The Vantage Point: Perspectives of the Presidency, 1963-1969

As a personal memoir, this account of the Johnson presidency must be taken with a grain of salt, but overall, it is an interesting firsthand account of the considerations, assumptions, and goals that guided President Johnson in his decisions. Predictably, quite a bit of space is devoted to Vietnam, but aside from his defensive justifications in foreign policy, Johnson highlights the accomplishments and triumphs that were closest to his heart, domestic achievements like his civil rights legislation, the war on poverty, etc. Overall, the reader gets an impression of Johnson as a tireless worker with good intentions who did the best he could. The book is easy to tackle, being rather concise for memoirs of a presidential term (compare with Kissinger's near 1400 pages), well-written, and interestingly personal (instead of "the U.S. did so-and-so", you get "I thought that" "I said" "I called", etc.). It is not revelatory, it is not a complete history, and it is not the big picture, but it is an account of the decision-making process from a "vantage point". It is Johnson's personal apologia, his self-justification, his case for his own memory as an American president.

The Vantage Point by Lyndon Johnson is an in-depth look at the Johnson Administration. The book focuses on a wide variety of accomplishments and events, both domestic and foreign, which shaped the Presidency of Lyndon Johnson. The reader learns of the struggles that the conflict in Vietnam presented Johnson with, and begins to develop an accute understanding for the actions he took. In addition to the war in Vietnam, Johnson tells of the War on Poverty here in the United States. It becomes quite apparent that President Johnson was not a crooked politician, but a man of action who had the well-being of his fellow man at heart. Although some of the reading tends to be a little "dry," the author manages to instill a sense of respect, in his readers, for all he has done for America.