An assassin's bullet has thrust upon me the awesome burden of the presidency.

It's a haunting story.

In one of the nation's darkest hours, a political figure of immense talent and ambition

takes command of the American ship of state.

Lyndon Johnson was magnificent in that hour of tragedy. He restored confidence. He helped

ease the national pain. The new man launches his Oval Office tenure with a string of accomplishments

unmatched since the days of the New Deal. It was a masterful takeover. He got more legislation

on the books in a few months than Kennedy had in a couple of years.

I'm not going to be president long, but while I am president, brother, I'm going to take care of voting in this country.

Four years later, Lyndon Johnson's presidency is in tatters. The spectacular early successes

eclipsed by a single ruinous failure halfway around the world.

Accordingly, I shall not seek and I will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as your president.

It was the greatest political tragedy of my lifetime.

Johnson might very well have gone down in history as the

most effective president since Franklin Roosevelt. I do not want to be the president who built

empires. I want to be the president who helped to end war among the brothers of this earth.

All of this simply underscores my own personal regret

about what happened to him in Vietnam.

Friends of Lyndon Johnson couldn't believe it was happening.

Couldn't believe that he wouldn't stop it.

And I think that's a question for his stories.

It's as to why he didn't.

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