KUT Interview: New LBJ Library Director On LBJ, 1968, And The Modern Presidency

“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Versions of that saying have been attributed to different people throughout history, but you get the idea : we have a lot to learn from where we have already been. The new Director of the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas believes the tumultuous year of 1968 has a lot of lessons for us today. Dr. Kyle Longley came to the LBJ Library this summer from Arizona State University. He has been a history scholar for decades and his most recent book is "LBJ’s 1968: Power, Politics, and the Presidency in America’s Year of Upheaval." He talked recently with KUT's Jennifer Stayton in the Presidential Suite at the LBJ Library where the former president would host visitors and “hold court.” Longley says the Library can help with that history and education but could do a more effective job reaching out to a wider audience.