Editing Great Society (section)

==Presidential task forces==
Almost immediately after the Ann Arbor speech, 14 separate task forces began studying nearly all major aspects of United States society under the guidance of presidential assistants [[Bill Moyers]] and [[Richard N. Goodwin]].<ref name="Woods_557"/> In his use of task forces to provide expert advice on policy, Johnson was following Kennedy's example, but unlike Kennedy, Johnson directed his task forces to work in secret.<ref name="Woods_557">Woods, Randall (2007). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=x6EcuyDFukoC&pg=PA557 LBJ: Architect of American Ambition]''. Simon and Schuster. p. 557. {{ISBN|1416593314}}.</ref> His intent was to prevent his program from being derailed by public criticism of proposals that had not yet been reviewed.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Smith |first1=Nancy Kegan |title=Presidential Task Force Operation during the Johnson Administration |journal=Presidential Studies Quarterly |date=1985 |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=320–329 |jstor=27550209 }}</ref> The average task force had five to seven members and generally was composed of governmental experts and academics.<ref>{{cite book |title=Task Force Reports of the Johnson White House, 1963–1969 |date=2009 |publisher=LexisNexis |isbn=978-0-88692-654-0 |url=http://cisupa.proquest.com/ksc_assets/catalog/101686.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013144109/http://cisupa.proquest.com/ksc_assets/catalog/101686.pdf |archive-date=October 13, 2016 }}{{page needed|date=April 2023}}</ref>

After the task force reports were submitted to the White House, Moyers began a second round of review. The recommendations were circulated among the agencies concerned, and strategies were developed for getting the proposed legislation through Congress.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Baugess |first1=James S. |last2=DeBolt |first2=Abbe Allen |title=Encyclopedia of the Sixties: A Decade of Culture and Counterculture |date=2011 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-32944-9 |page=261 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JscEZeXBsZYC&pg=PA261 }}</ref> On January 4, 1965, Johnson announced much of his proposed program in his [[State of the Union Address]].