Master of the Senate (230 page)

“I respectfully”; “I would”:
Quoted in Goodwin,
Lyndon Johnson
, p. 115.
“Four measures”:
O’Mahoney to Johnson, Aug. 15, 1958, “Papers of the Democratic Leader,” Box 367, JSP.

Using Siegel, Reedy, Bibolet:
Siegel, Reedy, Bibolet interviews and OHs.
Starting to manage the bills:
Riddick, Shuman, Zagoria, Zweben interviews.
“In the past”:
Riddick interview.
“A spring”:
Johnson, quoted in Goodwin,
Lyndon Johnson
, p. 121.
“Assurance that”:
Robertson to Johnson, March 15, 1956, “Legis—B&C Com., Bank Holding Co. Bill, Sen. Res. S. 2577,” Robertson Papers, College of William and Mary.
“Now”:
Rid-dick interview.

“Save”:
Stokes,
WS
, Jan. 6.
“We have”:
NYHT
, May 6.
“Have been”:
Stewart Alsop,
WP
, May 21.
“He didn’t”:
Smathers OH.

“Lyndon, I want”:
“Conversations with Senator Kefauver, 11 a.m., Jan. 11, 1955,” Box 47, LBJA.

Badly wanted:
Lehman to Johnson, Nov. 4, 1954; Dec. 2, 1954; Jan. 13, 1955; Johnson to Lehman, Nov. 8, Dec. 21, 1954, Jan. 13, 1955, HHLP.
“Was more concerned”:
Pearson,
WP
, Jan. 2.
No Senate rule:
Edelstein to Kilgore, Dec. 10, 1954; Edelstein interview.
Johnson gave:
Pearson,
WP
, Jan. 2.

“The finance”:
Evans and Novak,
LBJ: Exercise
, p. 101.
“It had been”:
Stokes,
WS
, Jan. 11.
“I’m gonna”:
Baker,
Wheeling and Dealing
, p. 66.

“At his best”:
Fleeson,
WS
, Jan. 11.

“Just not”:
St. Claire interview; Maybank to Skeeter, Nov. 7; Kefauver to Johnson, Sept. 9, Oct. 22, 1953, Dec. 18, 1954; Johnson to Kefauver, Dec. 27, 1954; Gore to Johnson, Aug. 31, Box 506, JSP.

Master keys:
Jenkins interview.
The startled Ensley:
Ensley to Caro, Dec. 11, 1981 (in author’s possession); Ensley interview, OH.
“After”:
Goodwin,
Lyndon Johnson
, p. 103.

A silence:
Busby, Jenkins interviews.
“He wouldn’t”:
Edelstein interview.
Incident:
“Lehman, Telephoned …,” Nov. 26, “Immigration Bill re: hearings” folder, HHLP; Edelstein interview.

“You’d walk”:
Edelstein interview.
Chat with assistant:
McCulloch, Shuman interviews.
“Skeeter would”:
Shuman interview.
“Longshoremen’s”:
MacNeil interview.
“Cutting”:
Edelstein interview.
“What the”:
Schnibbee interview.

“My God”:
Evans and Novak, p. 102.
Aides gossiped:
Interviews with aides, including BeLieu, Bernstein, Fensterwald, McCulloch, McGillicuddy, Schnibbe, Shuman, Zweben.

Symington’s feelings:
Symington interview, OH.
Johnson resented:
BeLieu, Busby interviews.

“Not a team player”:
Baker,
Wheeling and Dealing
, p. 65. Baker says that “this was another way of saying that Symington was an independent loner who refused to let LBJ get a grip on him.” Johnson felt that Symington was an “ingrate” because of the “campaign money” Johnson had raised for his campaigns. Sam Houston Johnson says that “Johnson didn’t like” Symington because Symington was a rival for the presidential nomination (SHJ interview); Symington interview.

“Senators mutually”:
MacNeil,
Dirksen
, p. 137.
“Hell”:
Lucas, quoted in Reedy interview.
If President Kennedy:
Jackson, quoted in Reston,
Deadline
, pp. 304–05.

“As for”:
Long, quoted in Steinberg,
Sam Johnson’s Boy
, p. 456.
“When somebody”:
Van den Linden interview.

“Unanimous Consent Agreements”:
In 1955, Rule XII, paragraph 3 read: “No request by a senator for unanimous consent for the taking of a final vote on a specified date upon the passage of a bill or joint resolution shall be submitted to the Senate for agreement thereto until, upon a roll call ordered for the purpose by the presiding officer, it shall be disclosed that a quorum of the Senate is present; and when unanimous consent is thus given the same shall operate as the order of the Senate, but any unanimous consent may be revoked by a unanimous consent granted in the manner prescribed above, upon one day’s notice” (
Senate Manual
, 83/1, pp. 18–19).

Prior to World War II:
Galloway,
Legislative Process
, pp. 555–56.

“It was”:
Riddick interviews; OH.
“After Mr. Johnson came”:
Riddick OH, p. 253. Riddick says that with these innovations “Mr. Johnson … introduced a new procedure in the
Senate or at least expanded it, or made it more common than it had ever been before in modern times.” This discussion of his unanimous consent agreement innovations and their impact on the Senate is drawn from Riddick,
Senate Procedure
, principally pp. 1064–1102; Evans and Novak, pp. 114–15; Galloway,
Legislative Process
, pp. 552–57; from interviews with Riddick, who was assistant parliamentarian of the Senate from 1951 to 1964, and parliamentarian from 1964 to 1974; with Murray Zweben, assistant parliamentarian from 1964 to 1974 and parliamentarian from 1974 to 1980; with Bernard V. Somers, assistant journal clerk during the 1950s; with Senate Historian Richard A. Baker and Associate Historian Donald A. Ritchie; and with many senatorial staff members, of whom Frank McCulloch, Darrell St. Claire, and Howard Shuman were especially helpful.

“Johnson would come up”:
Riddick interview.

“There is … no rule”:
Riddick,
Senate Procedures
, p. 1066.
“Can be set aside” only:
Riddick, p. 1066.
Rules very different:
Riddick, pp. 1065–1102.
“Must be presented … without debate”:
Riddick, p. 1069.
“Where an amendment”:
Riddick, p. 1073.
Had to be subtracted:
Riddick, pp. 52–56, 1073, 1083–85.

“Russell held”:
Riddick interview.
“Not germane … out of order”:
Riddick, p. 51.

“A senator cannot be recognized”:
Riddick, p. 1083. And see pp. 886–87.
“Because of”; “if a senator offered”:
Zweben interview.

“Of course”:
Evans and Novak, p. 115.

“As long as”:
Reedy,
U.S. Senate
, p. 3.
“diversionary”:
Reedy,
LBJ
, pp. 82, 86.
“Hubert prepares”:
Johnson, quoted in Moody,
LBJ
, p. 52.
“Whenever”:
Reedy,
U.S. Senate
, p. 4.
“Relic”; “interlude”:
McPherson,
Political Education
, p. 76.
“Keep it”; “We’ve got”:
Edelsten, Shuman interviews.
“Greek tragedy”:
Douglas, quoted in Goodwin,
Lyndon Johnson
, p. 136.
“It is”:
Johnson, quoted in Goodwin, p. 141.

“He regarded”; “absolutely”; “merely exercises”:
Reedy,
Johnson
, pp. 6, 7, 68.
“Attitude left no room”;
Reedy, p. 82.
“The role of public debate”:
Reedy, p. 7.
“A natural”:
Goodwin, p. 130.
“Abhorred”:
Reedy, p. 6.
“His constant”:
McPherson, p. 169.
Did not believe:
Edelstein interview.
“If”:
Shuman interview.

“He would stand”:
The description of Johnson briefing the journalists, and of Johnson running the Senate, is based on interviews with journalists Robert Barr, Jim Brady, John Chadwick, Benjamin Cole, Allen Drury, Lewis T. (Tex) Easley, Alan S. Emory, Rowland Evans, John Finney, John Goldsmith, Neil MacNeil, Sarah McClendon, Hugh Sidey, John L. Steele, Alfred Steinberg, George Tames, J. William Theis, Tom Wicker, Frank Van Der Linden, and Sam Zagoria; with the following Senate staff members (who would often have been on the podium): Parliamentarian Floyd Riddick, Secretary to the Parliamentarian Murray Zweben, and Assistant Journal Clerk Bernard V. Somers; as well as the senators, assistants to senators, and members of the Senate’s staff and Lyndon Johnson’s staff listed in the “Note on Sources.”
“He would”:
Steele interview.
“Somebody”; “if you”; “he knew”:
Barr interview.
“There would”:
Mooney,
LBJ
, p. 162.
“He would answer”:
MacNeil interview.
“You didn’t”:
Barr interview.
“The buildup”:
Drury interview.
“Power just”:
Barr interview.
“In command”:
Cole interview.

“C’mon, c’mon”:
Riddick, Zweben interviews.

Potter exchange:
CR
, 83/1, May 26, 1955.

“And even”:
Barr interview.
“Lister”; “if you”; “he would”:
Patrick J. Hynes interview.
“Viciously”:
Reedy interview.
“Good places”:
Hynes interview.
“Don’t quit”:
McCulloch interview.
Sending Baker:
Rid-dick interview.
“Don’t talk”; “I’d go”:
Edelstein interview.

“Make it short”:
McCulloch interview.
“Like a coon dog”; “The Senate was”:
Steele to Williamson, March 4, 1958, SP.
“Get the lead”:
Fensterwald interview.
“Why don’t”:
Davidson, quoted in Miller,
Lyndon
, p. 220.

“Seeing how”:
Read interview.
“You ready”:
Schnibbe interview.
“Jiggling”:
Shuman interview.
“Going from”; “baggy-cut”:
MacNeil to Williamson, March 4, 1958, MP.

“By God!”:
Fensterwald interview.
“Fucking senator”:
Schnibbe interview.
Grabbed Baker’s:
Fensterwald, Steele interviews.
“Look”:
Robert S. Allen, quoted in Miller, p. 175; Allen OH, SRL.

Lifting up Pastore:
Mooney, p. 31; Reedy interview.
Mutter along;
“CALL THE QUESTION!”:
Riddick, Steele, Zweben interviews.

“Revving up”:
Reedy,
U.S. Senate
, p. 177;
Reedy interview.
“Orchestra conductor”:
Steele interview and Steele to Williamson, March 4, 1958, SP.
Johnson directing Senate voting:
Interviews with Barr, Fensterwald, MacNeil, Shuman, Steele, and Evans and Novak,
LBJ: Exercise
, p. 114;Goodwin,
Lyndon Johnson
, p. 130; Steinberg,
Sam Johnson’s Boy
, p. 412.
“You would see”:
Wicker interview.
“In front”:
MacNeil interview.
“Change your vote”:
Evans and Novak, p. 96; Steinberg, p. 497.
“His mind attuned”:
Sidey,
Personal Presidency
, p. 45.
“Signal, and”:
Sidey interview.

“Often”:
Baker,
Wheeling and Dealing
, p. 90.
“
Played
Leader”:
Sidey interview.
“Master”:
Dugger,
Politician
. The subtitle of Ronnie Dugger’s biography of Johnson,
The Politician
, is
The Life and Times of Lyndon Johnson, the Drive for Power, from the Frontier to Master of the Senate
.

All dates are 1955 unless otherwise noted.

Reciprocal trade bill:
Fleeson,
WS
, June 3; McClendon,
Sherman Democrat
, May 17,
HP
, June 12;
NYT
, April 5, May 21;
WP
, April 5; Steele to Williamson, May 5, SP.
“Could have”:
Stewart Alsop, “A Real Pro at Work in the Senate,”
WP
, May 21.

Kilgore report:
CR
, 84/1, May 25.
In a single:
Newsweek
, June 27.
“Certainly”:
Alsop,
CR
, 84/1, May 25.

“Engage”; “elbow room”:
Reedy,
U.S. Senate
, pp. 93, 107; interview.
“Southern dons”:
Mooney,
LBJ
, p. 48. “Lyndon”: Mooney, p. 31.
Not invited:
Reedy interview.

“Just as”:
Dent interview.

“We had”:
Douglas,
Fullness of Time
, p. 280.
“Shrewd”:
“FROM: Walter White … For release … Jan. 13, 1955” attached to Humphrey to Johnson, Jan. 13, Box 2, WHFN.
Using Hubert:
Douglas, p. 280; Solberg (
Hubert Humphrey
, pp. 169–71) says dryly: “It is hard to see what Humphrey was getting in legislation in return for his cooperation with Johnson. Not a single one of his measures went through in those years.”
“Abandon”:
Steele to Williamson, Jan. 6, quoted in Dallek,
Lone Star
, p. 478.
“Should give”; “bad mistake”; “sealed”:
Douglas, p. 280.

Powell’s amendment:
Hamilton,
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr
., pp. 225–35.
“The issue”:
WS
, June 6.
Eisenhower spoke:
NYT
, June 9.