Taking Charge: Johnson White House Tapes, 1963-64 - Hardcover

Beschloss, Michael R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0684804077 ISBN 13: 9780684804071

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd, 1998

Synopsis

The only US President to record his private conversations from his first day in office, Lyndon Johnson ordered that the tapes be locked in a vault until at least the year 2023. But now they have been unsealed to provide a close look at a President taking power, from John F. Kennedy's murder to Johnson's campaign for a landslide victory. Here transcribed, edited, set in context and annotated by a professional historian, the tapes offer insight into how Johnston used power by flattering, provoking and twisting the arms of dominant personalities such as Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. They also illuminate Johnson's changing relationships with his wife and the rest of his family, with Jacqueline Kennedy, with ex-Presidents Truman and Eisenhower, and with members of the Cabinet and White House staff.

About this title

Review:

Alan Brinkley The New York Times Book Review [Taking Charge] gives us an incomparable picture of the character and style of one of the most remarkable personalities ever to inhabit the Presidency.

Albert R. Hunt The Wall Street Journal When it comes to sheer marvelous history, Taking Charge is unbeatable. Anybody who cares about presidential elections or about American history -- or who simply wants to have fun -- should read these Johnson tapes.

Michiko Kakutani The New York Times Compelling...as expertly selected, edited, and footnoted by Beschloss, the conversations form a fascinating record of the first nine months of Johnson's administration, providing new insights into his character and a revealing look at the day-to-day workings of his presidency and the crucial decisions he would make on Vietnam and civil rights.

Richard Barnet The Washington Post Book World A fascinating portrait of an imposing, manipulative, driven, conflicted, and surprisingly vulnerable character whose political ambitions had suddenly been achieved under frightening circumstances.

Steve Neal Chicago Sun Times An extraordinary study of one of the more extraordinary characters in American history. Johnson the man is brought vividly to life in Taking Charge.

Hugh Brogan The Spectator No one seriously or frivolously interested in American history and politics should leave this book unread....A stupendous, unstudied self-portrait....If [later volumes of The Johnson White House Tapes] are the equals of this one for insight into the very heart of high politics, then a classic is in the making.

About the Author:

Michael Beschloss has been called by Newsweek "the nation's leading presidential historian." Author of five previous books on American Presidents, he is a frequent lecturer and a regular commentator on ABC News and PBS's The News Hour with Jim Lehrer. Born in Chicago, he is a trustee of the White House Historical Association, the National Archives Foundation, and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. He lives in Washington, DC.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0684804077
• ISBN 13: 9780684804071
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 624