Master of the Senate (228 page)

“Humphrey wanted”:
Baker, quoted in Miller, p. 154.
“Their only”:
Goodwin,
Lyndon Johnson
, pp. 107–08. She says that Hill had agreed to support Johnson “only a few minutes earlier,” but actually Hill had agreed several days before this, because the meeting was some time after Nov. 13.

Settling on Murray:
Humphrey, quoted in Miller, p. 154.
“He had”:
Stewart McClure OH.
Stevenson telephone call:
“Adlai—Stevenson—LBJ,” Nov. 20, “Notes and Transcripts of Johnson Conversations,” Box 1; Johnson to Stevenson (and attached telegram), Jan. 22, 1953, Box 118, LBJA SF.

“Although”:
Excerpt from Humphrey on “Reporters Roundup,” Dec. 15, JSP.
“More calls”:
Reedy interview.

“Hubert can’t win”:
Johnson, quoted in Baker,
Wheeling and Dealing
, p. 61.
Promised “candy”:
Baker,
Wheeling and Dealing
, pp. 61, 62.
Telephoning; “exhilarating”; “prepared”:
Humphrey, p. 163.

Meeting with Hunt, Lehman, Douglas:
Humphrey, p. 163; Humphrey OH I, pp. 19, 20.
Coming back alone:
Humphrey, pp. 163–64; Humphrey, quoted in Miller, p. 154.

Democratic caucus:
“Minutes of Democratic Conference, Friday, Jan. 2, 1953,”
Minutes of the U.S. Senate Democratic Conference, 1903–1640
, Donald A. Ritchie, ed., Washington, USGPO, 1998, pp. 487–93.
“Very wonderful”:
“Attached are Senator Russell’s notes which he wrote in preparation for the speech. Senator Johnson wants you to put them away safely…,” Rather to Lady
Bird Johnson, Jan. 8, 1953, LBJA Subject Files, “Senate, U.S.,” Box 118, “Minority—Russell Remarks.”
“Senator Murray”:
Humphrey, p. 155.
“I’ll never forget”:
Humphrey, quoted in Miller, p. 155.
“Number One”; “don’t come”; “I would be”:
Humphrey OH and
Education
, pp. 164, 165.

The youngest:
Richard A. Baker to Caro, Dec. 2, 1994 (in author’s possession).
“He had just”:
Pearson,
Diaries
, p. 246.
“Almost”:
Evans and Novak, p. 50.

All dates are 1953 unless otherwise noted.

“I shoved in”:
McConaughy to Beshoar, June 10, MP; John Steele, “A Kingmaker or a Dark Horse?”
Life
, June 25, 1956.
“The Senate would”:
White,
Citadel
, p. 184.

Grasped quickly; “was a personal”:
Reedy to Johnson, Nov. 12, Box 7, SPF; Reedy interview.
“Total decay”:
Joseph and Stewart Alsop, “The Democrats Rally,”
NYHT
, Feb. 1.

Foreign Relations going; should be shored; “Mansfield”:
NYT
, Jan 13;
NYT Magazine
, Feb. 1; Fleeson,
WS
, Jan. 14;McConaughy to Laybourne, Jan. 14, SP.
Only one example:
McConaughy to Berger, Jan. 16, MP; Evans and Novak,
LBJ: Exercise
, pp. 63, 64;
H P
, Jan. 19.

The description of Johnson’s changing the committee-assignment system and the Policy Committee’s significance is drawn from memoranda written to Johnson by Reedy between November 21, 1953, and June 18, 1954, Boxes 116 and 118, LBJA SF, and “Papers of George Reedy,” Box 413, JSP; from the intraoffice memoranda and “Confidential Worksheets” cited below; from the Drew Pearson Papers at the LBJL; from Baker,
Wheeling and Dealing
, pp. 63–65; Evans and Novak, pp. 61–65, Goldsmith,
Colleagues
, pp. 33–35; Goodwin,
Lyndon Johnson
, pp. 110–17; Steinberg,
Sam Johnson’s Boy
, pp. 344–48; from McConaughy to Laybourne, Jan. 14, SP, and to Berger, Jan. 16, MP. It is also drawn from the oral history interviews of Humphrey, McClure, Reedy, and Siegel, and from the author’s interviews with Bibolet, Corcoran, Goldsmith, Jenkins, MacNeil, Reedy, Ritchie, Rowe, Siegel, and Steele. Baker says that changing the seniority system was his idea, but Reedy says that it was
his
idea.

Sold with humor:
Various versions of the story are in Miller,
Lyndon
, p. 157; Steinberg,
Sam Johnson’s Boy
, p. 344; Reedy OH. I have used the version from “The Humor of LBJ—25th Anniversary” audiocassette.
The South’s last; “I’ve just”; No one was being forced:
Reedy, Steele interviews.
“LBJ very early”:
Reedy OH V, pp. 10, 11.
“The foundation”; “Johnson dissembled”:
Goodwin,
Lyndon Johnson
, p. 112.

“We’ll be making”:
Steele interview.
Proved:
Goodwin,
Lyndon Johnson
, p. 113. Also see Goldsmith, p. 33.
“A leg up”:
Goldsmith, p. 33.
“When Johnson broached”:
Evans and Novak, p. 64.
“You’re dealing”:
Steinberg,
Sam Johnson’s Boy
, p. 344.
“Playing with”; While he:
Evans and Novak, p. 64; Reedy interview.

Byrd said:
Childs,
SLP-D
, Jan. 17, 21; Reedy interview.
Magnuson unmoved:
“Confidential Work Sheet No. 1, Present Democratic Membership of Standing Committees of the Senate (Requests for Assignments),” pp. 2, 3, and “Confidential Work Sheet No. 2”; Jenkins to Johnson, “Requests of Senators with Reference to Committee Assignments, Nov. 14”; “Requests of Senators…,” Jan. 5, Box 116, LBJA, SF; Jenkins interview.
Johnson scrawled:
“list of committees and committee assignments…,” Nov. 6, 1952, Box 116, LBJA SF.

Morse problem:
CR
, 83/1, pp. 143–44; Bibolet to Johnson, Jan. 12, Box 116, JSP; “one of,” Reedy to Johnson, undated, Box 116, JSP; McConaughy to Laybourne, Jan. 14;Ralph K. Huitt, “The Morse Committee Assignment Controversy: A Study in Senate Norms,”
APSR
, June 1957, pp. 315–18;
Newsweek
, Jan. 12;
Time
, Jan. 12, 19;
NYT
, Jan. 8, 14;
WP
, Jan. 14;Ritchie interview.
At four a.m.:
McConaughy to Berger, Jan. 16, MP.

Outmaneuvering Taft:
Case, Taft, Butler (Nebr.), Jenner, Cooper, “Proposed Report for Special Committee on Size and Number of Committees,” Jan. 2, Box 116, JSP. (On which Johnson shows that he was thinking of the Appropriations increase, writing on it by hand, evidently at a later date, “Russell, McCarran, Murray—acceptable to them for one each to be added to Appropriations”); “S. Res [blank],” undated, “Resolved that section (1),” Box 116, JSP; Simms to Johnson, “Memorandum for Senator Lyndon Johnson,” Jan. 9, Box 116, JSP;
CR
, 83/1, pp. 232–33, 279–81; McConaughy to Berger, Jan. 16, McConaughy to Beshoar, June 10, MP.
“So far”:
Taft to C. Wayland Brooks, Jan. 17, quoted in Patterson,
Mr. Republican
, p. 589.
No plans:
“Freshmen Republican Senators…,”
Merry-Go-Round Release
, Feb. 5, 1957, Box 116, JSP; Ritchie interview; Steinberg,
Sam Johnson’s Boy
, p. 343.
Appears; both senators agreed:
“Senators Receiving
New Committee Assignments,” undated, Box 116;
WP
, Jan. 13; Reedy interview.

Humphrey-Johnson conversation:
Humphrey OH II.
“A forum”:
Baker,
Wheeling and Dealing
, p. 65.
Clements-Johnson arrangement:
Reedy interview.
Persuading Russell Long:
NYT
, Jan. 13; Baker,
Wheeling and Dealing
, p. 64; Connally, Reedy interviews.

McCarthy was going:
Evans and Novak, p. 64.
“McCarran requests”:
“Memorandum to Senator Johnson,” Jan. 5, p. 2, Box 116, LBJA SF.
Hinting:
“Political David Girding Against Nevada Goliath,”
WP
, Jan. 4.
McCarran forced:
“(McCarran),” AP Dispatch, Dec. 29, 1952, Drew Pearson Papers, F 162, 2 of 3, LBJL.
“Is not”:
WP
, Jan. 1.
“All right”:
Drew Pearson,
WP
, Feb. 6.
“As you know”:
Truman to Johnson, Jan. 13, Box 8, WHFN; Jenkins interview.
Drew a line:
On “Requests of Senators,” Jan. 5; Reedy interview. And see
NYT
and
WP
, Jan 13.
“None”:
Evans and Novak, p. 64.
When he filled:
WP
, Jan. 13.
“I disapprove”:
Kennedy, quoted in
WP
, Jan. 13.

McClellan suggested:
McConaughy to Berger, Jan. 16; Reedy interview. “
Desirable”:
Johnson to Johnston, Jan. 13, Box 43, LBJA CF.

Through wall:
Jenkins, Rather interviews.
“It was like”:
Carroll Keach, quoted in Caro,
Path
, pp. 425–27.
Appealing to them; “Bob Taft is”; “McCarthy’s going”:
This description of Johnson’s arguments is based on recollections of the phraseology he used by members of his staff who heard him, and by friends in Washington and Texas to whom he repeated his arguments in describing how he persuaded various senators. Their names are in the fifth paragraph of the notes to this chapter. And see McConaughy to Laybourne, Jan. 14;
NYT, WP
, Jan. 13; White, “The Foreign Relations Committee,”
NYT Magazine
, Feb. 1.
Russell nodded:
Reedy interview.
“Now”:
McConaughy to Berger, Jan 16, MP.

Dropped:
“For Immediate Release—Chairman Lyndon B. Johnson announced today,” Jan. 12, Box 16, LBJA SF.
“I still remember”:
Goldsmith interview.
“Dared”:
Time
, Jan. 26.
“Remarkable”:
Fleeson,
WS
, Jan. 14.
“Rather miraculously”:
Alsop and Alsop,
NYHT
, Feb. 1.
“FRESHMAN DEMOCRATS”:
WP
, Jan. 13.
“Extraordinary”:
NYT
, Jan. 13.
“In barely two weeks”:
McConaughy to Berger, Jan. 16, MP.
“Was greeted”:
Childs,
SLP-D
, Jan. 17.

“Dear Lyndon”:
Rowe to Johnson, Jan. 13, Box 32, LBJA SN.
“We’ve got”; “more control”:
Baker,
Wheeling and Dealing
, pp. 65, 64.

Had not fulfilled:
Reedy,
U.S. Senate
, pp. 11, 12; Galloway,
Legislative Process
, p. 604.
Memoranda:
“Dr. Galloway’s views…,” Reedy to Johnson, undated, and “The material available on the policy committees…,” Nov. 19, 1952, Box 116, LBJA SF; Bone,
Party Committees
, pp. 166–96; “An Introduction to the Senate Policy Committees,”
APSR
, June 1956. The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 had charged the two Policy Committees with “the formulation of over-all legislative policy of the respective parties”; Robert C. Byrd, “Mr. President, as to the Democratic Policy Committee,”
CR
, 96/2, pp. 10612–616; Galloway to Reedy, Nov. 21, 1952, Box 116, LBJA SF; Jewell, “The Policy Committees,” Chapter 5,
Senatorial Politics;
Reedy, Siegel OHs; Bibolet, Reedy, Siegel interviews.

“Would emerge”:
McPherson,
Political Education
, p. 15.
“All we got”:
Evans and Novak, p. 61.

Cook wouldn’t:
Evans and Novak, pp. 61, 62; Siegel OH; Weisl interview.
Harlow unwilling:
Harlow interview.
Rowe turned down:
Rowe interview.

“We’d call”; “make the changes”:
Siegel OH.
Membership of Policy Committee:
Bone, p. 173; William S. White, “Democrats’ ‘Board of Directors,’”
NYT Magazine
, July 10, 1955.
Murray’s dotage:
McClure OH.
“An echo”; “solidify”:
Baker,
Wheeling and Dealing
, p. 64.
“One hundred percent”:
Baker,
Wheeling and Dealing
, p. 65.
“Unless”:
Siegel OH.
“Was really it”:
Smathers OH.
Hawaiian bill:
“Minutes of Meeting—Democratic Policy Committee, Monday, Feb. 3, 1953, Room G-18, U.S. Capitol, 12:45 p.m.,” Box 364, JSP.

“Usually late”:
White,
Citadel
, p. 210; Bibolet to Caro, March 4, 1995 (in author’s possession); Bibolet, Reedy interviews.
“Nowhere”:
Bone, p. 175.
“No leaks”:
Steele interview.
Liberals “saw”; “Private”:
Baker,
Wheeling and Dealing
, p. 65.

Few caucuses:
CR
, 96/2, pp. S10611–613.

$25:
“Minutes—Feb. 3,” p. 1.
“Senator Johnson … explained”:
“Minutes … Feb. 3,” p. 2, Box 364, JSP.
“Replies furnishing”:
“Minutes of Meeting—Democratic Policy Committee, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 1953, 12:45 p.m., Room G-18, U.S. Capitol,” p. 1, Box 364, JSP.
“The Senate”:
Johnson to (each committee chairman), Feb. 6, Box 116, LBJA SF.
Staff would be better:
Bibolet, Reedy, Siegel interviews.

“He came in”:
McClure OH.
“Of course”:
Bibolet interview.

“He accomplished this”:
Goodwin,
Lyndon Johnson
, p. 114.

All dates are 1953 unless otherwise noted.

“For three”:
Ambrose,
Eisenhower
, p. 31.
“Statesmanlike”:
Richard Rovere,
The New Yorker
, Jan. 31.
Shot his arms:
Ambrose, p. 42.