Description
First edition of The Vantage Point by President Lyndon B. Johnson, inscribed to Governor George Romney, just days before Johnson’s death.
Octavo, x, [2], 636pp. Red cloth, title printed on spine over blue print. Stated “first edition” on copyright page. Remnants of tape on copyright page, title page and front endpaper. Two folded pages (204-5), possibly an error by the publisher. In publisher’s first state dust jacket, $15.00 on front flap, faint toning to spine. Some separation of glassine cover along top edge, which is common with this dust jacket.
The book is inscribed: “For Governor George Romney, Whose concern for his fellowman excites me. With admiration & respect, Lyndon B. Johnson. LBJ Ranch. Jan. 9, 1973.” Also includes two paragraphs of notes by George Romney, detailing his meeting with Lyndon Johnson in 1973.
At this point in his career, former Governor George Romney was serving as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for President Richard Nixon, but with Nixon winning a second term, Romney had decided to resign.
The following are the notes from Governor George Romney regarding his January 9th, 1973 meeting with President Johnson at the LBJ Ranch.
Notes are written opposite the title page: “Flying from L.B.J. Ranch to Dallas. / President Johnson visited with me for three hours. He indicated the largest amount of legislation in history, passed by a single Pres. (passed by him) was as a result of crisis. He indicated that even though he had support of most groups, it took a crisis to get action. This included the open housing legislation passed following Martin Luther King’s assassination. Three weeks before he had refused the request of all Civil Rights leaders to issue an open housing executive order and told Clarence Mitchell it would take ten years to get such legislation. / Pres. Johnson said when I talked about basic reform being dependent on a crisis he almost interrupted to say ‘amen.’ The Concerned Citizen Movement I outlined he described as being as being [sic] ‘right on target.’ He gave me names and was willing to advise on the organizing leadership group. / In describing his problems as President he said his greatest problem was communication. That Nixon was better – deserved an A – compared to D for him – but that Nixon is now in trouble. / Of great interest was his account of almost withdrawing from re-nomination a day before the 1964 Convention and Lady Bird’s letter to him while in a Nat. Security Meeting. George Romney.”Â
