SECRET SERVICE LBJ
SECRET SERVICE LBJ
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Clint Hill became the Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service White House Detail during part of the LBJ era, replacing Lem Johns (who replaced Rufus Youngblood, who replaced Gerald Behn)
Clint Hill became the Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service White House Detail during part of the LBJ era, replacing Lem Johns (who replaced Rufus Youngblood, who replaced Gerald Behn)
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
LBJ's White House Detail May 1968
LBJ's White House Detail May 1968
Secret Service agents Mike Howard, Clint Hill's brother-in-law David Grant, Hamilton Brown, Ned Hall, Clint Hill, Ron Pontius and Chuck Zboril May 1968
Secret Service agents Mike Howard, Clint Hill's brother-in-law David Grant, Hamilton Brown, Ned Hall, Clint Hill, Ron Pontius and Chuck Zboril May 1968
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
LBJ era Secret Service
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I am on the LBJ Library website
Interesting....my one video from my You Tube channel is credited at the bottom left corner from the official LBJ Library website about the limousine. http://www.lbjlibrary.org/exhibits/lbjs-presidential-limousine/#!prettyPhoto
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Secret Service agent in iconic LBJ photos, Lem Johns, dies
Secret Service agent in iconic LBJ photos, Lem Johns, dies
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/secret-service-agent-iconic-lbj-photos-dies
Johns' son, Jeff, and grandson Mike also have served in the Secret Service
http://www.amazon.com/Lem-Johns-Secret-Service-Man/dp/B00BNL5CMG/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_d_1
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I was quite impressed with this movie/ dvd- great use of films and photos, many of which are previously unreleased, as well as the obvious love and care put into this production. This is an informative, moving tribute to the esteemed former Secret Service agent Thomas L "Lem" Johns. In addition to lengthy, thought-provoking interviews with the man himself, we are also treated to interviews with Lem's wife of over 65 years, Nita, as well as former agents Joseph Novak and Terry Oden.
Known for his presence in Dealey Plaza on 11/22/63 when JFK was assassinated, Johns offers some surprising and interesting revelations about exactly where he thought the shots were coming from that day, as well as the notion that he was allegedly the "agent" of unknown repute on the knoll. In addition, we learn about Lem's pre-agency career as an Alcohol and Tax (later known as the ATF) agent, as well as his illustrious Secret Service career protecting Ike, Nixon, JFK, and, of course, LBJ. There is much to learn and admire in this entertaining presentation, an obvious labor of love for the producer (s).
As well as his own legacy, Lem's son Jeff served 20 years in the Secret Service and now works for the Department of Homeland Security, while Lem's grandson Michael has been in the Secret Service for over 15 years now; impressive. I spoke to Lem on the phone in 2004 and I was pleasantly surprised to learn about the living legacy he has bestowed upon the agency. There have been Johns in the Secret Service since the 1950's!
You can do no wrong in purchasing this extremely well done dvd. I am very glad I did!
Known for his presence in Dealey Plaza on 11/22/63 when JFK was assassinated, Johns offers some surprising and interesting revelations about exactly where he thought the shots were coming from that day, as well as the notion that he was allegedly the "agent" of unknown repute on the knoll. In addition, we learn about Lem's pre-agency career as an Alcohol and Tax (later known as the ATF) agent, as well as his illustrious Secret Service career protecting Ike, Nixon, JFK, and, of course, LBJ. There is much to learn and admire in this entertaining presentation, an obvious labor of love for the producer (s).
As well as his own legacy, Lem's son Jeff served 20 years in the Secret Service and now works for the Department of Homeland Security, while Lem's grandson Michael has been in the Secret Service for over 15 years now; impressive. I spoke to Lem on the phone in 2004 and I was pleasantly surprised to learn about the living legacy he has bestowed upon the agency. There have been Johns in the Secret Service since the 1950's!
You can do no wrong in purchasing this extremely well done dvd. I am very glad I did!
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Survivor's Guilt: The Secret Service and the Failure to Protect President Kennedy
Survivor's Guilt: The Secret Service and the Failure to Protect President Kennedy
by Vince Palamara:
http://www.amazon.com/Survivors-Guilt-Service-Failure-President/dp/1937584607/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373914997&sr=8-1&keywords=vince+palamara
by Vince Palamara:
http://www.amazon.com/Survivors-Guilt-Service-Failure-President/dp/1937584607/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373914997&sr=8-1&keywords=vince+palamara
Monday, June 25, 2012
LEM JOHNS
A life of Secret Service
By RICK WATSON
On November 22, 1963, four shots rang out at Daley Plaza in Dallas, the shots that were heard around the world.
Former Secret Service agent Lem Johns of Inverness remembers all too well where he was on that fateful day – less than 150 feet behind John F. Kennedy’s Lincoln Limosine.
“I was in the right rear seat of the car following the vice president’s limo, and I heard a shot that came from the right,” he said. Johns was riding in the third car in the motorcade with his door cracked, and the instant he heard the shot, he bolted from the vehicle and raced toward Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson’s limo.
Johns’ primary responsibility was protecting Johnson, and he needed to be in the car with him.
Film taken at the time of the assassination showed that Johns and his boss Rufus Youngblood both reacted instantly to protect the vice president when the first shot was fired.
But even with the lightning reflexes of the Secret Service, it was too late for Kennedy, the target of the bullet.
In a historic photograph taken later that evening, Lem Johns stands just behind Jacqueline Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson on Air Force One as he took the oath of office to become the thirty-sixth president of the United States.
After the assassination, Johns continued his role as Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAIC) but his duty station moved to the White House. He already had experience in the White House protecting President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the late 1950s.
“Being in the White House with Eisenhower gave me a chance to learn how things were done there,” said Johns.
The Secret Service had been understaffed for years, but after the Kennedy assassination, the organization ramped up its protection of high-level government officials as well as candidates for the presidency.
As the role of the Secret Service expanded, Johns became ASAIC for not only the presidential detail but for all the Secret Service. His role as ASAIC put him in a position to implement a number of initiatives that helped the Service to be more effective.
For example, he made presidential drivers and mechanics part of the Service. The drivers helped with advance team preparation whenever the president traveled. Johns also upgraded the weapons used by agents and acquired a bulletproof limousine, even though the president was hesitant to approve the expenditure.
During Johns’ time at the White House, President Johnson ushered a law through Congress that gave the Secret Service more power to coordinate with the military and other security organizations. Once enacted, the law was useful when the Service needed additional resources.
Another example of Johns’ creative problem solving came during the 1968 Republican National Convention in Miami. The Secret Service needed 500 rooms to house the agents necessary to provide security for the convention. He soon learned there were so many candidates, delegates and media personnel at the event that there were no rooms available for the Secret Service.
Johns phoned the Joint Chiefs of Staff and requisitioned a naval ship to serve as lodging for agents. The ship was in dry dock in Norfolk, Va., undergoing renovation, but it was the only ship large enough to fit the bill.
“I asked them to double the work crews and complete the renovations on the voyage to Miami,” he remembered. And his strategy worked.
Hoover-based filmmaker John Jenkins took interest in Johns’ remarkable experience with the Secret Service and recently produced a documentary about his life that aired on Alabama Public Television.
Still, his life was not all the glamour worthy of films. Civil unrest of the 1960s made the job of the Secret Service even more stressful. There were a lot of divorces because of the demands on the agents, according to Johns.
“I always said, being an agent requires a team of two: the agent and his wife,” he said.
Johns and his wife, Nita, have been married 65 years, and his service must have made an impression on his family. His son, Jeff, became a Secret Service agent for Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, and his grandson Michael has served as a Secret Service agent for the George W. Bush and Obama administrations.
Perhaps they were inspired by how Johns never regretted the stress and risks in his work.
“At any given moment, an agent is a foot away from history, but I’ve always considered it a great honor to serve.”
Inverness resident and former Secret Service agent Lem Johns holds a photo of himself standing behind President Lyndon Johnson and Jacqueline Kennedy as Johnson took the oath of office following President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Photo by Rick Watson.
Former Secret Service agent Lem Johns of Inverness remembers all too well where he was on that fateful day – less than 150 feet behind John F. Kennedy’s Lincoln Limosine.
“I was in the right rear seat of the car following the vice president’s limo, and I heard a shot that came from the right,” he said. Johns was riding in the third car in the motorcade with his door cracked, and the instant he heard the shot, he bolted from the vehicle and raced toward Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson’s limo.
Johns’ primary responsibility was protecting Johnson, and he needed to be in the car with him.
Film taken at the time of the assassination showed that Johns and his boss Rufus Youngblood both reacted instantly to protect the vice president when the first shot was fired.
But even with the lightning reflexes of the Secret Service, it was too late for Kennedy, the target of the bullet.
In a historic photograph taken later that evening, Lem Johns stands just behind Jacqueline Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson on Air Force One as he took the oath of office to become the thirty-sixth president of the United States.
After the assassination, Johns continued his role as Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAIC) but his duty station moved to the White House. He already had experience in the White House protecting President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the late 1950s.
“Being in the White House with Eisenhower gave me a chance to learn how things were done there,” said Johns.
The Secret Service had been understaffed for years, but after the Kennedy assassination, the organization ramped up its protection of high-level government officials as well as candidates for the presidency.
As the role of the Secret Service expanded, Johns became ASAIC for not only the presidential detail but for all the Secret Service. His role as ASAIC put him in a position to implement a number of initiatives that helped the Service to be more effective.
For example, he made presidential drivers and mechanics part of the Service. The drivers helped with advance team preparation whenever the president traveled. Johns also upgraded the weapons used by agents and acquired a bulletproof limousine, even though the president was hesitant to approve the expenditure.
During Johns’ time at the White House, President Johnson ushered a law through Congress that gave the Secret Service more power to coordinate with the military and other security organizations. Once enacted, the law was useful when the Service needed additional resources.
Another example of Johns’ creative problem solving came during the 1968 Republican National Convention in Miami. The Secret Service needed 500 rooms to house the agents necessary to provide security for the convention. He soon learned there were so many candidates, delegates and media personnel at the event that there were no rooms available for the Secret Service.
Johns phoned the Joint Chiefs of Staff and requisitioned a naval ship to serve as lodging for agents. The ship was in dry dock in Norfolk, Va., undergoing renovation, but it was the only ship large enough to fit the bill.
“I asked them to double the work crews and complete the renovations on the voyage to Miami,” he remembered. And his strategy worked.
Hoover-based filmmaker John Jenkins took interest in Johns’ remarkable experience with the Secret Service and recently produced a documentary about his life that aired on Alabama Public Television.
Still, his life was not all the glamour worthy of films. Civil unrest of the 1960s made the job of the Secret Service even more stressful. There were a lot of divorces because of the demands on the agents, according to Johns.
“I always said, being an agent requires a team of two: the agent and his wife,” he said.
Johns and his wife, Nita, have been married 65 years, and his service must have made an impression on his family. His son, Jeff, became a Secret Service agent for Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, and his grandson Michael has served as a Secret Service agent for the George W. Bush and Obama administrations.
Perhaps they were inspired by how Johns never regretted the stress and risks in his work.
“At any given moment, an agent is a foot away from history, but I’ve always considered it a great honor to serve.”
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