Session: 1234567891011121314151617         Page 365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419 of 755

lights, at the side door the motorcycle escorts came up, and I knew it wasn't a car for me, I knew it was the President. Of course, as it pulled up, there was the secret service guy in the front seat, and the driver, and in the back seat was Lyndon Johnson. The door was promptly opened for me, I got in, he put his arm around my neck, pulled me over close and said, “None of your goddamned debates.” The first thing he said. Because he knew that I had --

Well, by that time you had really lobbied --

Well, by that time I had, as a result of the success of the first debate with Kennedy, extracted a commitment from him that he would put his weight behind getting the legislation through. Johnson knew that, and he was out to scuttle it. Now he was in the driver's seat, because Pastore couldn't hold up against the White House on the legislation. The House hadn't acted, but we did have the Senate. I had the Senate lined up.

That's amazing.

That's a manifestation of how he felt, even back in the days when he still thought he might have been a candidate in '60. Indeed, one Sunday afternoon I had a call from Lady Bird. She said that she and Lyndon were going to be in New York for dinner with some friends, and could I have a drink with them in the late afternoon? They just wanted to visit a little bit. The whole visit was devoted to how Johnson could use television as effectively as Kennedy was using it.