LBJ Stole JFK's Bible (!) After the Assassination.

[elehhhhna]

From newly-released archival audiotapes of LBJ:

But even three years after President Kennedy's assassination, the Johnsons were still dealing with the fallout, including the fate of the Catholic missal that belonged to John F. Kennedy that Johnson used aboard Air Force One when he was sworn in as president. Mrs. Johnson had given it to an archivist, but the Johnsons were wondering whether they must return it to the Kennedys.

"The fact that it's got those initials on it — JFK — indicates that it is his property and don't you think in the minds of the ordinary man a person's property ought to be returned to them?" Mrs. Johnson asks Abe Fortas, a longtime confidante and a Supreme Court justice.

"No, ma'am, not a historic object of this sort," says Fortas. "I don't think the Kennedys will say that, and I don't think that the average person will ever think it ought to be returned.''

"I think they will, I think they are doing this," says the president. "You steal a Bible, and then next week you steal something else."

"Well, I would just ignore that," responds Fortas. "I think it would be so unreasonable. . . . Because this is a Bible, this is a book that now belongs to the people of the United States."

The book now sits on display at the LBJ museum in Austin.

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/11/18/18lbj.html

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. Wow, she saw it has stealing

and knew it was wrong, yet the guy tries to convince her that it wasn't a problem.

Too bad she didn't follow her conscience.

[Catch22Dem]

2. I'm going to assume

JFK would have wanted LBJ to keep it if it was the bible he used to swear in.

[elehhhhna]

4. I'd offer it to his widow, first.

Just sayin'.

[acmejack]

3. Don't you think that is misleading?

The chief Justice of the Supreme Court says it isn't stolen so you say it is? It sits in public display in a museum, so you say LBJ is a thief? I mean it obvious you don't much like him, but still...

[elehhhhna]

5. Uh, LBJ said "steal his bible...", not me.

[buff2]

6. What is this? Dig up dirt on LBJ week?

Let him RIP.......Please. Geez... :spank:

[elehhhhna]

7. If the release of Presidential Archives is not of interest to you,

fine.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. He really wasn't such a nice guy, you know

And it is inevitable that he will come up whenever we discuss JFK's murder.

[acmejack]

11. I know what he was.

I just find the virulence with which he has been defamed recently here very interesting. I have learned he personally arranged the assassination to make sure the Son of a Bitch wouldn't embarrass him again, gleefully stood beside the widow Jackie and received winks from accomplices, stoled the deceased's family bible while his corpse was still warm-talk about taking advantage of the grieving wife! I don't believe the theory that Lyndon did it, but if he did, Dallas certainly would be the place. I will have to look at it further. I have to read Hartmann's book too. I suspect his theory is the one that is closest to the truth.

Whatever, I guess I'll let you folks tell me more. My Dad ran the airstrip at the ranch when Lyndon was there while he was President. That was how my Air Force family came to be in Austin, we were transferred here from Okinawa shortly after the Kennedy assassination. Whenever LBJ came to the ranch, my Father had to go there and operate the ranch's airstrip. Anyway, he was the only President I ever met, and as a sixth grader when we arrived, I was mightily impressed. Any junior high schooler in the military mode fresh from the cloistered foreign posting in the early sixties, the President! Any way I am unduly Lyndon biased, I just can't help it.

[elehhhhna]

18. You have good reason to be biased. That's a pretty cool story.

[PDittie]

8. I kind of agree with Lady Bird here

but if the Kennedys had wanted the bible returned, they could have also graciously asked (and certainly received it, quickly). I frankly think -- other than revealing an interesting conversation between Mrs. Johnson and Fortas -- that it is a non-issue.

[Toots]

9. What about his copy of Tropic of Capricorn?

Whose library did that end up in?

[Nabia2004]

12. LBJ didn't steal it, Fortas "stole" it for the United States

Historic object is correct.

You people need to get a life.

[dae]

13. That's the way I read it, Fortas took it upon himself. eom

[Octafish]

14. LBJ did give the nation the Warren Commission.

And that did a heckuva job of covering up who was responsible for the assassination.

[Generic Other]

15. Ladybird was right

She should have just called Jackie and asked. Was the relationship that stormy?

[lies and propaganda]

16. well from your snip, I dont see anything about stealing

she took it to the freaking archives, not her bathroom. Yes, it should have been offered to Jackie O first but she would have probably said the same for the archives.

[elehhhhna]

17. read the LBJ quote in the OP. He called it "stealing", not me.

[bobbolink]

19. Welll, if it's OK to take Indian remains and put them on display,

then I guess a family bible doesn't have as much importance to the family, does it?

What goes around....

[PDittie]

20. It's hard to find something that

LBJ considered in bad taste. That's the real news here.