What Did Lyndon Johnson Really Think of Me?

Sherwin Markman • August 31, 2021

Lyndon Johnson’s sense of himself and his staff was never easy to unravel. At times, for me, it amounted to a roller coaster of interactions that to this day I have difficulty sorting through. Here are some reasons why:

In the fall of 1966, Wayne Hayes was one of the most powerful members of the House of Representatives. He was also well known as a mean-tempered bully. Nonetheless, he was an extraordinarily important ally for LBJ in the enactment of his legislative program, and in that milieu I became entangled with him.

Then a presidential assistant, I was in Paris where I had been invited to a cocktail party at the residence of the American ambassador. I found myself standing on the fringe of a group of Frenchmen being regaled by a very drunk Congressman Hayes. I listened, aghast, as he loudly excoriated Lyndon Johnson, slurring such slanders as, “If you knew him as I do, you would know he can’t be trusted.”  And, “he is a rotten president! Don’t any of you ever forget that!”

I could not remain silent. Without thinking, I stepped forward and confronted Hayes, stating that, considering his position, he should not be saying things like that, especially in Paris in front of foreign dignitaries. Flushed with anger, Hayes demanded to know who I was, and I told him. “You and your boss can just go to hell,” he barked, and strode away.

The whole incident was upsetting, but I was totally surprised by what happened next. Back in my hotel room, I was sound asleep when I was startled awake by the telephone. It was Wayne Hayes, and, without preliminary, and still sounding drunk, he began shouting, “You are going to be fired, you son of a bitch. As soon as I get home, I’m calling Lyndon and that will be the end of you.” With that, he hung up, and I went back to sleep.

But that wasn’t the end of it. The moment I walked back into the White House, the president summoned me to the Oval Office.

“What the hell did you do to Wayne Hayes?” he asked, and I told him, thinking he’d be pleased that I had defended him. He was not.  “We need his help,” Johnson stated, “and you will do whatever it takes to make it right with him. Of course, I’m not going to fire you. Nobody up there can make me to do that. But you are going up to his office right now, and you are going to apologize to him. More than that, you are going to make him believe that you mean every word you say.”
 
And that’s what I did. When I walked into Hayes’s office, he was scowling at me from behind his desk. “I suppose you are here to beg to get your job back,” he growled. “No, sir,” I answered in the softest voice I could muster. “I came here to tell you how wrong I was in Paris. I should never have said those things. I mean that from the bottom of my heart,” I added.

It was like magic. Hayes’ face broke into a broad smile. “Sit down, sit down,” he urged. From that moment and for the next hour, he regaled me with personal anecdotes as if I were his new best friend, including telling me how much he admired Lyndon Johnson.

Throughout, I continued to grin and nod my agreement. But when I reported all this to a pleased LBJ, I was still feeling sick about what I had just done. Still, I felt no joy when, 10 years later, Hayes became embroiled in a very public sex scandal that drove him from public office.


In November 1967, I discovered that the best and the worst of my relationship with the president could occur within one 24-hour period. 

The war in Vietnam was going badly. Johnson could not appear in public anywhere but military bases without enduring demonstrations against him. Robert McNamara, his Secretary of Defense, was having a breakdown because of the war, and wanted to quit. The president badly needed a weekend off, and he decided to do that in Colonial Williamsburg in nearby Virginia. He asked me to arrange it, which meant a place for him to stay, a round of golf with his son-in-law, Chuck Robb, and church on Sunday.

 

And so, along with a detail of Secret Service agents, I drove to Williamsburg a couple of days in advance. My first call was to Arkansas Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller, whose family had largely financed the historic facility. A house for the Johnsons and a golf time were easily secured. I then asked Rockefeller if he would recommend a church for the president to attend, and he told me that the Williamsburg Episcopal Church headed by the Rev. Cotesworth Lewis would be perfect.

 

“Will there be a Vietnam problem with the reverend?” I specifically asked. “No way. He strongly supports the president,” Rockefeller answered.

 

To be absolutely certain — and accompanied by a Secret Service agent — I called upon Reverend Lewis, who reassured us concerning any Vietnam issue. He even handed us a copy of the sermon he would give, which was perfectly acceptable.

 

The evening prior to his going to that church, the president called me into the softly lighted study where he was sitting alone. He was in a reflective mood and he invited me to join him. Then, quietly, he began to talk, sharing with me some of his dreams for a better America and his despair with the never-ending war that seemed to be destroying everything. I did not say much, just stayed with him, soaking in the feeling that this was a very special moment.

 

The next morning, the president and his family went to church. Instead of joining them, I waited outside, standing behind the last car in the waiting presidential motorcade. Suddenly, the church doors burst open and a gaggle of media people rushed out, shouting, “You’ll never believe what just happened in there!”

 

Instinctively, I knew all too well, and my heart dropped. A few moments later, I learned that the reverend had lied to me. He had abandoned the text of the sermon and instead had spent the time lecturing the helplessly sitting president about the evils of the Vietnam War.

 

When the president walked out the church door, he turned his head, spotted me, and with a bend of his finger summoned me to join him. And so I walked to his limousine, wishing only that the earth would swallow me up.

 

Thus began the most miserable six days of my life. In Johnson’s eyes, the main person to blame was not the reverend, but me for permitting it to happen. Sitting in the limousine, the president of the United States lit into me with total fury. The fact that I had anticipated the danger and had done what I could meant nothing. Nor that the Secret Service agent was with me throughout. In Johnson’s eyes, I should have seen through the reverend’s falsity, to which I had no answer.

 

The president’s diatribe against me continued back at the house and, following that, after he returned from his golf game. Even then it did not end. He ordered me to fly back to the White House with him, and, throughout that helicopter trip and even at the mansion, my ordeal continued without letup. 

 

When I finally reached home, I saw that coverage of the church fiasco was all over the television networks, and the next morning it was splashed across the front pages of both the Washington Post and New York Times. It seemed that the reverend had achieved his 15 minutes of fame.

 

Right then, even though the president had not yet asked for it, I believed that I had no choice but to resign. When I returned to the White House, I immediately began to dictate that letter, but before I could finish, Marvin Watson, the president’s chief of staff, walked into my office. He saw what I was doing and told me to stop. “Don’t quit,” he said. “The president will calm down. Just wait him out.” At that moment, with all my heart I wanted to resign, but I listened to Marvin and didn’t.

 

I heard nothing more from the president that day, nor did I see or talk to him for the rest of the week. 

 

Then, on the following Saturday, I was invited to a formal White House dinner honoring another nation’s head of state. With great trepidation, I went. Arriving there, I took my place in the traditional receiving line, having no idea what would occur when I reached the president.

 

What happened was this: The president grabbed my arm and pulled me close. Then he said to the visiting head of state, “I want you to meet this young man who is one of the finest assistants anyone could ever have.”

 

So, in the end, what did the president think of me? Perhaps it is expressed in the words he wrote to me by hand in his black Sharpie pen in September 1968 when I left the White House to join my law firm:

 

“NO ONE IN W.H. WAS MORE DEDICATED TO COUNTRY OR MORE LOYAL TO IT. THANKS MUCH AGAIN.”

 

A long river of years has passed since President Johnson wrote those words. Yet, even today, I remain warmed by them. I had the great honor of serving in the White House. It was very much worthwhile.

 

 

Sherwin Markman, a graduate of the Yale Law School, lives with his wife, Kathryn (Peggy) in Rock Hall, Maryland. He served as an assistant to President Lyndon Johnson, after which was a trial lawyer in Washington, D.C. He has published several books, including one dealing with the Electoral College. He has also taught and lectured about the American political system.

 

Common Sense for the Eastern Shore

Trump Targets US Wind Permit, but Legal Experts See Slim Chances

By Jan Plotczyk • August 27, 2025
The Trump administration has moved to revoke the federal permit for US Wind’s offshore wind farm, throwing one of the Eastern Shore’s most significant economic and energy projects into uncertainty. While the legal fight plays out, supporters emphasize what the project means here at home: jobs, lower bills, and new opportunities for the Shore. US Wind’s planned investment of more than $1 billion would ripple through local economies. Thousands of well-paying jobs are tied to construction, operations, and supply chains, with work ranging from skilled trades to steel fabrication. The project’s turbines, located about 10 miles off Ocean City, are designed to generate enough clean energy to power more than 718,000 homes. Advocates argue that it will reduce reliance on fossil fuels, alleviate price pressures on families, and enhance Maryland’s grid reliability. “This project is about jobs, affordability, and securing our energy future,” said Nancy Sopko, US Wind’s vice president of external affairs. She noted that the permits were issued after years of rigorous review and remain legally sound. The Oceantic Network, a Baltimore-based nonprofit representing the offshore wind industry, underscored that the project will also support Maryland’s manufacturing base, pointing to the steel fabrication facility planned for Sparrows Point. “Once completed, the Maryland project and Sparrows Point steel will enhance our national security and economic freedom by directly supporting steel mill investments and bringing back important steel fabrication capabilities to America,” said Sam Salustro, the group’s senior vice president. For Eastern Shore residents, the promise of steady work and lower electricity bills is a rare opportunity in a region often left behind in statewide economic growth. Shore Progress , a grassroots progressive organization, vowed to defend the project: “This fight will be won in the courtroom and in the General Assembly, with strong allies like Governor Moore, Lt. Governor Miller, and the members of the Maryland General Assembly standing with us.” Gov. Wes Moore, who has made clean energy central to his administration’s agenda, has called attempts to cancel the project “utterly shortsighted.” He pointed to the looming demand for new electricity sources and warned that scrapping offshore wind would lead to higher utility rates across the state. Often backed by oil and gas lobbyists and out-of-state tourism groups, opponents argue that the turbines could affect views or local fishing. However, similar claims have been unsuccessful in courts in New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, where projects have proceeded despite high-profile challenges. The Trump administration has tried to block offshore wind several times before, including New York’s Empire Wind and Massachusetts’s Vineyard Wind, but in each case, courts upheld the projects. Supporters believe the same outcome is likely here. For now, the administration has until Sept. 12 to finalize its action. Until then, the future of a project poised to reshape the Shore’s economy and energy future remains tied up in the courts. Jan Plotczyk spent 25 years as a survey and education statistician with the federal government, at the Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. She retired to Rock Hall.

Surprise! Andy Harris is Not Listening to His Constituents About Offshore Wind

By Jan Plotczyk • August 27, 2025
“For many years, my constituents across the First Congressional District have been overwhelmingly clear: they do not want offshore wind off their coast.” ~ Rep. Andy Harris (MD-01), July 11, 2025 Congressman Andrew P. Harris (R-MD-01) has not accomplished much in his 15 years in Congress, but he has become famous for being Maryland’s regressive anti-offshore wind farm champion — no matter how his constituents feel about it or the benefits that would accrue to them. He has called offshore wind an existential threat to local economies, and claims it poses a risk to national security and will cause great harm to marine life and the environment. And he has consistently maintained that his “constituents across the First Congressional District have been overwhelmingly clear: they do not want offshore wind off their coast.” However, a recent poll of Eastern Shore residents found that There is solid support for offshore wind. Strong majorities are convinced that wind projects will create jobs, improve health conditions, and support American energy independence. The poll found that 51% of Eastern Shore residents support building offshore wind farms off the coast of Maryland; only 37% say they are opposed, and 12% gave no opinion.

Federal Harm Registry Seeks Reports From Citizens Hurt by Trump Policies

By Gren Whitman • August 27, 2025
Last January 20, President Trump raised his right hand to swear that he’d “preserve, protect, and defend” the United States Constitution. Surprise! He quickly ignored his oath and continues to. Hourly. Upon taking the oath, Trump ordered his minions — guided by the extremist right-wing handbook, “Project 2025” — to carry out an across-the-board assault on the federal government and various private institutions. This assault continues. Millions of American citizens have already been harmed by Trump’s betrayal, and many more millions will be injured until his depredations are stopped. Welcome to the Federal Harm Registry! Initiated and managed by the Maryland Democratic Party, this registry offers an immediate remedy to Trump. Here’s tangible means to fight Trumpism. The Federal Harm Registry is designed to document the myriad adverse effects of Trump’s maladministration! It’s the tool to register every specific harm citizens have experienced or witnessed. Eastern Shore residents, no matter if we are Democrats, Republicans, or Independents, must be active, not passive! Consider: As a college student, have you been denied a Pell grant? Has your family been denied SNAP benefits? As a Shore farmer, is your corn or soybean crop losing its value? As a Shore resident needing medical insurance, have you lost your Medicaid? Have you been harmed by work requirements for Medicaid and food stamps? Has your child’s vaccine become unavailable because of an HHS mandate? As a federal employee, have you been laid off or fired without cause? Have you been terminated from the U.S. military because of your sexual identity? Are Trump’s illegal tariffs forcing you spend more for food and other necessities? Do you know anyone adversely affected by the closure of Head Start for poor children, as well as child welfare, juvenile justice, and youth care programs? The Federal Harm Registry invites Marylanders to document each type of damage to them personally from harmful federal policies under Trump. The registry also offers Marylanders a megaphone to voice their frustrations and fears, and their vision for improving our country. The Federal Harm Registry is a space for Maryland residents to report their personal stories — cuts to health care, higher living costs, job losses, housing problems, civil rights attacks, or any other consequences of this administration’s harmful policies. These reports will document and provide a guide for the eventual reversal of what’s happening in Maryland and in D.C. So, take your first step to report any harm to you by contacting federalharmmd.com ! At federalharmmd.com, you will be able to: Write or record your story; Report any harm you’ve experienced, share an opinion, expose federal malpractices, and advocate for policies that help — not injure — Maryland families; and Help to publicize the Federal Harm Registry by sharing on Facebook, X, or LinkedIn. 

Salisbury Awaits Accountability as Mayor Taylor Promises Report on Fourth Car Accident

By CSES Staff • August 27, 2025
When Salisbury Mayor Randy Taylor released a public statement on Aug. 4 following his involvement in a traffic incident with a pedestrian with a walker, he promised “a final report of facts in the next 10 days.” That deadline has now arrived, and city residents are waiting to see if the mayor will follow through on his promise. The Aug. 4 accident marked Taylor’s fourth vehicle-related incident since he took office less than two years ago, fueling public concern about what many describe as a troubling “pattern of recklessness.” In his statement, Taylor described the South Boulevard collision as “minor,” claiming that only the wheel of the pedestrian’s walker struck his vehicle and that the individual refused medical treatment. He emphasized his cooperation with the Maryland State Police investigation and insisted that “all protocols were followed.” But eyewitness testimony and photos circulating online continue to cast doubt on that account. One bystander alleged the mayor struck the pedestrian in the crosswalk and initially drove on “as if he had hit a cone” before returning to the scene. Images shared widely on social media show a shaken pedestrian, supported by his walker, while Taylor inspects his vehicle. The incident has renewed calls for transparency. Residents are demanding to know if mandatory post-accident procedures, including drug and alcohol testing for city employees, were applied to the mayor. “If this were a city worker, they’d be gone by now,” one commenter said. “Why does the mayor get special treatment?” Taylor says he wants to be “forthcoming” with citizens, stressing that the intersection where the accident occurred underscores the “need for continued effort for pedestrian safety.” As of press time, no final report has been released by the Maryland State Police or the Salisbury Police Department. The mayor’s office has not provided updates beyond his initial statement. For many in Salisbury, the delay only deepens frustration. “It’s about trust,” said one resident in a community forum. “Four accidents in two years is not normal. We’re tired of excuses.”

Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall Launches Exploratory Campaign for Congress in Maryland’s First District

By CSES Staff • August 27, 2025
Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall has announced the formation of an exploratory committee to consider if he should seek the Democratic nomination for Congress in Maryland’s First Congressional District, currently represented by Republican Andrew P. Harris. A two-term mayor and lifelong Eastern Shore resident, Tyndall said his decision reflects recognition of the challenges facing the region and his belief that the Eastern Shore needs a “commonsense Democrat” willing to prioritize solutions over partisan politics. “In a time of growing division and political extremes, it’s clear that Maryland’s First Congressional District needs more than partisan soundbites. It needs solutions,” Tyndall said in a statement on his campaign website, zacktyndall.com. “As mayor, I didn’t wait on Washington to act. I built consensus, cut red tape, and delivered results.” Tyndall pointed to his nearly decade-long tenure in local government, highlighting efforts to balance budgets, improve responsiveness during emergencies, and streamline municipal operations. He described his leadership as “rooted in community, not party.” In a social media post on Aug. 26, Tyndall elaborated on why he is testing the waters for a congressional run. “I have chosen to create a congressional exploratory committee because the people of Maryland’s First Congressional District deserve a representative who is not only visible and accessible but also responsive and a partner,” he wrote. “I believe that I am the person to help bring Eastern Shore values back to Washington.” Tyndall’s exploratory committee will focus on gathering feedback from residents of the district, which includes Harford County as well as the entire Eastern Shore. He said the goal is to determine if there is sufficient support and momentum to mount a competitive challenge to Harris in 2026. While holding the seat since 2011, Harris has faced mounting criticism over his alignment with far-right positions, including his recent vote against releasing the Epstein files. Tyndall acknowledged the uphill climb but said his candidacy would offer voters a new kind of leadership. “This exploratory phase is about one simple question: Can a commonsense Democrat, with deep local roots and a record of getting things done, offer voters a real alternative in 2026?” he said. Residents can provide input on issues and learn more about Tyndall’s background through his campaign website and social media channels .

Local Group Calls Out Harris Over Epstein Vote, Demands Accountability

By Gren Whitman • August 27, 2025
A local organization, Decency for District One, is increasing pressure on Rep. Andrew P. Harris (R-MD1) for his vote against releasing the full Epstein files, saying constituents deserve answers about why their representative voted against transparency. Since July 24, the group has posted daily content on social media calling Harris to account. Every day, the page highlights his vote and presses the same question: Why did Harris oppose making public documents related to Jeffrey Epstein’s network of political and financial connections? “People in the First District deserve honesty,” said a spokesperson for Decency for District One. “When it comes to something as serious as the Epstein files, voting against disclosure raises real questions about judgment and accountability.” The campaign has been visible across Harris’s official Facebook page, where commenters now regularly flood his posts with demands for answers. The pattern has become so consistent that nearly every statement or press release from the congressman is met with renewed questions about the Epstein vote. Despite the growing attention, the major Eastern Shore media outlets have failed to report on Harris’s role in the vote or the backlash that has ensued. Advocates say that silence is part of the problem. “If this were happening anywhere else, the press would be asking hard questions,” the Decency for District One spokesperson said. “Here, it’s being left to everyday residents to raise their voices.” The group plans to continue posting daily until Harris explains his vote. In the meantime, frustration continues to build among constituents who feel ignored. “This isn’t about partisanship,” one supporter commented online. “It’s about whether our congressman believes the public has the right to know the truth.”
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