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Back to Robert Caro – The master biographer reflects at 91, with Robert Caro.

What Showed Robert Moses Had Lost Power?

Robert Caro knew Robert Moses had lost power when a long interview ended and the secretary brought no telephone calls. He had begun the book in 66 and 67, writing while Moses was losing power and his career was not yet over.

Moses's office was still at the Triborough Bridge Authority. While Moses held power, Caro interviewed him there several times. The power was obvious: people waited outside for his decisions. As soon as an interview finished, the secretary came in with a list of calls from people who wanted something from him. On one long interview, maybe the last, there had been no calls. The secretary had nothing to tell him. Thinking of Moses then brought the poignance of someone losing power.

Caro was young and did not really know what he was doing as he watched the loss. He could not help feeling sad for Moses, even knowing what Moses had done, because no one was calling to ask for a favor anymore.

Grokipedia·Robert Moses·Robert Caro

Transcript

Robert Caro – The master biographer reflects at 91 ·

Dwarkesh Podcast

More from this episode

  1. 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.
  2. Does America Need a Little More Robert Moses?Robert Caro says no. He does not want another Robert Moses, a builder who is ruthless and who disregards public opinion.
  3. How Did Robert Moses Lose His Early Idealism?Robert Caro says Robert Moses did change from a young idealist into a builder who would not listen.
  4. Did Robert Moses Realize He Was Changing?Robert Caro says Robert Moses did not realize he was changing.
  5. How Did the Great Depression Help Robert Moses Build?Robert Caro says the Great Depression played a big role in what Robert Moses was able to build.
  6. What Was the Source of Lyndon Johnson's Power?Robert Caro says the source of Lyndon Johnson's power was the power behind his persuasion.
  7. Could John Kennedy Have Passed Lyndon Johnson's Laws?Robert Caro says no.
  8. Why Does Robert Caro Reduce a Book to One Sentence?Robert Caro reduces a new book to one sentence, or at most a paragraph, before he starts writing, so he still knows what he is trying to do years later.
  9. What Never Made It Into Robert Caro's Books?A lot of what Robert Caro researched never made it into his books. He had to cut so much from The Power Broker that he still thinks should have stayed.

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