There you are.[note 4] The Presidential Recordings Program revised the following section of text in 2021 for inclusion in The LBJ Telephone Tapes, a project produced by the Miller Center in partnership with the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library to commemorate the library's 50th anniversary.

Hello?

Mr. President?

Yes, Dick.

We’re in trouble. We need some help.

Yes? I was afraid of that.

Yes. It’s starting to break down in different places.

Yeah.

And we just met with our people, and they felt that we should try to get some federal assistance. [President Johnson acknowledges.] I’ve talked to Governor [Samuel H.] Shapiro, and he’s ready to do anything and everything.[note 5] Samuel H. Shapiro was the Democratic lieutenant governor of Illinois from January 1961 to May 1968, and governor of Illinois from May 1968 to January 1969. So we need it—help—as soon as we can get it.

All right. First thing you ought to do is talk to the Attorney General [W. Ramsey Clark] and see what kind of a finding his legislature’s got to make.[note 6] W. Ramsey Clark was U.S. assistant attorney general from 1961 to 1965; U.S. deputy attorney general from January 1965 to March 1967; acting U.S. attorney general from November 1966 to March 1967; and U.S. attorney general from March 1967 to January 1969. [In the] meantime, we’ll—I’ve talked to the Attorney General. I told him I’d called early this morning and told you, because they have to move from California, [Daley acknowledges] you see? They won’t do any good tonight.

Mm-hmm. Well, we [unclear]—

That’s why—

—hope to get them in tonight, if we can.

Well, we—

Where is Ramsey tonight?

He’s right here at the Department of Justice, and I’ll switch you over there now, and you can talk to him. But the governor has to for[mally]— [Daley acknowledges throughout.] you know, the finding they have to make? They have to make a finding in the state that you’ve used all your Guard, that you’ve used all your facilities, that you’re unable to take care of the situation, and therefore, you ask for federal troops. Then he has to make a finding for the president, and the president has to issue an order. That is to keep a president from doing it except for the . . . at the instance of local officials.

I see.

Now, that’s what I anticipated this morning, [Daley acknowledges throughout] and I knew dark was coming, and I knew if we thought we’d better have them, they ought to be moving.

[Unclear], these fellows kept saying to you, you know, which they will. But now this—we had a meeting—

[speaking over Daley] That’s what they did to me all day yesterday, and I just cried. [Daley acknowledges throughout.] I chew—I ate my fingernails off, and I finally ordered them in on my own while the mayor [Walter E. Washington] couldn’t make up his mind.[note 7] Walter E. Washington was mayor-commissioner of Washington, D.C., from November 1967 to January 1975, and mayor of Washington, D.C., from January 1975 to January 1979. And we got them in, but they got big headlines here today.[note 8] The Presidential Daily Diary noted that Mayor Washington told the White House around 2:00 p.m. on 5 April that the situation was “out of control” and required troops. Here’s the—”Too Little, Too Late? Long Stretches of the Capital Laid to Waste; What It Cost: 690 Injured, 299 Fires.” So what we’ll do is we’ll—we will . . . have Governor Shapiro call Ramsey, and I’ll have Ramsey alert to the call. He’ll be waiting for it.

All right.

Just tell him to call the White House, and they’ll connect him. [Daley acknowledges.] That's num[ber]—yeah. Just tell him to ask for the White House in Washington. They’ll connect him. He’ll tell him exactly what kind of a wire to send. He’ll ask him to dictate it.

Yeah.

And then, in the meantime, I’ll see where he can find the troops and how many.[note 9] The troops were coming from Fort Hood in Texas and Fort Carson in Colorado. See President Johnson and Ramsey Clark, 6 April 1968, Conversation WH6804-01-12912. Do you know how many they want?

At least 3,000.

Yeah, well, you better say 5[000].

Yeah. I think we need 5[000].

I would tell him—

Fine.

—what you do. And we’ll be right back to you, Dick.

I’ll have Shapiro call Ramsey—

That’s right.

—through the White House.

That’s right.

Thanks.

All right.

Thanks, Mr. President

Bye.[note 10] End of 2021 revisions.