An extensive, minutely detailed analysis of the Lyndon B. Johnson -
Robert F. Kennedy mutual-fear-and-loathing society. Entire books
have been written examining Lyndon Johnson's presidency in which
Robert F. Kennedy is but a very minor player. In his book, Shesol
filters Johnson's entire vice-presidential and presidential careers
through the lens of his hatred of Robert Kennedy and RFK's
reciprocal contempt for Johnson. In his first book, Shesol, a
political cartoonist, sets out to prove that from 1959 to 1968 both
Kennedy and Johnson made "few important decisions without first
considering" their mutual contempt, which was "the defining
relationship of their political lives." Shesol offers a mountain of
evidence to buttress these original claims. The book is filled to
overflowing with detailed reconstructions of many of the political
actions RFK and LBJ took. Shesol is correct - to a very limited
degree. The two men hated each other viciously, and their hatred
had an impact on some of their political decisions. Those facts are
well documented here and elsewhere. But Shesol does not come close
to proving that the mutual hatred was a key factor in Johnson's
presidency or in Kennedy's political career. Shesol claims, for
example, that Johnson's Vietnam War policymaking, by mid-1967, was
"inextricably bound to the Johnson-Kennedy feud." The feud had some
impact, but Shesol either ignores or cursorily mentions the many
other, much more crucial factors. They include the intransigence of
the Vietnamese communists, the weakness of our South Vietnamese
ally, pressures from the American Joint Chiefs and from
conservative Republicans, threats from China, and Johnson's strong
desire to win the 1964 election and, later, enact his Great Society
programs. A myopic portrait of two powerful politicians that all
but ignores any actions other than their spiteful, petulant, petty
personal feuding. (Kirkus Reviews)
Lyndon Johnson, Robert Kennedy, and the Feud that Defined a Decade
"Mutual Contempt is at once a fascinating study in character and an illuminating meditation on the role character can play in shaping history."—Michiko Kakutani, New York Times
Lyndon Johnson and Robert Kennedy loathed each other. Their antagonism, propelled by clashing personalities, contrasting views, and a deep, abiding animosity, would drive them to a bitterness so deep that even civil conversation was often impossible. Played out against the backdrop of the turbulent 1960s, theirs was a monumental political battle that would shape federal policy, fracture the Democratic party, and have a lasting effect on the politics of our times.
Drawing on previously unexamined recordings and documents, as well as memoirs, biographies, and scores of personal interviews, Jeff Shesol weaves the threads of this epic story into a compelling narrative that reflects the impact of LBJ and RFK's tumultuous relationship on politics, civil rights, the war on poverty, and the war in Vietnam. As Publishers Weekly noted, "This is indispensable reading for both experts on the period and newcomers to the history of that decade."
"An exhaustive and fascinating history. . . . Shesol's grasp of the era's history is sure, his tale often entertaining, and his research awesome."—Russell Baker, New York Review of Books
"Thorough, provocative. . . . The story assumes the dimensions of a great drama played out on a stage too vast to comprehend."—Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post (1997 Critic's Choice)
"This is the most gripping political book of recent years."—Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
- A New York Times Notable Book of the Year
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