Communiqué
In 1968 he stunned the nation by announcing he would not seek reelection. “LBJ” on AMERICAN EXPERIENCE – Sept. 12 at 9 pm
< < Back to in-1968-he-stunned-the-nation-by-announcing-he-would-not-seek-reelection-lbj-on-american-experience-sept-12-at-9-pmLBJ: American Experience
Part 1
Thursday, September 12 at 9:00 pm
The arc of Lyndon Baines Johnson’s life is a version of the American dream: the poor boy from the backwaters of the Texas hill country who ascended to the very pinnacle of power – only to see his presidency undermined by the conflict in Vietnam, a war he supported and expanded but never understood.
One of the most perplexing, astute and larger-than-life politicians in modern American history, LBJ set out to “out-Kennedy the Kennedys” by pushing through historic social legislation on a scale that rivaled FDR.
Big, brash, intimidating and driven by an all-consuming ambition, Johnson dominated people and institutions.
Part 1 of 2.