---
alias:
- Lyndon Johnson
born: 1908-08-27
category: Key Figures
died: 1973-01-22
location: Stonewall, Texas
summary: Johnson's ties to Israel were strong, influenced by his close advisers like
  Abe Fortas and Edwin L.
tags:
- Person
- WW2
- Nazi
- Politician
---

Lyndon B. Johnson was the 36th President of the [United States](/places/united-states/), serving from 1963 to 1969. He was initially left in the dark on sensitive national security issues by President [John F. Kennedy](/people/john-f-kennedy/) and his top aides, and reportedly went "berserk" upon being briefed in by the [CIA](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/) after Kennedy's assassination.[^1]

Johnson's ties to [Israel](/places/israel/) were strong, influenced by his close advisers like Abe Fortas and Edwin L. Weisl, Sr., and his knowledge of [Abraham Feinberg](/people/abraham-feinberg/)'s fundraising skills. A deeper link stemmed from his visit to the Nazi concentration camp at [Dachau](/places/dachau/) at the end of World War II, which left him profoundly shaken. His sensitivity to the plight of European Jews began even before the war, when as a young congressman, he helped German refugees gain asylum in [America](/places/united-states/), circumventing red tape and preventing deportations.[^1]

Johnson's strong emotional ties to Israel and his belief that Soviet arms were altering the balance of power in the [Middle East](/places/middle-east/) drove him to become the first American President to supply Israel with offensive weapons and the first publicly to commit America to its defense. In the early years of his presidency, he echoed Kennedy's policy by urging Israel to submit [Dimona](/places/dimona/) to [IAEA](/organizations/international-atomic-energy-agency/) inspection, motivated by his belief that a nuclear Israel could lead to a nuclear [Egypt](/places/egypt/), increased Soviet involvement, and potentially war.[^1]

### Bobby Baker

Lyndon B. Johnson served as the 36th President of the United States. His rise to power emanated directly from his friends in Texas oil, including the [Murchison family](/people/clint-murchison-sr/).[^2]

As Senate Majority Leader, Johnson made [Bobby Baker](/people/bobby-baker/) his secretary of the Senate Democrats in 1955, referring to Baker as "my strong right arm, the last man I see at night, the first I see in the morning." A major scandal brewed around Baker in the autumn of 1963, involving numerous questionable deals that were tightly interwoven with the Murchison family and organized crime figures.[^2]

[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 9.
[^2]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.