LBJ and Dwight Eisenhower, 2/15/65, 10.03P.

Telephone Conversation between President Johnson and Dwight Eisenhower.
Citation No.: 6839
February 15, 1965
Time: 10.03PM
Speakers: President Johnson and Dwight Eisenhower
General Topics: Defense; Presidency; Press Relations; Public Relations; Southeast Asia; Vietnam; WH Administration
Topics: LBJ Asks Eisenhower To Come To WH To Advise Him On Vietnam; Arrangements For Trip To Avoid Undue Public Concern; Milton Eisenhower, Robert Anderson, Alfred Gruenther As Advisers To LBJ; Briefing By Andrew Goodpaster For Eisenhower Prior To Meeting
More info on the LBJ telephone conversations: www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/...
President Johnson assigned his copyright to the United States government; however, the copyright of the President may not extend beyond statements made by President Johnson. Statements uttered by officials of the United States government in the course of their duties are considered to be in the public domain. Users of the recordings and transcripts are cautioned, however, that not all persons recorded were government officials. A number of the people recorded were, at the time of recording, private citizens. Therefore, those intending to quote from this material beyond the accepted limits of fair use are cautioned to determine the copyright implications of any intended publication.

[@AMC2283]

Whenever someone says they’re a little concerned, they’re more than a little concerned.

[@kenburke9145]

IKE preferred to be called General. It was well known this was his preference. Johnson is not insulting him by calling him that.

[@misonoresoconto]

This is 1965 and already LBJ knows that with Viet Nam he's in over his head and is looking for help.

[@Applecompuser]

He's only looking for cover not true help. Having said that, the calls are amazing to hear.

[@skipmichaels6184]

Ar least LBJ was willing to cross old party lines to try to receive counsel from a very wise , honest , gifted man. Our country is more divided now than it ever has been and that isn't good for anyone.

[@horacelee9940]

Dwight D Eisenhower was a decent man and center-right guy. He didn't come into office and just reverse everything his predecessors did. He built on their legacies. That's why he was such a great president in stark contrast to the fool that occupies the White House now.

[@lawrencewright2816]

Back in the day when Dems & GOP were civil to each other.

[@AlexMFrankel]

a remarkable document! amazing to listen to these conversations.

[@edoardopesce9226]

I love Ike. It was really a no-nonsense person.

[@UAL320]

Regardless of how he phrases it, Johnson already knows he’s in deep, deep trouble…..

[@captainamerica6525]

LBJ knew he was in trouble and the more he tries to say it's not the deeper he knew he was in it.

[@grahameferguson7013]

This would not happen now as politics is so polarized. Back then there was more Cross party comaradarie. Presidents saw each other as equals no matter what party they belong to and would seek each other's counsel.

[@jamesm.3967]

This is because Trump was too vain and stupid to ask for advice.

[@Shah-of-the-Shinebox]

Who better to ask for advice on a war than Ike.

[@karenbitter8857]

Seems to me LBJ got horrible help. Alot of people blame him for vietnam but from what I've heard it's his advisors are to blame

[@wagnerpd5921]

Hearing history made... how wonderful! Thanks LBJ Library!! Request: would you PLZ Boost the Audio Input... I got next to the cheapest smartfon two Octobers ago & in a noisy place where I usually go to siphon WiFi... well, a little more volume wouldn't hurt. Thanks for the consideration.

[@LineMountain]

I have slightly more respect for LBJ after hearing this but otherwise I still consider him a bad guy.

[@horacelee9940]

Why? He passed the civil rights, the voting rights act, medicare and Medicaid. Those are some of the most important acts of legislation in us history.

[@smuuthbrane7029]

If it wasnt for Vietnam Johnson would have been considered one of the greats. Like Iesenhower is.

[@ErikPT]

A conversation of two Texas presidents.

[@ytlaser8222]

No, Eisenhower was from Kansas

[@dongf5628]

@@ytlaser8222 Ike was born in Texas though

[@Blackman19498]

@@dongf5628 he could have been born in Texas but Ike was a Kansan!!

[@gilmour73]

Listening to these while reading path to power. LBJ was so greasy!

[@Lt-Dan]

In one of his phone calls, he knew Vietnam was a bad idea, but he went in anyway.

[@garymorris1856]

It appears that LBJ knew who to go to for sound advice.

[@_cloudiiskxy_158]

Doesn't really seem like Ike wants to visit Lyndon

[@118Columbus]

DenimJeans I’m sure Ike saw it as his duty, plus he had to already understand that Vietnam would be a quagmire and a bloodbath for America for no good reason. Ike’s decision for armistice in Korea was genius and very enlightened. Only a general knows that war is pointless and should be avoided at all costs.

[@MS-wb5mf]

In watching these I've noticed how heavily he depended on a lot of people.

[@gmoney8585]

as in "he didn't know what the hell he was doing"

[@gmoney8585]

"I need you"

[@enlightenedwarrior7119]

I like Ike

[@thomassaehler9038]

Marines landed the next month

[@enlightenedwarrior7119]

Boy is LBJ in over his head he's begging for help

[@ItzelOzores]

Eisenhower was more of a man than LBJ by far. Ike was an Honorable Man and everybody knew that.

[@koalabearsongs3797]

that's a good comment, but I think, to be fair, it's a bit more complicated than that. I lived through all of this. It was a total mess....going back to Eisenhower's own administration. So your point is well taken, but again, there is more than meets the eye. But good to see a young person interested. Well done.

[@pts5217]

LBJ did by the most for civil rights than any other president combined. He bullied racist southern politicians into passing sweeping Civil Rights laws. He knew the Democrats would lose the south for at least a generation, but didn’t care bc he felt civil rights was that important. Vietnam was a mess that any President would’ve had to deal with it. Couldn’t completely ignore it, couldn’t easily fix it. IKE obviously didn’t have a solution bc things just kept getting worse. LBJ was stuck with incompetent military leaders that lied to him regularly.

[@pts5217]

Jordan Sharpe He deserves far more respect for what he did with civil rights, poverty, Medicare etc...idk what ppl think we should’ve done in Vietnam. It was the height of the Cold War and communism was a major threat. Just a year or two earlier, we almost had WW3

[@cjaquilino]

Itzel Ozores All Presidents are war criminals and racists.

[@karenbitter8857]

@@pts5217 don't think civil rights was passed to be nice. It's a political purpose. VOTES!!

[@JohnHWelch63]

Maybe I'm worng, IDK, but it seems to me that if a US military general becomes president of the United States, after his presidency is over wouldn't it be appropriate to address him as President (Surname here) rather than General (Surname here). As soon as he took the oath of office an was sworn in as president he became Commander in Chief of the United States Armed Forces, which is a higher rank than general. Generally a retired military officer is addressed by his/her final rank at retirement. Eisenhower's final rank was not general, it was CIC.

[@Ihatepotatos123ski]

Why is LBJ calling Eisenhower "general"? i know he was a general, but shouldent he call him Mr.President

[@kennaducoff]

Ihateallkindofpotatosexepctfries Eisenhower wasn't president anymore

[@nazur72]

Eisenhower preferred to be called general

[@mattb917]

JFK reinstated Ike as General of the Army, ceremonially, as Ike preferred being called General and identified as such.

[@clarencepeterson8646]

Anyone who served as President has that title for life. But Eisenhower preferred general.

[@philomelodia]

Ihateallkindofpotatosexepctfries I noticed that too. Must be some sort of dominance game he's playing.

[@malamati007]

Insults Eisenhower, a two-term president, by calling him "general"...

[@vafrakes]

Actually Eisenhower preferred that title. JFK called him "General" as well. He was more proud of that title I suppose.

[@Shah-of-the-Shinebox]

Anybody can be president (see idiots Trump and Biden), you have to work and earn your way to be a general. LBJ was showing respect by referring to him as general.

[@Mark-yy2py]

Not an insult at all.

[@jamesm.3967]

You really don’t know what you’re talking about do you?