Historian & Biographer Robert Caro
Summary
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Robert Caro discusses his writing process, including his meticulous outlining and use of a typewriter, while offering insights into his works on Robert Moses and Lyndon Johnson. He details his extensive interview techniques, the political power dynamics in New York, and the complexities of LBJ’s presidency, particularly regarding Vietnam and civil rights. Caro also reflects on his career, personal history, and the preservation of his archives at the New York Historical Society.
Topics discussed
Introduction and Robert Caro's writing process
The inspiration for The Power Broker's final line
Typing speed, thinking, and the Smith Corona typewriter
The value of slow work and detailed outlining
Interviewing techniques and extracting details
Interviewing Lady Bird Johnson and Alice Glass
Lyndon Johnson's boyhood and legislative achievements
The difficulty of writing about the Vietnam War
Financial struggles and the discovery of Robert Moses
Understanding Robert Moses' hidden power and racism
Interviewing Robert Moses and editing The Power Broker
Early life, Princeton, and meeting his wife Ina
Robert Moses' impact on NYC infrastructure and segregation
Moses vs. LaGuardia and the nature of political power
The hatred between Lyndon Johnson and Robert Kennedy
Caro's archives and the New York Historical Society exhibit
Awards, investigative reporting, and the JFK assassination
Current state of NYC and the need for a FDR biography
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