Oral history transcript, R. Sargent Shriver, interview 1 (I), 8/20/1980, by Michael L. Gillette

Title:

Oral history transcript, R. Sargent Shriver, interview 1 (I), 8/20/1980, by Michael L. Gillette

Number of Pages:

80

Description:

The origin of Shriver’s interest in poverty-related issues; Shriver’s involvement with trade unionism, the St. Vincent de Paul Society and the board of education in Chicago; Shriver’s work in the 1940s with Eunice Kennedy on the Continuing Committee of the National Conference for the Prevention and Control of Juvenile Delinquency; how the Job Corps was related to Shriver’s work on the Chicago Board of Education; comparing the Job Corps to the U.S. military and the Civilian Conservation Corps camps; Secretary of Labor Willard Wirtz’s job program ideas; comparing Community Action to the work of the Peace Corps; LBJ’s role in establishing the Peace Corps as an independent agency; the work of the International Cooperation Administration and later the Agency for International Development; President John F. Kennedy’s work on what would become the War on Poverty; LBJ’s reputation for wanting to help people; how Shriver heard about LBJ’s "War on Poverty;" LBJ naming Shriver as head of the War on Poverty; how Shriver balanced the responsibilities of heading both the Peace Corps and the War on Poverty; other men Shriver proposed to lead the War on Poverty; Shriver’s reluctance to lead both the Peace Corps and the War on Poverty; why LBJ chose Shriver to lead the War on Poverty; Bill Moyers’ work with Shriver and LBJ; LBJ’s decision to put the War on Poverty under the Executive Office of the President; previous federal programs that addressed poverty-related issues; how Shriver went about organizing the War on Poverty; how the War on Poverty came to include more than Community Action; an Rowland Evans and Robert Novak column in the Washington Post indicating that Shriver might be LBJ’s 1964 vice presidential running mate and reaction of the Kennedy faction to that column; Shriver’s opinion of LBJ keeping Kennedy’s cabinet members; Shriver’s ideas for new vice presidential duties; Shriver’s conflicts with Secretary of Labor Wirtz; the Neighborhood Youth Corps; Shriver’s determination to solve problems without bothering the president; Shriver’s argument that job programs would not solve issues of poverty because many poor people did not have the skills to keep a job; early work of the War of Poverty task force; why community action programs alone would not be enough to 'win' the War on Poverty; why some politicians opposed programs that gave its participants political power; early War on Poverty task force offices and funding; how Shriver got people to join the task force from various departments; the duties of task force members; difficulties working without official office space or funding; how Shriver’s staff worked in relation to Shriver; how Shriver got the idea for Head Start; conflict over what role Community Action should take in the War on Poverty; Shriver’s tolerance for varying viewpoints; Shriver’s view of 'community' vs. that of Saul Alinsky; racial integration in the Atlanta, Georgia, Community Action Programs (CAPs); Shriver’s reflections on why CAPs needed to be specifically targeted to each city’s problems.

Contributor:

Shriver, Sargent, 1915-2011

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 R. Sargent Shriver

Relation:

Go to Interviewee bio page

Rights:

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