Master of the Senate (236 page)

“Republicans would”:
Minnich, LLM, Jan. 16, 1956, Box 12, DDEL.
“Reaffirmed”:
Minnich, LLM, Jan. 24, 1956, Box 12, DDEL.
“I did not agree”:
Eisenhower,
White House Years
, p. 149.
“He had many”; “darkies”:
Ambrose,
Eisenhower
, p. 125.
Stag dinner:
Warren,
Memoirs
, p. 291–92.
“I personally”:
DDEPP (1957), pp. 546–57, 555, quoted in Ambrose, p. 410.
Not once:
Kluger,
Simple Justice
, p. 753. Kluger, pp. 726–28, 753–54, has a summary of Eisenhower’s attitude on Brown. In Ambrose, it’s pp. 190–92, 304–06, 408.
“to associate himself”:
Ambrose, p. 143.
“I think”:
DDEPP (1956), pp. 736–37, DDEL; Williams,
Eyes on the Prize
, p. 38.
“The President’s”:
Ambrose, p. 409.
“To stand”:
Kluger, p. 753.
“Tremendous”:
Kluger, p. 753.
“The people”:
Ambrose, p. 337.

Eisenhower and Till case:
Ambrose, p. 305; Whitfield, pp. 70–75.
Did not even respond:
Whitfield, pp. 74–75.
Lucy case:
Ambrose, p. 306.
On King case:
DDEPP (1956), p. 335, DDEL.
“A fine general”:
Wilkins,
Standing Fast
, p. 222.

“
Strong”:
Harlow interview.
“Compulsion”; “core beliefs”:
Ambrose, pp. 327, 125.
Nelson story:
Ambrose, p. 369.
Had seen a chance:
Lawson,
Black Ballots
, pp. 150–52; Manchester,
Glory
, pp. 769–70;
New Republic
, Aug. 12, 1957;
Amarillo Globe-Times
, Nov. 1, 1956;
NYT
, Jan. 8, 1956, July 21, 1957; Reston,
NYT
, July 24, 1957.

Brownell’s attitude and strategy:
Anderson,
Eisenhower
, pp. 14–27; Brownell, pp. 190–218; Brownell, Harlow, Rogers interviews.
“Unbounded”:
Ambrose, p. 124.
“Scourge”:
Brownell, p. 199.
Had left instructions; “quite deeply”:
Brownell interview.

“Our hands”:
Brownell, p. 219.
Gave him permission:
Ambrose, p. 304; Brownell, p. 199.
“I initially”:
Brownell, p. 218.
“Where”:
Cabinet Series, March 9, 1956, Box 6, DDEL.
“After”:
Brownell, p. 219.
“Another Charles Sumner”:
Brownell,
Advising Ike
, p. 219.
“If someone”:
Eisenhower, quoted in Ambrose, p. 327.
Keating maneuver:
Anderson, pp. 40–41, 43.

Celler subordinating:
Edelsberg and Brody, “Civil Rights in the 84th Congress,” p. 5; Washington, D.C., Office, Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, Welsh Collection, File No. 4, “Civil Rights,” Oct. 29, 1956; Bolling, Celler, Rauh interviews.
“A model bill”:
Douglas,
Fullness of Time
, p. 281.
“A dream bill”:
Rauh interview.
Situation in the House:
Hardeman and Bacon,
Rayburn
, pp. 418–21; Bolling, Brownell, Celler interviews.
“He wanted”: “only fair”:
Bolling interview.
“Rayburn was for it.”:
Bolling, Rauh interviews. Anderson (
Eisenhower
, p. 47) says, “By things left unsaid and undone, rather than by any affirmative commitment, the Speaker had given his party’s liberals a clear impression that he would not block the bill if it could be brought to the floor.”

“I am sick”:
Unidentified senator, in
NYT
, April 8, 1956.
Hennings’ bills:
Congressional Quarterly Almanac
, 1956, pp. 463–64; Watson, p. 335;
NYT
, March 4, April 1, 10, 1955; Jan. 1, 12, 1956.
And then:
“Telephone call from Tom Hennings,” March 19, 1956, Box 45, LBJA SN;
NYT
, March 4, April 1, 10, 1956.
Exactly twelve:
Edelsberg and Brody, “Civil Rights in the 84th Congress,” Washington, D.C.: Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, Oct. 29, 1956, p. 1.

“I had special”:
Eastland, quoted in Lawson,
Black Ballots
, pp. 156–57; in Sherrill,
Accidental President
, p. 210; “Eastland Speech Excerpts,” Aug. 13, 1956, NAACP, WB-134, LC, quoted in Watson, p. 338.
“You are not required”:
Eastland, quoted in Whitfield, p. 35.
“The one seat”:
New Republic
, March 12, 1956.
“Unthinkable”:
NYT
, Feb. 24, 1956.
“Maybe”:
NYT
, March 4, 1956.
Johnson’s reply:
Reedy, Steele interviews.
“I had”:
Eastland OH; Watson, p. 338.
Out of his way:
Eastland OH.
Unrecorded vote:
NYT
, March 3, 1956;
Time
, March 12, 1956.
“A mad dog”:
NYT
, March 5, 1956.

All dates are 1956 unless otherwise noted.

“Southern Manifesto”:
NYT
, March 12, 13.
Drafted by Thurmond, Byrd; edited by Russell:
Cohodas,
Strom Thurmond
, pp. 283–84; Fite,
Russell
, p. 333; Goldsmith,
Colleagues
, p. 51;
NYT
, March 13.
“One would”:
Morse, quoted in Cohodas, p. 286.

“A dangerous, deceptive”:
Gore, quoted in Miller,
Lyndon
, p. 187. “Kefauver said, ‘I just don’t agree with it’ The Supreme Court decision is now the law of the land and must be followed, Mr. Kefauver said” (
NYT
, March 12).
“He had not been shown”:
NYT
, March 12. Johnson’s formal statement said: “I have neither seen this document, nor have I been asked to sign it.” “STATEMENT BY SENATOR LYNDON B. JOHNSON (D-TEX), MARCH 10, 1956,” Box 423, JSP.

He had been present:
LBJ Chronologies
, 1956, p. 3. In his oral history interview with George Reedy, Mike Gillette, then Director of Oral History for the Johnson Library, said, “LBJ did attend a meeting for southern senators in Senator George’s office in early February, I guess, and they did discuss the issues of segregation and interposition.” Reedy replied, “Yes. I don’t remember it at all” (Reedy OH VIII, p. 102). When the author asked Reedy if Johnson had attended any of the Southern Caucus meetings about the Southern Manifesto, Reedy said, “Well, I remember one where there was one heck of a fight, but I wasn’t there.” Asked how he knew about it, he said he had been told about it by both Johnson and Russell.

“You liberals”:
Humphrey OH III, p. 13.
Humphrey also said:
“He was very proud of the fact that he didn’t sign it. Also, he used it” (Humphrey, quoted in Dallek, p. 496).
“Was, indeed”:
White,
Professional
, p. 211.
“One of the”:
Neuberger, quoted in Miller, p. 188. Reedy said: “I suspect that what he [Russell] sold them on was ‘Hey, look, we might get a southerner in the White House, don’t queer it’ He wouldn’t use that kind of language, but I believe that’s what he probably told them privately. But the public rationale was you would not ask the leadership to sign something like this” (OH VIII, p. 100).

“Russell was very”:
Reedy OH VIII, p. 100.
“Anybody that signed”:
Reedy OH VIII, p. 99. In his 1996 book, Robert Mann wrote, “An unabashed Johnson fan, Neuberger perhaps exaggerated the extent of his leader’s valor” (Mann, p. 164).
“The real reason”:
Fite, p. 336.
“He had
to”: Stennis OH.
“In my opinion”:
“STATEMENT BY SENATOR LYNDON B. JOHNSON (D-TEX), MARCH 10, I956,” Box 423, JSP.
“He believed”:
NYT
, April 22.
“No question”:
Russell, quoted in
AC
, June 29.

“One hundred percent”:
Ellender, quoted in
San Antonio News
, March 23.
“One thousand percent”:
Smathers, quoted in
Mexia Daily News
, March 12.
Almost every:
For Holland’s endorsement, see
Richmond Times-Dispatch
, May 8; for Byrd’s,
Williamson Star
, April 26; for Robertson’s, Robertson to Symington, April 12, Drawer 115, Folder 11, Robertson Papers; for Price Daniel’s,
NYT
, March 12; for Russell’s official endorsement,
WP
, July 1; for a general roundup of the support for Johnson from southern senators,
Baltimore News-Post
, March 20;
WS
, March 25.

Hennings’ bills:
Hennings to Johnson, March 19, Box 45, LBJA SN.
“The Senate rules”:
Eastland OH.
Eastland’s tactics in committee:
Eastland, quoted in Watson,
Lion in the Lobby
, p. 347.

Rayburn let Boiling know:
Boiling, quoted in Hardeman and Bacon,
Rayburn
, p. 419. And see Rayburn statements on pp. 420, 421.

Rayburn’s tactics:
Steinberg,
Sam Rayburn
, pp. 313–316. Hardeman and Bacon, pp. 410–20; Watson,
Lion in the Lobby
, pp. 344–45; Edelsberg and Brody, “Civil Rights in the 84th Congress,” Washington, D.C., Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, Oct. 29, p. 5.
LBJ at Board of Education:
Boiling interview.
Rayburn’s feelings, “Lyndon was asking”; “To my shame,” etc.:
Boiling interview; Hardeman and Bacon, p. 419, say that not only did he not “press” in the Rules Committee, but that he “decided that his best course was to impede the bill’s progress even more” to ensure that it didn’t reach the Senate too early.
Stepin Fetchit:
Quoted in Watson, p. 342.
“The jig’s up”:
NYT
, June 28.
“Rayburn senses”; “You’d better get”:
Harry R. Sheppard (D-Calif), quoted in Hardeman and Bacon, p. 420.
“I started”:
Boiling interview.

Tricking Douglas:
Douglas,
Fullness of Time
, pp. 281–82; interviews with Richard A. Baker, Bartlett, McCulloch, Shuman, Reedy, Welsh.
“I don’t know”:
Richard Baker interview.
“Nearing its end”; “Badly divided”; “Even if”:
Douglas, p. 283.
“Behind the scenes”; “searchlight”:
Shuman interview.
“More remote”; “Only power”:
Reedy,
LBJ
, pp. 109–10.
“Even if:
Welsh interview.
“Paul felt”:
McCulloch interview. “If: Rauh interview.
“Might be wrong”:
Edelstein, McCulloch, Shuman, Rauh, Welsh interviews.
“Allowed himself”:
Miller, p. 191. Douglas says (p. 281) that Lehman was “overworked and ill.”
Hill asking Mansfield to yield;
“without objection”:
CR
, 84/2, July 23, p. 13937. “My
dear boy”:
Douglas, p. 282.

Humiliating Douglas:
Douglas,
Fullness of Time
, pp. 282–83; Watson, p. 346; Othman, “Senators Stop the Calendar,”
Abilene Reporter-News
, July 26; “Why Those Poor Senators,”
HP
, July 27; Alsop, “Johnson Civil Rights Strategy,”
DT-H
, Aug. 1.
“As you know”:
Rowe to Johnson, July 24, Box 32, LBJA SN.
Russell’s tactic:
McCulloch, Shuman interviews.
“Sat there”:
Abilene Reporter-News
, July 26.
Of course it wasn’t:
CR
, 84/2, p. 14161.
“I object”:
CR
, 84/2, pp. 14163, 14171.
“So we are”; not at all:
CR
, 84/2, pp. 14161–62;
Abilene Reporter-News
, July 26.
“There will not be”:
“In the Nation,”
NYT
, Aug. 3.
Johnson persuading Knowland:
Alsops,
DT-H
, Aug. 1.
“It is only kidding”:
“In the Nation,”
NYT
, July 26.
“Let us consider”; “I say”:
HP
, July 27.
“I can still”:
McCulloch interview.
“All men differ”:
Russell, quoted in “In the Nation,”
NYT
, Aug. 3. Watson wrote (p. 346) that “The defeat was a glaring example of how practical politics could overwhelm principles.”

“The dirtiest trick”:
Rauh interview.
“An effort”:
McCulloch interview.
“Even my friend”:
Douglas,
Fullness of Time
, p. 283.
“Push”:
Shuman OH, p. 142; Shuman interview. Douglas,
Fullness of Time
, on p. 283, gives a slightly different wording.
Cried:
Douglas,
Fullness of Time
, p. 283.

“Organized”:
Robertson to John L. White-head, Sept. 20, Drawer 114, Folder 14, Robertson Papers. For further documentation of Johnson’s role in bottling up the 1956 civil rights bill, see Robertson to Ralph Widener and to Lindsay Almond, July 24, Drawer 113, Folder 58, and Drawer 40, Folder 14, Robertson Papers. Robertson wrote Widener: “The Policy Committee, headed by Majority Leader Johnson, has the privilege of scheduling what is to be taken up for floor actions and Johnson, of course, is against the civil rights bill.”

“With a series”:
NYT
, July 30.
“He has brought”:
Rauh, quoted in
AA-S
, March 24.

All dates are 1956 unless otherwise noted.