The LBJ Tapes

Within days after assuming the office of President, Lyndon Johnson ordered his secretary to record all of his incoming and outgoing telephone calls from the Oval Office. The LBJ Tapes, declassified after thirty-five years, chronicles the Johnson administration--one of the most turbulent times in modern American history--through the original recordings made from a dicta-phone, stills, and dramatic visual recreations, offering insight into the man, his values, and his daily struggles as the country's leader. Volume one of the 4-video set begins with Kennedy's assassination and the phone call LBJ made to Mrs. Rose Kennedy from Air Force One while enroute with JFK's body, before moving on to cover the rapid White House transition. The second volume focuses on the "Kennedy problem," LBJ's legendary political rivalry with Attorney General Robert Kennedy. Volume three chronicles the escalating military involvement in Vietnam, clearly demonstrating the administration's deception and manipulation of the press and the American people. The final volume documents Johnson's fight to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and the efforts of J. Edgar Hoover to trap and discredit Martin Luther King, Jr. Although the overall tone of the program seems to promote the darker aspects of Johnson's reign, viewers will also see how LBJ moved a grieving nation forward, became the first President to push through meaningful civil rights legislation, and was the political motivating force behind such "Great Society" programs as Medicare and Medicaid. Winner of a Peabody Award, The LBJ Tapes is highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (L. Stevens)