Customer Reviews

Out in Front: Preparing the Way for JFK and LBJ (Excelsior Editions)

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Byrne proves that "the devil is in the details" as he walks us through the astounding complexity of arrangements for presidential appearances in this book. The author's work for JFK was all too brief: his very first and only advance assignment for Kennedy was for the Fort Worth portion of the President's trip to Texas on November 21 and 22, 1963. In his running commentary, the author spares no one, including himself, as he recounts successes and goofs. We are placed in these Presidents' motorcades and podiums as we read about the male-dominated political life of the sixties, the rich description making us both remember those times and realize how much of it would not happen in today's world. The concluding reflections on our American political customs shape a fitting conclusion to a good read.


--Dorothy McManus

In this book we relive the hope and glory of the Kennedy years, all too short, and then get to know better Lyndon Johnson, another tragic figure, who meant to build a great society but stubbed his toe on Vietnam.

The life of an advance man is full of emergencies, egos that need soothing, and last-minute tasks. Despite the importance of his work, the rules of the profession require the advance man to stay in the background and keep his name out of the media (unlike a recent White House social secretary!). Yet the presidential operative has to be sociable enough that he doesn't get written up as a tight-lipped mystery man.

Author Jeb Byrne has a photographic memory and kept excellent records. Byrne recalls that when it came to pressing the flesh, Johnson was so industrious his right hand could get scratched and bloody. Once when Byrne was waiting for his military plane, he discovered that it had been hijacked by another presidential assistant.

The author disbelieves in all the conspiracy theories about the assassination of President Kennedy.

Prior to the assassination, Byrne happened to visit the Dallas night club owned by Jack Ruby, the man who would frustrate the investigators by gunning down suspect Lee Harvey Oswald. Ruby, we learn, ran a lousy club with bad drinks and cheap entertainment. Somehow that makes me feel better.

Filled with fascinating anecdotes / facts from the days of JFK and LBJ - a must-have for history/political buffs or just to familiarize yourself with a most remarkable era

For everyone old enough to remember the JFK/LBJ era, their personal stories are intertwined with the public events of that time. In this honest and energetic memoir, Jeb Byrne intertwines an overview of events, a moment-to-moment recall, and a subtle, unassuming story of his own history. What a gift from one who wrote down his memories and lived to tell the tale.