Daniel Patrick Moynihan: A Portrait in Letters of an American Visionary »

Steven R. Weisman is editorial director and public policy fellow at the Peterson Institute in Washington, DC; before that he was the chief international economics correspondent of the New York Times. He also served at the Times as a member of the editorial board, specializing in politics and economics (1995–2002) and as deputy foreign editor. He is the author of The Great Tax Wars: Lincoln to Wilson—The Fierce Battles over Money and Power That Transformed the Nation, which received the Sidney Hillman Award in 2003 for the book that most advances the cause of social justice.

A unique publishing event: The private letters of a great American statesman and philosopher—available to the public for the first time—offer extraordinary insight into both the man and our times

The New York Times - David Brooks

…absorbing reading…This whole collection has been put together with superb care. While writing this review, I've been cursing Weisman's introduction for its mastery in highlighting all the crucial points about Moynihan's life. It is hard to write anything about this book that doesn't merely repeat that fine essay. Weisman has also written superb contextual paragraphs between the letters, so even people unfamiliar with Moynihan's career will be able to follow along easily.

Introduction Steven R. Weisman Weisman, Steven R. 1

Chapter One "I Think We are Going to Make History" 27

Chapter Two "Nine Pages of Dynamite" 75

Chapter Three "We Were Going to Change This Country" 113

Chapter Four "Welfare is a Bankrupt and Destructive System" 173

Chapter Five "The Erosion of Authority Will Continue" 199

Chapter Six "...a President They Trust and Admire" 229

Chapter Seven "Something Perhaps to Be Forgiven" 273

Chapter Eight "The Indians Have the Bomb" 323

Chapter Nine "Dear Yorker...Dear New Yorker" 387

Chapter Ten "Therefore They Will Decline" 457

Chapter Eleven "We Have a Prospect of Peace on Earth" 487

Chapter Twelve "I Propose that Kuwait Be Liberated..." 525

Chapter Thirteen "What is to Be Done?" 579

Chapter Fourteen "Thus Ends the Progressive Era" 617

Chapter Fifteen "I Write to Say Farewell and Thanks" 651

My Father the Writer Maura Moynihan Moynihan, Maura 665

Acknowledgments 671

Index 677