In Lady Bird Johnsonâs Secret Diaries, a Despairing President and a Crucial Spouse
A new book reveals how the former first lady not only provided a spouseâs emotional ballast but also served as an unrivaled counselor who helped persuade Lyndon B. Johnson to stay in office.
Lady Bird Johnson in 1961. The first lady kept a diary, but she ordered that a part of it be kept secret for years after her death.Credit.Associated Press
Published March 11, 2021Updated March 16, 2021
WASHINGTON â He had been president for only two years, but that night in fall 1965 he had had enough. Lyndon B. Johnson had spiraled into depression, and from his hospital bed after gallbladder surgery, he talked of throwing it all away and retreating into seclusion back home in Texas.