1. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.Copy !req
2. This is Bob Walker
speaking from Dallas Love Field...Copy !req
3. where a large crowd has gathered
to await the appearance...Copy !req
4. of President and Mrs.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy...Copy !req
5. who have arrived from
Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth.Copy !req
6. Lyndon, stop looking at that. Honestly.Copy !req
7. Mr. Vice President, we'll be in
the third car, the gray Lincoln.Copy !req
8. What's the word on Yarborough?Copy !req
9. The president told the senator
he rides with you...Copy !req
10. or he could walk
through downtown Dallas.Copy !req
11. Oh, isn't that sweet? Thank you, honey.Copy !req
12. - Yes. Yes, it is the first lady.
- Jackie!Copy !req
13. The youthful Mrs. Kennedy
looking beautiful in her pillbox hat...Copy !req
14. and matching pink outfit.Copy !req
15. Mrs. Kennedy is followed
by the president...Copy !req
16. - Hello. You look lovely.
- Of the United States.Copy !req
17. Thank you so much.Copy !req
18. - Hi, Jackie.
- Hi, Lady Bird. It's good to see you.Copy !req
19. - Mr. President.
- Lyndon.Copy !req
20. - How are you?
- Good.Copy !req
21. Mrs. Johnson. Lovely as always.Copy !req
22. - Lyndon.
- Hi, Nellie.Copy !req
23. Followed by Texas Senator
Ralph Yarborough.Copy !req
24. Good morning to you.Copy !req
25. This will be your vehicle, Mr. President.Copy !req
26. The crowd is jockeying
for a better look at the president.Copy !req
27. Wait, no. The president has
walked past the motorcade...Copy !req
28. and he's making his way
towards the crowd.Copy !req
29. How are you?Hello.Copy !req
30. - Shaking hands with people.
- Thanks for coming out.Copy !req
31. - Thank you.
- Some have cameras...Copy !req
32. - to capture this historic moment.
- Thank you.Copy !req
33. - Thank you. Thank you very much.
- Real pleasure.Copy !req
34. They didn't expect to be shaking hands
with the president of the United States.Copy !req
35. This is quite a thrill for the people
who have waited here all morning.Copy !req
36. And once the motorcade departs,
it will head through the city...Copy !req
37. where crowds are waiting for a view
of their president and his wife.Copy !req
38. - Thank you.
- Thousands will be on hand...Copy !req
39. for that motorcade, which
will move through downtown Dallas.Copy !req
40. Don't you just love Texas?Copy !req
41. Is there anywhere else you'd rather be?Copy !req
42. This is regarding the Farm Bill.Copy !req
43. We wanna vote in less than an hour.Copy !req
44. Get back to the leader.
Tell him people are still undecided.Copy !req
45. We wanna push this through
in the next half hour.Copy !req
46. Because I'm not General Custer,
and this ain't Little fucking Bighorn.Copy !req
47. So if you have any objections...Copy !req
48. tell me now before I head to the floor
of the United States Senate.Copy !req
49. We got Cannon. Senator Yarborough.Copy !req
50. - I'll be right with you.
- Senator Mansfield, sir.Copy !req
51. - Mike. What's the number?
- About 48.Copy !req
52. "About 48" is not a number.Copy !req
53. Closest approximation I could get.Copy !req
54. Mike, I want you to imagine...Copy !req
55. putting your little 2-inch pecker
on the edge of this table.Copy !req
56. Now, I grab a hatchet, and I tell you...Copy !req
57. that I'm gonna swing it down
about 2 inches from the edge.Copy !req
58. - Would you be nervous?
- Mm-hm.Copy !req
59. Well, that's how I feel when you tell me
that the count is "about 48."Copy !req
60. Now, what good is a whip
that doesn't know how to count?Copy !req
61. Go back out there
and get me an actual number!Copy !req
62. Juanita, dear?Copy !req
63. - Yes, sir?
- Call Dirksen's office...Copy !req
64. and tell him I'd like to speak
to the senator at his earliest convenience.Copy !req
65. - Yes, sir.
- George, get my tailor on the phone.Copy !req
66. Who is Mike Taylor?Copy !req
67. Who...? No, not "Mike Taylor." My tailor.Copy !req
68. The guy who makes my fucking clothes.
Get him on the phone now.Copy !req
69. - Senator Yarborough.
- Mr. Leader...Copy !req
70. - I still don't take a drink.
- No?Copy !req
71. Now if you've called me in here to ask me
about my vote on the Farm Bill...Copy !req
72. I should tell you I have not changed
my position in the slightest.Copy !req
73. No problem. No problem at all.Copy !req
74. But, listen, while I got you here,
there is one question...Copy !req
75. I've been meaning to ask you.Copy !req
76. Have you got shit for brains?Copy !req
77. What the hell is your problem
with this Farm Bill?Copy !req
78. We should be doing a heck of a lot more
for the people who have less.Copy !req
79. The only thing more irritating
than a liberal is a liberal from Texas.Copy !req
80. The senator is here.Copy !req
81. - Bring him in.
- What my constituents want is...Copy !req
82. Your constituents are my constituents...Copy !req
83. and just because after three failed
attempts at the governor's mansion...Copy !req
84. you finally managed
to win an election...Copy !req
85. hardly makes you an expert
on Texas voters.Copy !req
86. - Sir?
- Don't tell me what they want.Copy !req
87. Senator Dirksen is on the phone.Copy !req
88. I've got your tailor as well.Copy !req
89. You realize that Juanita managed to get
the minority leader of the Senate...Copy !req
90. quicker than you could locate
a man who sews for a living?Copy !req
91. Hello, Everett, this is Lyndon.Copy !req
92. We wanna bring this thing to the floor,
but can we do it without our two parties...Copy !req
93. nipping at each other
like a pack of rabid dogs?Copy !req
94. Uh-huh.Copy !req
95. Well, much appreciated,
as always, senator.Copy !req
96. Juanita? Yes, sir?Copy !req
97. Send Dirksen a box of Havanas.Copy !req
98. Walter, get ready to move on it.
You know, this could be your lucky day.Copy !req
99. You might be able to vote
your conscience on the Farm Bill.Copy !req
100. I like to think that is the only way
that I ever vote.Copy !req
101. Spoken like a true one-term senator.Copy !req
102. Means why haven't you
endorsed me for president?Copy !req
103. You haven't announced.Copy !req
104. Beside the point.Copy !req
105. - I like to hope that...
- You like Kennedy.Copy !req
106. Senator Kennedy and I,
we share many principles.Copy !req
107. You know, you got your show horses
and your workhorses.Copy !req
108. Now, Kennedy's a show horse:
Easy on the eyes...Copy !req
109. but when you need your field plowed,
he won't leave the barn.Copy !req
110. I hear you,
but what is most important...Copy !req
111. - To me...
- Hold that thought.Copy !req
112. Hello there, this is Lyndon Johnson.Copy !req
113. Now, you all made me
some real lightweight slacks...Copy !req
114. about three, four months ago.Copy !req
115. Kind of a light brown and light green.
Rather, soft green and soft brown.Copy !req
116. Like powder on a lady's...Copy !req
117. face, and now,
I'm what they call "well-endowed"...Copy !req
118. so you give me
the average man's pants...Copy !req
119. I get all bunched up,
you know, like riding a wire fence.Copy !req
120. So give me another couple of inches
from where my nuts hang down...Copy !req
121. round to the back of my bunghole.Copy !req
122. All right. Thank you very much.Copy !req
123. - You were saying?
- What is important to me...Copy !req
124. - Sir, that just put us over the top.
- Call for unanimous consent.Copy !req
125. Show horses, workhorses.Copy !req
126. You only get one.Copy !req
127. Go vote your conscience.Copy !req
128. Nice of you to join us.Copy !req
129. Well, I heard there was a seat available.Copy !req
130. And as the motorcade makes
its departure...Copy !req
131. the presidential car is followed
by the Secret Service vehicle...Copy !req
132. which is followed by Vice President
and Mrs. Johnson.Copy !req
133. Oh. Heh.Copy !req
134. No, I'm... I'm perfectly fine.Copy !req
135. Guessing you Kennedys don't do
a lot of deer hunting.Copy !req
136. Well, when Kennedys fire weapons,
it's usually at Nazis.Copy !req
137. Lot of Nazis in Hyannis Port?Copy !req
138. We need to know if you're running.Copy !req
139. Quite comfortable in my post
as majority leader.Copy !req
140. Then perhaps you'd consider
endorsing my brother?Copy !req
141. I'll endorse whoever wins
our party's nomination.Copy !req
142. And there's no chance
that'll be you, correct?Copy !req
143. How many different ways
you want me to answer that?Copy !req
144. One would suffice.Copy !req
145. I have zero intention
of running for president.Copy !req
146. I wanna know
why you're putting these signs up.Copy !req
147. For starters, Johnson has not said
that he's running for president.Copy !req
148. The reason I know is
because I'm fucking him!Copy !req
149. No, I'm not fucking him, I am him!Copy !req
150. His victory today was bolstered, in part...Copy !req
151. by the large Catholic presence
in Wisconsin.Copy !req
152. - Up next, will be Illinois, New Jersey...
- What?Copy !req
153. Sir, I think it's time you announce.Copy !req
154. The next real test for Mr. Kennedy
will be in West Virginia...Copy !req
155. I haven't made up my mind yet.Copy !req
156. Then tell me why I came all the way...Copy !req
157. from Texas to run a campaign
that doesn't have a candidate?Copy !req
158. Well, John, I imagine, to bask
in the pleasure of my company.Copy !req
159. Sir, I have been on the phone
all evening with delegates.Copy !req
160. Every one of whom is for Kennedy today
and would be yours tomorrow...Copy !req
161. - if you just announce you were running.
- A Catholic won in a Catholic state.Copy !req
162. Big fucking deal. You think
he could do that in West Virginia?Copy !req
163. This country is not gonna elect
a Catholic president.Copy !req
164. He's starting to run away
from the pack.Copy !req
165. Nominations are not won
on the campaign trail.Copy !req
166. They are won on the convention floor.Copy !req
167. Bird, get me a drink, will you?Copy !req
168. All right.Copy !req
169. He better decide if he wants this.Copy !req
170. He's never wanted anything more
in his whole life.Copy !req
171. - He'll run.
- It'd be too late.Copy !req
172. He's the best Senate majority leader
this country's ever had.Copy !req
173. He works harder
than the other 99 senators combined.Copy !req
174. He doesn't understand
why he's not the party's favorite.Copy !req
175. He doesn't understand
why they don't just hand it to him.Copy !req
176. Nobody gets handed the presidency.Copy !req
177. Why won't he commit?Copy !req
178. - That's complicated.
- He's afraid.Copy !req
179. Of what?Copy !req
180. Hell, every politician's afraid
people won't vote for him.Copy !req
181. He's afraid people won't love him.Copy !req
182. All eyes are on West Virginia today...Copy !req
183. as voters cast their votes
in the state's primary election.Copy !req
184. In a surprising upset...Copy !req
185. Senator John Kennedy has won
the West Virginia primary.Copy !req
186. Many believed the issue
of his religion was insurmountable...Copy !req
187. but here is what Senator Kennedy
had to say about it:Copy !req
188. I appreciate that question,
and I'll tell you when any man...Copy !req
189. stands on the steps of the Capitol and
takes the oath of office of president...Copy !req
190. he puts one hand on the Bible
and raises the other hand to God...Copy !req
191. as he takes his oath.
Now, if he... If he breaks his oath...Copy !req
192. I've never seen
a politician look that good on TV.Copy !req
193. Oh, angel, he's not that handsome.Copy !req
194. - I, John Fitzgerald Kennedy...
- I've never seen a movie star...Copy !req
195. - look that good on TV.
- Heh, heh.Copy !req
196. —The office of president
of the United States...Copy !req
197. and will, to the best of my ability,
preserve, protect and defend...Copy !req
198. the Constitution of the United States,
so help me, God.Copy !req
199. Jesus, he just swore himself in.Copy !req
200. What's Jack got the rest haven't got?Copy !req
201. The "matinee" face?
The Kennedy name?Copy !req
202. The Kennedy fortune...Copy !req
203. Lyndon, honey.Copy !req
204. Do you want this?Copy !req
205. Do you know why I married you?Copy !req
206. I had other offers, but I chose you.Copy !req
207. - Do you know why?
- I have no earthly idea.Copy !req
208. Because you asked.Copy !req
209. On our first date, when other boys...Copy !req
210. would be thinking about
how to steal a kiss...Copy !req
211. you asked me to marry you.Copy !req
212. You didn't answer right away, though.Copy !req
213. Well, it hit me like a whammy.Copy !req
214. I'd only known you
for about 20 minutes.Copy !req
215. Ample time to fall in love with me.Copy !req
216. Mmm.Copy !req
217. When father first met you, he said:Copy !req
218. "Daughter, you brought home
a lot of boys.Copy !req
219. This time, you brought home a man."Copy !req
220. At least he liked me right away.Copy !req
221. Angel, my point is...Copy !req
222. you knew what you wanted...Copy !req
223. and you got it.Copy !req
224. And I couldn't have said "yes"
if you hadn't asked.Copy !req
225. Convention fever grips Los Angeles...Copy !req
226. where the Democrats convene.Copy !req
227. Partisans of Senator Kennedy radiate
the cheer and confidence...Copy !req
228. of the powerful front-runner,
who is clearly the man to beat.Copy !req
229. The only major threat to Kennedy's hopes
among the declared candidates...Copy !req
230. is Senate Majority Leader
Lyndon Johnson.Copy !req
231. The convention of the
Democratic Party of the United States...Copy !req
232. is now called in session.Copy !req
233. You need to go see
the Wyoming delegates.Copy !req
234. Why the hell are we still fighting
over Western states?Copy !req
235. Their delegates are meeting
with Kennedy right now.Copy !req
236. Jack or Bobby?Copy !req
237. Teddy, sir.Copy !req
238. Christ, this place is infested.Copy !req
239. "I have zero intention
of running for president"?Copy !req
240. I had a change of heart.Copy !req
241. Can't believe you'd look another man
in the eye and lie.Copy !req
242. Next one of you who says
a disparaging thing about Jack's health...Copy !req
243. I'll personally knock his teeth out.Copy !req
244. You said he's never felt better.
That wouldn't be a lie now, would it?Copy !req
245. Balloting starts in two hours.Copy !req
246. You don't take me down
in the first two rounds...Copy !req
247. - I'm gonna beat you.
- There won't be a second round.Copy !req
248. You seem awful confident.Copy !req
249. I can count.Copy !req
250. They will receive the call
of the roll of state, of voting...Copy !req
251. for the nomination of president
of the United States.Copy !req
252. Mr. Chairman,
Wyoming's vote will make...Copy !req
253. a majority for Senator Kennedy.Copy !req
254. Can we get the vote from Wyoming?Copy !req
255. First-round knockout, boys.
Just like Rocky Marciano.Copy !req
256. The Times wants a comment.Copy !req
257. Tell them there's a new heavyweight
champion. His name is Kennedy.Copy !req
258. - How's the acceptance speech coming?
- Easiest speech I've ever had to write.Copy !req
259. Bobby, we're getting 20 calls a minute
about the VP. Everyone wants a name.Copy !req
260. First, we have to pick a name.Copy !req
261. Hello?Copy !req
262. Lyndon.Copy !req
263. Lyndon, honey, wake up.Copy !req
264. - Wake up.
- What's the matter, Bird?Copy !req
265. It's John Kennedy.Copy !req
266. This is Lyndon Johnson.Copy !req
267. Walter, order a fresh pot of coffee,
please. I have to get dressed.Copy !req
268. Yes, ma'am.Copy !req
269. Oh, yes. Yes, honey,
the red tie is so much better.Copy !req
270. Thanks, sweetheart.Copy !req
271. - Love... Yeah, just fix it now a little.
- Yep.Copy !req
272. - Okay?
- Yep.Copy !req
273. - Lyndon.
- Hi, Jack. Come on in.Copy !req
274. Thank you.Copy !req
275. Make sure Symington, Humphrey
and Stevenson are all near their phones.Copy !req
276. We'll make our choice today.Copy !req
277. What's wrong?Copy !req
278. You're not gonna believe
where your brother is.Copy !req
279. Lyndon, you have more experience
and more talent, more wisdom.Copy !req
280. Unfortunately, this is politics,
and none of that matters.Copy !req
281. The better man won.Copy !req
282. I'm not better.Copy !req
283. Better-looking, maybe.Copy !req
284. Yeah, if I had some
of those Kennedy genes...Copy !req
285. I might've got some
of the Kennedy delegates.Copy !req
286. I think the press was too hard on you.Copy !req
287. Well, I could walk
on the Potomac River, and next day...Copy !req
288. the headlines would read:
"Johnson can't swim."Copy !req
289. You mind if I ask you a question,
Lyndon?Copy !req
290. You're out of your mind, Jack!Copy !req
291. You couldn't have made a worse choice
if you tried.Copy !req
292. - I spoke with Dad. He agreed.
- Spoke with Dad?Copy !req
293. - If we wanna win, we need Johnson.
- Why didn't you consult with me?Copy !req
294. We also agreed we'd never
convince you it was a good idea.Copy !req
295. Maybe because it isn't.Copy !req
296. Johnson and his men spent
the last 72 hours...Copy !req
297. trying to convince the entire delegation
you have Addison's disease.Copy !req
298. I do have Addison's disease.Copy !req
299. - That's not the point.
- Labor hates him.Copy !req
300. Civil rights leaders hate him.
Liberals hate him.Copy !req
301. Kenny, we will win the liberal vote anyway.
We need Southerners. We need Texas.Copy !req
302. The only person Johnson will
ever be loyal to is Johnson.Copy !req
303. Bobby, I'd rather him serve
under me as vice president...Copy !req
304. than fight for control of the government
as leader of the Senate.Copy !req
305. We can't be the only ones
who think this is a bad idea.Copy !req
306. Well, as it turns out, you might not be
because he hasn't accepted it yet.Copy !req
307. George, look into this, will you?Copy !req
308. Yes, sir.Copy !req
309. Yeah. Hello there.
Is majority leader here?Copy !req
310. - Sir?
- Gentlemen...Copy !req
311. can you give us a minute?Copy !req
312. Listen, I...Copy !req
313. I think you should decline the offer.Copy !req
314. Say it was an honor to be considered,
but your duty is to the Senate.Copy !req
315. I think we could have a much more
effective partnership with you...Copy !req
316. in your role as majority leader.Copy !req
317. Is this what your brother thinks?Copy !req
318. Do you really want this job?
It's too small for you.Copy !req
319. Did Senator Kennedy ask you
to relay this message?Copy !req
320. No, sir, I am here on my own.Copy !req
321. Okay, well,
I will take that tidbit of wisdom...Copy !req
322. under advisement.Copy !req
323. Thank you, Bobby.Copy !req
324. - What'd he want?
- What do you think he wanted?Copy !req
325. He may be right.Copy !req
326. If you run with Kennedy and lose,
you're giving up your Senate seat too.Copy !req
327. - No, he won't.
- What do you mean?Copy !req
328. He can run for both offices.Copy !req
329. Not at the same time.Copy !req
330. - We changed the law.
- When?Copy !req
331. - When I asked them to.
- I have that number for you, sir.Copy !req
332. - What'd you find out?
- Ten of 36.Copy !req
333. Okay, talk to me.Copy !req
334. It's a thankless job.Copy !req
335. Yeah, well, so is being school teacher
in Blanco County, Texas.Copy !req
336. Ten of 36?Copy !req
337. Of the 36 men
who have been vice president...Copy !req
338. 10 have gone on to become president.Copy !req
339. Kennedy loses, the majority leader will be
the most powerful Democrat in the country.Copy !req
340. Kennedy wins,
the majority leader will still be...Copy !req
341. the most powerful Democrat
in Congress.Copy !req
342. There's just no power
in the vice presidency.Copy !req
343. Walter, how long you been with me?Copy !req
344. Twenty-one years.Copy !req
345. And in 21 years, can you think of a time
that I have taken over a new office...Copy !req
346. and not made it 100 times
more powerful than when I got there?Copy !req
347. No, sir.Copy !req
348. Power is where power goes.Copy !req
349. Should be at the Trade Mart in 15.Copy !req
350. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.Copy !req
351. - Yes, sir.
- They love him.Copy !req
352. They believe in him.Copy !req
353. They know
the president's civil rights law...Copy !req
354. is gonna change everything.Copy !req
355. The president doesn't have
a civil rights law.Copy !req
356. He has a civil rights bill.Copy !req
357. I have faith in my heart.Copy !req
358. And shit for brains.Copy !req
359. Kennedy has been elected president...Copy !req
360. by one of the smallest margins
in electoral history...Copy !req
361. with nearly 70 million votes cast.Copy !req
362. The president-elect defeated
Richard Nixon...Copy !req
363. by approximately 112,000 votes.Copy !req
364. The new vice president,
Lyndon Johnson...Copy !req
365. fought hard in his home state of Texas
to deliver the White House...Copy !req
366. for the 35th president
of the United States:Copy !req
367. John Fitzgerald Kennedy.Copy !req
368. And from earlier today,
here is President John F. Kennedy...Copy !req
369. delivering his inaugural address.Copy !req
370. All this will not be finished
in the first 100 days.Copy !req
371. Nor will it be finished
in the first 1000 days.Copy !req
372. - After we unpack...
- Nor in the life...Copy !req
373. - what is first on the agenda?
- Of this administration.Copy !req
374. Nor even perhaps in our lifetime
on this planet.Copy !req
375. But let us begin.Copy !req
376. - Juanita, dear?
- Yes, sir?Copy !req
377. I wanna write a letter.Copy !req
378. "I hereby request
that the State Department..."Copy !req
379. the Defense Department
and the Central Intelligence Agency...Copy !req
380. "cooperate fully
with the vice president."Copy !req
381. Lyndon did not write that.Copy !req
382. - That's his signature right there.
- Ha, ha, ha.Copy !req
383. Oh, what, NASA too? He even requested
oversight of the space program?Copy !req
384. Wants control of everything
from here to the moon.Copy !req
385. I say we send it
to The Washington Post, right?Copy !req
386. Publish it. Humiliate the bastard.Copy !req
387. Last month, Johnson was the most
powerful Democrat in all of Washington.Copy !req
388. Now he answers to my kid brother
and his Harvard roommate.Copy !req
389. Nobody's gonna do anything
to embarrass my vice president.Copy !req
390. - He embarrasses himself.
- Started calling himself LBJ...Copy !req
391. after FDR was elected.
Thought it sounded more presidential.Copy !req
392. Well, he's no FDR, and he's no JFK.Copy !req
393. He's Lyndon "I'll never be president
in a million years" Johnson.Copy !req
394. I'm aware of your feelings. That's why
I'm putting Kenny in charge of him.Copy !req
395. What?Copy !req
396. Congratulations, Kenny. You're
my new liaison to the vice president.Copy !req
397. I'm sorry,
am I being punished for something?Copy !req
398. He's a sensitive man
with an enormous ego.Copy !req
399. Your job is to placate him.Copy !req
400. Now, I don't care if you have to kiss
his ass all over town in order to do it.Copy !req
401. I can't have him
causing problems for me.Copy !req
402. I'm sure we can find something
to keep him occupied.Copy !req
403. What the fuck is the PCEEO?Copy !req
404. It's the "President's Committee
on Equal Employment Opportunity."Copy !req
405. The president wants to ensure
all government agencies...Copy !req
406. and contractors exercise
fair hiring practices with regards to race.Copy !req
407. It's his first major initiative
in civil rights.Copy !req
408. Our Southern Democrats
are gonna hate this.Copy !req
409. No shit, and when this
trumped-up committee inevitably...Copy !req
410. fails to address
this country's civil rights problems...Copy !req
411. well, the rest of the Democrats
are gonna hate that.Copy !req
412. So why the fuck am I busy alienating...Copy !req
413. every son of a bitch
in my party when...Copy !req
414. if I'm gonna make a run in '68...Copy !req
415. well, I'm gonna need people
to fucking like me!Copy !req
416. Shut the door.Copy !req
417. - How could anybody not like him?
- Heh, heh, heh.Copy !req
418. I had an idea.Copy !req
419. Yeah, you know,
when I was 13 years old...Copy !req
420. I was driving home with my daddy,
and I made some smart-ass comment...Copy !req
421. pissed him off,
he slammed on the brakes...Copy !req
422. tossed me out the truck,
told me I was walking home.Copy !req
423. Well, it was hot as Hades,
six, seven miles to go...Copy !req
424. so I was feeling real bad for myself...Copy !req
425. when I look up, and I see
this old Chevy kicking up dust.Copy !req
426. Pulls to a stop in front of me,
and this beautiful woman...Copy !req
427. with curly red hair, leans out
the window, smiles and says:Copy !req
428. "Need a ride, son?"Copy !req
429. Oh, yeah.Copy !req
430. She had the biggest titties I ever saw...Copy !req
431. and I stared at them
the whole ride home.Copy !req
432. And I never would have seen them
if my daddy hadn't...Copy !req
433. punished me to begin with.Copy !req
434. So, what are you saying?Copy !req
435. When life gives you lemons,
you make lemonade?Copy !req
436. No, George, I'm saying, sometimes,
you think the Lord is giving you lemons...Copy !req
437. and, in fact, he's giving you
big, beautiful titties.Copy !req
438. So there's an upside to you being
appointed chairman to this committee?Copy !req
439. Well, this damn civil rights issue is
gonna tear the Democrats in two.Copy !req
440. We got rival camps
that are never gonna see eye to eye.Copy !req
441. But as long as they're sitting
at the table...Copy !req
442. they're gonna need an interpreter.Copy !req
443. And Kennedys don't speak Southern.
Southerners don't speak Kennedy.Copy !req
444. I'm the only man who's fluent
in both languages.Copy !req
445. Which side are you on?Copy !req
446. You're missing the point.Copy !req
447. As long as neither side declares
all-out war, both sides need me.Copy !req
448. The best thing that can happen for me is
this civil rights debate goes on forever.Copy !req
449. And how do we make that happen, sir?Copy !req
450. Compromise, boys.Copy !req
451. Endless compromise.Copy !req
452. So chairman of the Equal
Employment Opportunities Committee.Copy !req
453. Boy, those Kennedys
must really hate you.Copy !req
454. Ha-ha-ha. Yeah, yeah.Copy !req
455. - I drew the short straw on this one.
- I wouldn't worry about it.Copy !req
456. I don't imagine that committee's
gonna be around very long.Copy !req
457. Don't be so sure.Copy !req
458. Never underestimate
Southern delegation.Copy !req
459. My army may be small,
but our cause is mighty.Copy !req
460. Am I talking to Senator Richard Russell
or General Stonewall Jackson?Copy !req
461. No, you're talking to the man
who defeated three presidents on this.Copy !req
462. I'll defeat a fourth.Copy !req
463. What did Abe Lincoln say
after he woke up from a three-day drunk?Copy !req
464. - I don't know.
- "I freed the what?"Copy !req
465. - Thank you, Eddie.
- Yeah, thank you, Eddie.Copy !req
466. Now...Copy !req
467. government has a $1 billion contract
to build a new plane.Copy !req
468. I know exactly
where that contract should go.Copy !req
469. I bet you do, and I want nothing more...Copy !req
470. than to see that Lockheed plant
in Georgia get this contract.Copy !req
471. Glad to hear it. You convince that
committee of yours to go along with it.Copy !req
472. I will. I will.Copy !req
473. After you convince Lockheed
to make some changes at the plant.Copy !req
474. Not making any changes.Copy !req
475. Why don't those Kennedys
just leave these niggers alone?Copy !req
476. - They were happy.
- Come on, Dick.Copy !req
477. I can't have signs all over the plant
saying "colored" this and "white" that.Copy !req
478. Now you don't like
separate drinking fountains?Copy !req
479. Oh, Lord. All right, fine.
I'll bring in paper cups.Copy !req
480. I'm not saying
that you're not right about this...Copy !req
481. but you need to do
a little bit more on this one.Copy !req
482. You're gonna have to hire some nigras.Copy !req
483. Well, who do you think mops the floors?Copy !req
484. I'm not talking about janitors.Copy !req
485. I'm talking about engineers,
skilled labor.Copy !req
486. Show me a skilled one first.Copy !req
487. Government's got no business
telling employers who they should hire.Copy !req
488. It's the government's billion dollars.
I'm guessing we got some right.Copy !req
489. Forced hiring's a stone's throw away
from forced labor.Copy !req
490. - Last I heard, we were against that here.
- You don't have to convince me.Copy !req
491. I'm the one going 15 rounds
with the Kennedys on this.Copy !req
492. Those Harvard boys not gonna tell us...Copy !req
493. - how to run the state of Georgia.
- Of course not.Copy !req
494. But the Kennedy did get elected
by appealing to the colored man.Copy !req
495. Now, if we play this right,
we're gonna have those nigras...Copy !req
496. voting Democrat the next 200 years.Copy !req
497. You want me to surrender?
What are you doing?Copy !req
498. No. I am asking you...
I'm begging you...Copy !req
499. to give these Kennedys
a little something just to quiet them down.Copy !req
500. It ain't gonna make any difference,
but if we don't move at all...Copy !req
501. their allies are gonna line up
against us...Copy !req
502. and there's gonna be no way to put
the brake on all sorts of wild legislation.Copy !req
503. - It'll be Reconstruction all over again.
- Well, let them try. Just let them try.Copy !req
504. I'll use every means at my disposal
to defend this cause...Copy !req
505. till the last breath of air
escapes my lungs.Copy !req
506. Keep the air in your lungs, Dick.Copy !req
507. I'm... I'm gonna get you
what you want...Copy !req
508. but just help me out a little bit here.Copy !req
509. Since the 1954 Supreme Court Ruling...Copy !req
510. in Brown V. The Board of Education...Copy !req
511. the issue of civil rights has
taken hold throughout the nation.Copy !req
512. Last year,
in Greensboro, North Carolina...Copy !req
513. four negro college students staged
a sit-in at a whites-only lunch counter...Copy !req
514. sparking a wave of similar
demonstrations in other states.Copy !req
515. And earlier this spring...Copy !req
516. a group known
as the Freedom Riders...Copy !req
517. began their voyage
throughout the South.Copy !req
518. They have been met by cameras
and, at times, by mobs.Copy !req
519. This week in Jackson, Mississippi...Copy !req
520. highway patrol officers
and national guardsmen kept the peace.Copy !req
521. But this much is clear:Copy !req
522. The cause of integration is
a national issue.Copy !req
523. Sir. Sir.Copy !req
524. Please take your seats.Copy !req
525. By presidential order, this committee
on equal-employment opportunity...Copy !req
526. is to be comprised of:Copy !req
527. "Four members of the cabinet..."Copy !req
528. four heads of agencies
and secretaries...Copy !req
529. "the Army, Navy and Air Force."Copy !req
530. Out of curiosity, who the hell are all you?Copy !req
531. We got the undersecretary of state,
the undersecretary of defense.Copy !req
532. We got Nick Katzenbach.
What's the matter?Copy !req
533. Bobby Kennedy too busy
to join us today?Copy !req
534. Sir, the attorney general had a previous...Copy !req
535. Despite the fact that none
of your bosses are here...Copy !req
536. there is one person on this long list
that did, in fact, show up.Copy !req
537. And it is the vice president.
So let's get this thing started.Copy !req
538. First order of business,
$1 billion contract...Copy !req
539. to build a new transport airplane.Copy !req
540. Senator Russell seems to think
the contract is going to Georgia.Copy !req
541. That's because it is.Copy !req
542. That Lockheed plant's record
on civil rights is disgraceful.Copy !req
543. How old are you?Copy !req
544. - Thirty-two. Sir.
- Mm.Copy !req
545. Richard Russell is the leader
of the Southern Democratic Caucus...Copy !req
546. and chairman
of the Armed Services Committee.Copy !req
547. We are gonna work
with Senator Russell on this.Copy !req
548. Better to have him inside the tent
pissing out than outside pissing in.Copy !req
549. Sir, I know I speak for my boss
when I say...Copy !req
550. that this is a fight
in which we should not give an inch.Copy !req
551. The secretary of labor's drafted a list of
demands that he would like addressed...Copy !req
552. before we award the contract
to any plant.Copy !req
553. We need to use this opportunity
to demonstrate the full power...Copy !req
554. of this committee.Copy !req
555. If your boss wants to make demands,
tell him to deliver them to me in person.Copy !req
556. And, son,
if this committee had any real power...Copy !req
557. the man you work for would be sitting
at this table instead of you.Copy !req
558. This meeting is adjourned.Copy !req
559. Mr. President, over here!Copy !req
560. Get down. Get down! Go, go, go!Copy !req
561. I'm switching to Charlie frequency.Copy !req
562. Stay with him.Copy !req
563. Stay down, stay down! Go, go, go!Copy !req
564. - Good morning, Mrs. Lincoln.
- Good morning, Mr. Kennedy.Copy !req
565. - Mr. Bobby.
- Hi, Caroline. How are you?Copy !req
566. Here you go.Copy !req
567. - Hi, Caroline.
- Come on, hon.Copy !req
568. Good morning, Lyndon.Copy !req
569. - Oh, hello, Mr. President.
- Sorry to keep you waiting.Copy !req
570. - How you getting along?
- Busy morning.Copy !req
571. How are we doing on this committee?Copy !req
572. Fine, Mr. President.Copy !req
573. Need to make sure
that this Lockheed contract conforms...Copy !req
574. - to the committee's purpose.
- Well, ahem...Copy !req
575. Senator Russell has assured me that...Copy !req
576. we can expect to see
some significant changes in that plant.Copy !req
577. That's not what I hear.Copy !req
578. If you're concerned,
you should come to one of our meetings.Copy !req
579. If you'd like me
to express my dissatisfaction...Copy !req
580. in front of the entire committee,
that could be arranged.Copy !req
581. Lyndon, we're not awarding
a government contract...Copy !req
582. to a plant that violates civil rights.Copy !req
583. And you might remind Senator Russell
that we don't need his help on this.Copy !req
584. We've got a Lockheed plant
in California happy to build planes.Copy !req
585. With all due respect,
if you take that contract from Russell...Copy !req
586. all it will show is
that you can't make him do...Copy !req
587. one damn thing
that he doesn't wanna do.Copy !req
588. Now, you have to understand
his thinking.Copy !req
589. It's straight out of the last century.Copy !req
590. He's never gonna be
a progressive like us.Copy !req
591. Why should we be working
with him on this, then?Copy !req
592. Because you don't wanna make
an enemy of Richard Russell.Copy !req
593. He'll put the brakes on every legislation
we're trying to move through Congress.Copy !req
594. We're not gonna let
one senator hold us hostage.Copy !req
595. I suggest you don't wanna find out
how powerful that one senator can be.Copy !req
596. I need this committee to show
a strong record right from the start.Copy !req
597. Something that demonstrates
concrete changes on civil rights.Copy !req
598. We can't do that if we're giving
a huge contract to a discriminatory plant.Copy !req
599. On the contrary, I think we can, sir.Copy !req
600. If we send that contract to Georgia...Copy !req
601. then I can get Russell to make
that plant hire a number of Negros.Copy !req
602. And then, we can have
white men and black men...Copy !req
603. working side by side
in the deep South...Copy !req
604. building America's newest airplane.Copy !req
605. This can be one hell of a victory
for this administration.Copy !req
606. All right, Lyndon, but...Copy !req
607. you're gonna have to move Russell.Copy !req
608. Thank you, Mr. President.Copy !req
609. Oh, and if I may, there's just
one other item I'd like to discuss.Copy !req
610. What's happening with Sarah Hughes?Copy !req
611. The judge from Dallas?Copy !req
612. You haven't responded
to my recommendation to nominate her.Copy !req
613. It's not your place
to make that recommendation.Copy !req
614. She'd make a damn fine judge.Copy !req
615. - She's too old.
- To you, everybody's too old.Copy !req
616. Senators make those recommendations.
You know that.Copy !req
617. I promised Sarah Hughes
that appointment.Copy !req
618. It's Ralph Yarborough's
recommendation to make.Copy !req
619. How's it gonna look to my state
if I can't get a federal judge appointed?Copy !req
620. I understand your frustration, Lyndon,
but this is how it's gotta be done.Copy !req
621. We'll give Sarah Hughes a look
next time. Thanks for stopping by.Copy !req
622. She'll be ready to take off this summer.Copy !req
623. Record time.Copy !req
624. Are you sure that big bitch will fly?Copy !req
625. She'll fly all right.
Built by Georgia's finest.Copy !req
626. Half of them, anyway.Copy !req
627. Thanks to you.Copy !req
628. Jesus, Lyndon.
God, put that thing away.Copy !req
629. Look at that.
Number-two man in Washington.Copy !req
630. Attorney generals
don't become president.Copy !req
631. There's a lot of things these Kennedy
boys do that no one else has done.Copy !req
632. He is a nice-looking boy.Copy !req
633. You know, I've been...Copy !req
634. hearing disturbing news about
some goddamn civil rights bill.Copy !req
635. Yeah.Copy !req
636. Yeah, I'm afraid
I've been hearing the same thing.Copy !req
637. I hope you're impressing on the president
the severity of the moment.Copy !req
638. Well, I have, but, unfortunately,
he doesn't answer to me or you.Copy !req
639. Mmm.Copy !req
640. So Kennedy won the presidency
by a fraction of a percent.Copy !req
641. Do you recall my margin of victory
that very same year? Ha-ha-ha.Copy !req
642. Mmm. Hang on, Dick.Copy !req
643. - Yeah, I believe you were unopposed.
- That's right. I was. Unopposed.Copy !req
644. Six years before that too.Copy !req
645. And six years before that.
And you know what?Copy !req
646. Six years before that.
Are you plodding toward a point?Copy !req
647. I may not be president, but neither
am I ever in jeopardy of losing my job.Copy !req
648. So if the president sends
a civil rights bill to Congress...Copy !req
649. it'll be my distinct pleasure
to see it die a painful death.Copy !req
650. And I'll kill every other
bill along the way.Copy !req
651. I don't care
if it costs my party the White House.Copy !req
652. I'm sure we can all sit down and come
to an agreement that we can all live with.Copy !req
653. It seems like every time we do that,
I'm the only one giving something up.Copy !req
654. And I'm about running out of things
that I can live without.Copy !req
655. Dick, you didn't have to give up
your billion-dollar airplane, did you?Copy !req
656. I'm not saying lay down and die,
but this train is leaving the station.Copy !req
657. So you can stand there
and watch it roll on by...Copy !req
658. or you can hop on it with me
and try to slow the damn thing down.Copy !req
659. Yeah.Copy !req
660. Move, move, move!Copy !req
661. Stay back! Stay back.Copy !req
662. We're not stopping
for anything, understand?Copy !req
663. - You bet, partner. You ready, Bird?
- Here we go.Copy !req
664. - Let's move.
- Everybody back!Copy !req
665. Everyone back.Copy !req
666. Keep that area clear.Copy !req
667. Keep the area clear!Copy !req
668. - What's going on?
- Move!Copy !req
669. We're going right through
this door right here, sir. Here we go.Copy !req
670. Copy that.Copy !req
671. Get them out of here.Copy !req
672. - Back in the corner. Here we go.
- Sorry?Copy !req
673. Here you go.Copy !req
674. Nobody comes in unless he's got
a damn good reason to be here.Copy !req
675. - He wants you to call Washington.
- I'm not leaving this man.Copy !req
676. The president and Governor Connally
suffered gunshot wounds.Copy !req
677. I don't know the governor's condition,
but the president...Copy !req
678. It's bad.Copy !req
679. We need to get you to Washington
as soon as possible.Copy !req
680. I'm not leaving here.Copy !req
681. Mr. Vice President, safest place
for you is the White House.Copy !req
682. It would be unthinkable for me
to leave President Kennedy...Copy !req
683. while he fights for his life.Copy !req
684. Gentlemen...Copy !req
685. this is a time for prayer
if ever there was one.Copy !req
686. In another current trouble spot:Copy !req
687. Plaquemine, Louisiana.Copy !req
688. Mounted state troopers and police...Copy !req
689. used tear gas
and high-pressure water hoses...Copy !req
690. in Plaquemine last night to break up
a civil rights demonstration...Copy !req
691. that almost erupted into a race riot.Copy !req
692. How many more demonstrations do we
have to look at with hoses and dogs?Copy !req
693. I'm running out of ways
to explain to the press corps...Copy !req
694. why the civil rights bill
isn't being sent to Congress.Copy !req
695. I'm running out of ways
to explain it to Congress.Copy !req
696. You take legislative action now,
all you'll do is fan the flames.Copy !req
697. We made promises
during the campaign.Copy !req
698. We sit on this bill,
our supporters will never forgive us.Copy !req
699. It is also the right thing to do.Copy !req
700. - It's the wrong time to do it.
- The wrong time?Copy !req
701. We've got kids in the street
getting their heads busted open.Copy !req
702. And how does sending
what will surely be...Copy !req
703. a failed bill to Congress help kids?Copy !req
704. Well, burying our head in the sand
is not a solution.Copy !req
705. Neither is getting your ass handed
to you by Richard Russell.Copy !req
706. - I am so tired...
- Forget about the demise of the bill.Copy !req
707. What do you think
he'll do to your budget?Copy !req
708. Do you believe
they'll hold the budget bill hostage?Copy !req
709. To block civil rights,
they'll hold everything hostage.Copy !req
710. - To hell with Russell. We'll go around him.
- You can't.Copy !req
711. Then we'll go through him.Copy !req
712. We've got Martin Luther King writing
letters from jail. It's an embarrassment.Copy !req
713. - What are we waiting for?
- Mr. President...Copy !req
714. I may not be the smartest man
in this room.Copy !req
715. Hell, I may not be as smart
as any man in this room.Copy !req
716. But I know the Congress
of the United States.Copy !req
717. And if you submit
this civil rights bill now...Copy !req
718. it will never become law.Copy !req
719. Thank you, gentlemen.Copy !req
720. - What do you think?
- The time for negotiation is over.Copy !req
721. - What about Southern Democrats?
- You never had their support.Copy !req
722. This is one of those times
to draw a line in the sand.Copy !req
723. We could get to them through Lyndon.
Send a message.Copy !req
724. They might listen to a Southerner
who's on our side.Copy !req
725. What makes you think he's on our side?Copy !req
726. Kenny...Copy !req
727. can we get this bill passed?Copy !req
728. I don't know, sir.Copy !req
729. It's not gonna be easy.Copy !req
730. Well, we don't do these things
because they're easy.Copy !req
731. We do them because they're hard.Copy !req
732. What do you want me to tell Lyndon?Copy !req
733. He's no longer a part of this discussion.Copy !req
734. The Kennedys attended
private schools their entire lives.Copy !req
735. Now they wanna talk about equality.Copy !req
736. Voluntary integration is one thing,
but don't you think that I...Copy !req
737. as an American citizen,
shouldn't be forced to eat a hamburger...Copy !req
738. next to someone in a restaurant
I don't wanna bump elbows with?Copy !req
739. Dick, I think it is unconscionable...Copy !req
740. that you, as an American citizen,
should ever...Copy !req
741. be forced to eat a hamburger.Copy !req
742. Don't be a wisea... Lyndon.Copy !req
743. I don't find this topic amusing.Copy !req
744. Well, here's where I get confused.Copy !req
745. A baby calf is born.Copy !req
746. It grows into a cow,
lives on a farm, gets slaughtered...Copy !req
747. butchered, packaged,
shipped, cooked...Copy !req
748. and finally served to you.Copy !req
749. Most, if not all, those steps required
the hands of black men.Copy !req
750. Why is it that
when it comes time to eat it...Copy !req
751. you can't stomach the notion of sitting
next to a black man while you chew?Copy !req
752. - If those...
- May I clear your plate?Copy !req
753. Oh, yes, Zephyr. Delicious.Copy !req
754. "If the law can compel me
to hire a negro..."Copy !req
755. it can compel a negro
to work for me.Copy !req
756. "And such a law would do nothing more
than enslave a minority."Copy !req
757. And that's what one senator had to say
about civil rights legislation. Thank you.Copy !req
758. That's probably Strom Thurmond.
He's an asshole and a moron.Copy !req
759. No, it was you.Copy !req
760. 1949, your first speech
on the Senate floor. Ha.Copy !req
761. You spoke for over an hour in opposition
to a civil rights bill just like this one.Copy !req
762. I remember watching you speak,
thinking to myself:Copy !req
763. "This young man's the future
of the South."Copy !req
764. The best leaders of the time...Copy !req
765. from both our states,
voted for secession.Copy !req
766. And they were great men
who nearly destroyed America.Copy !req
767. I don't ever want a history book
to say that about me.Copy !req
768. Mmm.Copy !req
769. Let me ask you something.Copy !req
770. When was the last time
you had a meal with her?Copy !req
771. She's an employee...Copy !req
772. but if you think
that I would have any objection...Copy !req
773. of breaking bread with her,
then you are a fool.Copy !req
774. So you're telling me she's your equal?Copy !req
775. That woman spends more time in
this house than anyone except Lady Bird.Copy !req
776. She is family.Copy !req
777. I don't know
how I missed the resemblance.Copy !req
778. Look, what I'm talking about here
is freedom.Copy !req
779. I'm talking about the preservation
of a way of life.Copy !req
780. A way of life
that you and I both grew up with.Copy !req
781. There's nothing wrong with that.Copy !req
782. Then why are we whispering?Copy !req
783. One hundred years
of delay have passed...Copy !req
784. since President Lincoln freed
the slaves.Copy !req
785. Yet their heirs, their grandsons,
are not fully free.Copy !req
786. They are not yet freed
from the bonds of injustice.Copy !req
787. They are not yet freed from social
and economic oppression.Copy !req
788. And this nation...Copy !req
789. for all its hopes and all its boasts...Copy !req
790. will not be fully free
until all its citizens are free.Copy !req
791. Next week, I shall ask the Congress
of the United States to act...Copy !req
792. to make a commitment
it has not fully made in this century...Copy !req
793. to the proposition that race...Copy !req
794. has no place
in American life or law.Copy !req
795. Good morning, Mrs. Lincoln.
I'd like a moment with the president.Copy !req
796. Sir, Vice President Johnson is here.
What shall I tell him?Copy !req
797. You can go in.Copy !req
798. Thank you.Copy !req
799. Good morning, Mr. President.Copy !req
800. - How you getting along?
- You're up early, Lyndon.Copy !req
801. No, the president hasn't arrived yet,
but what do you need?Copy !req
802. It can wait.Copy !req
803. What's on your mind?Copy !req
804. I wanna know
the president's intentions for '64.Copy !req
805. Does he wanna keep me on the ticket?Copy !req
806. Dropping you from the ticket
would be more trouble than it's worth.Copy !req
807. Now, if you'll excuse me,
I was on my way.Copy !req
808. Bobby.Copy !req
809. Why don't you like me?Copy !req
810. Your brother likes me.Copy !req
811. Your father likes me.Copy !req
812. What is it makes you hate me so much?Copy !req
813. I don't hate you. I just... I...Copy !req
814. We see the world in very different ways.Copy !req
815. Then why do you keep me around?Copy !req
816. I was in Congress 24 years...Copy !req
817. but you never asked for my help
in legislative issues.Copy !req
818. I'm from the South...Copy !req
819. but when you need help down there,
you go to other Southerners.Copy !req
820. Why don't you just...Copy !req
821. put me out to pasture?Copy !req
822. You've worked overtime
making sure I'm politically through.Copy !req
823. I can never run for elected office again.Copy !req
824. Hell, I don't even know
if I can help the president out in '64.Copy !req
825. This isn't about '64, is it?Copy !req
826. It's about '68.Copy !req
827. You don't wanna bring in someone new.
You keep me here precisely because...Copy !req
828. you've made me politically irrelevant.Copy !req
829. That way, in '68...Copy !req
830. the vice president isn't
the presumptive nominee.Copy !req
831. You are.Copy !req
832. You think I'd be that calculating?Copy !req
833. I know I would be.Copy !req
834. If either of you get a better job offer,
I suggest you take it.Copy !req
835. My future is behind me.Copy !req
836. He's gone.Copy !req
837. Mr. President?Copy !req
838. Sir, I need to announce
the death of President Kennedy.Copy !req
839. Ahem. I want you to hold off
on that, Malcolm.Copy !req
840. Rufus, get some cars set up and let
the drivers know we're ready to move.Copy !req
841. Emery, have your people
locate Luci and Lynda Bird.Copy !req
842. I want my daughters to meet us
when we arrive in Washington.Copy !req
843. Also, have McNamara, Rusk and the rest
of the cabinet on the ground at Andrews.Copy !req
844. Rusk and five cabinet members
are on a plane to Japan.Copy !req
845. Turn it around.Copy !req
846. I need you to tell Mrs. Kennedy
it's time to go.Copy !req
847. Mrs. Kennedy won't leave
without the body.Copy !req
848. Well, we won't leave here
without Mrs. Kennedy.Copy !req
849. - Sir, we need to get you in the air.
- Not without Jackie.Copy !req
850. - Then let's wait for her at the plane.
- Fine.Copy !req
851. Cliff, I need people I know close by.Copy !req
852. Congressmen, I want you
flying back to Washington with me.Copy !req
853. Yes, sir. Sir...Copy !req
854. the American people need to know
that President Kennedy has died.Copy !req
855. On April 14th, 1865...Copy !req
856. two men attempted to kill
Secretary of State William Seward...Copy !req
857. stabbing him in his home.Copy !req
858. At the same time,
another assassin was on his way...Copy !req
859. to take the life
of Vice President Andrew Johnson.Copy !req
860. This was the same night...Copy !req
861. that John Wilkes Booth
shot Abraham Lincoln.Copy !req
862. We don't know the extent
of this conspiracy or who's behind it.Copy !req
863. Malcolm, you're to announce
President Kennedy's death...Copy !req
864. only after the rest of us
are safely on board that plane.Copy !req
865. Otherwise, you're gonna make
these boys' jobs...Copy !req
866. - a whole hell of a lot harder.
- Sir.Copy !req
867. It was only on October the 24th...Copy !req
868. that our ambassador
to the United Nations, Adlai Stevenson...Copy !req
869. was assaulted in Dallas,
leaving a dinner meeting there.Copy !req
870. From Dallas, Texas,
the flash, apparently official...Copy !req
871. President Kennedy died
at 1 p.m. Central Standard Time...Copy !req
872. 2 o'clock Eastern Standard Time...Copy !req
873. some 38 minutes ago.Copy !req
874. Vice President Lyndon Johnson
has left the hospital in Dallas...Copy !req
875. but we do not know
to where he has proceeded.Copy !req
876. Presumably, he will be taking
the oath of office shortly...Copy !req
877. and become the 36th president
of the United States.Copy !req
878. I wanna thank everybody
for getting here so quickly.Copy !req
879. And I'm gonna need your help
back in Washington.Copy !req
880. - Marie, can you join me in the next room?
- Yes, sir.Copy !req
881. - Excuse me.
- At Dallas Airport...Copy !req
882. was cheerful, waving...Copy !req
883. This is Lyndon Johnson.Copy !req
884. Yeah.Copy !req
885. I need you to take notes.Copy !req
886. Sir, I got Lyndon Johnson
on the phone.Copy !req
887. Hello, Lyndon.Copy !req
888. Bobby, I am...Copy !req
889. so sorry for your loss.Copy !req
890. Words cannot express...Copy !req
891. The whole country mourns with you.Copy !req
892. - Thank you.
- Listen, Bobby...Copy !req
893. I need your opinion about something.Copy !req
894. People down here are saying that I...Copy !req
895. I should take the oath of office
as soon as possible...Copy !req
896. before we depart.Copy !req
897. What do you think about that?Copy !req
898. Well, I think it would be nice
for President Kennedy...Copy !req
899. to return to Washington as president.Copy !req
900. Well, I understand that. I do.Copy !req
901. But we got confusion down here,
and it's liable to turn into panic.Copy !req
902. I think it would put
a lot of people at ease...Copy !req
903. if I was to take the oath right now.Copy !req
904. What's the matter?
You afraid you'll arrive...Copy !req
905. and the White House won't be here?Copy !req
906. I think it's important
that the world knows...Copy !req
907. that the American government is
functioning and someone's in charge.Copy !req
908. Well, I don't know what the hurry is...Copy !req
909. but if you're so insistent
on taking the oath, take the oath.Copy !req
910. Okay, Bobby, then I'll take the oath.Copy !req
911. Fine, Lyndon.Copy !req
912. Now, we have
to be absolutely certain that...Copy !req
913. we do this the right way.Copy !req
914. So I need you to get me
the precise wording.Copy !req
915. - Is that all?
- One last thing.Copy !req
916. Who do we need to administer it?Copy !req
917. Any judge can do it.Copy !req
918. Okay, well, thank you, Bobby.Copy !req
919. God bless.Copy !req
920. Get me Sarah Hughes.Copy !req
921. I do solemnly swear...Copy !req
922. I do solemnly swear...Copy !req
923. That I will faithfully execute...Copy !req
924. That I will faithfully execute...Copy !req
925. The office of president
of the United States...Copy !req
926. The office of president
of the United States...Copy !req
927. And will, to the best of my ability...Copy !req
928. And will, to the best of my ability...Copy !req
929. - Preserve, protect...
- Preserve, protect...Copy !req
930. - And defend...
- And defend...Copy !req
931. The Constitution of the United States.Copy !req
932. - The Constitution of the United States.
- So help me God.Copy !req
933. So help me God.Copy !req
934. At 3:39 p.m.,
the machinery of our government...Copy !req
935. conferred the unique powers
and awesome responsibilities...Copy !req
936. of the presidency
upon Lyndon Baines Johnson.Copy !req
937. There is, in the urgent necessity
of this continuity of presidential power...Copy !req
938. a reassurance
that the government will function...Copy !req
939. the nation endure,
no matter how great the tragedy...Copy !req
940. no matter how grievous the shock.Copy !req
941. Welcome back, sir.Copy !req
942. - Mrs. Johnson.
- Glad you're safe, sir.Copy !req
943. Early reports said you'd been shot
or that you'd had a heart attack.Copy !req
944. Agent Youngblood
took excellent care of us.Copy !req
945. - Bird?
- Yes?Copy !req
946. Can you get your good stationery? I'd like
to write letters to Caroline and John.Copy !req
947. - Juanita.
- Yes, sir?Copy !req
948. - Come with me. I need to make calls.
- Yes, sir.Copy !req
949. Yes, it has been a shocking day.Copy !req
950. Well, I...Copy !req
951. You know,
I feel inadequate to the task.Copy !req
952. And I'm gonna be relying
on your good, sound judgment.Copy !req
953. And...Copy !req
954. I'll be calling on you...Copy !req
955. to get your advice.Copy !req
956. You know how much
I've admired you over the years.Copy !req
957. Well, please give my love
to Mrs. Eisenhower.Copy !req
958. No, no, no.Copy !req
959. Anything Harry Truman has to say,
I'm all ears.Copy !req
960. I'm gonna be calling on you real soon.Copy !req
961. J. Edgar, you are not just
the head of the Federal Bureau...Copy !req
962. you're as close
as "close" can be to me.Copy !req
963. Now, let's just try to put
our country at close ranks...Copy !req
964. and pull ourselves out of this
terrible situation we find ourselves in.Copy !req
965. Nellie, how's our boy?
Is he in a lot of pain?Copy !req
966. Well, tell John I'm praying for him...Copy !req
967. and Bird and I are sending you both
a big hug and a kiss.Copy !req
968. Pierre, it makes no sense
to be jumping ship now...Copy !req
969. when we're all
on the same fucking ocean.Copy !req
970. I'm going to bed, dear.Copy !req
971. Okay, baby.Copy !req
972. Now, I need you now
more than he ever did.Copy !req
973. Lady Bird and I will remain
at the Elms for the foreseeable future.Copy !req
974. And Jackie can stay at the White House
for as long as she likes.Copy !req
975. Bundy said you and your staff
should move to the Oval Office tomorrow.Copy !req
976. Fine.Copy !req
977. Ted Sorensen?Copy !req
978. It's Lyndon Johnson.Copy !req
979. Hello, Mr. President.Copy !req
980. I'm glad I tracked you down.Copy !req
981. Sir, Senator Russell's
pulled up to the house.Copy !req
982. Listen, I know how much
you loved President Kennedy.Copy !req
983. And he loved you too.Copy !req
984. You were a trusted servant,
loyal to the end.Copy !req
985. Ted, I need you now
more than he ever did.Copy !req
986. How many senators
did Russell bring with him?Copy !req
987. Looks like the entire Southern delegation.Copy !req
988. Any idea what they want?Copy !req
989. Russell said they just wanted
to wish you well.Copy !req
990. No. They could've done that
over the phone.Copy !req
991. Mr. President.Copy !req
992. Mr. President.Copy !req
993. In this dark hour
of our nation's history...Copy !req
994. we must remember
to give thanks for our blessings.Copy !req
995. Because out of the despicable ashes
of a presidential assassination...Copy !req
996. a new leader has emerged.Copy !req
997. And we're all here to offer our support.Copy !req
998. Yes, sir.Copy !req
999. After a century of persecution,
a century of being treated as inferior...Copy !req
1000. after 100 long years...Copy !req
1001. we finally have one of our own
leading this nation.Copy !req
1002. America has a Southern president.Copy !req
1003. And we could think
of no finer representative for our people.Copy !req
1004. Dear Lord...Copy !req
1005. continue to watch over our president...Copy !req
1006. and fill him with the strength...Copy !req
1007. and wisdom as he works to do
the same for all your children.Copy !req
1008. Amen. Amen.Copy !req
1009. Thank you, Dick. Gentlemen.Copy !req
1010. Good morning, gentlemen.Copy !req
1011. - Mr. President.
- Mr. President.Copy !req
1012. I'm pleased to see you
back at work already.Copy !req
1013. The Constitution put me
in the White House...Copy !req
1014. but there's no law
to make you stay here with me.Copy !req
1015. Now, I know you loved
President Kennedy...Copy !req
1016. but I need you now
more than he ever did.Copy !req
1017. Not that I loved Caesar less...Copy !req
1018. but that I loved Rome more.Copy !req
1019. - I can't believe he quoted Shakespeare.
- Can't believe he quoted Brutus.Copy !req
1020. Good morning, Mrs. Lincoln.Copy !req
1021. Good morning.Copy !req
1022. Now, I have an 11:30 appointment.Copy !req
1023. Can I get my girls
in the office by then?Copy !req
1024. I'll do the best I can.Copy !req
1025. I know you will.Copy !req
1026. Mrs. Kennedy
had the new carpet installed...Copy !req
1027. when everybody went to Texas.Copy !req
1028. Oh. Strange choice.Copy !req
1029. What's going on?Copy !req
1030. Mr. Johnson told me
to clear everything out immediately.Copy !req
1031. You don't waste any time,
do you, Lyndon?Copy !req
1032. - Excuse me?
- It's going to take some doing to get...Copy !req
1033. all of President Kennedy's
belongings packed and relocated.Copy !req
1034. I was told to use this office.Copy !req
1035. Just like you were told
to take the oath in Dallas?Copy !req
1036. Bobby...Copy !req
1037. I'm not trying
to shove myself anywhere.Copy !req
1038. In fact, I told Jackie she could stay
in the East Wing as long as she needs.Copy !req
1039. Well, that's not really the part of the
building that you're interested in, is it?Copy !req
1040. I'm just trying to do my job.Copy !req
1041. My brother's coffin is down the hall.
This is not where our attention should be.Copy !req
1042. We all mourn for your brother.Copy !req
1043. But somebody has to tend
to the business of the country.Copy !req
1044. Mourning for my brother is
the business of the country.Copy !req
1045. We can come back later
after my cabinet meeting.Copy !req
1046. Your cabinet...Copy !req
1047. Bobby...Copy !req
1048. I know you've got a lot on your mind.Copy !req
1049. But I want you to stand with me
as attorney general.Copy !req
1050. You've already got one photograph
with a grieving Kennedy at your side.Copy !req
1051. Do you really need another?Copy !req
1052. I'd appreciate it if you kept me
apprised of any...Copy !req
1053. change in plans you might have.Copy !req
1054. Okay.Copy !req
1055. Yeah, I know where to find you.Copy !req
1056. People gathered outside
the grounds of the White House today...Copy !req
1057. watching the dignitaries
and government officials...Copy !req
1058. and representatives
of foreign governments...Copy !req
1059. come through the gates
and go to pay last respects...Copy !req
1060. to President Kennedy, lying in
the East Room of the White House.Copy !req
1061. Our reporter, David Schumacher,
was outside the White House...Copy !req
1062. and talked to some of those people.
Let's look at that film now.Copy !req
1063. Just words... Just... I just can't describe
just how I feel at this time.Copy !req
1064. It just seems empty.Copy !req
1065. It just doesn't seem like anybody else
could fill the place the way he did.Copy !req
1066. Sir, we need to discuss
your address to Congress.Copy !req
1067. It's unreal.
This can't happen in our country.Copy !req
1068. I feel the profound grief that...Copy !req
1069. I'm not ready for that yet.Copy !req
1070. Well, with all due respect,
you better get ready.Copy !req
1071. President Kennedy's burial
has been set for Monday.Copy !req
1072. Thursday being Thanksgiving,
we don't have much of a window.Copy !req
1073. Thinking that, possibly,
the only thing we could do is to...Copy !req
1074. pray that Lyndon Johnson
can carry on.Copy !req
1075. Johnson gave Pierre the "I need
you more than he needed you" speech.Copy !req
1076. What did you tell him?Copy !req
1077. I told him I'd stay as press
secretary as long as he needed me.Copy !req
1078. Till Tuesday.Copy !req
1079. Johnson's not gonna be satisfied till
every one of us promises to serve him.Copy !req
1080. So, what are we doing here?Copy !req
1081. In his inaugural address...Copy !req
1082. President Kennedy declared that...Copy !req
1083. the torch had been passed
to a new generation of Americans.Copy !req
1084. The question before us now is:Copy !req
1085. Who should be the custodian
of that torch?Copy !req
1086. The Constitution may say
that the vice president...Copy !req
1087. is the next in the line of succession,
but does anyone here believe...Copy !req
1088. that Lyndon Johnson is
the man to carry that torch?Copy !req
1089. So, what are you suggesting?Copy !req
1090. I didn't come to Washington
just to work for John Kennedy.Copy !req
1091. I came here to work
for what John Kennedy believed in.Copy !req
1092. There is unfinished business.Copy !req
1093. Right now our only hope of completing it
is by serving his successor.Copy !req
1094. That's not true. There are other ways.Copy !req
1095. We've come too far
to put everything on hold.Copy !req
1096. So you think that Johnson will continue
the work of President Kennedy?Copy !req
1097. This is a man who has fought against
every piece of civil rights legislation...Copy !req
1098. for the last 20 years.Copy !req
1099. How do you honor Kennedy
by working for Johnson?Copy !req
1100. You're looking at it wrong.Copy !req
1101. Even if Johnson believed in what
we believe in, and that is up for debate...Copy !req
1102. how much do you think
he'd accomplish in one year?Copy !req
1103. Good point.Copy !req
1104. Could we mount a campaign by then?Copy !req
1105. Bobby is more powerful and
more popular than any other Democrat...Copy !req
1106. including Lyndon Johnson.Copy !req
1107. The men in this room all want to see
a president, a President Kennedy...Copy !req
1108. deliver this world to a better place.
So do the people of this country.Copy !req
1109. Hear, hear.Copy !req
1110. What are you
asking us to do? Quit?Copy !req
1111. - Betray Lyndon Johnson?
- No.Copy !req
1112. No, no, no. No one is being asked
to sabotage anything.Copy !req
1113. No one is calling for a mass exodus,
and this certainly is not a coup d'état.Copy !req
1114. Johnson needs to make his case
to the American people.Copy !req
1115. He needs to prove
that he's worthy of this job.Copy !req
1116. And if he stumbles...Copy !req
1117. if he should fall...Copy !req
1118. we need to be prepared
to challenge him.Copy !req
1119. And it will be Bobby's time.Copy !req
1120. We can't just sweep
the rest of the agenda under the rug.Copy !req
1121. Yes. He has to make
some progress on civil rights.Copy !req
1122. - Some. We need to be realistic.
- Howdy, Zephyr.Copy !req
1123. - Evening, sir.
- Good evening, sir.Copy !req
1124. Hear anything back
from the Kennedy men?Copy !req
1125. Well, two nights ago,
they had a meeting...Copy !req
1126. and I... I think we're gonna
hear something soon.Copy !req
1127. How they going in there?Copy !req
1128. It's going.Copy !req
1129. We can't just keep doing
the same thing.Copy !req
1130. The best thing we can do is
show some progress in civil rights.Copy !req
1131. "Some progress" is not enough.Copy !req
1132. The civil rights bill was the cornerstone
of Kennedy's presidency.Copy !req
1133. Even Kennedy was gonna have
to compromise.Copy !req
1134. Exactly.Copy !req
1135. And nobody expects Johnson
to be John Kennedy.Copy !req
1136. Do our daughters know I love them?Copy !req
1137. Of course they do, Lyndon. Why?Copy !req
1138. I didn't always know.Copy !req
1139. Rebekah loved you.Copy !req
1140. Some days, she...Copy !req
1141. made me feel like a prince, but...Copy !req
1142. some days...Copy !req
1143. Lyndon.Copy !req
1144. Honey?Copy !req
1145. You're not supposed to have that.Copy !req
1146. Now, what's this all about?Copy !req
1147. From the time I was a boy, I...Copy !req
1148. I had this dream...Copy !req
1149. I'd rather not have it
than have it this way.Copy !req
1150. Oh, my poor darling.Copy !req
1151. They don't... They want...Copy !req
1152. They want Jack. They love Jack.Copy !req
1153. They love Bobby. They...Copy !req
1154. They don't even like me.Copy !req
1155. Lyndon...Copy !req
1156. your mother didn't turn her back on you
because she didn't love you.Copy !req
1157. She just couldn't stand to see you
when you weren't at your best.Copy !req
1158. She wouldn't wanna see me now.Copy !req
1159. You're gonna be all right.Copy !req
1160. You're a good man in a tight spot.Copy !req
1161. President Kennedy did
wonderful things for America.Copy !req
1162. Not the least of which was choosing you
to be his successor.Copy !req
1163. He was a man of great ideas.Copy !req
1164. Now the country needs a man...Copy !req
1165. who can deliver.Copy !req
1166. If we don't do anything
about civil rights...Copy !req
1167. we'll face a challenge
at the convention.Copy !req
1168. - From Bobby?
- From someone.Copy !req
1169. The question is:Copy !req
1170. What's the minimum we need
to accomplish in order to win reelection?Copy !req
1171. Which provisions in Kennedy's bill
can we live without?Copy !req
1172. Are you saying weaken the bill
right out of the gate?Copy !req
1173. We can't risk everything
chasing ambitious goals.Copy !req
1174. Then what the hell's the presidency for?Copy !req
1175. Sit.Copy !req
1176. It can't be about a shiny airplane
or a room with no corners.Copy !req
1177. Surely, we can aspire
to something greater.Copy !req
1178. You wanna back
Kennedy's civil rights bill?Copy !req
1179. The entire goddamn thing.Copy !req
1180. Are you even in favor of it?Copy !req
1181. You know, about a...Copy !req
1182. year ago...Copy !req
1183. my private cook Mrs. Wright,
who you know...Copy !req
1184. was driving from here
down to the ranch in Texas.Copy !req
1185. So I asked her if she would mind...Copy !req
1186. bringing my dog,
Little Beagle Johnson, with her...Copy !req
1187. in order that he could be there
when I got home.Copy !req
1188. Mrs. Wright respectfully declined.Copy !req
1189. She said it is hard enough...Copy !req
1190. for a black woman driving
through the South...Copy !req
1191. without having a dog to worry about.Copy !req
1192. Finding a place to eat,
to sleep, to use the restroom.Copy !req
1193. The personal cook of the vice president
of the United States...Copy !req
1194. has to drive through towns
without stopping...Copy !req
1195. then squat to pee
by the side of the road.Copy !req
1196. Hundred years ago,
she would've been a slave.Copy !req
1197. Hundred years from now, hell,
she might be president.Copy !req
1198. But today...Copy !req
1199. we live in a time
of too much uncertainty.Copy !req
1200. Where can she eat?
Where can she sleep?Copy !req
1201. Can she vote?Copy !req
1202. And if she does, will she be harassed
for casting that vote?Copy !req
1203. Can she attend school?
If so, which school?Copy !req
1204. Can she travel the cities
and towns of this land...Copy !req
1205. without fearing for her safety?Copy !req
1206. What rights that belong
to the men in this room...Copy !req
1207. should not be afforded to her?Copy !req
1208. Sir, you're gonna lose the support of
the people who've always had your back.Copy !req
1209. And if you aren't successful, you're never
gonna earn the support of anyone else.Copy !req
1210. Four other presidents have fought
Congress on this and failed.Copy !req
1211. There will be no compromise.Copy !req
1212. There will be no negotiation.Copy !req
1213. And there will be no failure.Copy !req
1214. This time,
Congress is not fighting a president.Copy !req
1215. It's fighting two.Copy !req
1216. Never underestimate
the intensity of a martyr's cause...Copy !req
1217. or the size of a Texan's balls.Copy !req
1218. Good morning, Mr. President.Copy !req
1219. Good morning, Juanita.Copy !req
1220. Ted, we have scheduled a speech before
a joint session of Congress tomorrow.Copy !req
1221. I've heard.Copy !req
1222. I'd like you to write it.Copy !req
1223. Mr. President...Copy !req
1224. I don't know
that I'll be coming back to work.Copy !req
1225. Ted...Copy !req
1226. the voice of John Kennedy rings
throughout our land.Copy !req
1227. You gave words to that voice.Copy !req
1228. I need those words now.Copy !req
1229. Mr. President, I...Copy !req
1230. We are moving ahead full tilt
with his civil rights bill.Copy !req
1231. His entire agenda.Copy !req
1232. This is about making
President Kennedy's vision...Copy !req
1233. a reality.Copy !req
1234. Just checking to see
if you need anything.Copy !req
1235. I don't understand
what you want this to be.Copy !req
1236. Is it supposed to be a speech...Copy !req
1237. - or a eulogy...?
- Both.Copy !req
1238. A country's final goodbye
to President Kennedy...Copy !req
1239. and its first introduction
to President Johnson.Copy !req
1240. It's a eulogy,
it's an opening statement...Copy !req
1241. it's a State of the Union,
it's an inaugural address.Copy !req
1242. And you have less
than 21 hours to write it.Copy !req
1243. Do you really believe
he can accomplish all this?Copy !req
1244. I do.Copy !req
1245. How can he?Copy !req
1246. The same way he always has.Copy !req
1247. You are as worthless as porkless pig.
Now get me the goddamn list!Copy !req
1248. Senator Dirksen's office
said he can stop by.Copy !req
1249. - I'll go to him.
Mr. President...Copy !req
1250. I need to know
your thinking on Vietnam.Copy !req
1251. My thinking on Vietnam is that
I don't wanna think about Vietnam.Copy !req
1252. You stayed on the line to wait for me
to hang up on you?Copy !req
1253. - Rusk needs 10 minutes.
- He can have them in 20.Copy !req
1254. - There's gonna be a Southern filibuster.
- What's the count on cloture?Copy !req
1255. - About 56.
- You can leave about now.Copy !req
1256. Trust me, Bob.Copy !req
1257. I am not gonna be the president to let
Southeast Asia fall to the communists.Copy !req
1258. When I ask for a number,
I need a goddamn number.Copy !req
1259. Senator Dirksen,
this civil rights bill will have its day.Copy !req
1260. Oh, it's gonna have more than its day, sir.Copy !req
1261. There's going to be all-out war,
and I need men.Copy !req
1262. Men with principle.Copy !req
1263. Because the Southerners in my party,
most of them anyway...Copy !req
1264. are gonna rise up against us.Copy !req
1265. Now, Senator Yarborough,
are you up for that?Copy !req
1266. It is my sincere hope
that the Republicans...Copy !req
1267. the party of Lincoln...Copy !req
1268. fire the final shot.Copy !req
1269. Sir, I serve at your pleasure.Copy !req
1270. Good.Copy !req
1271. This is your fucking mess
I'm cleaning up.Copy !req
1272. Good to see you, Dick.Copy !req
1273. How you getting along?Copy !req
1274. Why don't we have a drink?Copy !req
1275. No.Copy !req
1276. No, I... I think
I'm done drinking with you.Copy !req
1277. You hurt the very people
who made you who you are.Copy !req
1278. And for what?Copy !req
1279. Civil rights is an idea
whose time has come.Copy !req
1280. This will define your presidency.Copy !req
1281. I can only hope.Copy !req
1282. You're willing to hitch your wagon
to the outcome of this bill?Copy !req
1283. We've been talking about this forever,
and we never say a damn thing.Copy !req
1284. Well... What...?
What do you wanna say?Copy !req
1285. That you're gonna turn
your back on me?Copy !req
1286. That you don't care about
everything I've done for you?Copy !req
1287. - That you're willing to betray me?
- That you're a racist.Copy !req
1288. All your talk about the Southern way of life
and loving the negra as your brother...Copy !req
1289. and all the while, you plot against him
like he is a sworn enemy.Copy !req
1290. I don't care where we're standing.Copy !req
1291. No man is gonna talk to me like that.Copy !req
1292. You are a good man, Dick.Copy !req
1293. World-class.Copy !req
1294. I admire you more than any man alive.Copy !req
1295. But you are wrong on this.
You are just plain wrong.Copy !req
1296. I'm gonna fight you
with everything that I have.Copy !req
1297. Fine. Fight me.Copy !req
1298. But not in here.Copy !req
1299. And not in backrooms
in hushed conversation.Copy !req
1300. Fight me on the floor
of the United States Senate...Copy !req
1301. in front of the entire world.Copy !req
1302. And on that battlefield...Copy !req
1303. let each man write his own legacy.Copy !req
1304. Time to go.Copy !req
1305. Try not to look at the Southern Caucus
when talking about civil rights.Copy !req
1306. How will he know
where they're sitting?Copy !req
1307. Don't worry. I'll spot them.Copy !req
1308. They'll be the ones not clapping.Copy !req
1309. Are you ready, sir?Copy !req
1310. Yes.Copy !req
1311. Mr. Speaker.Copy !req
1312. The president of the United States.Copy !req
1313. Mr. President.Copy !req
1314. Good, Mr. President.Copy !req
1315. Mr. President.Copy !req
1316. Mr. Speaker.Copy !req
1317. Mr. President.Copy !req
1318. Members of the House,
Members of the Senate...Copy !req
1319. my fellow Americans.Copy !req
1320. All I have...Copy !req
1321. I would have given gladly
not to be standing here today.Copy !req
1322. The greatest leader of our time...Copy !req
1323. has been struck down...Copy !req
1324. by the foulest deed of our time.Copy !req
1325. Today...Copy !req
1326. John Fitzgerald Kennedy lives on.Copy !req
1327. He lives on in the mind
and memories of mankind.Copy !req
1328. He lives on in the hearts
of his countrymen.Copy !req
1329. No words are sad enough...Copy !req
1330. to express our sense of loss.Copy !req
1331. No words are strong enough...Copy !req
1332. to express our determination...Copy !req
1333. to continue...Copy !req
1334. the forward thrust...Copy !req
1335. of America that he began.Copy !req
1336. An assassin's bullet
has thrust upon me...Copy !req
1337. the awesome burden
of the presidency.Copy !req
1338. And in this critical moment...Copy !req
1339. it is our duty...Copy !req
1340. yours and mine...Copy !req
1341. as the government
of the United States...Copy !req
1342. to do away with uncertainty
and doubt and delay...Copy !req
1343. and to show that we are capable
of decisive action.Copy !req
1344. That from the brutal loss
of our leader...Copy !req
1345. we will derive not weakness...Copy !req
1346. but strength.Copy !req
1347. John Kennedy's death commands
what his life conveyed:Copy !req
1348. That America must move forward.Copy !req
1349. The time has come...Copy !req
1350. for Americans of all races and creeds...Copy !req
1351. and political beliefs...Copy !req
1352. to understand...Copy !req
1353. and to respect one another.Copy !req
1354. So let us put an end to the teaching...Copy !req
1355. and the preaching of hate and evil...Copy !req
1356. and violence.Copy !req
1357. I profoundly hope...Copy !req
1358. that the tragedy and the torment
of these terrible days...Copy !req
1359. will bind us together
in new fellowship...Copy !req
1360. making us one people
in our hour of sorrow.Copy !req
1361. So let us, here, highly resolve...Copy !req
1362. that John Fitzgerald Kennedy
did not live...Copy !req
1363. or die in vain.Copy !req
1364. No memorial oration or eulogy
could more eloquently honor...Copy !req
1365. President Kennedy's memory...Copy !req
1366. than the earliest possible passage
of the civil rights bill...Copy !req
1367. for which he fought so long.Copy !req
1368. We have talked long enough
in this country about equal rights.Copy !req
1369. We have talked for 100 years or more.Copy !req
1370. It is time now to write
the next chapter...Copy !req
1371. and to write it in the books of law.Copy !req
1372. On the 20th day of January,
in 19 and 61...Copy !req
1373. John F. Kennedy told his countrymen...Copy !req
1374. that our national work...Copy !req
1375. would not be finished
in the first thousand days...Copy !req
1376. nor in the life of this administration.Copy !req
1377. Nor even perhaps
in our lifetime on this planet.Copy !req
1378. But he said:Copy !req
1379. "Let us begin."Copy !req
1380. Today...Copy !req
1381. in this moment of new resolve...Copy !req
1382. I would say
to all my fellow Americans:Copy !req
1383. Let us continue.Copy !req
1384. Sir, we need to move beyond
civil rights and start thinking about...Copy !req
1385. whatever else it is that we aim to do.Copy !req
1386. Well, if we've learned anything
from President Kennedy...Copy !req
1387. it's that life is precious
and time is fleeting.Copy !req
1388. And I don't intend to waste either.Copy !req
1389. Mistakes will be made,
but inaction won't be one of them.Copy !req
1390. John Kennedy gave people hope.Copy !req
1391. Now we are gonna give them results.Copy !req
1392. Let's get to work.Copy !req
1393. - Thank you, Mr. President.
- Thank you.Copy !req
1394. Sir, I have the request from McNamara.
Can I get your signature right there?Copy !req
1395. Excuse me, Mr. President.
This is the brief...Copy !req