A number of people helped me write this book. Some read drafts and commented on them; others lent the emotional support a project of this sort requires. I would like to thank in particular Patricia Bak, Stephen Bronner, Thomas Ferguson, Sandy Flittermaa Sam Friedman, Jim Hawley, Robert Kaufman, Carol MacLennan, Douglas Nelson, Lawrence Noble, Michael Rogin, Wendy Sarvasy, Roy Waldman, and Brian Wilson. Joel Rogers generously contributed his insight and knowledge in many hours of conversation. I owe him a special debt. I would also like to thank the members of the Rutgers University Political Economy Colloquium for the opportunity to try out some of the ideas for this book in their formative stages.
The research librarians and archivists at the National Archives, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library in Austin, Texas, and the Jacob Javits Collection at the State University of New York, Stony Brook, gave me invaluable assistance in locating documentary materials. Anne Baylouny, Ruth Kenrick, and Deborah Blendowski helped with the research in New Brunswick. The reviewers, editors, and staff at Temple University Press were a pleasure to work with. In particular, Michael Ames’s advice to make the argument as strong as I could made this a better book.
I would also like to thank the labor activists, unionists, public officials, agency staffers, corporate executives, and industry lobbyists who lent their time and insight to my effort to reconstruct this story. Most of them had other things to do, but nearly everyone I asked took time out to help. Some asked for anonymity, and I have respected their wishes. Those who did not are listed in an appendix to the text.
Finally, I want to thank Judith Grant, my colleague and companion. Her encouragement, good sense, and laughter helped me through the hard times and made the good times better.