An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

508. America in '68: Nightmare in Vietnam (Part 1)

October 28, 2024

Description

"Tonight I want to speak to you of peace in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.” On the night of Sunday, 31st of March 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson, after announcing an end to the bombing of North...
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Books Referenced

An American Melodrama

Author: Godfrey Hodgson (and two other Sunday Times journalists)

Context:

Explicitly described as 'a book about the presidential election of 1968 by three journalists working for the Sunday Times.' Tom reads the opening lines from it, and Dominic calls it 'a brilliant book, actually. One of the best books ever written, I think, about American politics.'

The Years of Lyndon Johnson (series)

Author: Robert Caro

Context:

Referred to as 'Robert Caro's enormous, enormous cycle of Johnson biographies' which Dominic says he has read. Described as 'the greatest modern political biography' that is 'about 4,000 pages long.'

The Twelve Caesars

Author: Suetonius

Context:

Tom compares LBJ to 'a character from Suetonius' The Twelve Caesars' when describing Johnson's personality and behavior.

The Year That Broke Politics

Author: Luke A. Nicta

Context:

Tom explicitly states he read this book in preparation for the episode, describing it as 'all about 1968.' He quotes from it regarding Billy Graham's comments about LBJ and Lady Bird.

Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream

Author: Doris Kearns

Context:

Referenced as 'an intern of his called doris kearns who later wrote a book about this and became a very well-known biographer.' The book is about LBJ but the title is not mentioned in the transcript.