TAKING CHARGE The Johnson White House Tapes, 1963-1964

Presidential historian Beschloss has performed a great service for those interested in politics and/or the 1960's by identifying important selections from the recently released tapes of phone calls made during the Johnson Administration. Recordings from Johnson's first year in the White House include talks with Martin Luther King, Jr., Bobby Kennedy, Harry Truman, Hubert Humphrey, Barry Goldwater and others. The Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement and the 1964 presidential campaign are among the topics of discussion. The recording quality of these conversations is uneven, and those speaking with Johnson don't know they're being recorded. Beschloss provides useful commentary in an economical fashion, but sometimes his aristocratic voice seems stilted. M.L.C. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: JAN 98]