Nelson's LBJ Mastermind book

[Robert Morrow]

Can i ask a question?

There are many, many people who wanted JFK to use tactical nukes against Vietnam. If you watch the documentary Atomic Cafe, you will see a young Lloyd Bentsen doing the same. Hmm, he was from Texas too. Maybe he was in on it?

Off topic slightly, but when Pete Brewton wrote his book, "The Mafia, CIA & George Bush", he noted that had Bentsen won as VP under the Dukakis presidential ticket, he would have changed the title to "The Mafia, CIA & Lloyd Bentsen".

His point being that Bush and Bentsen were in deeply league with the Mafia and the CIA.

But that might have been what you were speaking of Jim? In which case apologies for my somewhat obtuse intervention.

I doubt think Jim DiEugenio was referring to that. I don't think he understands that ALL THREE prominent Texas political figures/criminals George HW Bush, Lloyd Bentsen and Lyndon Johnson were ALL deeply in league with the mafia and the CIA... and military contractors and Texas oil industry and Texas oil barons.

So those interest groups had a two shots at power in Texas - they could support a Lyndon Johnson on the Demo side or a George Bush on the GOP and despite cosmetic differences in policy, they would get their agenda advanced. And after LBJ died, it was Lloyd Bentsen who picked up the banner for those groups (on the Demo side) while George Herbert Walker Bush - that guy IS mafia/CIA.

All 3 were military hawks, too, especially in the 1960's, 1970's.