Moses concealed centralizing plans even from his supposed allies to secure passage
Evidence
Moses concealed his purposes not only from those who, if they knew them, might oppose them—the legislators—but from those who thought they were his allies, the old men who had worked on the New York State Association report and who, through their individual commissions, had been running the parks in the state for so many years. If these men were to oppose his plans, they could, with their control of their local legislators, pose a formidable obstacle to passage. So he didn’t tell the old men about the true scope of his plans for the State Council of Parks. In fact, knowing that they were concerned about the fate of the pieces of land they had guarded so long, he assured them over and over that the establishment of the council would in no way affect their control over those lands. “It is,” he wrote them, “merely a coordinating agency.” Parks in each region, he promised them, would remain under the control of the regional commissioners. — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 781
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: Moses disguised a power grab as a coordination speech — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 2601; Moses’ motive shifted from building works to seizing power itself — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 2594; Moses concealed his real parkway plans from the bill’s sponsor — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 786 (+1 more)
Broader Connections
- Moses concealed his real parkway plans from the bill’s sponsor
#exemplifies(0.95) — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 786 - Moses disguised a power grab as a coordination speech
#qualifies(0.85) — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 2601 - Moses’ motive shifted from building works to seizing power itself
#qualifies(0.80) — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 2594 - Even his patron believed control of Moses hinged on personal force
#expands(0.75) — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 2986