The Presidency: Whatever You Say, Honey

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In the first days of Christmas, Lyndon Johnson gave reporters: 60 souvenir ashtrays, 26 colorful relatives, four private chats, umpteen salty quotes, three guided tours, and an ensign now a jay gee.

The climax of it all came at a Christmas-day picture-taking session for two busloads of newsmen on the lawn in front of the white clapboard and stone L.B.J. ranch house in Johnson City, Texas. The President mustered more than a score of Baineses, Johnsons and other friends and kinfolk, lined them up and got them to look real pretty for the cameramen. He introduced a few: 'This is Aunt Jessie, Mrs. Jessie Hatcher, who did all my cooking, washing and sewing for me when I was in school in Houston. And I was in her dining room when I announced I was going to run for Congress in 1937." And "this is Uncle Huffman Baines. Uncle Huffman, how old are you?"

"I don't know," said Uncle Huffman.

"A very sensible answer," said L.B.J. "He's 79, and he looks 59, and he never had but one job in his life—engineer for the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company." Johnson then introduced Lynda Bird's fiancé: "Ensign Bernie Rosenbach."

"He's a jay gee now," said Lynda Bird, meaning a lieutenant (j.g.).

Knock on the Door. After the pictures, it was time to head for the dining room, where Cook Zephyr Wright waited with a holiday meal featuring turkey and corn-bread stuffing and sweet potato pie topped with marshmallows. But hold on there. "Come in and see our house," said the President to the reporters. "It'll just take a minute." Lady Bird looked pained. "Honey," she said in wifely tones, "I promise I'll give all these folks a wonderful tour when they come for the barbecue on Friday." Johnson hugged her, whispered something. "Whatever you say, honey," said Lady Bird, and the tour was on. There was a framed letter from one of Johnson's great-grandfathers to Sam Houston: "He was a Baptist preacher, and he was writing to renew a note at 8% interest and also to complain that his congregation was behind on pledges," and a picture of Missouri's Democratic Senator Stuart Symington. Lyndon quipped: "He's Lady Bird's boy friend."

Outside the Johnson bedroom door, the President struggled with the doorknob. "Mrs. Johnson's locked the bedroom on me," he said. When he knocked, the door was finally opened by a ruffled Lady Bird, who had obviously just finished tidying up. Outdoors again, the President pointed out his 400-acre spread, recalled what Sam Rayburn had said when he first came calling: "I thought it was a big ranch, and it's just a little old farm." He passed out ashtrays bearing his signature: "They only cost a few cents, so they come under the Paul Douglas rule."*