Path to War Page #2

Now, Wheeler, the other Chiefs,

Westmoreland are fit to be tied,

as you know, and now this

from Ambassador Taylor.

You might send Mac Bundy to Saigon

to have a talk with him,

I'd make another trip myself,

but I'm in the middle of the defense

budget right now.

I don't want to see the word

Vietnam in that damn budget.

You know I'd do that if I could.

In fact,

it's becoming increasingly difficult

to conceal--

Bob, all I want to know is this:

What's it gonna take to get

Ho Chi Minh to quit?

That's all I wanna know.

Mr. President, it's clear to me now

that the answer

is sustained military action

in the air

and if that doesn't work

on the ground.

This is the decision you

are going to have to face,

Mr. President and as I said,

very soon I'm afraid.

Keep me up to date, Bob.

Turn that thing off.

Yes, sir.

This Medicare speech is sh*t.

Cut out the gobbledygook

and sex it up.

Maybe Goodwin aughta

take a crack at it.

Goodwin's got three months

of assignments.

Oh, I just put the last of those

on your desk, Mr. President.

I'd be glad to look it over

if you'd like me to.

All right.

Put the music to it, Dick.

Jack, I want you to tell him

to stop taking credit

for every goddamn word I say.

Absolutely, Mr. President.

All right.

Come on, out you go.

Schedule me a hair cut.

Surely.

And see if you can get

Clark Clifford here for dinner.

Converting from Protestant

to Catholic is a big step.

Actually Lyndon took it

better than I did.

I was quite surprised.

Well, both you and Daddy

changed your religions.

From one Protestant denomination

to another.

It was a matter of convenience,

and schoolin and

I don't think religion should be

a matter of convenience.

And this is a private matter, Luci.

You're finishing up at Texas,

aren't you, Lynda?

Next year, Ma am.

She's dating George Hamilton,

you know.

The actor?

Yes.

With the tan?

And your sister may consider

that a private matter, too.

Oh, mother, you must be joking.

Come on now, damn it,

what's the reason this time?

I don't have the qualifications

to be CIA director.

I decide the qualifications.

You had all the qualifications to be

Attorney General, didn't ya,

to succeed Bobby Kennedy.

Yeah.

Yeah, and here I am stuck

with a friend of his, Katzenbach.

He's excellent.

Ah, well all right you told me

your interest is foreign affairs.

Well, that's where I need your help,

foreign affairs.

What is CIA but foreign affairs?

I think my skills would better serve

you in foreign policy,

Mr. President, not foreign intrigue.

I hear you billed a million dollars

last year,

First lawyer in the country

to do that. True?

Well,

that's what five percent came to.

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