REPORT 02.11.19 All the Presidents’ Man William Martin, Ph.D., Harry and Hazel Chavanne Senior Fellow in Religion and Public Policy AUTHOR’S NOTE INTRODUCTION On December 5, 2018, I joined the Billy Graham resisted the temptations of millions who watched the state funeral money and sex more successfully than commemorating the life and legacy of some of his colleagues in public ministry, but President George H.W. Bush. As I reflected his fascination with and access to political on the meticulously planned and superbly power revealed some of his vulnerabilities effective blend of Christian and patriotic and posed a greater threat to his integrity. ritual and symbol and took note of the By 1950, he had experienced notable popular luminaries gathered in the magnificent acclaim, won respect in evangelical circles, National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and shown that he would have no trouble particularly the five U.S. presidents financing his ministry. The key realm he had prominent in the first rows, I could not help yet to penetrate was politics, and since much thinking of someone else who belonged of his preaching featured political themes, there—Billy Graham. The famed evangelist he sought to ingratiate himself with political had been a friend to every president since figures with an eagerness that seemed Dwight Eisenhower, had participated in almost desperate. several of their inaugurations, had preached at the funerals for Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, and had brought a healing HARRY S. TRUMAN message to a shocked nation when he spoke While in Boston early in 1950, Graham told a in this same sanctuary on September 14, reporter that his whole ambition was “to get 2001, three days after the attacks on the President Truman’s ear for 30 minutes, to World Trade Center and the Pentagon. When get a little help” in spreading the gospel, and Graham died on February 21, 2018, a few he worked hard to satisfy that ambition. He months before what would have been his sent the president a series of telegrams and 100th birthday, he was lauded as “The Pastor letters, urging him to declare a national day to the Presidents” and his body had lain in of repentance and prayer, assuring him he state in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, a had the prayers of millions of Christians as he high honor shared with only 31 other people, dealt with the crisis in Korea, and asking for just eight of them presidents, including his the privilege of a personal meeting. longtime friend George H.W. Bush. Finally, in July 1950, he was granted 30 In the course of writing A Prophet with minutes of the president’s time. When he Honor: The Billy Graham Story (William managed to get the invitation widened to Morrow, 1991; updated edition, Zondervan include three members of his team, the four 2018), I gave extended attention to Graham’s of them got so excited, one recalled, that relationships with each of the presidents from “we were jumping up and down in our hotel Truman to Trump. This report is distilled from room.” As they puzzled over how to make the numerous chapters that contain these a good impression on Truman, one of them accounts. Quotations and other material not remembered that newspapers often pictured taken directly from Prophet with Honor are indicated by endnotes. BAKER INSTITUTE REPORT // 02.11.19 Truman wearing white buck shoes at his Key like that. All he’s interested in is getting his West retreat. Graham, who already had a name in the paper.” pair of the shoes, loved the idea and sent the Harry Truman may have regarded others out to a Florsheim store to get three Graham as a rube to be avoided, but other more pairs. So, in white shoes, ice-cream politicians saw him either as a kindred spirit suits, and hand-painted ties that made them or as someone whose friendship could look like hospital orderlies at the racetrack, convey a blessing. Approximately one-third they went in to see the most powerful leader of all senators and one-fourth of House in the non-communist world. members asked for a special allocation of Truman received them cordially, listened seats for the 1952 crusade services, and to Graham’s suggestions about a national day scores of congressmen attended a Graham- of prayer, and talked about the possibility led rally on the Capitol steps. that some kind of “police action” might be needed to resist communism in Korea. As their visit drew to a close, Graham asked DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER the president if they might “have a word of prayer.” Truman, not famous for piety, Graham professed neutrality in the 1952 said, “I don’t suppose it could do any harm.” campaign, but it became clear fairly early that The evangelist put his arm around the chief his choice was General Dwight Eisenhower. executive and began to pray, with his friends In fact, he traveled to Eisenhower’s NATO chiming in with “Amen” and “Do it, Lord,” headquarters outside Paris to urge him to Eisenhower’s election all of which the president endured with enter the 1952 campaign. After Eisenhower marked the first in bemused detachment. gained the Republican nomination, Graham visited him at the Brown Palace Hotel in Billy Graham’s When the group left the president’s office, a clutch of reporters descended on Denver and presented him with a red Bible, remarkable series of them, and Graham, unaware he was violating which he reportedly kept with him and read significant relationships protocol, freely related what Truman had frequently throughout the campaign. with presidents of the said and acknowledged they had prayed A few days before the November election, Graham revealed to the press that United States. together. He balked when photographers asked him to recreate the pose they had his personal survey of nearly 200 churchmen struck, explaining he thought it improper and religious editors from 30 states and 22 to simulate prayer but, not wanting to denominations indicated that 77 percent disappoint them, he said, “On second favored Eisenhower for president, with only thought, my team and I were going to go out 13 percent intending to vote for Democratic on the White House lawn and just give God candidate Adlai Stevenson. thanks for this privilege of visiting with the Eisenhower’s election marked the president of the United States. I suppose you first in Billy Graham’s remarkable series of could take a picture of that.” significant relationships with presidents of The next morning, newspapers all over the United States. On several occasions over America ran a photograph of the young the next eight years, Eisenhower sought innocents, dazzling in white raiment and Graham’s counsel on the mounting racial poised on one knee like a southern gospel tensions of that era, including a telephone quartet. The stories and photographs irritated conversation on September 24, 1957, about Truman mightily, and when Graham held a whether to send federal troops into Little crusade in Washington in 1952 the president Rock to ensure the integration of Central instructed his aides that “when, as, and if” High School. Graham said, “I think that is the evangelist made any requests for a return the only thing you can do.” That afternoon, visit, it was to be “decisively turned down.” troops from the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne After he left the presidency, Truman Division and members of the National Guard called Graham a counterfeit, saying, “He rolled into Little Rock. Graham also visited the claims he’s a friend of all the presidents, White House before his foreign tours, to let but he was never a friend of mine when Eisenhower know where he would be going I was president. I just don’t go for people and to learn if he needed to watch for any 2 ALL THE PRESIDENTS’ MAN special diplomatic opportunities or pitfalls. On JOHN F. KENNEDY return, he dropped by to report on what he had seen and heard. Kennedy and Graham were never close friends, but Kennedy was wise enough to maintain at least a semblance of cordiality NIXON V. KENNEDY toward the evangelist. A few days before Contact with the Eisenhower White House his inauguration in January 1961, he invited led naturally to exposure to Richard Nixon, Graham to play golf and have lunch with and Graham quickly became one of the him in Key Biscayne. Graham often recalled vice president’s most enthusiastic boosters. how, on the way back from the golf course, He commended Nixon for his “sincerity, Kennedy suddenly pulled the white Lincoln strong convictions, and humility” and “all- convertible to the side of the road and, important sense of humor” and characterized looking directly at Graham, blurted out, “Billy, him publicly as “a splendid churchman.” do you believe that Jesus Christ is going In private, he encouraged Nixon to attend to come back again?” Without hesitation, church regularly and make a point of quoting Graham said, “I do.” Kennedy pondered the scripture and dropping other religious matter a moment, then said, “My church references into his speeches, to assure teaches it in its creeds, but I don’t hear much himself of strong Protestant support in future about it.” He also inquired, Graham recalled, about the triumph of the Kingdom of God and elections, support that would be needed if [After Kennedy’s Roman Catholic John Kennedy received the numerous other topics—“He must have asked Democratic nomination. a hundred separate questions”—but that election], Graham Throughout the 1960 campaign, Graham exchange appears to have been the extent of must have felt that regularly informed Nixon that he was on the theological discussion between the two men.