Just a couple of interesting artifacts…

Just a couple of interesting items at the LBJ Library in addition to the documents stored in the archives:

Letter from a very young 71/2 year old Brian Williams now the famous news anchor who said, “I have not been in the White House before, but I will someday.”

An old dictaphone machine that is used to play the dictabelt audios.  The old machines held two belts. One belt would only hold about 15 minutes. If the recording exceeded that time, the machine would switch over to the second tape:

• These tapes were restricted for 50 years, but Mrs. Johnson agreed to make them available sooner.
• The library holds 643 hours of conversation and have processed about 552 hours, but hopefully will be completed in 2008, the 100th birthday of President Johnson.

Replica of the hotline that was in the Situation Room. The hotline was put into place in August 1963, but not used until the conversation with Robert McNamara June 5, 1967. President Johnson’s first message was reportedly addressed to Comrade Kosygin because the U.S. operators did not know how to address Kosygin and the Soviet operators reported that the correct title, “Comrade.”