Sunday, August 12, 2012

Lying Lyndon

Jim DiEugenio has a good critical review of Robert Caro's book "The Passage of Power" out, "Caro's Flawed Tale of LBJ's Rise."  And it got me thinking of other stuff LBJ got away with.  Few of LBJ's lies were more in your face than his Silver Star.  CNN did a story awhile back about this farce, "The Story Behind LBJ's Silver Star."   The story of LBJ's alleged bravery during WWII which got him this Silver Star was hyped up in a book called "The Mission," published in 1964 by Martin Caiden and Edward Hymoff.  The truth is that LBJ's plane developed engine trouble and had to turn back.  It never came under enemy fire.



Martin Caiden is perhaps best known for another work of fiction, "Cyborg," that became an iconic TV show in the 1970's, "The Six Million Dollar Man."

I wonder how many author and media friendly sources produced books, either hardcover, or paperback, magazine articles, news stories etc, telling the world how great LBJ was and would be after JFK's assassination and into the election year of 1964? 

1 comment:

  1. My father was one of the men in the book who later was interviewed on CNN about Lyndon's lie. My father is still alive and living comfortably with my mother. He has since forgotten the book and when asked about the war, he simply states, The war is over.

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