More than thirty years ago, John Roche, former special assistant to President Johnson, wrote that no "historically valid" treatment of the Johnson years would emerge for decades. The problem, he insisted, was the scarcity of primary-source evidence. Objective analysis of the Johnson presidency would have to include material from the Johnson library as well as from the Johnson participants themselves. Nearly three decades later, Thomas W. Cowger and Sherwin Markman help to fill this void in the Johnson literature by presenting the voices of many important Johnson administrators and insiders who look back on those critical years. These original essays reflect on Johnson's personality, domestic agenda, and legacy and in many cases, the authors have penned their observations or perceptions of this crucial period for the first time. Drawn from a myriad of perspectives, this volume paints a vivid portrait of Lyndon Johnson and his programs— a fitting tribute to and remembrance of our nation's 36th President.

Foreword by: Luci Baines Johnson
Contributions by: Hyman Bookbinder, Joseph Califano, James Cross, Ervin S. Duggan, Nicholas deb Katzenbach, Lawrence Levinson, Sherwin Markman, Jack McNulty, Harry Middleton, Peter R. Rosenblatt, Jack Valenti, Ben Wattenberg, Lee White