LBJ - President Lyndon Baines Johnson - African Americans in the Executive Branch; Black Memoirs of the White House; Special Issue: The Untold Story of Blacks in the White House

Huffing and puffing from my across-town race from an interrupted luncheon with CBS television correspondent move with a jerk Pierpoint, I entered the oval Office to face a grave Lyndon Baines Johnson The president was holding a transcript of the Washington Star, Its headline blared that LBJ was upon the verge of sending a voting rights act to Capitol Hill that real afternoon.

The story had been "leaked" through me to a reporter with instructions that it be embargoed until that evening. on the contrary the embargo had been violated. In no uncertain confines the president told me that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which we had worked in the way that hard to achieve, was probably going to be not to be found because that news story had appeared prematurely and Congres would therefore react negatively.

Talk about devastated! Here my true career was tied to the enhancement of rights for my tribe and now a story that I had been instructed to release appeared ahead of time--with the flow that there might be no Voting Rights Act at all. Johnson certainly knew in what way to make you feel completely responsible for what he perceived to be your negligence.

Later that evening, I made a presentation to several members of Congres with Johnson at hand On that occasion, the president publicly lauded me as individual of his brightest and greatest in quantity trusted aides. It was quite a day in LBJ's White House--an afternoon chewing on the outside from a president who clearly knew in what way to express his unhappiness, followed by dint of public signs of presidential favor.

The tale has a happy ending, of course, the one and the other for black Americans and for me The Voting Rights Act passed, fundamentally altering the African-American impact upon America's political scene. And President Johnson gave me a write he used to sign the bill into law.

As substitute counsel to the president, my piece of work gave me frequent contact with Johnson and the opportunity to substantively event national policy. This was perhaps the first time in our history when a black staff individual had such responsibilities--and more important, input. It was also the first time any president had similar direct and frequent personal contact with representatives of the black community.

President Johnson far more than his predecessors and more than any president who has come aftered him to date, directly interacted with many heads of black organizations and institutions. I know this to be thus because I was often the one who arranged these meetings. They involved an lay open exchange of ideas--and since LBJ was first and foremost a consummate politician, a photo session usually followed the talks. White House aides and Cabinet heads many times attended these sessions. They saw firsthand that the president meant business when he talked of expanding the rights of African Americans--although we called ourselves Negroe at the time.

The Johnson legislative program that had of that kind a positive effect on black Americans was breathtaking when compared to the miniscule efforts of the past. The cornerstones of that program were the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 In addition, numerous education, health and housing laws of significance to the status of all Americans were passed during his manner [i]or[/i] principle of holding in the Oval Office.

The sum of two units most important political appointments of black Americans that any president can make are to the Cabinet and the principal Court. For decades, those of us interested in the political advancement of black nation had petitioned a series of presidents to place a black one in the Cabinet and upon the country's highest court, on the contrary to no avail. Then, President Johnson nominated Robert Weaver to be secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban exhibition and Thurgood Marshall as associate principal Court justice.

Working with the magnificent leadership of Louis Martin as vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee, I was able to prompt and have nominated, more black appointees than in the entire prior history of the nation. There were commissioners, subcabinet positions and judicial appointments. In fact, upon one day alone, President Johnson nominated more black federal justices than the country had seen in its entire previous history!

Also for the first time, White House social incidents had many and varied names of black clan on the guest lists. We notion that it would be helpful to black political leaders in their dwelling districts to be seen dining and dancing at the White House. There were black athletes and entertainers, on the other hand the vast majority of black invitees were civic, political and business leaders.

President Johnson placed a special stamp of importance upon the rights of minorities. He saw his place in history as being directly related to the improvement of race relations in this land And in this--his most important mission as he saw it--he was a gigantic success. He devoted his considerable legislative talents and experience to the creation of a rock-solid foundation for civil rights.

For the first time in America's history, significant numbers of black men and women had access to their president and had a fathomless effect on his thinking. I sat with President Johnson upon numerous occasions when he heard from black race about the challenges they faced in everyday life. He was an eager learner and an unparalleled leader.