Why did Lyndon B. Johnson not Initially Welcome the Kerner Commission?

This thesis explores the importance of The National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (commonly referred to as the Kerner Commission after its chairman, Otto Kerner). It seeks to answer why President Lyndon B. Johnson initially did not welcome the commission. The report made headlines upon its publication in 1968 for its conclusive condemnation of white racism being behind the riots of the long, hot summer of 1967. The final report also made several recommendations to improve the lives of black Americans who were stuck living in impoverished conditions within America's inner cities. However, the report did not conclusively lead to lasting changes, and the commissioner's warnings would go unheeded. Lyndon Johnson did not welcome the commission and maintained a public silence for three weeks after the report was published. The report sold well and was debated in Congress. However, feeling he could not act on the commission's suggestions, Johnson remained distant and privately ranted about a commission in which he had long since lost interest in. Johnson's silence was also due to the perceived lack of credit the report gave him, as he demonstrated he had a complex personality and felt he had not received adequate praise. Other factors also included the Vietnam War absorbing Johnson's efforts and budget, which meant the Kerner Report took its place in history as a critical document in the final months of the Johnson administration. Furthermore, the commission served as a reminder of Johnson's declining relationships with Congress and inability to win over the people he needed to attempt implementing the commission's suggestions. Concluding that a combination of all these factors trapped Johnson into inaction, this thesis seeks to add a new perspective to the historiography of the Kerner Commission. This dissertation considers why Johnson's personality, the Vietnam War, his relationships with other politicians, the problems with the commission itself, the issues with his Great Society programmes, and racial backlash all combined to undermine the president and his commission. Johnson felt the weight of history with his commission. This thesis answers why he struggled so much and why his presidency slipped away in March 1968, culminating in his withdrawal from the election on 31st March 1968.