"Remember, you are not going out there to start a war," Rear Admiral Frank Johnson reminded Commander Pete Bucher just prior to the maiden voyage of the U.S.S. Pueblo. And yet a war--one that might have gone nuclear--was what nearly happened when the Pueblo was attacked and captured by North Korean gunships in January 1968. Diplomacy prevailed in the end, but not without great cost to the lives of the imprisoned crew and to a nation already mired in an unwinnable war in Vietnam.

The Pueblo was an aging cargo ship poorly refurbished as a signals intelligence collector for the top-secret...

Lyndon Baines Johnson ascended to the presidency in the wake of tragedy to lead the United States through one of its most violent and divisive decades. His troubled presidency was marked by endless controversies over civil rights, the Vietnam War, foreign policy, and law-and-order issues, among others. Nearly four decades later, it's now possible to reexamine those controversies to illuminate as never before the achievements and failures of one of the nation's most misunderstood presidents.

Drawing upon a wealth of new sources, including recently released phone conversations, these...

This companion offers an overview of Lyndon B. Johnson's life, presidency, and legacy, as well as a detailed look at the central arguments and scholarly debates from his term in office.

• Explores the legacy of Johnson and the historical significance of his years as president
• Covers the full range of topics, from the social and civil rights reforms of the Great Society to the increased American involvement in Vietnam
• Incorporates the dramatic new evidence that has come to light through the release of around 8,000 phone conversations and meetings that...