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To the Boss's Taste. In those first days, Valenti was with Johnson almost constantly—waking him at 6 a.m., sharing his breakfast, bringing him newspapers, making his phone calls, all but tucking him into bed at night. Still, he was something of a mystery man. Even White House insiders weren't sure at first whether he was a valet, a happy-fella sidekick to take Johnson's mind off his problems, or a major power behind the throne.
Since then, it has become clear that Valenti is a great deal more than an omnipresent pal. When a Congressman wants to know how the President feels about a bill, he checks with Jack Valenti. Whenever there is a meeting of the Cabinet or the National Security Council, Valenti is there. At every briefing by White House Press Secretary George Reedy, Jack Valenti lingers in a nearby doorway. When Johnson has to make a speech, Valenti goes over it first—editing it into short, simple sentences made up of short, simple words, just the way Lyndon likes it.
Many speeches Valenti writes himself. He did most of the President's foreign aid message, using notes from White House Aide McGeorge Bundy. Last week it was Jack Valenti who penciled in the boffo "war and peace" windup to the President's speech before A.F.L.-C.I.O. leaders. And before the talk, Valenti himself was around, prodding reporters to stay alert because "there's something at the end you'll be interested in."
White House insiders insist that Valenti makes no policy decisions for the President. And Valenti himself described his job to a friend: "I'm just a little cog in a big machine." Possibly. But Albert Thomas, who has known both Valenti and Johnson for years, says, "I've nicknamed Jack 'the Vice President.' He has the 100% confidence of the President. Make no mistake about that. He's a companion, and the President will try things out on him. He's worth his weight in gold."