88. Editorial Note
During a telephone conversation that began at 12:38 p.m. on August 8, 1966, President Johnson asked Douglas Dillon to accept an appointment as Under Secretary of State. In urging Dillon to take the job, Johnson stated “by the end of September we’re going to try to remake that department over there, and I would hope very much that you could be in on it.” The President went on to say: “in effect you will have two secretaries of state. I would like to select a third secretary and the fourth man in the department and a new personnel man and some of the other things that I could, but I would like to do it after I select you. I don’t know what the Secretary’s plans are. I have not asked him, Obviously I don’t know. He has not stated them to me. I know he doesn’t want to feel, I wouldn’t think, that he would be leaving under any fire or anything. On the other hand, I know he had rather have you than anybody in the United States for this particular assignment.” (Johnson Library, Recordings and Transcripts, Recording of a Telephone Conversation between the President and Dillon, Tape F22.35, Side A, PNO 1) The portion of the conversation printed here was prepared in the Office of the Historian specifically for this volume.
[Page 188]Dillon declined the appointment during a telephone conversation with the President the next day. (Ibid., Recording of a Telephone Conversation between the President and Dillon, August 9, 1966, 10:05 a.m., Tape 66.20, Side A, PNO 2)