LBJ’s dodgy political fixer
QUESTION
Was U.S. Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson facing prosecution for fraud before the assassination of President Kennedy catapulted him into the White House?
Not fraud, more a case of alleged bribery and corruption. the scandal involved Bobby Baker — a political adviser to Lyndon B. Johnson and leading organiser for the Democratic Party — who was nicknamed the 101st Senator.
Baker was a brilliant, but flawed, political fixer. Johnson — known as LBJ — had brought him to the White House in 1963, but Baker was forced to resign because of a Senate investigation into his business and political activities, which strayed into LBJ’s financial dealings.
LBJ was no stranger to controversy. During the Senate election of 1948, the then Democratic congressman for texas was trailing behind his opponent, but went on to win by a mere 87 votes after Box 13, a tin ballot box stuffed with votes for Johnson, was found in the city of Alice, earning him the nickname Landslide Lyndon. Later, the box and its contents mysteriously disappeared.
Baker became Johnson’s wing-man and was known as Little Lyndon. He devoted as much time to his own finances as he did to Senate business, dabbling in everything from vending machines to motels and property ventures. But when he was sued by one of his partners in August 1963, it triggered a Life magazine exposé and Senate investigation.
the investigation raised an issue with LBJ that could have led to his downfall. He was having problems buying life insurance following a heart attack in 1955. Baker had contacted a Maryland insurance broker, Don Reynolds, who sold the insurance to LBJ. For the honour, LBJ demanded a number of financial kickbacks from Reynolds.
on November 22, 1963, Reynolds was brought in front of the Senate Rules Committee. He stated that LBJ had demanded an expensive stereo system and the purchase of $1,200 worth of unnecessary advertising on a texas tV station owned by LBJ’s wife, Lady Bird. that same day, JFK was assassinated. the Senate investigation was postponed and ultimately any investigation of LBJ as part of the Baker case was dropped.
LBJ disassociated himself from his former confidant and Baker later spent 16 months in prison for tax evasion.
Len Gilbert, Oxford.
QUESTION
Penistone near Sheffield is a place-name that makes schoolboys giggle. Does it have rude origins?
PeNiStoNe is a market town near Barnsley in South Yorkshire. the name is thought to be a combination of the old english tun, meaning farm or village, and the Celtic penn, meaning hill. earlier versions include Penstun and Penstone.
Penistone was established in the 800s, but became a victim of William the Conqueror’s purge — known as the Harrying of the North. in 1069-1070, whole areas were laid waste to put down rebellions against Norman rule.
the Domesday Book simply refers to Penistone as ‘wasted’. the town was revived in the 12th century, and the parish church of St John the Baptist was established around 1200.
there are many other places in Britain with rude names. Shitterton is a hamlet in the parish of Bere Regis, Dorset. in 1286, it was listed as Schitereston, in 1332 as Shyterton and, from 1687, as Shitterton, meaning ‘farm at the stream used as a sewer’.
Dorset is also home to the River Piddle. it has nothing to do with the 19th-century slang term, but is from the old english
pidele, meaning marsh or fen. Another favourite is Lower Swell, a village in Gloucestershire. Swelle is an old english word used to describe a mound — literally a swelling of the ground. Bitchfield is a village in Lincolnshire; the name comes from the old english Bill’s
feld, meaning Bill’s field. the Yorkshire village of Netherthong takes its name from nether, meaning lower, and thong, meaning a thin strip of land rather than skimpy underwear.
Paul Foster, Lyme Regis, Dorset.
QUESTION
Are there any castles in Africa?
it WAS interesting to read the previous answer about castles in Africa. i’ve been to stunning ones in egypt and ethiopia.
the Cairo Citadel was fortified by Salah al-Din between 1176-1183, and was the seat of government until the mid-19th century, when it was replaced by ismail Pasha’s Abdeen Palace.
the Citadel was the site of the Mamluk massacre, masterminded by Mohammad Ali in 1811. Mamluks were a powerful army of slave- warriors, who had established a dynasty in egypt and Syria that lasted 300 years.
All the Mamluk dignitaries who attended a procession organised by Ali were murdered, except a brave man who jumped over the walls on his horse.
it is a site worth visiting. i attended a wonderful musical evening there.
At the Roman fortress in old Cairo, it is possible to see the characteristic Roman style of fortification walls built with alternate layers of red bricks and limestone. this style suits northern european heavy rains rather than the dry weather of egypt.
the Roman garrison withstood the onslaught of the invading Arab army in 640 AD for seven months. the gate used to open directly onto the Nile, but now the river is a mile away.
in the area there are also many churches, including some of the oldest in egypt; a synagogue on the site that is supposed to be where the child Moses was found by the Pharaoh’s daughter; and the Coptic Museum.
Gondar Castle in ethiopia houses the only old church, Debre Birhan Selassie, in the area to be saved from the destructive forces of the Dervish Mahdi from Sudan in 1888. it is said that a swarm of bees attacked encircling enemy forces, leading them to leave the church intact.