The Dark Side of Lyndon Baines Johnson

by Joachim Joesten

First published in 1968 in the UK (the subject matter was too controversial for US publishers to touch) this is Joachim Joesten's treatise on the 36th president of the United States, Lyndon Baines Johnson, and his lifelong addiction for power at any cost. Joesten pulls back the layers of lies and deception to reveal LBJ as one of America's most corrupt and duplicitous politicians ever. Joesten carefully documents the little-known facts behind Johnson's involvement in scandals stretching back to his first stolen election in 1948, thru the Bobby Baker, Billy Sol Estes and Walter Jenkins affairs, and culminates with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Included are LBJ's connection to mobsters, big Texas oil, political graft and corruption, blackmailing of FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover, and a disturbing number of murders committed by his henchmen for LBJ's personal gain. FROM THE The true nature of Lyndon B. Johnson has long been hidden from the public through the frenzied efforts of highly paid P.R. wizards and artificial image-builders. William Manchester came closer than most other people to seeing through the benign public relations mask of Lyndon Johnson, but one wouldn't know it from scanning the pages of 'The Death of a President'. If there are two persons in the world who have really come to know Johnson at close quarters, outside of his own family, they are Robert and Jacqueline Kennedy. Manchester interviewed both of them at length and they told him, without mincing their words, what they thought of That Man in the White House. But when Manchester, having faithfully recorded everything the Kennedys had told him, rushed into print with his story, years ahead of schedule, they both got panicky and practically forced him to 'revise' his story out of recognition. Edward J. Epstein, the author of Inquest, somehow managed to get hold of a copy of the original, unedited manuscript of the Manchester book, then entitled 'Death of a Lancer', and revealed in the July issue 1967 of Commentary, some of its contents. In his original draft, Manchester, it seems, made some very pungent remarks about Lyndon Johnson whom he described, among other things, as a 'chameleon who constantly changes loyalties'; 'a capon' and 'a crafty schemer who has a gaunt, hunted look about him'. He also pictured Johnson as 'a full-fledged hypomaniac' and 'the crafty seducer with six nimble hands who can persuade a woman to surrender her favors in the course of a long conversation confined to obscure words. No woman, even a lady, can discern his intentions until the critical moment'. By far the most interesting aspect of this matter, however, is Epstein's contention that Manchester's original theme, which gave unity to his book, was 'the notion that Johnson, the successor, was somehow responsible for the death-of his predecessor'. Several quotations from the original draft bear out this contention. At one point, the Lancer version states, 'The shattering fact of the assassination is that a Texas murder has made a Texan President'. At another, Kenneth O'Donnell, Kennedy's appointments secretary, is quoted as exclaiming 'They did it. I always knew they'd do it. You couldn't expect anything else from them. They finally made it'. Then Manchester 'He didn't specify who "they" were. It was unnecessary. They were Texans, Johnsonians'. But what is one to think of an author who allows his most important work not only to be castrated, but to be turned completely upside down by a publisher more committed to the dictates of expediency than to the search for historical truth?

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction

398 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Joachim Joesten, the son of a doctor, was born in Cologne, Germany. He attended Nancy University in France and the University of Madrid in Spain. Joesten worked as a journalist for the Weltbuehne . According to a Gestapo document, Joesten returned to Berlin in 1928 and established a lending library of books "primarily of a Marxist tendency". The report claims that Joesten joined the German Communist Party on 12th May, 1932.

After Adolf Hitler gained power Joesten emigrated to France. Later he moved to Copenhagen and in 1937 he published an article in a French newspaper warning of Germany's military threat to Denmark. The Gestapo was still monitoring Joesten's activities and in his file it was recorded: "Joachim Joesten, a notorious Marxist well-poisoner... who has seriously transgressed against his duty to remain faithful to his (the German) people and state by his anti-German conduct in foreign countries."

Joesten's first book, Denmark's Day of Doom, was published by Victor Gollancz in 1939. When the German Army arrived in Denmark on 9th April, 1940, Joesten fled to Sweden. After marrying May Nilsson, Joesten and his wife emigrated to the United States. Soon after arriving in New York, Joesten joined Newsweek magazine. In 1944 he became a freelance writer.

Joachim Joesten traveled to Dallas a few weeks after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and spent four days there, interviewing witnesses and examining key locations. He came to the conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald was not a lone gunman. However, he did think that he was involved in the conspiracy to kill Kennedy. "I wish to make it absolutely clear that I believe Oswald innocent only as charged, but that he was involved with the conspirators in some way."

Joesten began work on his book, 'Oswald, Assassin or Fall Guy?' Because he questioned the official version, Joesten was forced to get his book published in Britain (Merlin Press).

Joesten published and 'The Dark Side of Lyndon Baines Johnson' in 1968. Joesten argued that Lyndon B. Johnson and Bobby Baker were involved in the killing: "The Baker scandal then is truly the hidden key to the assassination, or more exact, the timing of the Baker affair crystallized the more or less vague plans to eliminate Kennedy which had already been in existence the threat of complete exposure which faced Johnson in the Baker scandal provided that final impulse he was forced to give the go-ahead signal to the plotters who had long been waiting for the right opportunity."

Joesten died of cancer in August 1975.

Reviews

[Pete daPixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I have a book shelf groaning under the weight of JFK conspiracy books, I have only recently discovered the profound writings of Joachim Joesten. What I find so amazing in his books, having just read this one and 'Oswald:Assassin or Fall Guy' (published in 1964, even beating the Warren Report into print) is that he saw through the cover-up so early. Here, in 'The Dark Side of Lyndon Baines Johnson', published in 1968, he lays the guilt of the coup d'état directly to the usurper in the White House. Over four decades before Phillip F. Nelson's excellent 'LBJ-The Mastermind of the JFK Assassination', published in 2011.
A large part of this book deals with the outright criminality of Johnson, his rise through the houses of government, his fraudulent accumulation of wealth, his wheeler dealing, his murders and his cronies. The Billy Sol Estes and Bobby Baker affairs, along with the very many other scams, frauds, corrupt activities cover a large part of this book, which reaches a very powerful crescendo with the events in Dallas.
Joesten pulls no punches and utilises the very many press articles of the day. I couldn't put this book down and must hunt out his other publications that cover this case. I strongly recommend these books. It's never too late for the truth.

[D. Richard Eunice · Rating 5 out of 5]

The secret of Bobby Baker

There was more on Bobby Baker than on Lyndon Johnson. However, that being said it is obvious that Johnson controlled the strings of Bobby Baker.
I have always felt that Johnson had his fingers in the plot to kill President Kennedy. Oswald was a sucker put there to take the fall. There is a saying. "Two people can keep a secret if one them is dead". Knowing too much on Johnson resulted in a outbreak of suicide. How does a man shoot himself 5 times with a 22 rifle inside a truck while trying to kill himself with carbon monoxide from a hose leading to the cab of his truck to the tail pipe? Suicide? It seems there was a lot of that going on.
The truth of the Kennedy assassination will never be known. The people involved are long dead and the powers to be will bury the truth with Washington manipulation. This is because individuals we elect have made careers of double talk and have made enough money and contacts to stay in power until they decide they want out. While Johnson might have been the low life described in this book, he learned how to use people and had people like Bobby Baker for him.

[Susan Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

KneW it all along

I was nine years old at the time of the assassination and KneW even then it was an inside job. I wish I had known of this author's works earlier. It is so horribly sad to think our government could allow this to have happened and has never, ever done one thing of justice about it. 1963 was the beginnings of the loss of our republic.

[Mark Barrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lays bare what a piece of shit LBJ was

Johnson was a willing participant in the murder and subsequent cover up of 11/22/63. A crook and fraud of the highest order, this book details the high crimes and misdemeanors of a man who knew no limits.

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow is about all I can say. After reading this book and Crossfire, The Plot to Kill Kennedy there's no doubt Johnson had motive, means and opportunity. He wrote the play book on how to use your power to cover up the assassination of the President. Corruption has been the backbone of American politics for well over 50 years. Well laid out, detailed account of Johnson.

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read

Certain that Johns
Had something .do with it. We will never know the truth I'm sure. Terrible day Kennedy di..

[Christopher Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant