Ep. 6: Blindsided

In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson

ABC News

History, Society & Culture

4.8 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 29 March 2021

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

By the mid-60s, you can hear a growing distance between Lady Bird and the protest movement that’s sweeping the country. Bird’s a true believer in progressive causes -- civil rights, environmentalism -- but she’s also the product of her own generation and background. On a trip to two New England colleges to give speeches supporting their new environmental studies programs, Lady Bird is confronted by outspoken dissent from both students and faculty who walk out of her speeches, picket her presence and circulate letters denouncing the war in Vietnam. Lady Bird feels increasing under siege, even as she vows not to retreat into a bubble in the White House. But then dissent comes to lunch at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, when singer, actor and activist Eartha Kitt participates in one of Lady Bird’s “Doers Luncheons,” and delivers a fierce critique of the war and its effect on young Black men. The resulting media backlash, fueled by the White House PR machine, is swift and brutal, effectively derailing Kitt’s career for decades to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Four papers every morning in three screens of television, all the trouble to the world
0:07.0	and all the things he was doing wrong, the declining polls, the rising frustrations.
0:12.8	Lady Bird has anticipated this moment for years.
0:16.7	When all their best intentions, all that progress on civil rights and the rest of the great
0:21.4	society would be overshadowed by Vietnam and by the limits of Lyndon's ability to bring
0:27.6	the country together.
0:29.5	But when that day comes, she's still somehow blindsided by it.
0:34.3	The trouble is, as much as she could see this day coming, seeing past it is a whole lot
0:40.0	harder.
0:43.2	From Best Case Studios and ABC Audio, this is In Plain Site.
0:48.3	I'm Julia Swag.
1:20.3	It's October 1967 and Lady Bird is headed to New England in all its autumn glory.
1:27.4	Two colleges have started new and substantial environmental studies programs and Lady Bird
1:32.3	is happy to lend her high profile support to help legitimize them.
1:37.3	Sunday, October 8, bed and I left the White House, a little past 10, and flew to an
1:42.5	airport in North Adams, Massachusetts.
1:44.5	One of the pleasant-ish rides I can remember, Mayor Greedis, I was given a key, and we
1:50.2	went quickly on in the Williams town, a picture postcard in New England City.
1:55.2	At Williams College, her first stop is an event at the home of the president.
1:59.4	The hosting a luncheon of 60 people, the degrees of recipients, the trustees, all the faculty,
2:05.3	it took me around to meet everyone and then very soon we sat down.
2:09.2	I was next to a very interesting man, Hugh Bullock.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from ABC News, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of ABC News and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.