Who is this person?
May 26, 2009 9:39 PM Subscribe
Who is this person to the right of General Abrams? With the sharp part and black glasses on the very far right.
Where'd you see it? It's hosted on Wikimedia Commons, so the first logical place to look was there.
posted by koeselitz at 9:50 PM on May 26, 2009
posted by koeselitz at 9:50 PM on May 26, 2009
I think the gentleman in question is sitting two spaces to the right of General Wheeler, directly to the right of General Abrams.
posted by solipsophistocracy at 10:00 PM on May 26, 2009
posted by solipsophistocracy at 10:00 PM on May 26, 2009
I thought he meant this guy (he is on the left of the gen but on the far right of the pic) but now I'm not sure....
posted by iconomy at 10:01 PM on May 26, 2009
posted by iconomy at 10:01 PM on May 26, 2009
I believe KingoftheWhales is asking about the guy behind Abrams, on the far right of the picture (Abrams's left, your right). Wheeler is the one in the middle of the picture.
posted by moss at 10:01 PM on May 26, 2009
posted by moss at 10:01 PM on May 26, 2009
Response by poster: Yes, I speak of the person on the viewer's right. Please don't assume idiocy on my part. iconomy, solipsohistocracy and moss have it right.
posted by KingoftheWhales at 10:07 PM on May 26, 2009
posted by KingoftheWhales at 10:07 PM on May 26, 2009
Looks a bit like Bill Moyers, except the part is on the wrong side.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:07 PM on May 26, 2009
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:07 PM on May 26, 2009
Sorry—sharp parts all around. I'll get cracking. I love a mystery.
posted by koeselitz at 10:45 PM on May 26, 2009
posted by koeselitz at 10:45 PM on May 26, 2009
Probably one of these guys - it looks like it is either entry 160 or 162.
160.
The 584th meeting of the National Security Council was held on March 27, 1968, from 1:20 to 2:19 p.m. Those attending the meeting were the President, Under Secretary of State Nicholas Katzenbach, Walt Rostow, Bromley Smith, Arthur Goldberg, Secretary of Defense Clifford, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Nitze, Director of Central Intelligence Richard Helms, General Earle Wheeler, Director of USIA Leonard Marks, General Creighton Abrams, AEC Chairman Glenn Seaborg, Director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness Price Daniel, ACDA Director William Foster and Deputy Director Adrian Fisher, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Donald Hornig, NSC Staff member Spurgeon Keeny, and George Christian. (Ibid., President's Daily Diary) Notes of the meeting appear in a memorandum for the record by Keeny dated April 4. These notes in part read:
posted by milkrate at 11:16 PM on May 26, 2009
160.
The 584th meeting of the National Security Council was held on March 27, 1968, from 1:20 to 2:19 p.m. Those attending the meeting were the President, Under Secretary of State Nicholas Katzenbach, Walt Rostow, Bromley Smith, Arthur Goldberg, Secretary of Defense Clifford, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Nitze, Director of Central Intelligence Richard Helms, General Earle Wheeler, Director of USIA Leonard Marks, General Creighton Abrams, AEC Chairman Glenn Seaborg, Director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness Price Daniel, ACDA Director William Foster and Deputy Director Adrian Fisher, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Donald Hornig, NSC Staff member Spurgeon Keeny, and George Christian. (Ibid., President's Daily Diary) Notes of the meeting appear in a memorandum for the record by Keeny dated April 4. These notes in part read:
posted by milkrate at 11:16 PM on May 26, 2009
Best answer: Well, the source page from Wikimedia Commons identifies the origin as NARA (the U.S. National Archives and Records Division) and mentions "ARC Identifier: 192564". If we throw "129564" into the Archive Research Catalog search engine, we get back a reference to an image summarized as "General Earle Wheeler and General Creighton Abrams with President Lyndon B. Johnson, 03/27/1968". If we then click that link we get an expanded listing.
Clicking the "Digitial Copies" tab shows us an image that confirms that this ARC record refers to the image in question.
Clicking the "Scope & Content" tab reveals the following additional information "Location: White House Cabinet Room. Depicted: President Lyndon B. Johnson, General Earle Wheeler, ?, General Creighton Abrams, ?, Assistant Press Secretary Tom Johnson". The depicted individuals are clearly in order of appearance in the photo, from left to right. Hence the guy with the sharp part and black glasses on the far right is Assistant Press Secretary Tom Johnson.
posted by RichardP at 12:17 AM on May 27, 2009 [5 favorites]
Clicking the "Digitial Copies" tab shows us an image that confirms that this ARC record refers to the image in question.
Clicking the "Scope & Content" tab reveals the following additional information "Location: White House Cabinet Room. Depicted: President Lyndon B. Johnson, General Earle Wheeler, ?, General Creighton Abrams, ?, Assistant Press Secretary Tom Johnson". The depicted individuals are clearly in order of appearance in the photo, from left to right. Hence the guy with the sharp part and black glasses on the far right is Assistant Press Secretary Tom Johnson.
posted by RichardP at 12:17 AM on May 27, 2009 [5 favorites]
A bit of searching turns up another photo from the same collection that contains Assistant Press Secretary Tom Johnson. The "Scope & Content" tab of ARC Identifier 192578 identifies Assistant Press Secretary Tom Johnson as the far left figure (clearly the same fellow as the man in your image). Put "192578" into the ARC search engine to find the previously linked image.
posted by RichardP at 12:30 AM on May 27, 2009
posted by RichardP at 12:30 AM on May 27, 2009
Best answer: Interestingly, Tom Johnson, 27 at the time he appeared in your photo, went on to become President and later Publisher of Los Angeles Times, then served as President and later CEO and Chairman of CNN. CNN has an article with a photo of Tom Johnson from 2001 and the the Paula Gordon Show has a photo of him from 2003.
posted by RichardP at 1:07 AM on May 27, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by RichardP at 1:07 AM on May 27, 2009 [1 favorite]
Once more, with feeling: the President, Under Secretary of State Nicholas Katzenbach [image from 1967], Walt Rostow [1961], Bromley Smith, Arthur Goldberg [on viewer's right, 1965], Secretary of Defense Clifford [1963], Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Nitze [1964], Director of Central Intelligence Richard Helms [1968], General Earle Wheeler, Director of USIA Leonard Marks [1965], General Creighton Abrams, AEC Chairman Glenn Seaborg [1964], Director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness Price Daniel [between 1971 and 1978], ACDA Director William Foster [viewer's far left, 1966] and Deputy Director Adrian Fisher [date unknown, probably sometime shortly after 1969], Director of the Office of Science and Technology Donald Hornig [date unknown], NSC Staff member Spurgeon Keeny [bad photo, but appears to be early], and George Christian [standing with folded arms, 1968].
I can't find any one of them that looks like this guy. Of course, I never could find a picture of Bromley Smith—might be him.
My own personal guess: he's some aide who no one thought to include on the lists of people who were there. He seems far too young to have been in any office of major importance, though I could of course be wrong.
posted by koeselitz at 1:10 AM on May 27, 2009
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I can't find any one of them that looks like this guy. Of course, I never could find a picture of Bromley Smith—might be him.
My own personal guess: he's some aide who no one thought to include on the lists of people who were there. He seems far too young to have been in any office of major importance, though I could of course be wrong.
posted by koeselitz at 1:10 AM on May 27, 2009
…aaaand while I took forever doing that, RichardP hits the jackpot!
posted by koeselitz at 1:13 AM on May 27, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by koeselitz at 1:13 AM on May 27, 2009 [1 favorite]
Good work, RichardP (and marks for trying, koeselitz)! I spent a good number of minutes on the LBJ library website trying to find names of aides (quite a few of whom had distinguished careers) and then looking for their photos, and got bupkis. This shows the importance of making sure you know as much as possible about your starting point before beginning a search.
posted by dhartung at 12:03 PM on May 27, 2009
posted by dhartung at 12:03 PM on May 27, 2009
Response by poster: Thanks to all, but especially to RichardP. The explained process of finding Tom Johnson was appreciated as well.
posted by KingoftheWhales at 7:58 PM on May 27, 2009
posted by KingoftheWhales at 7:58 PM on May 27, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by koeselitz at 9:50 PM on May 26, 2009