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Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
Above the Battle
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.

Above the Battle

Artifact ID1973.1.401
Object Type Cartoon Drawing
Publisher ()
Artist
Gifter
Date ca. April 1968
Medium Ink and grease pencil on drawing paper
DimensionsOverall H 14 in x W 12 3/8 in (35.6 cm x 31.4 cm )
Physical Description
Physical DescriptionOriginal cartoon drawing. LBJ works with a stack of papers at his desk. He and his desk are suspended on a cloud above convention signs ("Humphrey”, “Kennedy”, “McCarthy”, “Nixon”, “Stassen”, “Rocky"). Caption: “Above the Battle”. Artist signature lower left: "Kudlaty”.
Inscriptions and MarkingsHandwritten at lower right: [blue] “To President Johnson with all best wishes Ed Ludlaty”. Handwritten at lower right: “4/3/68”.
Historical NoteOn March 31, 1968, Lyndon Johnson announced that he was withdrawing from the presidential race so he could focus on ending the Vietnam War. At the time, he had just lost the New Hampshire primary to antiwar candidate Eugene McCarthy, Robert F. Kennedy, another antiwar candidate, had just entered the race, and his polls in Wisconsin right before the primary were low. He also announced a partial bombing halt in Vietnam. Vice President Hubert Humphrey ran for president in 1968 after Lyndon Johnson withdrew from the race. Although he secured the Democratic nomination, his association with Lyndon Johnson and the Vietnam War split the Democratic Party and hurt his campaign. New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy, a prominent critic of the Vietnam War, ran for president in 1968 as a Democrat with an anti-war platform until his assassination in June 1968. Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy ran for president in 1968 during the Democratic primaries as an antiwar candidate. Former Vice President Richard Nixon secured the Republican nomination during the 1968 election. His platform emphasized crime and he criticized Johnson’s Vietnam policy, but was vague about his own plans to end the war. New York governor Nelson Rockefeller entered the 1968 Republican primaries in spring 1968. He was a part of the Republican liberal wing. Harold Stassen ran for the Republican nomination during the primaries of 1968, one of nine times he would seek presidency over the course of 1944 and 1992.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteThe item was a gift from the general public to President Johnson during his term in office. It was received by President Johnson, until the President donated it to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum in 1973.
Credit LineGift of Lyndon Baines Johnson
National Archives Catalog CollectionLyndon B. Johnson Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 192413)
National Archives Catalog SeriesGifts from the General Public (National Archives Identifier 189698395)
Use Restriction StatusRestricted - Fully
Use Restriction NoteCopyright or other proprietary rights are held by individuals or entities other than the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum. The LBJ Presidential Library and Museum does not warrant that the use of materials will not infringe on the rights of third parties holding the rights to these works, or make any representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement, treaty, or protections that may apply. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy any copyright or other use restrictions. Pertinent regulations can be found at 36 C.F.R 1254.62.
Person Referenced Eugene J. McCarthy (United States, 1916 - 2005)
Person Referenced Robert F. Kennedy (United States, 1925 - 1968)
Person Referenced Nelson Rockefeller (United States, 1908 - 1979)
Person Referenced Lyndon Baines Johnson (United States, 1908 - 1973)
Person Referenced Hubert H. Humphrey (United States, 1911 - 1978)
Person Referenced Richard Nixon (United States, 1913 - 1994)
Person Referenced Harold Stassen (United States, 1907 - 2001)
In Collection(s)
Not on view
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