Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it
– George Santayana
Winston Churchill famously said, “History is written by the victors.”
Truth is often the first casualty in the aftermath of conflict. The creation of mythological stories about real-life historical figures has become entrenched in every facet of American culture for a very long time.
In the case of mid-twentieth-century leaders, it has taken nearly five decades for truth-seekers to sift out the myths—composed of subtle deceits and brazen lies—from the basest pure truths.
President Lyndon Johnson and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover are the clearest examples of how the tension between myths and truths is still being wrought, in a continuing cultural movement that has no end in sight.
LBJ: Master of Deceit 