photographic unit as it chronicled the activities of president through the camera lens of the white house naval photographic unit it covered the activities of president lyndon b. johnson. the president 1968 covers the assassination and funeral of robert f kennedy, lbj's push for tighter gun regulations, vietnam war peace talks, work towards a nuclear nonproliferation treaty with the soviets, and earl warren's retirement announcement. this film from the lbj presidential library is a half-hour. ♪ ♪ headway on.

>> we are making headway, particularly on the burden sharing. when i first joined this >> the evening of june 4 had been warm and clear in washington. the president retired just before midnight to the family living quarters of the white house after the state reception for visiting guests. his rest was cut short by a message. at 3:30 a.m., the president was awaken with the news that robert kennedy in the midst of victory in california, had been shot and critically wounded by an assassin. the president's reaction to the shocking event was immediate. he dispatched a plane with special medical assistance to los angeles and later in the day went on nationwide television to announce the appointment of a climateon to study the of violence and extremism in

america. >> 200 million americans did not kennedy lastobert night any more than they struck down president john f. kennedy in 1963 or dr. martin luther year.n april of this but those awful events give us ample warning that in a climate of extremism, of disrespect for law, of contempt for the rights of others, violence may bring down the very best among us. and a nation that tolerates violence in any form cannot expect to be able to confine it to just minor outbursts. for this reason, i am appointing, with the recommendation of the leadership of the congress with whom i have talked this evening, a commission of distinguished americans to immediately examine

this tragic phenomenon. >> early the next morning, robert kennedy died. his death coming just four and a half years after the assassination of his brother and only two months after the murder of dr. martin luther king cast another dark shadow of grief across america. >> during his life, he knew far more than his share of personal tragedy. yet he never abandoned his faith in america. he never lost his confidence in the spiritual strength of ordinary men and women. he believed in the capacity of the young for excellence. and in the right of the old and dignity.to a life of our public life is diminished by

his loss. >> at arlington nationa cemetery along with the kennedy family, president and mrs. johnson paid their last respects to the junior senator place wherek at the forever.id to rest ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ey can build a port. is that kind of the standard

operating procedure? >> that is a good generalization. the chinese tend to apply less in the way of obvious near-term strings. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> out of this tragic and brutal slaying, the president became even more determined than ever to turn heartbreak into constructive action. the day of the senator's death, president johnson sent letters the president of the senate and the speaker of the house congressently implored to enact a meaningful and control law. >> what in the name of conscience will it take to pass a truly effective gun control law?

in this hour of tragedy, that question should at last be answered. spell out our grief in constructive action. >> during the month of june, as he had done through the entire his incumbency, the president continued to the urge to stop theongress violence resulting from easy access to guns. on june 10, he convened the national commission on the causes and prevention of violence. gathered in the east room, the comeal panel which would to be known as the eisenhower commission, included members from across american life, church, and labor. education

>> my charge to you is simple and direct. i ask you to undertake a penetrating search for the causes and the prevention of violence. a search into our national life. our past as well as our present. our traditions as well as our institutions. our culture, our customs, and our laws. i hope your search will yield first an understanding and insight into the kinds of violent aberrations which have struck down public figures and private citizens alike. second, i hope your search will uncover the causes of disrespect for law and order. disrespect for proper authority home and disrespect for public officials. and of violent disruptions of

public order by individuals and groups. third, i hope your search really to sensible and practical action to control or prevent these outbreaks of violence. curb this violence will be a bill president johnson june. into law in 1968 is streets act of the first major legislation ever passed that confronts the problems of crime in america on a national scale. the heart of the bill was the president's request for measures to strengthen local police and law enforcement agencies across the country. [applause] during june, there were three ceremonies that highlighted the emphasis on excellence that both the president and first lady have sought to bring out in two facets of american life. environment.

first president johnson greeted scholars.ential >> the honor that your nation pays you today is not just a reward for past achievement; it is a way of recognizing your special talents and expressing the confidence of the countr in you. and we want in return for you to express confidence in your country and try to provide ability to lead and to return your great gifts to the country that has given you so much. >> the presidential scholars program was established by president johnson in 1964 to recognize and encourage intellectual attainments among young people. the scholars are outstanding secondary school graduates gathered in washington as guests of the president.

after a full day of meetings with government officials, h in theira reception honor at the white house. the president expanded on the theme of youth's responsibilities to the nation at a gathering of delegates to the youth conference. >> you have your obligation to your parents, to your teachers, to your principals, but you also have a very strong, compelling obligation to your country. if we are going to survive as a free nation, if we're going to have the liberty and the independence and the freedom that we want, if we're going to opportunity, the prosperity, the jobs, the housing, the beautification, all the things

that we like and want, we're going to have to have first qualified leaders. and you can't find better talent who comeyoung people from rural america. followedesident through. he sent to congress a messag asking that the vote be given to 18-year-olds. as part of her beautification campaign, the first lady paid tribute to local projects that have improved the face of the capitol. >> yesterday, i drove around the town about two or three hours, wanted to see the accomplishments first-hand and i was delighted with the variety and extend of your efforts. you have cleared vacant littered lots to provide recreation space in

your neighborhoods. others have cleaned up and their faces of business or their own front yards. some of these places of business service stations and one, a warehouse. with shrubsned them and flowers. >> there had been lively competition among residents of the district of columbia for this year's beautification awards. civic associations and business owners won most of the recognition. [applause] >> during june, the president returned to the scene of one of his most dramatic conferences. in a commencement address, he cited the progress made in soviet american relationships. he expressed his optimism that further cooperation would be forthcoming.

>> i'm glad to return to glassboro. remember this town as a place of warm friendship and hospitable people. remember will glassboro i hope as a place where understanding between nations was advanced by the sovietstates and the union. it was last june about a year i satat the carom and days of two discussions. wholelks ranged over the globe. the year since then has been and uncertain. like the days that we live in. arehope and achievement certainly there to see. and our relations with the offer an example. many feared that the war in prevent anyd

progress. many predictions were made to effect. but despite the predictions and despite the difficulties, we a treatyed upon outlawing armaments in outer space. we have negotiated a treaty banning the spread of nuclear weapons. we have achieved an agreement permits soviet union planes andand in the united states united states planes to land in union.iet and we are also moving towards other agreements. to conclude my brief remarks by expressing the hope that the relations between our countries will develop in the interests of our peoples and improvement of the international situation in the speaking, i do invite all of you to visit my

country. >> one step that brought the united states and the soviet then closer together was consular pact signed at the white house in june. the firstly, it was bilateral treaty between the two nations, the culmination of begun 35c exchanges years before. and even more important advancement towards mutual world'sion between the two major powers occurred at the nations when the general assembly overwhelmingly approved the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. states and the soviet union had worked long and hard to secure its acceptance, visit to u.n.ise headquarters in new york, appearingjohnson before that body for the fourth time hailed the passage of this significanthe most step towards peace in united nations history. is the most important agreement in the

thed of disarmament since nuclear age began. far to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. ensure the equitable uses ofof the peaceful nuclear energy for the benefit nations. as regards the treaty itself, no bringingld be lost in pledge youce and i this afternoon that we of the united states will move rapidly the treaty for signature. >> in recognition for his leadership and dedication i about the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, president johnson was presented an award by new york industrialists. the president kept his word to move speedily toward american

approval of the treaty, which would be signed by the united states and the soviet union and 55 other nations. on the first day of the following month. ratification of this treaty would await senate approval. the award, a statue of the prophet isaiah, is made for contributions to the peaceful use of atomic energy. when twoas a month distinguished heads of state paid calls to the white house. johnson welcomed the costa rican president as the leader of a country, which is helping to make thuliance for progress succeed. the warm greeting president johnson extended to his guest symbolized the high regard with which he views the countries of latin america. [applause]

presidentn the day, johnson was able to combine the visit with a second gesture of friendship towards latin america in an elaborate east room ceremony complete with charts graphs, the president signed an authorization of u.s. support a $1 billion increase in the capital funds of the interamerican development bank. noted that during his period in office, the bank's fromrces have climbed to $600 billion. ofo visiting was the shah iran. an official state dinner was his honor. june, much of the president's attention was centered on the peace talks.

vance could relate to the president some slight progress,s of particularly with regard to a softening of the north that they hadial regular army units fighting in the south. from vietnam, however, the were far from optimistic. instead of a slowdown in hostilities as a result of the peace negotiations, the communists had launched a massive new wave of assaults throughout the south to erode the homefront and grasp tightened leverage in the struggle. later in the month, u.s. chief negotiator arrived in washington for further discussions with the president. after weeks of communist intransigence, the president continued to show and flexibility. the united states continued to seek peace in vietnam through

-- either was apparent from the side. meanwhile, the united states continued to seek peace in vietnam through every other available channel. working towards this goal would be the new u.s. ambassador to nations, george ball. wasacing goldberg who retiring, ambassador ball was praised by the president for and service to his country charged with a new task of funneling the hope, aspirations and promise of independent nations into mutually beneficial cooperation. through the month, president johnson continued to meet with the major presidential intelligencer briefings on problems confronting the nation. with new york's governor nelson rockefeller, the president covered vietnam, the economy, and domestic programs. secretary of state dean rusk diplomatic front and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, general earl the militaryssed

situation. also, arriving at the white house in june for a conference the president was minnesota mccarthy.gene one of the issues that received top priority during these necessityhad been the for a tax increase. after much delay the long was finally cleared by congress on june 21st. called for a 10% surcharge on corporate and a $6idual income taxes and billion reduction in federal expenditures. needs, the large spending cut was a difficult trade-off to make, but the tax was an economic necessity and on june 28th in he oftengarden, where has lunch and works, the president without formal intoony signed the measure law. ♪ ♪ rose was a different garden event in june that involved another type of increase. patrick linden nugent, the

president's grandson had reached the magic age of 1. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> later in the day, there was a party in the white house oval room for president johnson's in charge.ent ♪ ♪ >> as much as he likes the bike, think soccer... [people chatting]

♪ ♪ >> in june, the first lady to portland, oregon along with secretary of agriculture freeman to deliver a convention of a the american institute of architects. called for a new conservation that is concerned with the entire community to the problems of growing urbanization. found answers cannot be in piecemeal reform. requireseally thoughtful interrelation of the whole environment, not only in buildings, but parks; not only parks, but highways; not only highways, but open spaces and green belts. beautification to my mind is far more than a matter of cosmetics. me, it describes the whole effort to bring the natural the man made world

to bring to, usefulness delight, to our whole environment and that, of course, begins with trees and flowers and landscaping. boost the use and enjoyment of wilderness areas viewedks, mrs. johnson demonstrations of how a family can have an inexpensive vacation ofsuch places, taking all their needs with them. later the first lady toured timber-line lodge, built by wpa workers during the roosevelt administration and took a snow-cat ride on wintry mt. hood. the scenicugh columbia river gorge and a visit to a fish hatchery rounded out day excursion before the first lady's return to washington. ♪ ♪ >> spotlighting the benefits of ofew conservation was one president johnson's aims when he

traveled to nashville, the $50e, to dedicate million jay percy priest dam. to the president the dam was a perfect example of the new conservation because it preserves without polluting and recreationre and within an easy day's drive of people.thousands of >> our new conservation must build on a new principle, theging nature closer to people. that is not just my dream; it is happening. it is happening right here today in tennessee. is coming true all over this nation. werei took office, we losing hundreds of thousands of acres every year to the bulldozer. we actually are reclaiming more land than we're losing. iat has been my goal since became president. along with peace in the world at home, there is

no legacy that i would rather than a permanent program thisal conservation for nation. [applause] ♪[ singing ] >> back in washington, a new drama was unfolding at the campsite of the poor people's city.gn resurrection originally conceived by dr. martin luther king as a inible symbol of poverty america, heavy rains and unrealistic demands brought mund and disaffection to what was supposed to have been a city of hope. the energize of its leadership were diverted to restraining

militant agitators. theng its existence, johnson administration kept a close watch over developments in city.ection high government officials heldding cabinet officers meetings with the demonstrators to listen to their grievances and try to work out solutions to their problems. >> we are going to be leaving slowly.y right now -- >> on june 19th, more than 50,000 people gathered between the washington and lincoln monuments for a nine hour peaceful demonstration of the nation'sth poor. it was the capstone event of the people's campaign begun two months before. >> to follow the absolute the directives of the march. >> but even as the voices of reason spoke nonviolence and this gathering, seeds of discontent were taking root in the camp itself. tensions and discord continued until after many arrests and

increasing violence, it was finally decided by government not extend for a second time the permit sanctioning resurrection city. june 24th, park and district of columbia police began dismantling the wooden and lean-tos. when they left, the demonstrators had not achieved immediate goals, but they had received a fair hearing from from aovernment, even congress reluctant to appropriate additional funds to to whom theyams had addressed their major demands. at a news conference on june 26th, the president announced that supreme court chief justice was retiring. at the same time, he announced his nominations of associate justice abe portis and federal thornberry as an

associate justice. in making his third and fourth appointments to the high court, the president knew that his choices would affect the destiny of the nation long after he left office. he selected the men whom he considered best qualified to serve here. tojune closed, the effort win senate confirmation began. for the president, the events of june were representative of situations he had faced term in office, elements of tragicdy, ,ontroversy, accomplishments disappointments and some rare joy.ts of

emotions of this somber month, however, had left their both thely etched in consciousness of the president and the nation where they would a long time to come. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> our nine week series 1968, turmoil, is available as a podcast. you can find it on our website, c-span.org/history. this is american history tv, on c-span 3. >> tonight on q and a, free-lance journalist tom on his magazine article locked and loaded for the lord, the late reverend

and their church in pennsylvania. >> what is going on at sanctuary in pennsylvania is a commingling of a lot of the country, of aligion, politics and guns to degree we haven't seen before. it's still a small church, question about that, shawn has a worldwide following, maybe 200ould be people in the congregation total and 500,nsylvania worldwide. on these days, you can follow a church on youtube. all the sermons are web cast every week. ofs that commingling of -- passion in america and what does a culturebout us as and what -- is this any -- is any precursor of what we

might see down the road? when you get the genie out of of mixing guns and any society,lmost it's been hugely problematic. >> tonight at 8:00 p.m. on c-span's q and a. travelingpan bus is across the country on our 50 capitals tour. banks, stopped in fair alaska, asking folks what's the most important issue in alaska? >> the issue that's most important to me is the environment. dutch harbor is the number one fishing port in the nation in terms of volume and as you can imagine our town relies heavily the seafood industry and with environmental changes in my community, that industry has the out.tial to be wiped >> i'm running for governor of alaska. i was born and raised in the in petersburg. i have three platform issues needing to take care

of, one is abortion, one is the budget plan and one is permanent fund dividend and giving the money the vetohe people from from the legislative action that took place two years ago and the one coming this year. all back with it interest. i think it's the right of the people to have and be able to resources that belong to the shareholders of this state. thank you very much. been on myg that's mind lately is the trauma that a are sufferingn throughout the united states. thele have come in, to borders, i'm kind of upset with some of the attorneys general mr. trump andaken others to task for creating this what abuse is essentially it is. even the methodist church has their own parishioner mr. sessions, charged him with under their own rules so i would like to see the attorneys-general slam some of

these legislators for allowing this to happen. issue.just one but most of all, i want to tocome people who would like visit alaska. we have a lot to offer here. we have beautiful scenery, nice people, lots of kids who are having fun and i would didn't say this is santa claus wishing you a very merry christmas. big issue for me is the future of alaska. and atcerned about it the same time, i'm really optimistic about it. i'm concerned because we've got the highest healthcare costs in country, highest energy costs in the country, highest unemployment in the country, educational attainment in the country, a rapidly changing disi disinvestment in higher education. optimistic, though, despite all that because our people strongly support higher education. there's big demand for it here state. we lead the world in arctic research and our university has plan and we're committed to

that plan and investing in that build our people, to strengthen our future so that we're more competitive nationally and internationally as we look to the next century. >> be sure to join us july 21st and 22nd when we'll visit to alaska. watch alaska weekend on c-span, or listen on the c-span radio app. >> author and berkeley law discussesamanda tyler her book history habeas corpus in war time, from the tower of guantanamo bay. professor tyler also discusses roots of habeas corpus connect to america today. posted by theas national constitution center. it's an hour. >> okay. and now, for the program. i would like