A minor debacle developed over LBJ in the Altgens photo. He can't be seen in it. And since he can't be seen in it, the story became that he got down on the floor of the convertible. Actually, he was blackened out because he was scooting down, making sure his head was lower than the back of the seat, to make sure he wasn't hit by a stray bullet. And since that would have looked bad, they took him out of the photo.
However, they couldn't admit that they tampered with the photo, so the story became that he was sprawled down on the floor of the car. And since that idea was just as bad, or even worse than what happened, the story became that it wasn't his doing, that Rufus Youngblood, his Secret Service agent, grabbed him and thrust him down and then got on top of him.
It's funny if you think about it: these two big men sprawled on the floor of the car, one on top of the other, right over the feet of Lady Bird and Senator Youngblood.
But, rest assured that that did not happen. However, that didn't stop LBJ from holding a ceremony to honor Youngblood for his brave, selfless action in the line of duty. They did it at the White House, with all the pomp and circumstance. Even Youngblood's wife and kids were there to celebrate his greatness, although all an effinn' lie.
I suspect that the Altgens photo is the most altered photo in the history of photography. It's amazing what Brugioni's team got done in just 5 hours. That's how much time they had: from 12:30 to 5:30 Central when Walter Cronkite showed it on national television for the first time.
I am reminded of the old adage: Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we venture to deceive.
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