Released 1968 LBJ tapes show him fretting over war, poverty

Johnson, who had many of his White House conversations secretly recorded, sought support from labor leaders and talked of winning state primaries heading into that year's Democratic National Convention, despite potential threats to his candidacy by Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and others in his party.

Laced throughout the talks were Johnson's statements about the Vietnam War and the stinging criticism he faced from hawks and doves alike.

"It's a hell of a calculation to know what is enough and what is too much," Johnson said in one conversation, explaining the difficulties of deciding on troop levels.

The recordings, released by the LBJ Library and Museum released, cover conversations Johnson had in early 1968, his last full year as president. They are among 600 hours worth of recordings released so far. Library archivists periodically release the tapes to the public in chronological order. Forty hours from 1968 are expected to be released in November.

The newly released recordings show Johnson worrying about the war, his efforts to combat domestic poverty, the value of the dollar and relations with Israel. In one conversation with former President Dwight Eisenhower, he assured Eisenhower he had no plans to use nuclear weapons in Vietnam.

"They show, I think, just this whirlwind of events every day there's a new crisis," said Regina Greenwell, senior archivist at the LBJ Library.

On March 31, 1968, just 10 days before announcing he wouldn't run again, Johnson is heard asking the head of the United Auto Workers, Walter Reuther, to support his presidential campaign. He told Reuther he was going to defeat his opponents in the race for the Democratic nomination.

"These boys can't get this nomination. They're not going to get it. We're going to take these states, and they're not going to come close to it," Johnson said. "I've just got to have you stand up when the going gets tough."

In a conversation with Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, Johnson and McNamara discussed Army Gen. William Westmoreland's request for six more battalions in Vietnam that would have taken the troop level well beyond the planned 525,000 ceiling.