Path to War

Congratulations, Mr. President.

Johnson: Just the beginning, Bob.

Man: Sir! Mr. President!

Over here, please! Thank you!

She is pretty.

- Having a good time, George? - Great night, Mr. President.

- What a night. - Johnson: You bet, George.

Mr. Johnson!

Thank you, sir! Mrs. Johnson!

Man: Get him, girls. Get him.

- ( music stops ) - ( cheering, applause )

Senator Dirksen, the president would be delighted

if you'd join him in the Oval Office after the ball.

I will.

One thing I can say about the Great Society--

it sure is crowded.

Up all night writing this one, Dick?

Uh, this is one speech I'll gladly disavow.

Got a clipping here.

Quotes my honorable defeated opponent,

Senator Goldwater.

Calls my secretary of defense "an IBM machine with legs."

Outrageous!

Now, I stand here tonight to tell you

that I regard Bob McNamara here

as not only one of the smartest,

but one of the most humane men I know.

Yeah. Over here.

- ( cheering, applause ) - ( mouths words )

Man: Goldwater's history!

And that goes for all my blue-ribbon men

you see here tonight.

Yep.

Never in our history has there been

such an abundance of brains and talent.

Why, I've got three or four Rhodes scholars,

four or five graduates of Harvard,

a couple from Yale.

And, why, there's even one here tonight

from Southwest Texas State Teachers College.

And don't you know, that one rules the roost.

Hey! Thank you.

( singing and cheering continue )

Watch broken, Jack?

- Timing it. - Timing what?

The applause. He'll ask.

Johnson on TV: In a land of great wealth,

families must not live in hopeless poverty.

In a land rich in harvest,

children just must not go hungry.

In a land of healing miracles,

neighbors must not suffer and die unattended.

In a great land of learning and scholars,

young people must be taught to read and write.

Dirksen: A bit more volume, please, Mr. President?

I want to hear every brilliant word

that Dick Goodwin wrote for your marvelous speech.

Goodwin? Who told you Goodwin wrote that speech?

A dozen people work on my speeches.

Nobody more than I do.

Why, Jack here's been writing

some of my best stuff for seven years.

My penance for marrying away his last secretary,

but thank you for the credit, Mr. President.

- Good night, Jack. - Good night, Mr. President.

- Good night, Senator. - Good night, Jack.

Johnson on TV: ...with the resources I have had,

I have vigilantly fought against it.

- Goodwin wrote maybe a word or two. - Mm-hmm.

"Great" being one, "Society" the other?

- Smart son of a bitch got that out of a book. - ( chuckles )

Now, listen to me, Ev.

And listen well. You're a good friend.

I don't want to see you retire prematurely.

But as this reception plainly shows you,

the American people ain't gonna stand

for you fellas on the other side of the aisle

dragging your feet on any of my programs.

Now, FDR passed a handful of bills

in his first hundred days.

I'm gonna pass a bucketful--

poverty, education, health care.

And I'm gonna finish what I started on civil rights, too.

I'm telling you, Jim Crow put a collar on more smart men

sure as they were sentenced to an Illinois chain gang.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. I take offense, sir.

We are most humane to our condemned.

The Great Society is my beautiful woman, Ev,

and I'm taking her by the arm.

And as the greatest Republican leader of this century,

Everett Dirksen is gonna take her by the other

and help me escort that lady home.

Yes.

And knowing what is likely thence to ensue, Mr. President,

that is where I shall take my leave.

Lyndon? I apologize for interrupting.

I thought perhaps you'd like some sandwiches from the kitchen.

Mrs. Johnson, my most abject apology.

I have kept your husband far too long

on this most festive occasion.

No.

Mr. President,

a heartfelt congratulations, sir.

Adieu.

- Good night. - Good night.

Johnson on TV: If we fail now,

then we will have forgotten in abundance

- what we learned in hardship. - ( chuckles )

Democracy rests on faith,

freedom asks more than it gives,

and the judgment of God...

It was a wonderful speech.

Full of such hope and promise.

Dick Goodwin asked what I thought,

and I told him it was a magnificent job.

And you delivered it so very well.

- Thank you, honey. - Yes, you did.

Thank you.

9:00 p.m. unless you hear from me.

- Morning. How are you? - How are you, sir?

- Is that for me? Thank you. - Yes, sir.

- Good morning. - Good morning.

Morning.

Good morning, Mr. Secretary.

What have we got here? A crisis in every capital?

Uh, just one.

- This is one cable? - Not quite.

Here's the rest of it.

McNamara: The situation in Vietnam is continuing to deteriorate.

We've been able to keep the noise level down since your campaign,

but my guess is you'll be faced with a tough decision soon.

How soon?

There are 19 million older folks who can't see a doctor.

33 million under the poverty line.

I can't have Congress distracted.

- ( phone ringing ) - ( toilet flushing )

Now, how soon, Bob?

Very soon, Mr. President.

I hate to have to report this to you,

but Max Taylor says here that Vietcong enlistment

is increasing rapidly

and that Saigon can't continue much longer

to provide security for our advisors down there

and fight an insurgency at the same time.

Why not? How many men does South Vietnam have out there fighting?

200,000. VC have about 34,000.

Well, how the hell can 34,000 lick 200,000?

Well, historically, a 10:1 ratio minimum

is required for a guerilla situation,

and there's no way that South Vietnam can achieve that on their own.

Now, we've kept our powder dry

through the elections and the holidays,

waiting for some stability in the south,

waiting for the cycle of coups to end,

during which we've had five killed in the attack at Bien Hoa,

two at our Saigon officers quarters,

and scores wounded with no retaliation from us whatsoever.

Now, Wheeler, the other chiefs, Westmoreland,

are fit to be tied, as you know,

and now this from Ambassador Taylor.

You might send Mac Bundy to Saigon, have a talk with him.

I'd make another trip myself,

but I'm in the middle of the defense budget right now.

I don't want to see the word "Vietnam" in that damn budget.

Well...

you know I'd do that if I could.

In fact, it's becoming increasingly difficult to conceal--

Bob, all I want to know is this.

What's it gonna take to get Ho Chi Minh to quit?

That's all I want to know.

Mr. President, it's clear to me now

that the answer is sustained military action in the air.

And if that doesn't work,

on the ground.

This is the decision you are going to have to face, Mr. President,

and as I said, very soon, I'm afraid.

Keep me up to date, Bob.

- Turn that thing off. - Yes, sir.

This Medicare speech is shit.

Cut out the gobbledygook and sex it up.

Maybe Goodwin ought to take a crack at it.

Goodwin's got three months of assignments.

Oh, I just put the last of those on your desk, Mr. President.

I'd be glad to look it over if you'd like me to.

All right.

Put the music to it, Dick.

Jack, I want you to tell him

to stop taking credit for every goddamn word I say.

- Absolutely, Mr. President. - All right.