Billy Graham

[Tom Bigg]

I was watching a TV program with my sister about "Dr." Billy Graham where dozens and dozens of people, celebrities, heaped praise on Billy Graham. Apparently he was a close friend of a number of Presidents, but not Kennedy, instead he worked behind the scenes in 1960 to get Nixon elected, not wanting the Catholic Kennedy to get into office.I'm curious if we can shed much light on Graham's roles in behind the scenes support of questionable Presidents like Johnson? Graham was a good friend of Johnson. This book was a decent attempt at getting behind the myth of Billy Graham: http://www.amazon.com/Billy-Graham-Para ... 0743291433 I don't know if anyone can recommend sites that get beneath the surface on him.

[Dealey Joe]

I was under the impresion Graham was close to JFK? He said he tried to get a message to him not to go to Dallas?Maybe someone has some info on this?

[Tom Bigg]

I'm going through the biography on Graham by the Time's reporters Gibbs/Duffy. I'll let you know if they have anything on that. Quite a bit on how Graham manipulated politics to suit his simplistic vision of Christianity and America vs. the Communists.

[kenmurray]

Billy Graham's warning to JFK:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-c- ... 89423.html

[Tom Bigg]

Not much of a warning considering all that preachers like Graham would know about the pulse of the nation and deep hostility toward Kennedy in parts of the South. Graham had a big part in getting Eisenhower in as President when he didn't want to run. And Ike reciprocated by getting a lot more "spiritual" with more prayer activities. Harry Truman never had Graham back in the oval office after Billy violated basic principles of confidentiality; he told the press everything. Probably Graham heard some rumors of Kennedy's private life which would have irreparably damaged the Kennedy family's political chances had the church goers known about the affairs. The Catholic church held that Kennedy confessed all his sins before the assassination the night before. In fact the priestly confessor cannot even report criminal activity and felonies to law enforcement heard in performing the confessor's office.

[Dealey Joe]

I am not informed enough to make comments on Graham, really never heard anything negative about him.One question is why would Truman or any other president discuss nation security information with him?Also where do we find information that the majority of the south was anti Kennedy?and what difference does it make?

[Tom Bigg]

Billy Graham was close to a number of Presidents, not Kennedy though. Was never invited to stay at the White House by Kennedy but was at the LBJ White House frequently and later close by Nixon. He was very close with Johnson. You wonder if he had any curiosity about Johnson with how criminal the guy was? When Kennedy was elected, Joe got Graham immediately together with his son doing photo ops. to send a strong message to the country that they were "friends". Kennedy largely got the black vote through MLK, though Graham had led the charge of desegregation at his revivals and politically. If you read objective books on Graham you will find that there is a lot more to him than meets the initial perceptions.