Books in Brief

The Johnson Treatment, by Jack Bell (Harper, $4.95). The subtitle, which was composed by Mrs. Johnson, is as follows: “How Lyndon B. Johnson Took Over the Presidency and Made It His Own.” Isn’t that folksy? Poor Mr. Bell, worn down perhaps by three decades of Washington reporting, has forgotten How Lyndon B. Johnson Took Over Precinct 13 in Alice, Texas, and Made It Shape Up. Mr. Bell tolerates Bobby Baker, Walter Jenkins, Billie Sol Estes, and the Johnson wealth. The things are touched upon—delicately and un- comprehendingly. If one does not watch one’s step, one feels sorry for virtuous Mr. Johnson whose stewards have departed from the ways of virtue. And The Treatment! Would you believe it, The Treatment is a product of Johnson’s vast historical erudition, personal magnetism, congressional experience, psychological insight, and intellectual power. One would think that thirty years in Washington would have prepared a reporter for the task of mentioning that it also helps if you know who has been sleeping with whom at the Carousel and who has been taking money from Trujillo and other patriots. Psychological insight! Johnson is Tammany writ large. Sooner we know it, the better. I have the feeling that Mr. Bell has written one per cent of what he knows. If he bequeaths the 99 per cent to the Kennedy Library in Cambridge, I feel sure it will enjoy ready publication. Teddy and Bobby are known for their devotion to History.

W. F. Rickenbacker

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National Review

The Johnson Treatment, by Jack Bell (Harper, $4.95). The subtitle, which was composed by Mrs. Johnson, is as follows: “How Lyndon B. Johnson Took Over the Presidency and Made It His Own.” Isn’t that folksy? Poor Mr. Bell, worn down perhaps by three decades of Washington reporting, has forgotten How Lyndon B. Johnson Took Over Precinct 13 in Alice, Texas, and Made It Shape Up. Mr. Bell tolerates Bobby Baker, Walter Jenkins, Billie Sol Estes, and the Johnson wealth. The things are touched upon—delicately and un- comprehendingly. If one does not watch one’s step, one feels sorry for virtuous Mr. Johnson whose stewards have departed from the ways of virtue. And The Treatment! Would you believe it, The Treatment is a product of Johnson’s vast historical erudition, personal magnetism, congressional experience, psychological insight, and intellectual power. One would think that thirty years in Washington would have prepared a reporter for the task of mentioning that it also helps if you know who has been sleeping with whom at the Carousel and who has been taking money from Trujillo and other patriots. Psychological insight! Johnson is Tammany writ large. Sooner we know it, the better. I have the feeling that Mr. Bell has written one per cent of what he knows. If he bequeaths the 99 per cent to the Kennedy Library in Cambridge, I feel sure it will enjoy ready publication. Teddy and Bobby are known for their devotion to History.

W. F. Rickenbacker