EXPLORE THE ARCHIVES:
LETTERS
Embedded Files
The President of the United States receives mail from people of all ages all over the world. The LBJ Library holds an extensive collection of the letters sent to and from President Johnson.
Letter from Brian Williams (November 25, 1966)
As a seven-year-old budding Democrat, Brian Williams writes to President Johnson hoping to someday visit the White House.Did you know? Brian Williams worked in the White House as an intern during the Carter administration. He then began a very successful career in broadcasting.
Letter from John Steinbeck (May 28, 1966)
Author John Steinbeck’s son was preparing to fight in Vietnam, and President Johnson had promised that he would pray for him. Steinbeck wrote this letter to Johnson thanking the president for his prayers.Did you know? Steinbeck had two sons, both of which were drafted to Vietnam in the 1960s. One was a helicopter door gunner and combat photographer, and one worked as a journalist for Armed Forces Radio and TV and as a war correspondent for the Department of Defense.
John Steinbeck and his son visit President Johnson on May 16, 1966
LBJ Library photo by Yoichi Okamoto [A2439-4]
LBJ Library photo by Yoichi Okamoto [A2439-4]
Letter from the Smothers Brothers (October 31, 1968)
The Smothers Brothers wrote this sincere letter to President Johnson to respectfully apologize for their jokes regarding his decisions about the Vietnam War.Did you know? The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour aired from 1967 to 1969. It was the first television show of its kind, creating problems for the censors. Their humor often included digs on the Vietnam War, religion, sexuality, and censorship.
Letter from the Dalai Lama (November 18, 1964)
The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, spiritual leader of Tibet, wrote this letter to President Johnson asking for help and support from the United States in gaining independence from China.Did you know? Since 1959, the Dalai Lama has written over 72 books and has received over 84 awards, honorary doctorates, and prizes in recognition of his message of peace, nonviolence, and compassion.
Letter from Queen Elizabeth II (August 27, 1965)
In this letter from Queen Elizabeth II, she thanks President Johnson for sending her a photograph of the first successful flyby of the planet Mars.Did you know? From 1952 to 2012, Queen Elizabeth II met every serving U.S. president with the exception of Lyndon B. Johnson. She also met Herbert Hoover when he was a former president, and she met President Harry Truman before she became queen.
Arrival of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at the LBJ Library, May 20, 1991
LBJ Library photo by Frank Wolfe [D9219-16]
LBJ Library photo by Frank Wolfe [D9219-16]
Letter from Rod Stirn (February 2, 1967)
Rod Stirn, a child from Kansas, wrote to President Johnson in hopes that he and his two friends could go up into space in the near future. Did you know? President John F. Kennedy had challenged NASA to land a man on the moon and bring him back safely to Earth by the end of the 1960s. On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 mission accomplished that goal—landing astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, Jr. on the surface of the moon and returning them safely just days later.
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