The power broker : Robert Moses and the fall of New York

by Caro, Robert A

  Dewey liked to boast: Interview with author. RM cursing him: State DPW official Arthur B. Williams, confidential sources.

  Harriman sitting silently: Joan Ganz Cooney, among others. "Get tough with Moses": Truex; confirmed by several confidential sources. Suggesting dam be named for RM: Chapin, Latham, Shapiro.

  The extra carbons: Shapiro, confirmed by confidential sources.

  Control of District Ten: Most of the DPW engineers who spoke with the author declined to be identified. Among those who agreed were McMorran, Ma-loney, Tallamy and Williams and their stories are confirmed by, among others, Barnes, Clark, Latham and Shapiro.

  Notes for pages 710-719

  1218

  Macy, in Macy to Dewey, Oct. 30, 1947, Macy Papers, complains about RM's domination of the District.

  RM recommending McMorran: Mc-Morran. RM's evaluation of McMorran: Dangerous Trade, p. 298. RM's absolute veto power: Tallamy, McMorran, Ma-loney. States had final say: Leavitt, pp. 166-167.

  The machine: Moscow, What Have You Done for Me Lately? and Last of the Big-Time Bosses; Connable and Sil-berfarb, pp. 292ff.; Garrett, pp. 303-36; Cook and Gleason, "The Shame of New York." "A vast, corrupt organization": HT, quoted in Gunther, p. 561. Judgeships sold: Garrett, p. 307. Democrats bringing in Republicans: "Shame"; Morris, p. 220; Moscow, Politics in the Empire State, p. 136; What Have You Done for Me Lately?, pp. 56-57. How this device stymied investigations: "Shame," p. 289.

  The Tweed Ring: Penn Station: Moscow, What Have You Done for Me Lately?, p. 147. Plunkitt: Connable and Silberfarb, pp. 158-59. "Honest graft": Moscow, Politics in the Empire State, pp. 213-15; The Last of the Big-Time Bosses, esp. p. 51. Al Smith quote: Allen, p. 89. "A king's ransom": Lazarus OHR.

  He had the money to pay it: These figures come primarily from the author's analysis of Comptroller's Reports, 1946-63. The housing figures come also from various confidential sources in the City Comptroller's office and in RM's hierarchy, and from City Planning Commission, "Public Works Progress Report," 1949, and "Planning Progress, 1940-50," Mar. 15, 1951, and from analysis of Authority figures by Orton and confidential sources in the Comptroller's office; and from the Housing Authority's "Project Data —Dec. 31, 1972." DPW funds come also from various DPW reports, 1946-63, and from RM's "Arterial Progress Reports," particularly Nov. 8, 1965. pp- 2-31. Slum Clearance funds from various Slum Clearance Committee "Title I Progress" reports, particularly July 15, 1957, and Oct. 26, 1959. Three and a half billion dollars dispensed in the city: According to "Comptroller's Reports," see above, $3,684,114,-923 between 1946 and i960. Triborough traffic and income figures: TBTA Annual Reports, 1946-68.

  Difficulty in auditing TBTA: Confidential sources. 1,400 editorials: Tobin, "Public Relations," p. 8. Feelings of politicians: None willing to be quoted;

  among those who observed their feelings are Lazarus, Lutsky, Orton, Rodriguez. "The natural locus of corruption": Costi-kyan, p, 297. He said: "It is not a particular group of people that is the magnet which attracts corrupters. Power, and power alone, attracts. The natural locus of corruption is always where the discretionary power resides. It follows that in an era when political leaders exercised basic power over the government officials whom they controlled, the locus of corruption was in the offices of the political bosses—Tweed, Croker, Kelly, and the rest. But as power has shifted from the political leader to the civil servant and the public officeholder, so the locus of corruptibility and of corruption has shifted." Rodriguez, in an interview, gave a very perceptive view of this situation to the author, as did Haddad, Kahn, Lazarus, Lutsky and others.

  Triborough insurance: On slum clearance project: Blaikie had it first: "Shame," p. 290. Lost it to De Sapio broken Lazarus. Over-all pattern: Secret TBTA Files, including RM to Spargo, Dec. 4, 1953; Spargo to RM, Dec. 8, 1953. $500,000 per year: Moscow, in interview, said he was told this by De Sapio. The figure is confirmed by those figures available in the TBTA files. Brokers had to do no work for it: Spargo to C. J. Reid, Dec. 3, 1954. Shifting policies to broker "friend of Tom Shanahan's": Spargo to RM, Dec. 8, 1953, Secret TBTA Files. For a decade: Levitt TBTA Audit, pp. 113-31. De Sapio: The friend was Moscow, and Moscow related this to author in an interview. Some to a broker close to the leader: The broker was Timothy W. Foley, Inc., and Levitt TBTA Audit, p. 114, shows that the Foley company received premiums totaling $121,000. Later De Sapio was believed to be close to Campo & Roberts, Inc. Levitt TBTA Audit shows that that firm received premiums on Verrazano-Narrows Bridge insurance beginning Nov. 9, 1959; a very incomplete early total of the premiums it received from this one project is $57,-000. Campo & Roberts received hundreds of thousands of dollars in premiums on other Moses projects. Sere vane interview and see "Notes" for Chapter 45. Stein-gut: Levitt TBTA Audit, p. 116. No "government business": NYT, June 17, 1968. Roe: Spargo to Roe, June 2, 1968, Secret TBTA Files. Crews: Spargo to RM, Dec. 28, 1953, Secret TBTA Files. Stephens: RM to Spargo, Dec. 4, 1953; Spargo to RM, Dec. 8, Secret TBTA Files; Lazarus.

  Notes for pages 720-740

  Triborough legal fees: Rosenman's boost from RM: Moses, Dangerous Trade, p. 705. Jimmy Hines' assemblyman: Lazarus. $250,000 fee: Transcript, "Hearings, U. S. Congress, Senate Banking and Currency Committee," Vol. 49, p. 3131 (New York City, Oct. 1, 1954). Rosenman also represented a syndicate to which RM was planning to hand an immensely valuable Title I site adjacent to the Lincoln Center development for "a group of theaters" (Dangerous Trade, p. 520). Why this plan fell through is unclear. Rosenman was also to reap a small fortune from RM's 1964-65 World's Fair (see Chapter 45). Preusse: See Chapter 45.

  "Because Tobin doesn't give me anything": Lazarus. Rosenman's trip: NYT, Feb. 25, 1957. The Times's profile of Rosenman on this occasion called him, in an unintended double-entendre, "Proconsul of Power."

  Shanahan: Biography: J-A, Aug. 3, 1954; NYT, Sept. 2, 1956; July 3, 1959; Post, Aug. 26, 1959; "Shame," pp. 294-305. Interviews with Cook, Finkelstein, Goldwater, Haddad, Kahn, Lazarus, Merkin, Moscow, Screvane, Wagner and numerous confidential sources. "He went on face value": Merkin. Hatred of "Commies": Moscow. "One of the most notorious": Edelstein. "Ethically . . . left something to be desired": Moscow. "We all knew": Goldwater. No mention: Con-nable and Silberfarb book. $27,978: Levitt TBTA Audit, p. 114. Fees for banking services: Levitt TBTA Audit, pp. 148, 150. $15,000,000 deposit: Work sheets for Levitt TBTA Audit, undated and unnumbered. $48,963,000: Levitt TBTA Audit, p. 149. Bank couldn't cover it: Confidential source. Shanahan and Housing Authority: Moscow. RM delegated him slum clearance power: Gold-water, Haddad, Kahn. "A part of my deal": Unidentified sponsor quoted in "Shame," p. 294. $20,000,000: Number of shares given by Merkin. Housing Authority projects were the projects Moses wanted: Author's analysis of TBTA files, O'D, Impy and Wagner Papers; interviews with RM, Chapin, Coleman, Gabel, Goldwater, Impellitteri, Lazarus, Lutsky, Moscow, Mulcahy, Orton, Rodriguez and numerous confidential sources. "Utmost importance": RM to Impy, Feb. II, 1953, Impy Papers. Buckley phone call: Rodriguez. State senator: Confidential source.

  "Only one way to hold a district": Quoted in Riordon, p. 25. Wagner to Screvane: Wagner, Screvane. Dossiers: Ingraham, Lutsky. Getting Salmon a job:

  12

  RM to Cashmore. date lost, Wagner Papers.

  "Silence to the grave": ( onl.dcnt. .,! source.

  Banks: The best analysis of banks' relationship to New York politicians is the HTs "Our Sideline Legislators" series by Richard L. Madden and Martin J. Steadman, Aug. 1963. The best analysis of banks' relationships with one politician is a series of articles on State Senator Edward J. Speno in Newsday by an investigating team headed by Bob Greene, 1969. The best analysis of banks' power in general is Lundberg, The Rich and the Super-Rich. This section—as well as the following sections on unions and contractors—is drawn in large part from the author's own observations as a political and investigative reporter for Newsday. Banks needed authority bonds: Interviews with Jackson Phillips, director of municipal research, Dun and Bradstreet; Dwayne Saunders, vi
ce president, Bank Investment Division, Chemical Bank; Ernest Cohen, director of research, State Banking Department; Madigan; confidential sources. "Supply and demand": Madigan. RM's feelings: Madigan; they remained unstated but were obvious in the author's interviews with RM. 15% reserve: Levitt TBTA Audit, p. 22. "We all knew": Confidential source. RM offered bankers more than safety: The additional incentives he offered by such devices as unnecessarily high interest rates were explained by Phillips and other bankers, and confirmed by Levitt TBTA Audit, pp. 18-37, 147-50, and by comments deleted from the audit at RM's demand but made available to the author. Private placement: Madigan.

  Chase had the most: White, p. 83. "There's a dictator": O'Dwyer OHR. Largest single recipient: Levitt TBTA Audit, p. 32. Chemical Bank: NYT, Oct. 25, 1968. "We bought a ton": Saunders. Remaining divided up: Levitt TBTA Audit, pp. 32ff. Rockefeller to RM: May 25, i960, quoted in Moses, Dangerous Trade, p. 73. "Pushing hard": Rodriguez.

  "Replacing graft": Rodriguez. History of the organization: Connable and Silberfarb book.

  "Get the names in": Costikyan. Saul Kaplan says legislators who wanted summer jobs for children or relatives in state parks had only to ask.

  Cardinal Spellman's opinion of Eleanor Roosevelt: Moscow, Last of the Big-Time Bosses, p. 122, relates the Cardinal attacking Mrs. Roosevelt personally and being ordered to call on her at Hyde

  Notes for pages 741-754

  1220

  Park and "make up"—an order delivered by Pope Pius XII after Ed Flynn had flown to Rome to see him. Swapping pieces of land: RM. Fordham: See Chapter 36. Church interceding for him: Numerous interviews.

  The store for Macy's: Barnes.

  "AH Moses had to do was push that button": Rodriguez; virtually the same words were used by Lutsky—and by many other politicians in interviews.

  Borough presidents: Moscow, "Political Machines Have Lost Their Grip," The Saturday Evening Post, Apr. 12, 1947; What Have You Done for Me Lately?, pp. 57ff. Tammany's 30,000: Moscow, What Have You Done for Me Lately?, p. 57. Power running both ways: Connable and Silberfarb, pp. i82ff. Cook: "Shame," p. 262. For an over-all analysis of the shifts in their power, see Sayre and Kaufman, pp. 638-39. Effect of the new scale of construction: The most incisive analysis the author has heard was given by Rodriguez, who worked for both an "old" BP—Jimmy Lyons—and a "new," Herman Badillo. "On the chessboard": Sayre and Kaufman, p. 652. Control of the streets: Sayre and Kaufman, pp. 629-30. "Unwritten law": Moscow, Rodriguez, among others. "Commanding position": Sayre and Kaufman, p. 631. New realities: Costikyan, Moscow, Rodriguez, Lazarus, Wagner, among others; confirmed by the author's analysis of major public works proposals—and their ultimate disposal—between 1946 and i960. Stepping into the vacuum: Rodriguez described how RM's offers looked from Lyons' angle. Moscow, who dealt with all the BP's on Wagner's behalf, saw it happening, too. Also interviews with Barnes, Chapin, Cullman, Latham, Lazarus, Madigan, Screvane, Shapiro, Tallamy, Wagner. "Push a button": Confidential source. RM disciplining Lyons: Moscow, What Have You Done for Me Lately?, pp. 201-02; NYT, Mar. 12, 1953. "Center of gravity": Sayre and Kaufman, p. 626. Forcing Board to approve Narrows Bridge approaches: Moscow; Ina Joan Caro, "The Bridge" (unpublished M.A. thesis). Require redemption: The total value of Triborough facilities was set at that figure by Dun and Brad-street.

  "A foreign, sovereign state": Confidential source. Lutsky: Interview. No attempt to modify it: Author's analysis of program.

  34. Moses and the Mayors

  SOURCES

  Books, articles and documents:

  Anderson, The Federal Bulldozer; Connable and Silberfarb, Tigers of Tammany; Costikyan, Behind Closed Doors; Felker (ed.), The Power Game; Flynn, You're the Boss; Garrett, The La Guardia Years; Gunther, Inside U.S.A.; Hamburger, Mayor-Watching; Lie, In the Cause of Peace; Mockridge, The Big Fix; Moscow, What Have You Done for Me Lately? and The Last of the Big-Time Bosses; Morris, Let the Chips Fall; Moses, Dangerous Trade; Nevins and Krout, The Greater City; Rodgers, Robert Moses; Zeckendorf, Zeckendorf.

  Fred J. Cook and Gene Gleason, "The Shame of New York," The Nation, Oct. 31, 1959. Philip Hamburger, "The Mayor," The New Yorker, Jan. 26, Feb.

  7, 1957.

  Moses, "Construction Schedule for Arterial Highways and Parkways," Nov. 26, 1945.

  Moses, "Report to the Mayor, Board of Estimate, City Planning Commission and City Council by the City Construction Coordinator on Progress and Proposed Revision in the Program of Essential Postwar Public Improvements, New York City," Apr. 15, 1946.

  Moses to O'Dwyer, Memorandum "on the necessity for immediate agreement by the Board of Estimate on the City's improvement program in the years 1947, 1948 and 1949," Apr. 10, 1947. These two reports are the most valuable out of the great mass of O'Dwyer Papers.

  City Planning Commission, "Planning Progress, 1940-50, City of New York," Mar. 15, 1951.

  O'Dwyer, Impellitteri, Wagner and Zeckendorf Papers.

  Oral History Reminiscences:

  Stanley M. Isaacs, Reuben A. Lazarus, George McAneny, William O'Dwyer.

  NOTES

  'DWYER

  Author's interviews:

  For the O'Dwyer period: Charles Abrams, William S. Chapin, John A. Coleman, Victor F. Condello, Howard S. Cullman, Thomas E. Dewey, Jerry Finkelstein, Monroe Goldwater, Saul Kaplan, Jacob Lutsky, Michael J. Madigan, Joseph D. McGoldrick, Warren Mos-

  Notes for pages 755-767

  cow, Paul O'Dwyer, Lawrence M. Orton, Sidney M. Shapiro, Paul Windels, William J. Zeckendorf, confidential sources.

  O'D biography: Gunther, pp. 559-65; Hamburger, pp. 84-114; Moscow, What Have You Done for Me Lately?, pp. 31-34, and Last of the Big-Time Bosses, pp. 64-65, 85-89; Nevins and Krout, pp. 115-24. "Little did the boys know": Hamburger, p. 108. O'D and Moran: NYT, May 2, 1951; Dec. 19, 1952; "Shame," pp. 266-69; Fulton Oursler, "The Remarkable Story of William O'D," Reader's Digest, May 12, 1952; Morris, pp. 215-23. Trying to withdraw: Moscow, What Have You Done for Me Lately?, p. 32. In Mexico: Hamburger, p. 99. Grand-jury charges: NYT, Oct. 30, 1945.

  O'D's relationship with RM: $1,-565,000,000 price tag: Moses, "Report ... by the City Construction Coordinator on . . . Postwar Public Improvements." The report given to the Mayor-elect was a draft of the one published the following April.

  No money available: Moses, "Report," p. 5; McGoldrick; various newspapers, Dec. 1945-Feb. 1946. "I tell you": O'D quoted in Hamburger, pp. 96-97. Then Moses appeared: Moses, "Construction Schedule for Arterial Highways and Parkways," Nov. 26, 1945. Housing: NYT, Mar. 6, June 2, 1946; Post, Nov. 7, 14, 15, 1945; HT, Dec. 20, Dec. 21, 1945. Airports: Spivack in Post, Jan. 29, 1946.

  "Deferred" and "nondeferrable" lists: Codified in Apr. 15, 1946, "Report."

  RM wants to be named to Housing Authority: His boldest attempt was to come some months later in a series of leaks to the DN, climaxed in DN, Oct. 25, 1946.

  "Bob Moses represented to me": O'D OHR, p. 87.

  "Municipal extortion": NYC Consumer Council statement, quoted in NYT, Feb. 20, 1946. Isaacs pointed out: In letter printed in HT, Feb. 24, 1947- "Giveaway": McGoldrick interview with author; McGoldrick quoted in Post, Mar. 22, 1946. La Guardia radio broadcast: NYT, Jan. 7, 1946. Lazarus Joseph: HT, Feb. 20, 1946. Democrats demand O'D ask for more state aid: For example, NYT and Brooklyn Eagle, Feb. 24, 28.

  RM threatens to "reveal some facts": Post, Mar. 22, 1946. Naked display of power: Moscow. O'D empowers RM to represent him: NYT, Feb. 18. Joseph on third floor, RM on second: HT, Feb. 18. City's business entirely through RM: Condello, the city's legislative representa-

  tive; a confident J lourcc wh sented Dewe in id. neeotiatioi Ian, Assembly n ; .' s

  counsel; Lazara on the icene in unofficial technical capacity; Mo covering city Hall foi the Timet also HT, Mar. 29. The dial: [ntervi cited directly above rV] 7. //./. . M( | h lyn Eagle, various issu. have the details although they did n<»t know the significance of RM's role RM did not represent their position: ) / Feb. 19. O'D did not apply pressure: NYT, Feb.
20.

  RM's commission: Approval of Tunnel Authority takeover: NYT, Apr. 24, 1946; of increase in bonds and new bond interest rates: HT, Mar. 5; of Airport Authority: Various newspapers, Mar. 27; of housing: NYT, June 2; $22,000,000 bonus: NYT, Feb. 20.

  Analysis of deal results: Isaacs OHR, pp. 248-60; interviews cited above. The few public analyses came only much after the fact—for example, Post, Mar. 16, 1950.

  "Pick your members": O'D OHR, p. 871. Why members selected: Shapiro. "I never spoke": O'D OHR, p. 871. McLaughlin, Meyer appointments: O'D OHR, p. 583. Appointments in other key agencies: O'D OHR, p. 546.

  "Strong man": NYT, Jan. 8, 1946. "Oberbiirgermeister": LaG radio speech quoted in NYT, Dec. 29, 1945. RM boasts: Christian Science Monitor article quoted in Post, May 21, 1946. "Matters pending": Corcoran to O'D, May 29, 1946, O'D Papers. Laughing it off: O'D interview in Post, May 22, 1946.

  O'D getting angry: Post, May 2, 1946; Lutsky, Moscow, Orton. Spargo: Moscow. "Trouble-shooting" squad: NYT, May 27, 1946. O'D calls Orton: Orton. RM losing on Planning Commission: Orton. Stop worrying: McAneny OHR; Windels.

  Idlewild: RM planning 600 percent rise: PM, Mar. 19, 1946. Lunch at Randall's Island: HT, July 10, 20. The bonds could not be sold: NYT, July 22. Port Authority announcement: HT, Dec. 19. Press accuses O'D: Various newspapers, July 1946. O'D gives Port Authority airports: NYT, Aug. 3. Cancellation of $1,178,250 contract: O'D Papers.

  Liberal organizations: Post, June 24. 28,000: NYT, June 24, 1946. "The biggest story": PM, July 28. O'D considering enlarging Planning Commission: Acting Corporation Counsel John J. Bennett to O'D, Dec. 28, 1946, O'D Papers. RM's

  Notes for pages 767-783

  1222

  access to O'D restricted: Confidential source. RM asks deputy mayor: RM to Corcoran, Nov. 22, 1946, O'D Papers. Herzstein reply: Herzstein to RM, Nov. 25, 1946, O'D Papers. "Tell the gentleman"; Coleman, who was present, in interview with author.