A Deep Dive in All Things LBJ

The introductory video at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin describes Lyndon Johnson (1908–1973) as a “sheer, raw brute.” He was indeed that and much more. My parents thought he was a monster and a psychopath but one with a coherent vision — the culmination of the New Deal — and nuts-and-bolts cunning in how to get there. He was far more dangerous, they thought, than Jack Kennedy, and, as president from 1963 to 1969, infinitely more destructive.

I left agreeing with my dead parents, and I’ll add my dead grandparents. LBJ was immensely destructive, but I also left awed, pitying, and sad. The library is an unforgettable experience. For the public, it’s really a history museum. Both word and image are delivered with curatorial smarts. A good curator wants you to leave both intellectually and emotionally charged. The library’s curators do this, and here’s another feat: they’ve interpreted LBJ in a meaningful way for visitors like me who lived through his epoch and also for younger visitors who didn’t.

About the Author

Brian T. Allen

Brian T. Allen is National Review’s art critic.

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The introductory video at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin describes Lyndon Johnson (1908–1973) as a “sheer, raw brute.” He was indeed that and much more. My parents thought he was a monster and a psychopath but one with a coherent vision — the culmination of the New Deal — and nuts-and-bolts cunning in how to get there. He was far more dangerous, they thought, than Jack Kennedy, and, as president from 1963 to 1969, infinitely more destructive.

I left agreeing with my dead parents, and I’ll add my dead grandparents. LBJ was immensely destructive, but I also left awed, pitying, and sad. The library is an unforgettable experience. For the public, it’s really a history museum. Both word and image are delivered with curatorial smarts. A good curator wants you to leave both intellectually and emotionally charged. The library’s curators do this, and here’s another feat: they’ve interpreted LBJ in a meaningful way for visitors like me who lived through his epoch and also for younger visitors who didn’t.