Johnson Responds to an Update on the Great Society Programs in California

The Great Society was President Johnson’s great domestic initiative of social reforms to eliminate poverty and racial injustice. New spending programs that addressed education, medical care, urban problems, and transportation were launched during his presidency, and the Great Society remains a major part of Johnson’s legacy. He was interested in it and concerned about its reception throughout his term in office.

Typed Letter Signed, on green White House letterhead, Washington, June 24, 1965. “Thank you for your…report on California’s general reaction to our Great Society program…The principle of Federal-local sharing of costs is well established. It is in common use in many programs. It recognizes, in principle, both a long-term public interest and an interest of the immediate beneficiaries. As you may know the House of Representatives, in acting on the Department of Argiculture’s appropriation bill , appropriated funds to pay for the technical services that might have been covered by the user charges. We appreciate and share your interest in the advancement of soil and water conservation on the privately owned lands of America.”