LBJ and Brezhnev

alex wrote:Men who stood up for their national anthem and who always saluted the flag.

My country right or wrong 

Men like Brezhnev. Who got himself awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union for guarding an abandoned coal mine in the Donets basin.

Alex posted the above on the history forum. It reminded me that LBJ pulled a similar stunt to earn himself a medal right here in Australia.

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The Guardian

Julian Borger in Washington

Fri 6 Jul 2001 19.38 AEST


LBJ's medal for valour 'was sham'
For most of his political life, Lyndon B Johnson wore a second world war military decoration for valour under fire despite never having seen combat, an investigation broadcast on CNN yesterday revealed.
LBJ was awarded the Silver Star, the third-highest US combat medal, for a 1942 fact-finding mission over the Pacific while he was a Texas congressman and an acting lieutenant commander in the navy.

The citation, issued in the name of General Douglas MacArthur, said the plane, a B-26 bomber, was "intercepted by eight hostile fighters" and that Johnson "evidenced coolness".

In fact, according to surviving members of the crew, the plane developed mechanical problems before reaching its target and never came under fire. No other crew member received a medal for the mission.

The biographer of LBJ, Robert Dallek, said the medal was the outcome of a deal with Gen MacArthur, under which Johnson was honoured in return for a pledge "that he would lobby the president, FDR, to provide greater resources for the southwest Pacific theatre".

Fascinating Greg.
Although I don't agree with those who seek to lionise Kennedy. Eulogising him with biographies that resemble the hagiography of some medieval saint( he most certainly had his faults and to ignore those is like ignoring his virtues . It provides an unnecessarily skewed one dimensional portrait of a man who like us all was complicated, possessing a multi faceted personality. He was no more the empty headed playboy cavorting with Marilyn Monroe and sharing mistresses with leading mafiosi than he was the Arthurian visionary in shining armour) Saying that it's revealing to compare his and his predecessors view of war when compared to his successor.
The five star General and the junior lieutenant who commanded a PT Boat, understood the basic truth of war. Although their experiences were vastly different, Eisenhower not only was responsible for millions of men he was responsible for the greatest amphibious operation in history whereas Lieutenant ( junior grade) Kennedy commanded a few dozen men at most.
But both saw through the glorious facade, if occasionally war is unavoidable no war under any circumstances is ever glorious
The basic truth of war is that war is worth trying to avoid at all cost.
The five star General and Commander in chief of SHAEF spent his last year's trying to salvage peace from the jaws of the beast he'd help create.
The junior lieutenant tried to reign the beast in and paid the cost.
What would have happened if it had been President Nixon instead of President Kennedy in the Oval office with LeMay and co in October 1961?
And then there's LBJ, the desk bound soldier who let the beast run wild through the paddy fields of SE Asia .
Somewhere between Robert Dallek and Peter Janney is where the truth resides regarding JFK
A relatively enlightened humanist who tried his best for his fellow humans within the confines of the essentially inhuman system that both created him and destroyed him.
One thing Jim DiE is right about is JFKs understanding of foreign policy.
He understood Vietnam back in the early 50s when Gullion showed the then congressman round the crumbling remains of French Indochina.
Janneys portrait of Kennedy is every bit as warped as Armstrongs portrait of Oswald...
If the lone nut argument is an offence to the mind, the tin foil hat myths are an offence to the soul

If Dallek was the only source, I'd be a bit concerned. But there are multiple historians who likewise state that this episode was a sham. They were never fired on because they had to turn around and go back well before going into "enemy territory".

He was mad keen to get himself a war medal for political career purposes, so it would not surprise of the whole thing about turning back was also pre-planned.  According to legend, he was supposed to have been on another plane, but had to go and and a have pee before take off and when he returned, another "observer" (his status on the plane) had taken his place, so he had to find another plane to get on. As luck would have it, the one he was supposed to be on was shot down with no survivors. 

Agree completely with you about the lionizing/demonizing dichotomy of Kennedy. In some sports where multiple scorers are used, they discount the lowest and highest scores to arrive at a fairer, more accurate scorecard. Maybe something like that should apply here. The only problem would be in finding any works that do not tip into one or the other extreme.

As luck would have it, the one he was supposed to be on was shot down with no survivors. 

He got just as "lucky" in Dallas when it was decided Kennedy should ride with someone lionized in Texas but at seen as at odds with the Kennedy presidency - .Connolly.

And speaking of the Dallas Motorcade... it was the second JFK had taken through Dallas and the second that passed through Dealey Plaza. The first was during the election. He rode through Dallas that day in an open car with LBJ by his side and no Secret Service protection.



Despite having Johnson with him and winning Texas overall, Kennedy only won a little over 30% of the primary vote in Dallas.