Oral history transcript, Phyllis Bonanno, interview 1 (I), 11/12/1982, by Michael L. Gillette

How Bonanno came to work for LBJ; LBJ's March 31, 1968, speech on Vietnam and LBJ's decision not to seek re-election; foreign response to the speech; Averell Harriman and Cyrus Vance's negotiation meetings with the North Vietnamese; the shift away from diplomacy in current politics; the riots in Washington, D.C., following the assassination of Martin Luther King; LBJ's confusion over the riots, their purpose and leadership; being in New York City for the ordination of Cardinal Terence Cooke; LBJ's relationship with Nelson Rockefeller; LBJ's relationship with the Kennedys; a proposal to draft LBJ to run for re-election and LBJ's morale following the 3/31/1968 speech; LBJ's reflective nature; LBJ's relationship with Hubert Humphrey; LBJ's influence on Bonanno's interest in foreign policy; LBJ's decision-making; LBJ's lack of involvement with Humphrey's 1968 presidential campaign; support after the 3/31/1968 speech for LBJ to change his mind; Larry O'Brien's resignation as postmaster general to work on the Robert Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign; turnover on LBJ's staff.