LBJ touted re-election days before quitting: tapes

Apart from the turmoil in Vietnam and the drama that unfolded after the MLK assassination, President Lyndon Johnson found himself grappling with his own political future in the early part of 1968. Of course, LBJ stunned the nation by announcing, on March 31 of that year, that he would not seek re-election.

But the recently released recordings of LBJ's telephone conversations show that LBJ was touting his own re-election and taking steps to organize his campaign just days before he put an end to his long career in elective politics.

In recordings of conversations on March 23, the president speaks excitedly and confidently about winning re-election as he attempts to convince U.S. Postmaster General Larry O'Brien to take charge of his campaign.

"We haven't got much time,'' Johnson tells O'Brien, urging him to use the power of the White House to get waffling Democrats on his side. "I think you can pass out some chits. It's never been done in this administration before, but I think you can just say, now you've got a deposit, you can write a check on me and I’ll honor it ... We’re playing for keeps here and let’s write this thing up.’’

Check back here shortly for some of the raw audio! You're going to want to hear this.

-- Jay Root