How Does Robert Caro Get People to Talk?

Robert Caro gets people to talk by refusing a no when that person is the only one who knows the story. Lyndon Johnson's first secretary rode in the car with him on the campaigns. No other person knows what Johnson was doing during those hours driving back and forth across Texas, so Caro had to get him to tell it honestly.

The same pressure applies when someone knows the interview will hurt them. John Connally collected the money and gave it out on Johnson's instructions, so he was the only one who could explain how Johnson judged who received it. On a request for money, Johnson would write okay and the amount asked, such as $1,500, or a smaller figure such as $500, or no, or "no, never." Connally told him "no, never" meant that person was never going to get money from Lyndon Johnson. Asking why Johnson felt that way about one congressman is when the stories that matter come out.