Interview
What Robert Caro learned about power after studying it for 50 years
- Robert Caro identifies as a biographer who, like his subjects Lyndon B. Johnson and Robert Moses, possesses an "unrelenting" refusal to accept "no" for an answer, a trait he attributes to their shared ruthlessness and willpower rather than his own greatness.
- Caro spent 50 years researching Lyndon B. Johnson, including living in the Texas Hill Country, sifting through millions of documents, and conducting interviews with sources ranging from former election "goons" to Johnson's personal chauffeur.
- Regarding Robert Moses, Caro argues that modern infrastructure paralysis in the U.S. (e.g., the 50-year construction of the Second Avenue subway costing over $4 billion for 1.5 miles) is an overcorrection against centralized power, suggesting that a "Moses-type" genius is still occasionally required to overcome property owner opposition.
- Caro contrasts the U.S. infrastructure stagnation with China's recent "Moses-like" expansion of tens of thousands of miles of railways, while noting this comes at the cost of significant human displacement and recklessness.
- The trajectory of Robert Moses' character is described as a transition from a "young idealist" focused on civil service reform and public access (e.g., Jones Beach) to a "ruthless" operator who prioritized construction above all else, culminating in the destructive Cross Bronx Expressway which evicted tens of thousands without relocation provisions.
- Moses operated effectively during the Great Depression by hiring thousands of unemployed architects and laborers at pennies on the dollar, a labor advantage that diminished once the economy recovered.
- Moses' power became brittle in his 80s; while he maintained an illusion of invincibility even after losing political leverage, he failed to realize his influence had evaporated, evidenced by a lack of incoming calls or requests in his final years.
- Historical analysis suggests previous governors could not fire Moses due to his overwhelming popularity and interlocking power bases, but by 1962, cracks had formed, allowing Nelson Rockefeller to finally reject Moses' threat to resign.
- Caro posits that the core tragedy of Lyndon B. Johnson was not his assassination or the election fraud in the 1948 Senate race, but the diversion of his domestic vision by the Vietnam War.
- Johnson's unique ability to pass civil rights and anti-poverty legislation stemmed from an "overriding desire to change America" that John F. Kennedy lacked, despite Kennedy's greater charm and foreign policy competence.
- Johnson's political mastery derived primarily from his ability to offer or withhold leverage (committee assignments, legislation) rather than pure persuasion, though his personality facilitated the delivery of these threats or promises.
- Both Johnson and Moses exhibited "inexhaustible energy," operating on 16+ hour days and making phone calls at 2 a.m. or 5 a.m., driven by will rather than physical constitution.
- Caro writes biographies over decades, often writing manuscripts that are 1,050,000 words long before editors reduce them to roughly 700,000 words, meaning he has cut 350,000 words of "best stuff" that never reached publication.
- Caro donated his archive, containing notes from approximately 700 interviews and decades of research, to the New York Historical Society to ensure accessibility, accepting significantly less funding than offers from the University of Texas to keep the materials in New York.
- The isolation of Lyndon B. Johnson's upbringing in the Texas Hill Country—where he could walk miles without seeing another human—fundamentally shaped his character and his understanding of loneliness, a sentiment Caro notes is often underappreciated in American history.
- Caro's own writing process requires total isolation; he turns off his phone and does not return calls until the end of the day to maintain concentration, a habit that has impacted his personal relationships and life.