’’ i * : Of'stwvet, P. ge 3 _______ Capitol Hill in Black and White_______ Pari tw o o f a three part senes on the reve la tions o f th e fo rm e r m a itre d o f the Senate d in in g ro o m R eprinted by p e rm issio n o f D odd M ead b C om pany, Inc . fro m "C a p ito l Hill in Black and W h ite , by R obert Parker and R ichard Rashke, c o p y rig h t 1966 The au nt and uncle m y m o th e r sent m e to live w ith w ere p ro m in e n t in the W ic h ita Falls colore d c o m m u n ity A u n t R ebecca was the o n ly black tie a u ticia n the re that w h ite w o m e n allow ed to cu rl the ir hair U ncle C urtis w as a real estate investor w h o o w n e d tw e n ty five or th irty houses I en rolled in Booker T W a sh in g to n High S ch o o l in 1936 and g o t a part tim e io b as a bu sbo y at the segregated W ic h ita Falls C lub w h ere m y older bro ther G eorge w as headw aiter I was angry and lo ne ly d u rin g m y hig h school years F ortun ately, there w as fo o tb a ll, and I soon becam e B T W s star full back Jackie R obinson, the m ost versatile a th le te in th e c o u n try , becam e m y idol He w as a star at every spo rt he trie d at U C L A fo o tb a ll, baseball, track, and tennis, even Ping Pong and b o w lin g He w as b righ t and fam ous e ve ryth in g I w a n te d to be Like him , I planned to go to college and earn m y re p u ta tio n on the g rid iro n I w as eager to m eet Lyn do n J o h n so n , for, a lth o u g h he w as n o t yet a senator, everyone in Texas kne w he w o u ld tie som eday W ic h ita Falls had tieen little m ore than an old oil to w n b e fore S enator M orse S heppard dip ped in to the pork barrel and cam e up w ith S he pp ard Air Force Base, just ou tside o f to w n N ow W ic h ita Falls was a key c ity in the congressional d istrict and since Joh nso n was w id e n in g his p o litic a l base tie and his chief aide, W alter Jenkins were frequ en t visito rs at the local clu b This is m y little b ro th e r," G eorge said to C ongressm an Jo h n so n He s a star fo o tb a ll player at Booker T W a sh in g to n Jo h n so n shook m y hand I was im pressed by h o w tall and skin ny he Life W ith LBJ A nnapolis had been one o f th e biggest slave m arkets on the East Coast, and in th e m id 1940s its a ttitu d e to w a rd blacks w as just as h o stile as it had been before e m a n cip a tio n I w o u ld drive Jo h n so n and his p a rty up to the fro n t gate o f th e N avy s ta d iu m w ith in s tru c tio n s to be w a itin g th e re w h e n they w a lked o u t after the gam e W henever I w as late no m atter w h a t the reason, Jo h n so n called m e a lazy, g o o d for n o th in g nigg er He especially liked to call me nigger in fro n t o f sou thern ers and racists like R ichard Rus sell It was. I soon learned LB J s w ay o f being one o f the boys I w as b e g in n in g to feel a sense o f po w e r I w as som e bo dy, because I dro ve for Lyn do n Jo h n so n T oday, I kn o w tha t m akes m e sou nd like an U ncle Tom b u t in the m id 1940s it w as one o f th e fe w kin ds o f (lo w er for a black m an A n d I w as p ro u d because I was surviving , and d o in g it honestly and better than m ost One evening w h ile I w as d rivin g Lyn do n and Lady Bird Jo h n so n to the C ongressional C o u n try C lub for dinner, I asked Jo h n son if he co u ld get me a jo b the re W hy not serve at m y parties and m y frien ds ?' was. and I kept m y eye o u t for hirn over the next several m o n th s H e 'd alw ays say hello to me It m ade m e feel g o o d th a t im p o rta n t people were be g in n in g to recognize me, for already as a teenager I sensed tha t m ee ting the p o w e rfu l w o u ld be m y w ay o u t o f p o ve rty A fte r that, I w a tch e d Jo h n so n closely w hen ever he cam e in to tfie club M y m other had to ld me th a t I co u ld learn m ore ab ou t people by w a tc h in g them than by hearing w h a t they were saying J o h n s o n im pressed m e as a i areful, cau tiou s, and de te rm in e d m an, p re o ccu p ie d w ith s o m e th in g tugger than just his steak, his friends, and W ic h ita Falls As h e listened to ttie p o ll in u n s and c o n trib u to rs he m et at the club, he seem ed to tie m aking m ental notes W hen I heard him speak, his voice w as s o ft and persuasive Them w as none o f the raucous b e llo w in g that I w o u ld hear later w h en I w o rked fo r him I was gra du ated fro m high school in 1940 But b e fo re I i ou ld tie d ra fte d I jo in e d the arm y In A u g u st 1941 I entered Fort L e o n ,ltd W o o d M issouri for m y basic tra in in g I hated arm y life M ost of the black soldiers were old, u n ed uca te d and m ean, the o ffic e rs w ere yo u n g w h ite and filled w ith i o n te m p , It w as hard to fin d a d ro p of hu m an kindness O nce the Japanese invaded Pearl H arbor, the arm y decided it needed Negro o ffic e rs to com m a n d its N egro fig h tin g m en I to o k a n e x a m (nr the o ffic e rs 'tra in in g school at Fort Belvoir, V irg inia and passed M odean Par ker's w ife l answ ered the g o ve rn m e n t s u rg en t call for help and to o k a jo b as a W ar D e pa rtm e nt secretary in W a sh in g to n for $1 040 a year so we c o u ld be to g e th e r Before I co u ld be a d m itte d to Fort B elvoir, I had to corn plete co m b a t train in g at Fort Leonard W o o d U n fo rtu n a te ly I w a s severely in jure d in a fall, breaking m y rig ht shoulder and leg in several p la te s and tw is tin g m y neck D o cto rs had to use pins and plates to put me bar k to ge ther again I w o u ld never m ake it to Fort B elvoir In the fall o f 1943 I received a m edical discharge and le ft M issouri to |oin M odean I had tug dream s The first place I w e nt for a jo b in the capital, after M odean and I had set tied in to our one bedro om a p artm en t on S S treet in n o rth w e s t W a shing ton, was to Lyndon Jo h n so n I visited his o ffic e at least once a week but cou ld n t get past his re ce p tio n ist and aides H e's o u t of to w n , they I say A w a y fro m his desk N ot in They w o u ld n t tell me w h en he w o u ld tie available or let me m ake an a p p o in tm e n t to see him But I kept com ing back. M y d e te rm in a tio n paid o ff One m o rn in g , late in 1943 the re ce p tio n ist to ld m e Congressm an Jo h n so n w o u ld see m e I w as na ive ly c o u n tin g on turn rem e m be ring me " I'm Robert Parker ' I to ld him I m et you several tim es at th e W itc h ita Falls C lub W hen his eyes sh o w e d no re co g n itio n , m y heart sank I began d ro p p in g nam es o f m u tu a l acq ua inta nces He re m em b ere d th e m , b u t n o t me As a last reso rt. I d e scrib e d h o w I used to w a it on him There was a flicke r o f re co g n itio n and a little sm ile on his face He d id n 't k n o w R obert Parker, tiu t he k n e w th e " b o y 'd w h o had served turn so o fte n w ith ob vio u s a d m iratio n and eagerness to please M y m o u th felt like c o tto n w h en I realized th a t th is w as m y o n e to land a decent |ob hance If I failed in the next sixty seconds. I d p ro b a b ly never fin d w ork W hat can I do for you. b o y? " Jo h n so n asked q u ie tly I need a |ob, s ir," I m anaged to say W tia t kin d o f iob. boy? W h a t can you do? W o u ld you like to w o rk in the post o ffic e , b o y? " I c o u ld n 't even stam m er an answer Jo h n so n gra b b e d the ph on e and dialed the c ity post o ffic e director " I w anna sponsor th is boy, he said At th a t m o m e n t, I sto o d in aw e o f Lyn d o n J o h n s o n I had never seen such pow er W ith one phone call, I n o t o n ly had a jo b , but I had a c a re e r civil service p o sitio n , w ith o u t even ta kin g an e xa m in a tio n L ittle did I realize then h o w sim ple the w h o le th in g was, for J o h n s o n had developed c o n ta cts all over W a s h in g to n w h o o w e d him favo rs W h a t I did realize, ho w e ver, w as that n o w th a t Jo h n so n had sponsored me, I o w e d him A n d if I d id n 't pay I co u ld have m y are er" jo b jerked aw ay as fast as it had been gran ted It was a p o lite fo rm o f slavery, but a sm all price to pay for a g o o d job th a t, I sensed, had o p p o rtu n itie s for a black m an T hat civil service ratin g tu rn e d o u t to be extrem e ly im p o rta n t, for tw e n ty years later I w o u ld use it to w in (letter w o rk in g c o n d itio n s for the blacks w h o w o rk e d in the Senate D ining Room In the post o ffic e , I learned an im p o rta n t survival lesson At m o st, educa tio n co u ld on ly h e lp get me som ew here W h a t I really needed w as pow er the kind th .it com es fro m m oney, frien ds and inside in fo rm a tio n I took stock I had no experience and on ly a hig h scho ol e d u ca tio n , yet I w as sor tin g and de live rin g mail next to attorn eys, m aking the same kind o f m oney and liftin g the same fin d o f bags, because I kn e w som e on e w ith po w e r and A u th o r R o b e rt P a rk e r C o u r to s y o f F ox S tu d io A new life op en ed up for m e Joh nso n s pa rties were usually sm all affairs tor half a dozen politic i.ms and their w ives Sam R ayburn w h o was unm arried, was alw ays there Vu e President Trum an i am e som etim es So did Henry S tim so n . the secre tary o f w . ii Then there w ere S enators H h tia rd Russell o f G eorgia Albert Barkley o f K e n tu cky T heodore B iltm o f M ississippi, Tom C onnally of Texas Olin J o h n s to n o f S o u th C arolina and J o h n M i Clellan o f Arkansas G iven Jo h n so n s p o litica l a m b itio n s it was a p o w e rfu l g ro u p Rayburn was Speaker of th e House Barkley m a jo rity leader in the Senate Trum an w o u ld becom e pre sid ent th e fo llo w in g year ,945 after Roosevelt died Barkley Trum an vk e pre sid ent in 1949 S enator C onnally w as i hairm an of the Foreign R elations C o m m itte e and a po w e r in Texas p o litic s Russell Bilbo, J o h n s to n and M i Clellan were w h ite suprem i ists and leaders of the D em ocratic so u th e rn b lo t that m ost observers agree con tro ller) W ash in y to n at th a t tim e I began ta kin g no tes on w h o dra nk w h a t and w h e n S o o n I w a s passing o u t the rig h t drinks b e fore I w as asked T rum an liked O ld F itzgera ld w ith branch w a te r, LBJ S co tch and w a te r R ayburn, w h o d id n 't d rin k m u c h in p u blic, sour m ash and ginger ale and O lin J o h n s to n 's w ife , gin g e r ale and w hiskey w ith o u t ice Before long even b ig o ts like Bilbo w e re asking J o h n son, "W h e re did you get th is nice co lo re d boy? W e 'd like to use him , to o " They gave me their p riva te (ih on e nu m be rs, and I began rn o o liy h tm g seve ral n ig h ts a w eek I had be co m e a status sym bo l If you w a n t a succe ssful party tfie w o rd w e n t, you m ust have tha t nice co lo re d b o y " D u ring tfie next few years Jo h n so n loaned m e to his frie n d s for a variety o f jobs as a m eans o f e x te n d in g his po w e r tiase I re g u la rly d ro ve O lin Jo h n s to n . Tennessee C ongressm an Estes Ketauver and O kla h o m a Con gressm an Carl A lb ert a ro u n d to w n I'd take th e m to th e a irp o rt in L B J s i ar and drive the m to a p a rtm e n ts and hotels at n ig h t I’d sit in th e car, s tru g g lin g to stay aw ake, u n til o n e and tw o o 'c lo c k in the m o rn in g , som e tim e s all n ig h t W h e n I w o rk e d e x c e p tio n a lly la te J o h n s o n or an aide w o u ld call tfie ( lo s t o ffic e and get m e tfie next day o ft The s jio t IB J , K etauver J o h s to n and A lb e rt seem ed to like to visit the m ost w as the Rhode Island A ve n u e Plaza a lu xu rio u s a p a rtm e n t ho use for b la i ks in no rth e a st W a s h in g to n In tfie 1940s. successful, p ro fe ssio n a l b la i k c o u ld n 't rent a p a rtm e n ts or buy hom es in th e nicer p a rts o f tfie c ity M ost d rifte d to tfie Plaza w h ic h housed m ore tale nt and a m b itio n tha n any b u ild in g in W a s h in g to n , in c lu d in g tfie C apitol I'd d ro p the co n g re ssm e n or I BJ s c o n s titu e n ts o ff at a side door at the Plaz.i and w a it u n til tfie wee flo u rs of tfie m o rn in g I rem eber d riv in g Ke fauver there one n ig h t As w e turne d the corner he saw Carl A lb e rt co m in g out the side door Keep d rivin g Ketauver ord ere d as fie slid d o w n in the bai k seat Go a ro u n d tfie b lo i k He did n t w a n t A ltie rt to k n o w fie had a colored frien d th e re to o I never did fin d o u t w in ch w o m a n th e y visite d, tin t I kn o w th a t one or tw o w tio lived the re eve ntua lly b ro ke in to p o litic s Jo h n so n never jia id m e for the bo rin g n ig h t d u ty and I u n d e rs to o d th is was ho w fir* e xjie i ted m e to earn Ins pa tro na ge But w h e n I d id n 't b rin g m oney ho m e M o d e .in th o u g h t I w as i hearing on tier There she w as. sit tin g at hom e w ith our baby. Barbara A n n w h o was b o rn in tfie sp rin g of 1945 w h ile I was o u t on th e to w n H ow w as I to i on virn e tier th a t I w a s n 't the one w h o was o u t at n ig h t w ith a w o m an ? The m o o n lig h tin g and late fio u rs b ro u g h t a te rrib le strain to our m arriage As pleased as I w as w ith tfie exposure I w as g e ttin g and the extra m on ey I was m aking w o rk in g for Jo h n so n d u rin g the ,940s in W a s h in g to n w as a p a in fu l experience A lth o u g h I w as gra te fu l to him for g e ttin g m e a jo b w ith the (lost o ffit e and tin giving m e other o p p o rtu n itie s I w as afra id o f him tits ause of the (i.un and h u m ilia tio n fie co u ld in flic t at a m o m e n t's n o tic e I th o u g h t I had learned ti fig h t my bitte rn ess and anger one day at a tim e, tfie w ay m y m other had ta u g h t m e w ith kindness But J o h n s o n m ad e it hard to keep the waver, o f bitte rn ess inside I w o u ld like turn one m in u te and hate him the next But I h a il to s w a llo w or q u it If I q u it, flo w w o u ld I su p p o rt m y fam ily ? I i h o s e s u r v iv a l a n d I. lin e d t o s w a llo w w i t h a s m ile I t 's w h a t m o s t black in . , i i a, w is h in g t ,,, n in , 1 94i fs h e , o n 1 th e , iv il r ig h ts m o ve m e n t w as . i iii. m i I • le d jio w e r A s y o u n g as I was T o g e t it I k n e w th a t lie ,o re I c o u ld fig h t racism , I f i. n l t o survive A n d that w as a lo ne ly, full tim e |< o x i K *c<' ’»»» rlrlnkln ] " im p lo