'I Don’t Want to Be a Warmonger'

'I Don’t Want to Be a Warmonger'

A long telephone call between President Johnson and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in July 1965 revealed a close link between the issues of civil rights and Vietnam. Having recently delivered a speech that seemed critical of Johnson’s Vietnam policies, King phoned in to clarify his remarks. The President responded with a torrent of speech, outlining his dilemmas. 

Location: Oval Office
Tape Number: WH6507-02-8311-8312-8313