President Johnson: : Jerry?
Gerald Ford: : Yes, Mr. President, how are you sir?
President Johnson: : Fine. Congratulations.
Gerald Ford: : Thank you very much, sir.
President Johnson: : I would have done it earlier, but I don't... I'm not sure that I'm supposed to be messing around in y'all's intramural activities.
Gerald Ford: : I understand.
President Johnson: : Gerry, I saw in the... by way of the newspaper this morning that you hadn't been briefed adequately. I thought that you... there's not anything that we know that we don't want you to know and you don't need to tell anybody but me.
[edit.]
President Johnson: : Our feeling is this: I'm a Vandenberg man. I sat next to him on Atomic Energy when I was a kid.
Gerald Ford: : Right.
President Johnson: : And he gave me a lot of good training after he changed his viewpoint, his philosophy. And I'm a Ford man; George Mahon spent the whole day a month ago trying to tell me about you and I said, "Well, I had to pick out a few outstanding members of Congress the first week I was here. And I reached in and got him. He didn't solicit the Warren Commission so you don't need to sell me on him, George." But we want ya'll in on the takeoff-
Gerald Ford: : Well, I think-
President Johnson: : -provided you'll get in on the takeoff! Now usually what you do when we outline everything and say here are the alternatives: we can bomb the hell out of Hanoi and the hundred MiGs there. Or we can go the other direction and get out completely. Or we can do this.
Now what do you think we ought to do? Usually Halleck looks over to me and says "Well now, Mr. President, that's your responsibility as commander in chief." I said, "I know it is Charlie; I'm prepared to exercise it." But you want to be in on the takeoffs as well as the landings.
Well, I goddamn sure want to give you a chance, and I want the record to show that you checked it back to me because I'm an old poker player.
[edit.]
Gerald Ford: : Well, Mr. President, let me say this without any hesitation or qualification, and I only pick this out as a point: your statement in the State of the Union message on your, our, our commitment to South Vietnam, I wholeheartedly and unequivocally stand by. And you can have my assurance in this regard, now and in the future.
And I... but I do think that it's important that I and others on our side be kept up to date as well as we can. Now that doesn't mean Bob McNamara has to be over here once a week telling us what's going on. But... as you know I've had an excellent rapport with Bob McNamara. I think-
President Johnson: : He thinks very highly of you, and he told me this morning that he'd be right there, that the only reason that he hasn't talked to the leadership himself is you haven't had any leadership.
[edit.]
Gerald Ford: : Well you can assure-you can be assured, Mr. President, that what I've said about supporting you to the hilt when we in our judgment think you're right, and I think there will be many occasions where that will be true, and when we oppose it'll be on the issue and not on any personal details or anything else.
President Johnson: : I know that, I know that. Oh, I know that. I know that.
[edit.]
President Johnson: : Pick up this phone, anytime you want to, just with the freedom that you'd call your office and tell me frankly what you think, and I'll do likewise, and that's the only way people can get along.
Gerald Ford: : That'll be fine, Mr. President.
President Johnson: : Thank you, Gerry.
Gerald Ford: : Thank you, very much, sir.