Time Magazine Person of the Year 1964-1978 Quiz

Answer: Lyndon Johnson

There is little doubt that Johnson brought energy and strong leadership to the Presidency. He was the first President to surround himself with the latest electronic communications equipment. And he did not fear 'button-holing' legislators on key issues.

"Time" said: "[Johnson] brought to the office of the presidency a concept not favored by his immediate predecessors who, except for Dwight Eisenhower, felt that a "strong" President had to fight with Congress. Always mindful of the presidency's great power, Johnson put into effect a new relationship with the other "co- equal" branches of Government, this achieving the truest partnership with Congress-in the checks-and-balances sense envisaged by the Constitution-in well over a century. His remarkable legislative record was crowned by the historic Civil Rights Act."

Johnson was similarly honored again in 1967.

Answer: William Westmoreland

Westmoreland commanded in Vietnam from 1964-1968 when he was replaced and made Chief-of-Staff. As the Vietnam War became a political struggle, Westmoreland was accused of being caught unaware of the communist Tet Offensive, exaggerating claims of enemy dead, and of having lax discipline on troops. He sued CBS for libel but settled for an apology.

But "Time", based on what was public knowledge of the era, said:
"As commander... in South Vietnam, General William Childs Westmoreland directed the historic buildup, drew up the battle plans, and infused the men under him with with his own idealistic view of U.S. aims and responsibilities... [Westmoreland] served as the instrument of U.S. policy, quietly enduring the terror and discomfort of a conflict that was not yet a war."

Answer: Vietnam veterans

"Time" had high hopes for 1966's winners, the youth of America, the group that went on to called the "baby-boomer" generation.

"Time" honored modern pioneers and explorers with naming the Apollo 8 astronauts in 1968.

The American middle class, were honored in 1969 for bearing the burden of the economy and government. The rich, and obviously not the poor, cannot be totally responsible for maintaining a balance so it falls on the American middle class.

In 1975 "Time" named 'women' for the award. "Time" cited the emergence of women who refused to take second place in leadership.

Answer: Willy Brandt

Brandt who followed after Adenauer was a Socialist rather than a Christian Democrat. He was advocate of a united Germany and in the expansion of social programs.

"Time" said: "Willy Brandt is in effect seeking to end World War II by bringing about a fresh relationship between East and West. He is trying to accept the real situation in Europe, which has lasted for 25 years, but he is also trying to bring about a new reality in his bold approach to the Soviet Union."

Answer: Nixon and Kissinger

For whatever lapses and sins committed by Nixon who left the office in disgrace, he and Kissinger will be remembered for their roles in foreign relations. They opened relationships with China, devalued the dollar, and Nixon debated Khrushchev on his own ground in the famous 'kitchen' debates in 1959.

"Time" said: "They constitute ...an odd couple, an improbable partnership. Nixon, champion of Middle American virtues, a secretive, aloof yet old-fashioned politician. At his side is Kissinger, a Bavarian-born Harvard professor of urbane and subtle intelligence. Yet together in their unique symbiosis--Nixon supplying power and will, Kissinger an intellectual framework and negotiating skills--they have [accomplished] the most profound rearrangement of the earth's political powers since the beginning of the cold war."

Answer: John Sirica

Sirica had responsibility for trying the Watergate burglars. This lead to Nixon. and this lead to the Nixon secret tapes that brought the administration down.

"Time" said: "One judge, stubbornly and doggedly pursuing the truth... regardless of its political implications, forced Watergate into the light of.. day. One judge insisting that the presidency [did not] entitle Nixon to withhold material evidence. [Sirica is a] symbol of the American judiciary's insistence on the priority of law."

Answer: King Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud

The wealth and power that Faisal exerted was brought to an end in 1975. His nephew, Faisal bin Musaid, assassinated him. The reasons are unclear but many believe it was a CIA backed endeavor.

"Time" said: "King Faisal is not merely the richest of the OPEC leaders. He is also a spiritual leader of the world's 600 million Muslims because his kingdom encompasses Islam's two holiest cities, Mecca and Medina. The King wants to pray within his lifetime in the third most holy city in Jerusalem without setting foot on Israeli-held territory. Unless he gets his wish, peace is unlikely to have much future in the Middle East. Faisal hates Zionism with a cold passion."

Answer: Jimmy Carter

Surely Carter had few breaks go his way. As if runaway inflation and OPEC were not enough, the holding of hostages by Iran doomed his political fate.

"Time" based his selection more on this promise than his deeds."Revitalizing the economy , racial relations, government reorganization, energy, and welfare will be Carter's immediate problems...demanding fresh and strong leadership. Carter will have to surmount the doubts about himself... and establish himself as a President who can inspire Americans to be as good as he maintains they really are."

Answer: Anwar Sadat

Sadat's peace overtures won him the Nobel Peace Prize. But this was unpopular among other Arab nations, and eventually led to his assassination.

"Time" said: "Sadat's demands on Israel, in exchange for peace, were tough and familiar: the return to Arab sovereignty of all territory conquered during the 1967 Six-Day War and a homeland for Palestinians. More important were the generous words of acceptance that few Israelis ever expected to hear from an Arab head of state, least of all in their own parliament."

Answer: Deng Xiaoping

Deng Xiaoping survived through the struggles of China, sometimes falling into disfavor. In one purge, his son was thrown from a four-story building. He became a communist mostly because it promised modernization for China. He was the most powerful man at this time as he commanded the army, the party, and vice-premier.

Time said: "Vice Premier [Deng Xiaoping] also holds the titles of Vice Chairman of the Communist Party and Army Chief of Staff. Although he ranks only third in the Peking Politburo, [Deng] is the principal architect of what has become known... as the Four Modernizations-an attempt simultaneously to improve agriculture, industry, science and technology, and defense. Because of the ...enterprise...to propel the nation into the modern world, [Deng Xiaoping] is TIME's Man of the Year for 1978."