Lyndon B Johnson's Assassination

How did President Lyndon B. Johnson Respond to the Assassination of John F. Kennedy? The moment John F. Kennedy died on November 22, 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson became the new president of the United States. Johnson was officially inaugurated the same day on Air Force One before take off in Dallas, Texas (Swanson 146). From that moment forward, it was Johnson’s responsibility to fill the shoes of Kennedy. Johnson spoke to the American people for the first time as President since the assassination and explained, “I will do my best. That is all I can do. I ask for your help - and God’s” (Swanson 158). President Johnson had filled the shoes of Kennedy by finishing what he had started and kept Kennedy’s legacy alive.
Before Kennedy was assassinated,
This meant that everything that Kennedy was currently working on was passed on to Johnson. One of the weaknesses of Johnson was dealing with foreign affairs, especially with the war in Vietnam. There were civilians that would say Johnson had not been experienced enough to even tackle the situation that was thrown at him. Even though foreign affairs proved not to be Johnson’s strong suit, there were few people that would argue that Johnson had handled Vietnam well and rather proved his strength in foreign relations. According to pbs.org, only 26% of the American population thought that the situation in Vietnam had been successful and that Johnson had not handled the situation in the best possible way (“Legacy”). Johnson even admitted his lack of experience and need for assistance. “Uncertainty about his own foreign policy credentials also contributed to Johnson’s reliance on figures such as Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, and National Security Adviser McGeorge Bundy, all of whom had been with Kennedy since the outset of that administration. ‘I need you more than he did,’ LBJ said to his national security team” (Coleman and Selverstone). Johnson was forewarning everyone of what to expect. From Johnson’s talk, everyone knows that he was not the best man to lead the job. Since this was the case, many tasks and responsibilities were distributed to different prominent figures in America so that each job was dealt with in the best possible way. Johnson played a little role in these responsibilities, proving he was not an expert in dealing with foreign affairs. The result was America not achieving the goals that was set for them in Vietnam. What Johnson had lacked in dealing with Vietnam and foreign affairs, he made up for in building the space