Forced to be published out of the U.S., this book was first published in 1968 in the UK, Joesten's research on LBJ is impeccable. Writing like the investigative journalist that he was, the author pulls the wool off of LBJ at every turn. In doing so, he is not alone in believing that LBJ is one of America's all-time corrupt political sleaze-bag politicians. Every detail of the Bobby Baker, Billy Sol Estes, Walter Jenkins, and many other LBJ scandals that go back to his first stolen election where he earned the name of "Landslide Lyndon," are revealed in excruciating details here. LBJ's relatives, friends and enemies were all interviewed and what they had to say about LBJ is about as explosive as one could imagine.
Included are LBJ's connection to the mob, Texas oil, political graft and corruption, blackmailing of FBI head J. Edgar Hoover (his next door neighbor for more than twenty years), including murders. The almost endless series of both high and low scandals, demonstrates that LBJ's capacity for evil was only exceeded by his capacity for crudity and "red neck" bad taste.
According to this author, LBJ not only was evil, but also thin-skinned, volatile, vulgar and knew and used the "ways of power." The crux of the book is that LBJ knew (and said so) that unless JFK was killed, he was not just off the 1964 presidential ticket, but was also headed directly to the nearest jail.
An LBJ led assassination of JFK was an imperative. It was his only "way out" of his tenuous set of circumstances bursting at the seams with scandals that could have landed him in jail. Five Stars
