(President Johnson): Hello?
(Hubert Humphrey): Mr. President?
(President Johnson): How are you, Hubert?
(Humphrey): Well, I'm fine, and how are you?
(President Johnson): Oh, I'm just kind of broken up. I'm aching all over. I've got a headache, and my damn bones—hip's hurting, and I just . . . I'm just worn out. I just called you because I hadn't bothered you, and I didn't want to, and I didn't think that . . . I didn't think it was a good thing to do. But I wanted to tell you first, before I told anybody else, that you had no orders, and you had no instructions, and you had no mistakes. And I just don't know how anybody could do any better than that.
(Humphrey): Well, Mr. President, you're wonderful to me. We worked hard, and I enjoyed it very much.
(President Johnson): Well, you and your wife, and your family are just perfect. And I was awfully convinced about [it] the night I went up to Atlantic City, but I'm a lot more convinced tonight, and . . . Everybody makes some mistakes, and they've got to ride them out, and so you got to suffer with them and understand them. But you and Muriel didn't make—didn't slip a bobble, and your family, and I just wanted all of you to—
(Humphrey): Well—
(President Johnson): —take whatever little comfort that you knew that Lady Bird and I loved you. And—
(Humphrey): Well, we love you, Mr. President, and Lady Bird. And we've been thinking about you. I haven't wanted to bother you either. I knew you were on the move every day. But we've been keeping in touch with your boys.
(President Johnson): Well, that's the way to—that's—the way you've handled it—you handled it just perfect, and I couldn't improve on it. And I just give you A-double-plus, and you'll probably never get that good a grade again. I don't—
(Humphrey): [laughing] We're going to have a big victory tonight, Mr. President.
(President Johnson): I don't pass many of them out, but I feel that way about it. I hope so. I don't know. I'm sitting here with old Homer Thornberry, and they [are] rubbing me. I've got a bad hip. I've got a—I've been standing on my right leg. Your hip ever hurt you?
(Humphrey): Yessiree. And I'll tell you. You know that I had a period in this campaign where I thought my hips and legs were going to kill me!