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LBJ in the Oval Office
Selected Telephone Conversations
Concerning the Special Commission to Investigate the Assassination
of President John F. Kennedy (the Warren Commission) RealAudio
- Conversation with J. Edgar Hoover, Director
of the FBI
Date: 11/29/63 Time: 1:40 PM
Duration: 19 minutes
President Johnson has a long discussion with Hoover about the
FBI investigation into the death of President Kennedy. Johnson
expresses happiness that Hoover has detailed FBI agent Deke DeLoach
to the Johnson Administration. Hoover discusses the FBI investigation
into Lee Harvey Oswald's visit to the Cuban Embassy in Mexico,
as well as information on Jack Ruby, referred to here as "Rubenstein,"
who killed Oswald on November 24th. Hoover goes into great detail
in describing the events in Dallas from the week before and the
FBI's investigation of Oswald. Johnson and Hoover also discuss
presidential security, especially bullet-proof vehicles. Hoover
tells President Johnson he was opposed to the open "parade"
of President Kennedy's funeral, held four days earlier. [back
to text]
- Conversation with Sen. Richard Russell (D-GA), Chairman of the Senate Armed
Services Committee
Date: 11/29/63 Time: 4:05 PM
Duration: 9 minutes Johnson speaks to Russell about the commission
he wants to put together to investigate President Kennedy's assassination.
Johnson tells Senator Russell he wants him to serve on the commission,
and Russell has an immediate and frank response. Russell, as
Chairman of Senate Armed Services, regularly meets with CIA officials.
Johnson suggests he ought to include Senate Foreign Relations
Committee Chairman William Fulbright of Arkansas and Ranking
Minority Member Bourke Hickenlooper of Iowa in on these meetings
in the wake of the Kennedy assassination. Johnson expresses doubts
he can convince a Justice of the Supreme Court to serve on an
assassination commission, and Russell provides the names of other
judges he thinks would be good choices.
- Conversation
with Sen. Richard Russell (D-GA), Chairman of the Senate
Armed Services Committee
Date: 11/29/63 Time: 8:55 PM
Duration: 14 minutes 42 seconds
President Johnson calls Senator Russell to read him the statement
he released about the naming of the Warren Commission. Senator
Russell again tells the president his feelings about serving
on the commission. He tells Johnson he can't serve with Chief
Justice Earl Warren and to name Senator John Stennis of Mississippi
in his place. President Johnson tells him at length and in a
variety of ways that Russell has no choice about serving. Johnson
briefly puts his old Texas friend A.W. Moursund on the phone
with Russell. Johnson mentions that he knows there will be an
upcoming pitched battle with Russell over the 1964 Civil Rights
bill. And as he has done with others, Johnson relates increasing
conspiracy theories that Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev or
Cuban leader Fidel Castro were behind the assassination. Johnson
tells Russell how he claims he convinced Chief Justice Warren
to serve. [back to text]
Lyndon Baines Johnson
Library and Museum
Online Article
from Peter Dale Scott
Press reports
Warren Commission
Other Papers
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