LBJ: Report Of Sentiment If Bobby Is On Ticket (LBJ & John Connally) 7-23-64

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]And they agreed to it, and they have second thoughts, and they come back, and John Lewis sitting in his office and said, "Now, wait a minute." He said, "I want to help the president. I'm for him.

[00:00:07]I'm going to be for him, but I can't get out here uh until I know who else going to be on this ticket."

[00:00:13]Of course, he said, "If Kennedy's on the ticket, uh then I have to resign. I can't I cannot support the ticket." And he said, "I'd have to resign." Said, "That'd hurt the president. Hurt me if I were chairman of his uh of his secretary of state, Johnson, Republican."

[00:00:27]And uh So, that's the reaction uh that I get uh in just the in just a few people I talked to. And I I don't think it's any question but now, Bobby Kennedy may he's got these people in these delegations.

[00:00:39]He's got some of the party bosses up there. But, uh uh hell, he came out Congress Saturday for sure he'll come try it. I just don't think you ought to let it worry you, and I think you just go on and do what you think is right. And uh and I think whatever public utterances you make on these civil rights, that uh New York, what hell are they riding for?

[00:01:00]They got a state FEPC. They've had it.

[00:01:02]They've got They've got uh uh schools uh integrated. They've got the public accommodation. They've had it. They've got city FEPC. They got every goddamn legal safeguard much stronger than the federal government just passed. And they're still riding.

[00:01:16]And I think you just have to be as firm just as you have been in New York as you are in Mississippi and and just uh make it abundantly clear even if they continue to ride, that you that you cannot abide the and not going to stand for disorderly conduct anywhere by anybody. All right.