Q&A: Robert Caro - Part 2

This is the second part of a discussion with Pulitzer prize winning author and historian Robert Caro. He talks about his newly released biography of Lyndon Johnson entitled "The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Passage of Power." This is his fourth book in the Johnson biographical series and Caro promises a fifth and final book in the future. The period covered in the book is from 1958 until early 1964.

[@ranger053]

C-Span and Brian,s Q and A was the greatest show of its kind, I am a retired coal miner and I bought many books that he show cased , that,s a testimonial of his interesting quests, Brian should have kept running the show and picked the books to review, boy I miss the show he ran.

[@2000Betelgeuse]

I went to the LBJ library and actually did research......the papers that are stored there are nothing short of amazing...history in the palm of your hands....the people at the library were wonderful and will forever be greatful for their assistance

[@richardkoenigsberg4271]

This is a real man. So thoughtful and calm and well-balanced. Yet what strength it must have taken to wrote those books.

[@MrVioletpandora]

Lyndon B Johnson was never punished for planning the murder of President John F Kennedy Lyndon met the oil tycoon and CIA a night before the assassination. The only man of peace in President chair.

[@donalddodson7365]

@@MrVioletpandora I sense your outrage. I accept that no one alive will ever know exactly who did what in the assassination of President Kennedy. My guess is that there were more than one actual assassination conspiracy, given how many different people were aligning against JFK/RFK et al. One or maybe two of the plotters got to him first. LBJ certainly fulfilled former President Dwight D. Eisenhower's warning about the "military industrial complex" in promoting war for economic self-interests. (Interestingly, I write this on the day the President of Afghanistan has fled as the US abandons another war it has grown tired of making money from. De ja vu Vietnam. May Peace by with you.

[@APHS-B]

Kudos Robert Caro

[@lizardcha]

This was invigorating.

[@nujac321]

First rate author.

[@adamcfeldman6586]

I'm still reading Path to Power. This seems like a spoiler. It's not hard to believe how far LBJ goes in politics while reading about his disposition, intensity, stubbornness, and hunger for power--characteristics that were with him through life.

[@remlover79]

I still love reading about his college days and how he controlled campus politics.

[@brentpage8773]

I'm finishing "Passage of Power." I'm disappointed that he hasn't broached LBJ's association with Malcolm Wallace.

[@Prof_Tickles92]

Is Johnson hard to like in those first couple of volumes?

[@tyronebiggums8660]

@@Prof_Tickles92 Depends on who you ask. Some people don’t like him some, including myself, people do. Overall, regardless of whether you like him or not, I think the second volume is generally considered to not be the best volume

[@martyrobinson4474]

12:40 ... RFK's estate was called Hickory Hill, not Chestnut Hill

[@Charleybones]

That brutal New York accent belies an excellent author and historian.

[@joniheisenberg]

Rude

[@user-gg3nm4xm6r]

says more about the listener than the speaker, sorry

[@joniheisenberg]

@@user-gg3nm4xm6r No it doesn’t.

[@pfflyer3381]

38:50 it reveals, character!

[@0907oliv]

I have to say that most Vice President, except for recent ones, have been unhappy with their job, in fact, downright miserable.

[@The4preston]

Dick Cheney was the only Vice President in my lifetime who exercised real power. He would be a good subject for a multi-volume, Caro-type biography.

[@robertjustice6489]

BILL MOYERS WAS EDITOR OF NEWSDAY -CARO WORKED THERE,NEVER SPOKE TO HIM ON LBJ??BIZARRE.

[@joniheisenberg]

Bill Moyers refused to talk to Caro, as he said he was writing his own memoirs.

[@user-uy2vj5xe8l]

Lbj crew should have called a local library to look up the presideial oath put of the encyclopedia and should have used affitm instead of swear

[@Louielinguini]

That he was gonna “doi” young.

[@user-uy2vj5xe8l]

Lbj called Martha's vineyard that female island. Abbot sent refugees there recently

[@jajanesaddictions]

Does Brian Lamb ever smile or crack a joke? @brianlamb

[@LightoftheMoon]

The best interviewer remains impartial ~

[@LightoftheMoon]

@William Murray sorry. It seems you may have missed his finesse on a lot of his probing questions through out the era's on several episodes of the series of interviews done with R. C.. Now that more years have passed, I am finding more appreciation for Mr. Lamb and his subtlety; especially the earliest interviews he did w/ R. C..

[@user-uy2vj5xe8l]

The usa wounded vietnam troops said "that bastard johnson that bastard johnson!"

[@user-uy2vj5xe8l]

The presidency chapter great society bogged down in the rice paddies and the jungle

[@gulshabbo]

The book is very good, but I think Caro relied too much on Ted Sorensen.

[@user-gg3nm4xm6r]

bullying, conniving, assassinating

[@bluegalactic]

Johnson, Benefited most from Kennedy assassination, and so did the power that pulled the trigger behind Johnson.

[@veritas6335]

Ignorant remark. The mob was behind Oswald.

[@ManGrieves]

@@veritas6335 Ignorant remark, Oswald was CIA.

[@monicagoddard1784]

He couldn't "bear" to ask Lady Bird. Who's husband fathered several children outside the marriage and bragged that he had" been with more women by accident than JFK had been with on purpose. " Who walked around nude in front of his family on board Air Force 1? And this is supposed to be a true and thorough work?

[@Dandy4]

FIRST!!!

[@user-uy2vj5xe8l]

Matthew McConaughey wore lbj glasses after the uvalde shooting

[@lynnhauenstein4136]

What I remember is Jackie, the wife was in picture of oath in pink outfit. on plane. I thought even in 4th grade was odd, she was not elected not in line. But she wanted to be part, to me JFK Respected Johnson. Thus Jackie did. LBJ made it clear include Jackie and no rush to move. LBJ very kind. If you listen to his phone calls, he called Jackie just to ask how she is doing. And please call me if I can help. He had nothing to gain by being kind to widow.

[@LightoftheMoon]

Wow, naive, indeed. It's a good idea if you actually read the entire series of the books. Then also highly suggested that you pick up books on LBJ, by Joan Mellen, and, Barr McClellan ~ #justsaying

[@ManGrieves]

LBJ called Jackie to try to get her to come to the white house and sleep with her, Jackie quipped "what will they say about me if I've been with 2 presidents". He had plenty to gain.

[@lynnhauenstein4136]

@ManGrieves yes sir good point, in last year, I've learned alot, listened to LBJ phone calls to Jackie. In last year... LBJ creeping on the JFK widow...

[@user-gg3nm4xm6r]

apparently it was j edgar hoover's photographic hobby that put lbj in the vice presidency, not lbj's "humility" .. as dementia joe would spritely quip, "c'mon, maaan"

[@brentpage8773]

He willfully omits the clear association between Malcolm Wallace and LBJ. That is NOT the whole story that Caro ostensibly intended to write through multiple volumes. Disappointing.

[@Verdelufe]

Well said, Caro talks about LBJ as his hero. avoids talking about the problems about his political aspiration and 9 assassination executed by his body Malcom Wallace. He was called a butcher, whispering people from Austin to this day still afraid of LBJ´s ghost. The best reference would be Roger Stone´s Book - The Case Against LBJ

[@LightoftheMoon]

@@Verdelufe indeed!

[@amythompson7700]

I hope he’ll come clean in the last volume 😢

[@FredPena-rd5cf]

At least he should have written about the Kinser murder and the 5 year suspended sentence of Wallace for the murder.

[@amythompson7700]

@@Verdelufe Another excellent writer Phillip F. Nelson also doesn’t hold back details accusing LBJ. I wonder why even RFK Jr hasn’t outed LBJ? Thoughts?

[@_barncat]

LBJ was a cold blooded lunatic

[@allend2749]

r.c. seems like a very nice man, however, i do not live with him. ha ha