All Of It – "Inside Robert Caro's Archives as 'The Power Broker' Turns 50"

Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Guest: Dr. Valerie Paley, Director of the Library & Senior Vice President, New-York Historical Society
Air Date: September 11, 2024

Episode Overview

This episode marks the 50th anniversary of Robert Caro’s monumental book, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York, exploring its influence on the city’s self-understanding and the exhibition dedicated to Caro’s working process at the New-York Historical Society. Host Alison Stewart is joined by Dr. Valerie Paley to discuss the book’s legacy, the intricacies of Caro’s archival materials now on display, and what makes Moses’s and Caro’s stories so enduring for New Yorkers and beyond.

Main Themes and Purposes

• Celebrating The Power Broker at 50 years since publication.
• Exploring Robert Caro’s research process via the new New-York Historical Society exhibition.
• Understanding Robert Moses’s lasting impact on New York City’s development and political landscape.
• Reflecting on the book’s reputation as a definitive narrative of the city and its political machinery.
• Hearing personal stories from listeners about their experiences with the book and its relevance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Exhibit: Caro’s Process on Display

• The exhibit traces Caro from young Newsday reporter to legendary biographer (03:25).
• Visitors can see family trees of Moses’s acquaintances, handwritten tallies (e.g., Jones Beach car counts), and marked-up interview transcripts.
• The archive demonstrates Caro’s dogged pursuit of proximity and access, especially when Moses and his inner circle refused cooperation.
• Quote:
  "It shows that the mind and the work of an extraordinary researcher at play and also gives researchers, as well as those who've read the book, a sense of what Robert Caro had to do to learn more about and create this multivalence portrait of this man, Robert Moses."
  — Dr. Valerie Paley [06:44]

2. Caro’s Initial Approach & Moses’s Reaction

• Caro, “with the enthusiasm and naivete of a young beat reporter,” wrote a polite letter to Moses requesting help (04:36).
• Moses responded curtly via an associate and subsequently conducted his own background research on Caro.
• Despite resistance, Caro constructed a “family tree” of Moses’s associates to work his way inward for interviews.
• Quote:
  "None of the people in the inner circle would speak to Caro, but some in concentric outer circles would. And ultimately he worked his way into the center. And in the exhibit, you see this... a family tree that he's marked up and slowly but surely finds his way into the inner circle and to... Moses himself."
  — Dr. Valerie Paley [05:33]

3. Writing the Book: Duration, Difficulty, and Dedication

• Caro anticipated one year of work—he spent seven (09:10).
• Personal hardship: sold his house to finance the research.
• The process was “painstaking,” as shown by the exhibit’s archival traces.
• Quote:
  "He decided he really needed to devote much more time to this project, and through great hardship had to sell his house so that he could have the funds to do this nonstop."
  — Dr. Valerie Paley [09:10]

4. Cutting Room Floor and Editorial Battles

• The finished book is 1,200 pages, but a third was cut during editing with legendary editor Robert Gottlieb.
• Reference to Turn Every Page documentary about Caro and his editor.
• Quote:
  "A lot of the book, a third of it wound up on the so called cutting room floor. So imagine that even longer book. But certainly reading the Power Broker or even trying to read it... is a point of intellectual pride, I think, for many people."
  — Dr. Valerie Paley [11:08]

5. Public Reception & Cultural Status

• The book enjoys mythic status—both as an intimidating “badge” on New Yorkers’ shelves and as a rite of passage.
• During the pandemic, it became “visual shorthand” as a fixture on reporter bookshelves during Zoom calls.
• Caro himself is described affectionately as “our resident Mick Jagger” for the crowds he draws at public appearances.
• Quote:
  "There is something about his work that is so inspiring. I joked with him that when he comes to the New York Historical Society... I said, 'You're like our resident Mick Jagger.' He said, 'Yeah, Mick Jagger is about my age too, and look at him.' But truly, he's like our rock star."
  — Dr. Valerie Paley [14:49]

6. Moses's Response to the Book

• Moses was “deeply hurt” and issued a “23-page statement” in rebuttal, annotated by Caro himself—some pages on display.
• Memorable Moment:
  Alison Stewart and Paley relished Moses calling Caro a "snooper."
  "If Mr. M tells me which of the two words 'power broker' he doesn't understand, I will be glad to enlighten him."
  — Caro's marginalia responding to Moses [16:46]

7. The Power Broker’s Relevance to Today

• The legacy of Moses’s approach to public works and funding (using bond revenue) directly connects to present-day issues like congestion pricing.
• Dr. Paley highlights the exhibition’s focus on the “One Mile” chapter (East Tremont/Cross Bronx Expressway), a microcosm of Moses’s devastation and Caro’s humanity.
• Quote:
  "Every single object tells its own story. But we decided... to focus in on the story of East Tremont, the One Mile chapter... which tells the story of how... 60,000 families were displaced by the building of the Cross Bronx Expressway. ...Robert Caro was looking at... the people, and their loneliness, versus Robert Moses, who just saw highways and a path to even greater power."
  — Dr. Valerie Paley [20:21]

8. Ongoing Discovery & the Archive

• The Caro archive, including LBJ research, opens to scholars on September 16, 2024.
• Despite interest, the missing Jane Jacobs chapters have not been found.
• Existing artifacts include a congratulatory letter from Jacobs to Caro.
• Quote:
  "We have about 150 boxes of documents... and nope, haven't found them yet, but still looking. But one thing we do have is a wonderful letter... from Jane Jacobs to Caro. They were very much kindred spirits..."
  — Dr. Valerie Paley [26:21]

Listener Insights & Memorable Moments

• "[The Power Broker] gave a better understanding for me about New York City... I couldn't believe how much influence [Moses] had on everything."
  — Caller David [08:01]
• "I have it both... on my bedside table and I also have it as an audiobook. ...Anybody who lives in New York... it's a must read."
  — Caller Chris [10:04]
• "Every political reporter seemed to have it on their shelf... so it kind of compelled me to read it..."
  — Caller Fred [12:18]
• "Robert Caro is kind of mythic. ...He's like our rock star. And yeah, I'm sure he would be delighted to hear 'great book' and to hear people's reactions..."
  — Dr. Valerie Paley [14:49]
• The power of Caro’s narrative to inspire modern activism: A TikTok campaign led to removal of racist playground decorations, prompted by research into Moses’s legacy (25:01).

Timestamps for Notable Segments

• 01:35 — Episode introduction and scope of The Power Broker
• 03:25 — Dr. Paley on the origins of Caro’s research process
• 04:36–06:34 — Moses’s response to Caro, the “family tree” interview strategy
• 09:10 — Caro’s expectation of a year’s work stretched to seven
• 11:08 — A third of the manuscript was cut; the editorial process
• 14:49 — The book’s place in NYC cultural consciousness; Caro as “rock star”
• 16:46 — Moses’s negative reaction; the “snooper” quote and annotated rebuttal
• 20:21 — The focus on the “One Mile” chapter, storytelling through archives
• 25:01 — TikTok activism inspired by the book’s research into racism in city playgrounds
• 26:21 — The hunt for the missing Jane Jacobs chapters and what’s in the archive

Notable Quotes

• "You can't know the story of New York City without knowing the story of Robert Moses."
  — Dr. Valerie Paley [08:47]
• "He was annoyed. It's public radio. I can't say what he really was..."
  — Dr. Valerie Paley on Moses's response [16:46]
• "Snooper."
  — Moses's favorite insult for Caro, relished by the host and guest [18:21]
• "The Power Broker and Robert Caro's narrative still inspires this kind of passion about the city and inspires new generations to think about the legacy of Robert Moses..."
  — Dr. Valerie Paley [25:01]
• "We have about 150 boxes of documents... and nope, haven't found them yet, but still looking... But one thing we do have is a wonderful letter, congratulatory letter from Jane Jacobs to Caro."
  — Dr. Valerie Paley [26:21]

Takeaways

• The Power Broker remains formative for understanding New York’s past and present—its infrastructure, its politics, and its social fabric.
• Caro’s methodical, hands-on approach is celebrated as much for narrative results as for its inspiration to new historians and activists.
• The persistent relevance of the book: from readers’ pride, to New York’s cityscape, to current debates around urban design and social justice.