Record copy, Senator Johnson Announces His Candidacy for U.S. President, Auditorium, New Senate Office Building

LBJA RECORD COPY STATEMENT BY SENATOR LYNDON B. JOHNSON WASHINGTON, D.C., July 5, 1960 FOR RELEASE AT 1:00 P. M., EDT A. few days from now we begin choosing our next national leadership. The final choice will be made in November -- by all the people. But what you have to choose between in November will be decided for you at the two national conventions, I know this responsibility weighs heavily on the 6,000 Americans who are delegates. I am sure they have the prayers of the 179 million Americans for whom they will be acting. But what matters most in July may count for very little in the long and perilous years beyond, After July, the bandwagons will be silent. The dark horses will be out to pasture. And we will stand face-to-face with whatever destiny this century holds for us with one man, the one man we choose this year, standing out in front to lead us. All the forces of evil in this world will stand poised, ready to strike at freedom through whatever weakness he may show. Those forces will have no mercy for innocence, no gallantry toward inex- perience, no patience toward errors. It is a lot for any man to ask for such a job and argue that he is qualified for it. Since 1937, in FDR's time, I have known the Presidency -- and the men in it -- intimately. I cannot truthfully say that any man is qualified for it in advance. In days gone by, Democrats have had Woodrow Wilsons and Franklin Roosevelts and Al Smiths. But none of the conventions which nominated these giants opened with the choice already made. None was nominated on the first ballot. Even so recently as 1952, Governor Stevenson was not chosen until the third ballot. Unlike the Republican Party, our Democratic Party has always had open and free conventions -- and our greatest leaders have been nominated at our freest conventions. Democrats -- Democratic delegates -- are going to make up their minds together in convention, as they have done before. In these times, a few days can be a long time. Sixty days ago the future looked vastly different than now. Men were talking confidently of far different things than now. Then came the Paris Conference -- and Mr. Khrushchev unmasked the future in all its grim challenge to us. (more)