Master of the Senate (237 page)

“Professional prognosis”:
NYT
, Aug. 2.
Stevenson writing speech:
Newsweek
, Aug. 20.

“
THE IRRESPONSIBILITY
”:
Shannon,
SLP-D
, June 7.
“Brokerage house”:
Rauh, quoted in
Waco Tribune
, Aug. 10.
“No ardent advocate”:
Alsop,
WP
, May 9.

Southerners believed him:
For example,
Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch
, May 8;
WP
, Aug. 12. On the eve of the convention, John Sparkman told journalist Ronnie Dugger, “Lyndon has told me repeatedly that he does not regard himself as a serious candidate” (
Texas Observer
, Aug. 15).
Southerners comfortable:
Luther Hodges of North Carolina, for example, said, “Mr. Stevenson is a great person” (
WP
, Aug. 12).
“Toward gradualism”:
Martin,
Adlai Stevenson and the World
, p. 248.

“Dramatic incident”:
Allen,
Abilene Reporter-News
, June 24.
“I’ve never said”:
Rayburn, quoted in
Abilene Reporter-News
, Aug. 16. When another reporter asked him whom he was for, Rayburn said: “Johnson. I don’t play them two ways” (
WP
, Aug. 12).
Rayburn’s assessment:
Connally, Corcoran, Rowe interviews.

“A deep scar”:
Connally interview.
“I’m going”:
Russell, quoted in
NYP
, Aug. 13.
Spectre of “humiliation”:
Explaining just prior to the convention that he was not a serious, but only a favorite son, candidate, Johnson said that he didn’t intend to leave his name before the convention too long. “I don’t invite humiliation, and I don’t intend to have my name up there without cause and purpose,” he told Ronnie Dugger (
Texas Observer
, Aug. 15).
“Ego reasons”:
Connally interview.

“Mine still hurts”:
NYP
, Aug. 2.
“He is sincere”:
James Saxon Childers,
Atlanta Journal
, June 21.

Byrd’s pleading:
Texas Observer
, Aug. 15. And as late as May 8, asked if Johnson would be a candidate, Byrd could say only, “I think we’ll have to wait and see” (
Richmond [Va.] Times-Dispatch)
.

“It has happened”; “does not share”:
Rovere, “Letter from Chicago,”
The New Yorker
, Aug. 25.
“Was affronted”:
Ball, quoted in McKeever,
Adlai Stevenson
, p. 198.
“Why, if:
Time
, Aug. 20.

“I am not”; “I’m going”:
Truman, quoted in
Time
, Aug. 20.
Party insiders knew:
Newsweek
, Aug. 20.

“Get up”:
Kilgore interview.
“Serious about everything”:
Johnson, quoted in
DMN
, Aug. 12, 19.
“Very unlikely”:
FWS-T
, Aug. 12.
“Erased”:
Allen Duckworth,
DMN
, Aug. 12.
“The best qualified now”:
DMN
, Aug. 12.
“15- and 16-hour”:
Time
, Aug. 20;
DMN
, Aug. 12.
“You don’t always”: “I’m opening”:
Truman, quoted in
Time
, Aug. 20. See also
DMN
, Aug. 19;
Newsweek
, Aug. 20.
“Wide open”:
Connally, quoted in
DMN
, Aug. 12.
“He thought”:
Corcoran interview.

Adlai’s slip:
Martin,
Adlai Stevenson and the World
, p. 348.
“Big blocks”:
NYT
, Aug. 11, 1956.
Newsweek
(Aug. 20) said it more strongly: “If the favorite sons failed to come to Stevenson’s rescue, hundreds of southern delegates
were planning to switch to Johnson.”
Quick reversal:
Time
, Aug. 20.
Telegram:
NYT,
Aug
. 11.

Johnson’s belief:
Evans and Novak,
LBJ: Exercise
, pp. 234–39; Connally, Corcoran, Jenkins, Reedy, Rowe interviews and OHs; Mooney,
LBJ
, pp. 118–21; Oliver OH.
“Forgot”:
Richard Rovere, “Letter from Chicago,”
The New Yorker
, Aug. 25.

“Knocked”; “no talking”:
Corcoran interview.
“Another new”:
Newsweek
, Aug. 10.
“He just”:
Rowe interview.
“Ambivalent”:
Rowe OH.

Johnson, Rayburn on plane ride:
Albert OH, SRL; Mooney, p. 119; Steinberg,
Ray-burn
, p. 306; Evans and Novak, p. 235.
“Embarrassing”:
Steinberg, p. 306.
White House briefing:
Time
, Aug. 20; Johnson, quoted in Ambrose,
Eisenhower
, p. 333.
“Persisted”:
Evans and Novak, pp. 235–36.
“I don’t see”; “I haven’t said”:
Mooney, p. 119.
“It’s a serious”; “a good many”:
Ray-burn, quoted in
NYT
, Aug. 13.
“No illusions”:
Mooney OH.
“I told”:
Rayburn, quoted in
NYP
, Aug. 13.
“I said you”; “I agree”:
Rowe interview, OH.

“One man”:
Rovere, “Letter from Chicago,”
The New Yorker
, Aug. 25.
“Let us tell”:
Lyle, quoted in
NYT
, Aug. 14.
“My name”:
ATP, Aug. 13.

Declining invitations:
Steinberg,
Sam Johnson’s Boy
, p. 437;
Houston Press
, Aug. 14;
Wichita Falls Record-News
, Aug. 15.
“A very odd”:
Rowe interview.
“I didn’t”:
HP
, Aug. 17.
“Different”:
Wichita Falls Record-News
, Aug. 15.
“While”:
McGrory,
WS
, Aug. 15.
“Not unlike”:
DMN
, Aug. 14;
WF R-N
, Aug. 15.
“Flown in”:
HP
, Aug. 14.
“Most crowded”:
NYT
, Aug. 14.
Stevenson thirty, Kefauver five; Johnson made sure:
DMN
, Aug. 14;
Amarillo Daily News, DMN, NYP, WS
, Aug. 15.

Southern states maneuvering:
DMN
, Aug. 19; Kempton, “The Last Hurrah,”
NYP
, Aug. 13;
Baltimore Sun
, Aug. 13;
WS
, Aug. 13; Connally interview.
“Asked him”; “that firm”:
DMN
, Aug. 19.
Byrd, Battle maneuvering:
WS
, Aug. 13; Kempton, “Last Hurrah,”
NYP
, Aug. 13;
WP
, Aug. 14.
Georgia maneuvering:
NYT, Amarillo Daily News
, Aug.
15. “Until an”:
NYT
, Aug. 14, 18.

Believing Harry, Jr.:
WP, Aug. 13; Kempton,
NYP; Wichita Falls Record-News
, Aug. 15.
“A very fruitful”; “Lyndon Leaves ’Em Guessing”:
Houston Press
, Aug. 14.
“Biggest block”:
Wichita Falls Record-News
, Aug. 15.
Could not imagine; “Listen”:
Corcoran, Rowe interviews.
“For one
day”: Connally interview.

Reality:
DMN
, Aug. 15, 19.

“The old man”:
Kempton, “Last Hurrah,”
NYP
, Aug. 13.
“Fooling around”:
Breyhill, quoted in
WS
, Aug. 13.

Finnegan’s arguments:
Evans and Novak, p. 236; Martin,
Adlai Stevenson of Illinois
, pp. 348–49; Miller,
Lyndon
, pp. 197–98;
Time
, Aug. 27; Rowe OH.
“Some of:
NYT
, Aug. 15.
“Uncertainty”:
NYP
, Aug. 15.
Johnson’s confidence about Reuther:
Rowe OH, interview.
“The great fruit”:
Kempton, “Last

Hurrah,”
NYP
, Aug. 13.

“Hello, Sammy”:
Kempton, “Last Hurrah,”
NYP
, Aug. 13. And see
Time
, Aug. 27.
“A minority”:
Williams, quoted in
WP
, Aug. 15.
Bringing the news to Johnson:
Rowe OH, interview.

Meyner’s refusal; finger across throat:
Time
, Aug. 27. Southerners annoyed; “may not”:
WS
, Aug. 13;
NYT
, Aug. 14, 15.

“Too defeatist”:
Truman, quoted in
NYT
, Aug. 15.
“To confirm”:
NYT
, Aug. 15. Bargaining with Finnegan: Miller, p. 198; Rowe OH, interview.

“Fire”:
DMN
, Aug. 19.
“Let there be”:
Waco News-Tribune, SAE
, Aug. 17.
“Had they missed”:
Mooney, p. 120. Mooney quoted in Miller, p. 198; Connally interview.
“Without a flicker”:
Waco News-Tribune
, Aug. 17. In his autobiography, Connally wrote: “The show was Sam Rayburn’s doing…. Whether Johnson won or lost, Sam Rayburn would still be Speaker of the House and no one wanted to offend Mr. Sam” (Connally with Herskowitz,
In History’s Shadow
, p. 133). For descriptions of the demonstration, see also
Amarillo Daily News
, Aug. 16,
SAE, San Angelo Times
, Aug. 17; Connally, Jenkins interviews.

“Lyndon, don’t ever”:
Russell, quoted in Oliver OH.

“Senator, are you”:
Houston Press
, Aug. 16.
“It became”:
Holleman, quoted in Miller, p. 199.
Rayburn recognized:
Waco News-Tribune
, Aug. 17;
Texas Observer
, Aug. 22.

Puzzling over his actions:
Rowe, Connally, Corcoran, Jenkins, Reedy interviews.
Because of Shivers:
McGrory,
WS
, Aug. 15.
“I never could”:
Rowe OH.
“Made no sense”:
Connally interview.
“Explosion”:
Felix McKnight of the
DMN
, quoted in Crawford and Keever,
Connally
, p. 68.
“He hadn’t:
Brown interview.
“He couldn’t bear”:
Corcoran interview.

“I have not”; “I am not”:
DMN
, Aug. 15.
“Reported ready”:
McKnight, quoted in Crawford and Keever, p. 69. And Mike Monroney told the Associated Press that “he understood Senator Johnson might now be receptive to the (vice presidential) nomination. ‘Don’t count Johnson out,’ he said” (
WP
, Aug. 17).

“Go in”:
Rowe OH, interview.
Rayburn advising Johnson:
Texas Observer
, Aug. 22.
“I saw”:
Corcoran interview.
“I have never”:
Rayburn, quoted in
Abilene Reporter-News
, Aug. 17.
“‘Go back’”:
Rowe OH, interview.

“Profanely”:
Martin,
Adlai Stevenson of Illinois
, p. 350.
“Mr. Sam”; “All right”; “Stay out”:
Martin,
Ballots and Bandwagons
, pp. 400–02.
“Within minutes”:
Time
, Aug. 27.
“Under no”:
San Antonio News
, Aug. 17.
“I talked”:
Kennedy, quoted in Evans and Novak, p. 238.
Humphrey first choice:
Reedy, quoted in Miller, pp. 199–200.
“Kefauver can’t”:
Rayburn, quoted in
Abilene Reporter-News
, Aug. 18.

“Al Smith”; “a wealthy”:
Hardeman and Bacon,
Rayburn
, pp. 404–05. Texas caucus is described there, and p. 104, and in
Texas Observer
, Aug. 22.

Clements withdrawing; “We’re gonna”; “very grateful”:
Texas Observer
, Aug. 22.
Rayburn told him; “use my name”; “stone-faced”:
Texas Observer
, Aug. 22;
Time
, Aug. 27.

“As Rayburn”:
Hardeman and Bacon, p. 405.
Johnson’s talk:
Texas Observer
, Aug. 22.
“We’ve got”:
Pearson,
Texas Observer
, Aug. 29;
Time
, Aug. 27.

“Texas proudly”; “All right”:
Texas Observer
, Aug. 22.
Scene in Texas delegation; “if we can’t”; “We don’t”:
Abilene Reporter-News
, Aug. 18;
Texas Observer
, Aug. 22.

“Lace”:
Ian Campbell to author, Dec. 27, 1989.

“Lyndon Johnson’s”:
Rovere, “The Last Hurrah,”
The New Yorker
, Aug. 25.
“Would have to”:
WP
, Aug. 17.

“Bloopers”:
Leslie Carpenter,
Abilene Reporter-News
, Aug. 18.
“Mystery”:
McClendon,
Waco Tribune-Herald
, Aug. 19.
“What’s?”:
Houston Press
, Aug. 17.
“Cellophane bag”:
Pearson,
W P
, Aug. 22.

“A sectional”:
Krock,
NYT
, Aug. 14.
“Fantasy”:
Reston,
NYT
, Aug. 14.

All dates are 1957 unless otherwise noted.

General background for this chapter is found in the following magazine articles: Douglass Cater, “How the Senate Passed the Civil-Rights Bill,”
The Reporter
, Sept. 5; Tris Coffin, “How Lyndon Johnson Engineered Compromise on Civil Rights Bill,”
The New Leader
, Aug. 5; Richard L. Neuberger, “Democrats’ Dilemma: Civil Rights,”
NYT Magazine
, July 7; Reinhold Neibuhr, “The Civil Rights Bill,”
The New Leader
, Sept. 16; Richard Rovere, “Letter from Washington,”
The New Yorker
, Aug. 31; William S. White, “Battle Lines on Civil Rights,”
NYT Magazine
, July 7; C. Vann Woodward, “The Great Civil Rights Debate,”
Commentary
, October; “Washington,”
The Atlantic Monthly
, March; “Purists and Progress,”
The New Republic
, Aug. 12.