Jones Quotes

Johnson thought that he was 5 votes short to pass the Economic Opportunity Act to launch his War on Poverty. This quotation shows the master of Presidential vote getting in action. Jones came from a very conservative and racist district in Florida. In addition to the general conservative concern about the bill. White Southern racists were still angry about the Civil Rights Act that had just passed and saw the anti-poverty programs as another opportunity for the Federal Government to have racially integrated employment and training programs in the South. If Jones voted for the anti-poverty bill, he might well be defeated in the 1966 election. The President promised to appoint him as a Federal Judge—a lifetime appointment—if he were defeated. A potential problem was that there would not likely be a vacant judgeship open in Alabama. Johnson promised that he would create another judgeship for Jones if necessary—a judgeship that was not really needed. Jones was reelected and President Johnson did not have to create a new judgeship.

Jones constantly told King and other associates that the FBI was tapping their telephone conversations. Senator Joseph McCarthy was a right wing paranoid who imagined communists throughout the government. Jones turned out to be right. During that period, the height of the Civil Rights Movement, the FBI was listening, recording, and transcribing, every single phone call to or from King including the conference calls and calls with his attorney. FBI Director received frequent briefings on what King and his associates were doing. Although he ordered the wiretaps, it was Robert F. Kennedy, then the Attorney General, who had to approve them.

A port of Cuba during the Spanish American War. Congress voted the resolution and the medals were awarded. The significance of this event was that the crew included two Black men, Steward Savage and Cook Moses Jones, were also awarded the medals. While under fire, at their own initiative, the two manned an unprotected gun on deck of the ship and added to the firepower of the effort. The Captain specifically asked that they be included in the heroism award. Stewards and cooks were the only positions allowed to Blacks at the time. See {604418}