Oral history transcript, Lawrence F. O'Brien, interview 25 (XXV), 8/25/1987, by Michael L. Gillette

Title:

Oral history transcript, Lawrence F. O'Brien, interview 25 (XXV), 8/25/1987, by Michael L. Gillette

Number of Pages:

76

Description:

Hubert Humphrey's public appearances after his Vietnam speech in Salt Lake City; avoiding certain campaign areas due to lack of support and negative media there; campaign organization; improving advance work for trips; the campaign status in mid-September 1968; the role of the citizens' committee and state coordinators; the importance of communication across the campaign staff; Humphrey's popularity in the South; civil rights and how to get the African-American vote, as well as the middle-class Caucasian vote; how Humphrey compared to Richard Nixon and George Wallace on order and justice; campaign staff debate over whether Humphrey should release a clear Vietnam strategy and whether Humphrey should resign as vice president; concern that policy statements, letters, and press releases were released without approval from Humphrey or his staff; Humphrey's agreeable nature; the possibility of presidential debates with Humphrey, Nixon, and Wallace; legislation that would mandate debates; the possibility of vice-presidential debates; Spiro Agnew's reputation; Wallace's support from organized labor; money to promote voter registration in New York; the campaign status in September 1968; campaign committee meetings; the recording and release of the Salt Lake City speech on Vietnam; Nixon's continued refusal to debate Humphrey; buying television time for Humphrey; poll results; Humphrey dealing with hecklers; a lack of funding for campaign materials; television advertisements for Edmund Muskie; Humphrey's appearances; closed-circuit television fund raising; campaign strategy in California; October 1968 policy committee meetings; continued efforts to get Nixon to agree to a debate; television advertisements the final weeks of the campaign; get-out-the-vote efforts; Wallace's plan to pull votes away from Humphrey and Nixon; the possibility that McCarthy's name would be on New York ballots; Joseph Alioto's work on the Humphrey campaign; plans to seek LBJ's help with the campaign; Humphrey's plan in the event of no electoral majority; the importance of Muskie in the campaign and the need for an appearance with Humphrey; poll results and the campaign status in October 1968; television time for Humphrey in October and an election-eve telethon; phone banks and mass mailings in the get-out-the-vote drive; the role of women in the campaign; utilizing the support of senators, congressmen, and governors; election day legal matters; the policy committee's final meeting before the election to discuss television time, print ads, finances, Humphrey's biographical film, poll results and final plans; O'Brien's overall impressions of the campaign policy committee; records of the policy committee meetings; the role of Walter Mondale and Orville Freeman in the campaign; O'Brien's contact with Humphrey throughout the campaign; the role of a campaign manager and all people involved in coordinating and organizing political work.

Contributor:

O'Brien, Lawrence F. (Lawrence Francis), 1917-1990

Collection:

LBJ Library Oral Histories

Collection Description:

Go to List of Holdings

Series:

Transcripts of LBJ Library Oral Histories

See Also:

See all online interviews with Lawrence F. O'Brien

Relation:

Go to Interviewee bio page

Rights:

Possibly copyright restricted: see deed at end of transcript for details