Kennedy Did Not Want Johnson on the Ticket Again
RIGHTS ROLE HURT KENNEDY CHANCES; Johnson Feared He Would Be Liability in Cardinal Areas
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August 1, 1964
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WASHINGTON, July 31 —Robert F. Kennedy was eliminated from consideration for the Democratic Vice‐Presidential nomination considering of the racial crisis and because President Johnson concluded that the Attorney General would hurt the ticket in crucial areas more than some other candidates.
The President's reasoning emerged from all-encompassing polling, numerous conversations between himself and a broad range of political and business organisation leaders and his ain reading of the political situation.
That reading is as follows:
¶The vote of the Republican candidate, Senator. Barry Goldwater, against the civil rights beak will have the effect of creating sharper racial conflict throughout the country while the Presidential campaign is in progress.
¶Since Senator Goldwater is expected to carry some of the Southern states, most likely Alabama, Mississippi, Verginia and Florida, the real campaign battleground will be in the border states and the big Midwestern states.
These views of the President can be gear up forth on the highest authority.
In Mr. Kennedy's instance, the President came to the determination that information technology would be inadvisable to replace the Attorney Full general at a fourth dimension of racial crisis exemplified by such events as the Rochester and Harlem riots and the disappearance of 3 civil rights workers in Mississippi.
In improver, Mr. Kennedy is and then thoroughly identified with the civil rights issue that he would have created additional difficulties for the Democratic ticket in some Southern states that Mr. Johnson believes he can acquit or in which he at least has a good take a chance to win.
Only this was non the merely weakness of the Chaser General, in the President'south view. His polling and conversations also convinced him that Mr. Kennedy was bitterly opposed in crucial areas on, grounds other than civil rights.
This opposition, much of it amidst businessmen, was centered on Mr. Kennedy's role in the steel‐cost rollback of 1962, particularly the apply of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to gain information; on a reluctance to run across a "Kennedy dynasty" created, and on a feeling that he was too immature and aggressive.
A number of influential supporters, or potential supporters, of the Johnson candidacy, fabricated it manifestly to the President that they could non back a ticket with Mr. Kennedy on information technology. A number of Democratic party leaders, aware of those sentiments, also opposed his nomination or were not active in support of it.
Mr. Johnson came to the decision that these factors outweighed Mr. Kennedy's strengths—the Kennedy proper name, his stature among Roman Catholics and ethnic groups, his organizational ability, his dedication to public service and his experience in national politics.
For example, in one poll taken for the White House, the Attorney General emerged as the most popular of the several potential candidates amongst the full general public. This was a nationwide poll, yet, and did not reflect stiff opposition to him in crucial areas.
In another division of the same poll, Adlai E. Stevenson scored highest as the man the public believed most qualified to succeed to the Presidency, should something happen to Mr. Johnson.
Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota placed second in both divisions of the poll —on popularity and on qualifications for the Presidency. A divide poll showed that his Minnesota colleague, Senator Eugene McCarthy, would exist the strongest candidate in the South and the border states.
Both Mr. Stevenson and Mr. Kennedy were eliminated from consideration past Mr. Johnson's statement yesterday that information technology would exist inadvisable to recommend to the Democratic convention anyone in the Cabinet or meeting regularly with it.
Also eliminated yesterday —in the President's own listing— were Secretary of Defense Robert Southward. McNamara, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Agriculture Orville 50. Freeman and R. Sargent Shriver, Manager of the Peace Corps.
Mr. Johnson emphasized at the time of his proclamation that he had made no decision on a running mate but speculation immediately centered on Senators. Humphrey and McCarthy.
These men are not lonely, still, in what Mr. Johnson considers to be the "A" group of potential candidates. He has mentioned no others, even to intimates, but a higher president is amongst them.
Mr. Johnson wanted to head off speculation about his Cabinet and the Vice Presidency. In addition, he had informed some of those being talked abut that they would not be selected. Finally, he had been holding increasingly detailed conversations with political leaders virtually the Vice‐Presidential choice, in which some of his views were condign rather widely known.
Thus, to remove his Cabinet from the arena, and to head off the possibility of leaks about any of them and about his diverse conversations, Mr. Johnson took his sudden action yesterday.
To What extent it was motivated by a desire to settle the Robert Kennedy matter well before the convention on Aug. 24 is a matter of speculation. Mr. Kennedy was informed of the President'southward determination, past Mr. Johnson, on Wednesday.
Some of Mr. Johnson'due south considerations involving the others eliminated yesterday were as follows:
¶He believed that Mr. Shriver would exist an able and attractive candidate merely that his feel in Authorities was as well limited to qualify him for the Presidency.
¶Mr. McNamara, was given strong consideration, but did non want the nomination and was opposed by Democratic party leaders because of his Republican background.
¶Mr. Stevenson'due south age, 64, was at least one factor in his elimination. In improver, Mr. Johnson believes Mr. Stevenson is improve qualified than any other man to correspond the U.s. in the United Nations, and there is no i as qualified to replace him.
In eliminating these and the others equally and when he did, Mr. Johnson was also influenced past the fact that some public groups were beingness formed to support some of them — including Mr. Stevenson, Mr. Rusk and Mr. Kennedy. He felt it only fair to let those groups know in accelerate that their candidates had been eliminated from his list of potentials.
Several impressions accept been made on Mr. Johnson by his numerous polls and his extensive conversations with Governors, Mayors, city and state Democratic leaders, and other political officials.
One of these is that Democrats, mostly, will nominate whomever he chooses, with lilliputian dissent. He institute no wide spread and powerful movement for any single candidate. In particular, he believes that reports of dandy party support for Mr. Kennedy were exaggerated.
From the polls he has studied, Mr. Johnson has fatigued such conclusions as the post-obit:
¶Amidst religious groups, more than than 90 per cent of the Jews support him, and he has heavy support among Roman Catholics.
¶The and so‐called "white backfire" confronting the civil rights bill will take only a minor result in the Northern states.
¶All the potential Vice‐Presidential candidates in public speculation would injure the ticket in some way. Mr. Johnson's polls show that he would be to the lowest degree hurt by a candidate who was accustomed by the public equally having splendid Presidential qualifications.
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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/1964/08/01/archives/rights-role-hurt-kennedy-chances-johnson-feared-he-would-be.html
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