Abe?[note 1] 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. Can’t you go with us on this excise thing and let us get a bill? Goddamn it, you need to vote with me once in a while—just one time.

Well . . . look. I made a comm[itment]—Mr. President, let me say this: the Treasury Department is reaping the whirlwind of [unclear].

I know it. I know it. I know it.

I talked to [unclear]—

We were ready to report this bill, and now we got it just good and screwed up. And the Democrats are going to be a miserable failure in the eyes of the whole country. Now, why can’t y'all meet at two o'clock, and let’s leave this excise like we had it before you met this morning?

Well, I don’t know how you’re going to get it—the thing was—

Well—

—overwhelming.

No, it’s not. No. Clint Anderson’s going to help us, and Hartke will help us, and if you’ll help us, we’ll have it over. And I’ll appreciate it, and I’ll remember it, and help me one way or the other.

Well, let—you know, just one word, Mr. President.

You’ve had these problems, executive—

[Unclear.]

—and you know we’ve had that damn bill there since September. And every day it’s costing us 30 million in consumer income. Every single day.

Well, one of my problems is one of the amendments in there is for something in my own home state that’s already been [unclear].

I know it, but every one of them have—

[Unclear]—

—got it in there, my friend. But, God Almighty, I think about the problems I’ve had, and—

Well, [unclear]—

—when you wanted to go on that committee, I just stood up and said, “By God, it’s going to be.” Now, I just want one vote, and I want to get that bill out of there, and I got to have it, Abe. And you’ve had problems. You’ve been an executive. And you can find a way to help me. [Pause.] I—They’ve asked me to call you 40 times this year, and I’ve never done it. But this time, [Ribicoff acknowledges] when it means 4[00] or 500 million dollars—this is going to be a whole motion to leave all the excises as they were before Williams and them got mad on the oil thing. And don’t let John Williams and Everett [M.] Dirksen [R–Illinois] screw me this way.

Well, it isn’t—Mr. President, I wish you had called me. I had talked to President [John F. “Jack”] Kennedy before he died about what I looked at [as] the troubles in the Finance Committee. And then he said to me, he said, “Abe,” he said, “look, once we get this up there, I will call all the Democrats together and try to work it out.” Now, the Treasury—the great tragedy to me, Mr. President, and I want to be very frank with you, is that [C. Douglas] Dillon doesn’t know the politics, and the . . . If he was well, he would—

I think that’s right, and he’s sick. He’s sick. And I don’t know them either, but I want you to know them this afternoon, and go in there, and either don’t vote one way or the other, but let them put these damn things back and vote with us, if you will. And we can’t lose 4[00] or 500 million [dollars] revenue in this thing.

[Pause.] Well, let me see how I can save my face. I’ve got a problem with saving [unclear].

Don’t you worry about saving your face. Your face is [in] damn good shape, [Ribicoff laughs heartily] and it’s going to be better when I get with you. I’ll save your face.

Yeah, Mr. President—

You save my face this afternoon, and I’ll save your face tomorrow.

Well, I—sometime, I would really like to talk with you—

You can do it. Any hour.

I love politics.

Any hour. I’ve had 56 days in this job, and they’ve been the most miserable 56 I’ve ever had.[note 2] Johnson had been sworn in 63 days earlier.

[speaking under President Johnson] You’re doing good, sir.

And my people are going [in] opposite directions. And now damn Harry Byrd goes one way, and he says, “Cut your damn budget, and I’ll help you get your bill out.” He called me yesterday and said it’ll be reported tomorrow. I thought it was all settled.

You’re doing great, Mr. President. Honest to God. You’re doing so great, it isn’t even—

Will you go in there and help me this afternoon?

Let me try. Let me see how I can work it out.

Well, you just work it out. [Ribicoff laughs.] Now, don’t say how. I don’t give a damn about the details. I just want you to work it out. Will you?

I’ll do my—

All right.

OK, Mr. President.

Bye.

Bye.[note 3] End of 2021 revisions.