as they are now. perhaps no coincidence tvs were being advertised so aggressively that day, larry. nothing spurred americans to buy tvs more than the assassination of president kennedy. no one wanted to be away from the news coverage. and anyone who still didn't have a tv set ran out and bought one, larry. >> wow. great stuff. great reporting. thank you, dominic chu. that's terrific. we continue our look at the true legacy of president kennedy, including how art laffer and i and many others got our inspiration from him when we were pushing pro-growth policies for president reagan. kennedy to some extent is still an

. >> lbj asked mrs. kennedy if she would stand here for the oath as well. >> yes. >> standing in her blood stained suit mrs. kennedy wanted it that way. >> it has been said that she said they should see what they did. inside the state room on the plane, a new president at work. >> the whole time, mrs. >> the whole time mrs. kennedy is in the back of the plane. >> the back of the aircraft. she's with her husband. >> with the casket? >> with the casket. >> sitting inside her husband's casket placed inside the plane. >> the flight crew refused to put her husband's body below the cargo hold. >> pulling out four seats to get the president on board one last time. >> you know, one more thing that was unmistakable when they gave us access to air force one is where they sawed into the bulkhead. they never covered this up for several presidents who used this plane after president kennedy. one more thing you learn here at the national air force museum. when you look at the outside of this original air force one, th

you look at the transition from jfk to lbj. >> the ascension of vice president lyndon johnson, it would be important changes in many of kennedy's policies. particularly toward the soviet union in vietnam. .> i will do my best that is all i can do. >> in his inaugural address in the morning of that decade in january 1960 1 -- word go forth from this time and place to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of americans. >> but with his murder, the torch was passed back to an old generation, the generation of johnson, nixon, ford, and reagan. leaders who would systematically destroy the promise of kennedy's last year as they return the country to war and repression. though the vision khrushchev and kennedy had expressed would fall with them, it would not die. seeds they had planned it would germinate and sprout again long after their deaths. >> oliver stone narrating the "the untold history of the united states." >> yes. perhapsrs of my life, the most ambitious project. >> why is this so important to you? it actually begins in 1898, the year after my grand