Only begins with trees, flowers and landscaping. Thats from a film created by the Johnson Administration with Lady Bird Johnson talking about beautification, her signature issue as first lady. She was a natural campaigner, successful businesswoman and savvy partner to her husband, Lyndon Baines johnson. Good evening. Tonight well tell you the story of Claudia Taylor johnson known toe everyone as lady bird. Here too tell her story tonight are Cokie Roberts, the author of two books about womens political history, founding mothers and ladies of liberty. Thanks for being here. And we have an expert, with a number books from Martha Washington to Michelle Obama, currently working on a new biography of Lady Bird Johnson. Ladies, i want to start with the beginning of where we were 50 years ago this week. Bhamp the immediate challenges in the first terrible day. They were enormous. First of all, nobody knew if there was a widespread plot. So the country was in terror for a period of time. Then they had to be both taking over and making sure that theres a peaceful transition of power, without seeming to take over because of the image of being pushing the other, the kennedys out of the way. So they had to be very, very careful in thousand they handled it. Lyndon johnson was very lucky to have lady bird with that, because she had a good ear of knowing what to say and when to say it. In particular what did she do . She felt like she was on stage for a part she never rehearsed, but. She immediately started taking notes. We have her shorthand notes while she was still waiting to hear whether president kennedy had died. On the way back, on the plane, she started making plans for putting her Radio Station into some sort of guardian blind trust so they would not be accused of profiting from it. So she really took over very fast. She was a good study. This was an administration that documented itself extensively. There was a daily diary she reported of herself. Also the Lyndon Johnson phone tapes, and then there was a naval Television Crew that followed the first couple around and documented. Is this new to this administration . Is or had this been going on for a while with president . I think the amount of documentation is new. She didnt record every day, because some days were too full. She had a reporting machine, and on days that were too bus,she would stuff brown envelopes with menus or lists of people she would seen. She would get an hour or so some day and report. Those recordings are still being transcribed. Theyre wonderful. Her white house diary, thats only an eighth of what she has on the tapes. So were waiting for the rest of it to come out. There were, before this, recordings, we have some roosevelt recordings, and John Quincy Adams wife wrote the autobiography of a nobody, which tells you something about her state of mind at the time. So there was i think that most first couples have an awareness of the magnitude of the job, but Lady Bird Johnson had such a sense of history. She said she dared herself to keep a diary and understood that was something special. Throughout this program we will see some of the video from the naval crew that followed the couple around to document their days in the white house. Were going to start with one of those. This is Lady Bird Johnson on november 22nd, 1963, recording the first tragic day that brought them into the white house. Mrs. Kennedys dress was stained with blood. One leg was almost entirely covered with it. Her right glove was caked. That immaculate woman, it was caked with blood, her husbands blood. She always wore gloves, like she was used to them. I never could. That was somehow one of the most poignant sights, exquisitely addressed and caked in blood. I asked her if i couldnt get somebody to come in to help her change, and she says, oh, no, thats all right, later i may ask for mary gallagher, but not right now. That was something, for a person that gentle, that dignified, you could say there was an element of fierceness, she said, i want them to see what they have done to jack. It was decided that he should be sworn in there in dallas, as quickly as possible. There, in the very narrow confines of the plane, with jackie on his left, her hair falling in her eyes but very composed, and then lyndon, and then i was on his right, judge hughes with the bible in front of him, and a cluster of secret Service People and congressmen we have known for a long time. Lyndon took the oath of office. What are you hearing there that people should understand . Shes very specific. I had forgotten about how she gets so many details. Her description of that, but also before that, when she talks about walking into the hospital and the kennedy car was still there. She saw this bundle of pink blossoms and the blood around it. Shes a very astute observer. And shes a good writer. Shes also clearly upset in that recording. You can hear it. Shes trying to, both describe the situation, but at the same time give homage to Jacqueline Kennedy, this very meticulous woman, caked in blood, all of that to say shes trying to tell you what was happening, but not in some ways sensationalize it. For her following in mrs. Kennedys footsteps, Cokie Roberts referred to this sort of delicate dance of being respectful, but needing to take control. What was the two womens relationship like . Many people said this is a daunting act to follow, and she said, well, feel sorry for mrs. Kennedy, not for me, because i still have my husband. I think she made a special effort not to imitate in any way some of the projects she is considered, for example, beautifying the mall. Lyndon johnson advised her not to do that, because the kennedys had done something similar. She was amazingly absent she didnt have envy of anybody. She seemed to consider the kennedys a different generation. I find her amazing in that regard, that she knew that Jacqueline Kennedy was extremely popular, yesterday she had a lot to offer, too. She filled in many times. Mrs. Kennedy was pregnant, she lost a baby, she wasnt well. A lot of times there were things she didnt want to do, and mrs. Johnson filled in. She knew the role well, and she was a quint essential washington political wife. She had been on this scene since the 1930s. She knew it well and she had a cadre of other political lives who were just extraordinary women. They all gathered around her, and that made that that also made that transition somewhat easier. We should say at the outset, among those women was your own mother. Can you talk about your experience . My father was first elected to congress in 1940. He was 26. My mother was 24. Think of it. That was, of course, before world war ii. The rules were still there of calling. So you had to go calling. The Supreme Court on monday, cabinet on tuesday im making of the days the senate on wednesday. There was my mother, this 24yearold girl except people were older then than they are now. Her first day of calling, and the horn honks outside. She goes running down and its Lady Bird Johnson and colleen gore, al gores mother, and they took her calling, and the relationship has been very warm since. All through their husbands political wives, and when they both became widows, they traveled together and had a wonderful time together. Were going to step back in time. Before we do that, a reminder about your involvement. They programs are interesting because of your questions. We hope youll join in tonight. You can tweet us at the website, were also already taking questions from people on our facebook page. And you can call in. Here are the phone number. In the eastern or central part of the United States or in the western part and well mix in your calls. Her biography. Where was she born and to whom . You cant really say its a town, but its a house outside of a town, carnac, texas, in 1912, in december, 1912 in a big house. One of the things i found in studying first ladies is how many married down, into families considerably below theirs economically and socially and even education. And it made a big impression on me to drive past the house where Lady Bird Johnson was born, that 17room house with six fireplaces and the big white columns an then go 300 miles near the louisiana border and then drive 300 miles west and see to the low to the ground fourroom cabin with Lyndon Johnson was born. So she came from a far wealthier background than he did. What are important to know about her childhood and what shaped her . I think the death of her mother. She was only five when her mother died in what i consider mysterious circumstances. And she was pretty much a very lonely child. She said she wasnt. But how would she know. Her two brothers, they were sent away to boarding school. And they were a good bit older. And they were sent away to boarding school. The older one, tommy, the oldest brother, she never knew him. When he died in 1959 of pancreas cancer, she cried harder than she had ever cried in her life. So it was lonely. The name lady bird, it came from a nurse. But she says in her interview with Mike Gillette that it was two little africanamerican playmates, the children of hired help who decided to call her that because they didnt like claudia but it was not considered acceptable to say that she had africanamerican playmates so the nurse was brought in and it was a tribute to the nurse. And an aunt who was dysfunctional. The aunt was someone she ended up having to take care of so there she was a little girl in this big house with a father who was around and had no clue what to do with her and this sort of nutty old southern aunt. And some playmates here and there. But the big advantage to that was she became a world class reader. Well how important was it for southwestern women of this vintage to get an education . Was it unusual that she went to college . Yes. Slightly. But by that time more women were going to college. Were talking the 1920s and into the 30s. So, yes, it was more common than it was a generation before that. Do we know why she was interested in journalism . I think for a lot of women, do you have an answer to that she was interested in high school so it is an early interest. And i think it was part of her plan to get out of that area, to get out of that part of texas. I also think for a lot of women, they could write. They had learned to write and that was something that they thought they could do. My mother wanted to be a journalist too and they both ended up as politicians. [ technical difficulties ] [ technical difficulties ] [ no audio ] [ lost connection ] she said when she got in the car that does morning and they drove down to san antonio to get married, she didnt know she would get out. So she didnt make up her mind until about 6 00 when she went down to the church. And she was 22 and he was 26. She wasnt quite 22. She was just 21. Because her birthday came afterwards. But that was normal. 21 to 22. That is a normal time to get married. Before we learn more. Lets take a few calls. Well begin in oakland, california, what is on your mind. I have two questions. Did she have any contact with Jacqueline Kennedy after she was first ladies and did lady birthday johnson have doubts about the vietnam war. Thanks very much. Did they continue the contact after the Johnson White house. Yes. The first tax bill, when that was signed and Lyndon Johnson signed that he went with lady birthday johnson to the house of Jackie Kennedy and gave her four pens, one for her and one for each of the kids and for the library. During the white house years the contact was rather formal but johnson invited mrs. Kennedy back but she never came back while they were there. They gifted to the children, i know the first christmas for example they gave john jr. A fire engine they reached out to her. So in the 1980s, after she was widowed, lady birthday johnson and Jacqueline Kennedy established a friendship when they were both on Marthas Vineyard in the summer. When you look at the documentary evidence, she supported her husband publicly but in her private, did you find any doubts about the vietnam war. Well she said if youre going to start a war it has to be because of some big event like harbor and to me that metropolitan she thought they didnt have it in vietnam. It was so hard with all of the protests and it was personal and that would put you in a position where you want to support him no matter what. Michael is in washington, d. C. Hi, michael. Caller hi, susan. I want to let you know this program is just fabulous. Thank you so much. I watch it from the beginning. Thanks for watching. Caller my first question is did lady birthday johnson have the former first ladies live ago the time, Jacqueline Kennedy didnt come back until the nixon administration, did she have her back at the white house and was she the longest living first lady. The longest living was bess truman. She made it to 95 and lady birthday johnson and betty ford were both 94. So it is very close. The other question about did other first ladies come back. I dont remember who else was around to come back. Eisenhower and truman. Bess no. I know they went to sign the medicare act and there i am. That was all over texas. A night really. Some have persisted through the years. Weight was not his problem then. Sometimes he sweat down three or four suits a day. All i did in those days was wait and look. This is in competition with the carnival. Never try to do it. They are fun to watch. The commentary. Could i say those are accessible to anyone line. If you put johnson lbj home movies, 35 come up and you could watch them all. And she said that was her Favorite Campaign and the only one they lost. Would you talk about his progression from congressional aide to congress. When she married him he was a congressional aide and she got the new years eve 1934 and married five or six weeks or something and he served about a year before they went back to texas. So he could be head of the National Youth administration. And then she goes back in 1937, when hes elected to congress. And she is there for about a dozen years as cokie said, as a congressional wife and shes very good at networking with other women and a loyal member of the Congressional Wives Club and then he gets elected to the senate in 1948 and a very loyal member of the senate wives. But in the house years, in 1941, around pearl harbor, lyndon enlisted. He was in the Naval Reserve and he enlisted and went off on active duty and she ran his congressional office. I dont think we have another first lady who ever ran her husbands office. Bess truman work the in her husbands Senate Office for pay and Lady Bird Johnson was careful to say she was volunteering her services. And it is remarkable. He just left her in charge and off he went. And then here is reported that she was running the outfit a whole lot better than he did. But coming back to what they were saying about networking with the political women, it was an Extraordinary Group of women to begin with. But they were not sicking around drinking tea, they were very politically active. Both in their husbands campaigns and in the voter regs registration and all of that. But they were very active in the district of columbia. It was before home rule. And no matter where they were from and a time when it was not particularly popular were it known where they were from, they worked with the africanamerican women here in washington on all kinds of social service issues. And they really did create a social safety net. One thing that was interesting in the home video was that she said my job at that time was to sit and watch. At what point did it become this is 1941, become okay and acceptable for spouses of congressional candidates to become seen as being actively involved . Well it was different in different places. And some had been active from the beginning. Again, we talked about my vocation and john quincy seeked election and god knows he wasnt working on it. So they had been much more active than anybody gives them credit for all through history. And certainly Eleanor Roosevelt was out there doing campaign. So it was considered bad form if you didnt do a certain amount of campaigning. But it was behind the scenes. And i think Lady Bird Johnson deserves credit for being the first wife of a president ial candidate to go out on a speaking tour of her own. That was really very new. Because even Eleanor Roosevelt campaigned for other candidates but i dont think she campaigned for her husband until he ran for the third term because it wasnt lady like to be open about your support for your husband. You were behind the scenes and organizing pim to put up posters and letters and than1 og unununn but lady bird said the wife of a candidate, her job is to walk behind him and say thank you, thank you. So it was pretty behind the scenes until i think the 60s. But Jackie Kennedy did some ads in spanish for instance, to try to get something we talk about all of the time now, to get the hispanic vote. Next is a question from owen in marietta, j georgia. Hi, owen caller hi. What is your question for us. Caller my question is i have two. First what were Lady Bird Johnsons hobbies, and two was her relationship with her kids. Owen, how are you . Caller im 9 years old. And how did you become interested in Lady Bird Johnson . Wel