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Securing Kennedy's Civil Rights Bill
On November 27 President Johnson addressed a joint session of Congress to ask for the "earliest possible passage" of the civil rights bill as a tribute to President Kennedy. Two days later, he met with Roy Wilkins at the White House to ask Wilkins and other civil rights leaders to lobby forcefully and mobilize public support behind the bill. On December 8, Johnson invited Joseph Rauh, a persistent critic, aboard Air Force One to accompany him to the funeral of New York Senator Herbert Lehman. Shortly thereafter, they met at the White House to discuss the Judiciary Committee bill and strategy for the upcoming fights in Congress. |