Moses’ doctoral thesis advocated elite-only government service

Evidence

Because he “is being considered as a likely successor to Frank Spencer,” said the article under the headline, Moses’ Ph.D. thesis, “of which he acknowledges the authorship, and in which he openly advocates that positions in the government service should be open only to university men and ‘gentlemen who had inherited breeding and culture,’ has caused a mild sensation in civil service circles.” — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 311

Categorization

• QUESTION: This elite-only thesis recurs as a theme — worth tracking how Moses’ early stated agenda of “breeding and culture” in government recurs or contradicts in later chapters.
• XREF: connects to: Moses wanted American government run strictly by graduates of Princeton, Harvard, or Yale. — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 245; Moses conceived public service as an instrument for implementing great social reforms — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 231; Moses began his career in public service with passionate idealism — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 248 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Moses conceived public service as an instrument for implementing great social reforms #expands (0.82) — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 231
• Moses admired a civil service with a rigidly closed upper class #expands (0.78) — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 234
• Moses began his career in public service with passionate idealism #contradicts (0.72) — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 248