by James Mauro
17 “unconditionally refuse” Otto Nathan and Heinz Norden, eds., Einstein on Peace (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1960), p. 95.
18 “Our results so far” William L. Laurence, “Einstein Sees Key to Universe Near,” New York Times, March 14, 1939.
19 “one great mistake” Ronald W. Clark, Einstein: The Life and Times (New York: Harper Perennial, 2007), p. 752.
20 “ticking like a clock” “Aftermath of World’s Fair Bombing,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, July 5, 2007.
21 Joe was in luck Mary Hosie, “Victim Answered Call to Fair on His Day Off,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, July 5, 1940.
22 “This is only the beginning” “Valentine Warns of More Bombings,” New York Times, July 12, 1940.
CHAPTER 1: “WHY DON’T YOU DO IT, DADDY?”
1 One in particular For details on Joseph and Jacqueline Shadgen, as well as Edward Roosevelt, see “Blame It on Jacqueline,” New Yorker, June 26, 1937, p. 16; Davis, “Barnum in Modern Dress,” p. 458; and John Bainbridge and St. Clair McKelway, “That Was the New York World’s Fair,” New Yorker, April 19, 1941.
2 “Mr. Roosevelt” Bainbridge and McKelway, “That Was the New York World’s Fair.”
3 “Well, what did you learn” Ibid.
4 “Don’t get the idea” “Blame It on Jacqueline,” New Yorker.
5 To date, there had been Gardner Harding, “World’s Fair 1939: A Preview,” Harper’s Magazine, January 1938, p. 129.
6 The very first For a brief history of World’s Fairs, see George R. Leighton, “World’s Fairs: From Little Egypt to Robert Moses,” Harper’s Magazine, July 1960; and Harding, “World’s Fair 1939: A Preview.”
7 “Why don’t you do it, Daddy?” “Blame It on Jacqueline,” New Yorker.
8 “I first began to think” “World’s Fair Plan ‘Scared’ Its Author,” New York Times, September 24, 1935.
9 “Ed, this wine storage idea” Bainbridge and McKelway, “That Was the New York World’s Fair.”
10 “New York lives” “‘Father of Fair’ Never Visited It,” New York Times, October 27, 1940.
11 “I firmly believe” “World’s Fair Plan ‘Scared’ Its Author,” New York Times.
12 “Flushing Meadows” Bainbridge and McKelway, “That Was the New York World’s Fair.”
13 a seemingly endless series of luncheons Between September 17, 1935, and April 21, 1936, McAneny hosted twenty-three luncheons and ten dinners. New York World’s Fair Archives (hereafter referred to as NYWF Archives), B9, F19.
14 “Mr. Shadgen and Mr. Roosevelt” Bainbridge and McKelway, “That Was the New York World’s Fair.”
15 “The subject of the site” “New York to Hold World’s Fair in 1939,” New York Times, September 23, 1935.
16 “We have a great idea” Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York (New York: Vintage Books, 1974), p. 654.
17 “My God, that is a great idea!” Ibid.
18 “I am waiting for another” Robert Moses, “From Dump to Glory,” Saturday Evening Post, January 15, 1938, p. 74.
19 “This was the logical place” Ibid., p. 13.
20 “An agreement was made” Ibid.
21 “This dream” Moses, Saga of Flushing Meadows.
22 “The miracle happened” Ibid.
23 “from the beginning” Ibid.
24 “thirty years of” Ibid.
25 “All my predecessors” “392 More Acres Asked for the Fair,” New York Times, October 12, 1935.
26 “Rats” Ibid.
27 To his unending regret In a letter dated April 22, 1936, former governor Al Smith, at the prodding of Robert Moses, wrote to the corporation’s board of directors, “The period of debate and discussion must be ended…I suggest that there be no doubt as to the authority given [Whalen].” NYWF Archives, B13, F2.
CHAPTER 2: MR. NEW YORK
1 His was a curious boyhood For biographical information on Grover Whalen, see Whalen, Mr. New York; Geoffrey T. Hellman, “For City and for Coty—I & II,” New Yorker, July 14, 1951, and July 21, 1951, pp. 28–45; and Davis, “Barnum in Modern Dress.”
2 “My father started out” Whalen, Mr. New York, p. 7.
3 “My father was so grieved” Ibid., p. 9.
4 “I remember one house” Ibid., p. 8.
5 “I came to know” Ibid., p. 22.
6 There was more to do For background on Whalen and Mayor John Hylan, see Davis, “Barnum in Modern Dress.”
7 “They sent for Mr. Lynn” Whalen, Mr. New York, p. 26.
8 “John F. Hylan may not be” Ibid., p. 27.
9 “He advised me” Ibid., p. 33.
10 “The various parades” Ibid., p. 82.
11 “I organized” Ibid., p. 90.
12 invented the ticker tape parade “Hello & Goodbye,” Time, April 27, 1962.
13 “The Whalen welcomes” Alva Johnston, “The Gilded Copper,” New Yorker, January 12, 1929, p. 24.
14 “Red Mike” “Tammany Test,” Time, July 8, 1929.
15 “But I wouldn’t want” Johnston, “Gilded Copper,” p. 23.
CHAPTER 3: A VOLUNTARY EXILE
1 would assassinate Einstein “Urged Murder of Einstein, Pays $16 Fine in Berlin Court,” New York Times, April 8, 1921.
2 “haven where scholars and scientists” Clark, Einstein: The Life and Times.
3 “Could I live on less?” Ibid.
4 “I am not abandoning Germany” Walter Isaacson, Einstein: His Life and Universe (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007), p. 398.
5 “Sometimes the Americans” “‘Nice People, Those Americans,’ Says Einstein, Landing in Holland,” New York Times, April 5, 1932.
6 “Before you leave our villa” Clark, Einstein: The Life and Times, p. 549.
7 “Gone was the flustered” Nathan and Norden, eds., Einstein on Peace, p. 124.
8 “Do they think I am a prizefighter?” Alva Johnston, “Scientist and Mob Idol—I,” New Yorker, December 2, 1933, p. 24.
9 “The Einstein of 1933” Ibid.
10 “Never before have I experienced” Isaacson, Einstein: His Life and Universe, p. 400.
11 “What is your political creed?” “Einstein’s Ultimatum Brings a Quick Visa; Our Consul Angered Him by Political Quiz,” New York Times, December 6, 1932.
12 “If we don’t get that visa” “Women Made Complaint,” New York Times, December 6, 1932.
13 “Wouldn’t it be funny” Ibid.
14 “absolute pacifist” Clark, Einstein: The Life and Times.
15 “It has been assumed” “Einstein’s Address on World Situation,” New York Times, January 24, 1933.
16 “[I do] not intend” “Einstein to Alter Status,” New York Times, March 30, 1933.
17 “Germany’s contribution” “Einstein Honored at Dinner Here,” New York Times, March 16, 1933.
18 “I decided today” Nathan and Norden, eds., Einstein on Peace, p. 155.
19 “But where the danger” “Dr. Einstein Urges Hitler Protests,” New York Times, March 17, 1933.
20 “What do you think of pacifists” Ibid.
21 its firm stance on isolationism One of the most profound analyses of 1930s isolationist America can be found in Raoul de Roussy de Sales’s “What Makes an American,” Atlantic Monthly, March 1939.
22 he improvised ugly melodies Alva Johnston, “Scientist and Mob Idol—II,” New Yorker, December 3, 1933, p. 29.
23 “A conflict between” “Einstein Departs; Women Cheer Him,” New York Times, March 19, 1933.
24 “The raid on the home” Clark, Einstein: The Life and Times, p. 562; “Nazis Hunt Arms in Einstein Home,” New York Times, March 21, 1933.
25 “Long live Einstein!” “Einstein Foresees Dangers for Jews,” New York Times, March 29, 1933.
26 Two days after “Nazis Seize Einstein’s Funds in German Bank; Academy Refuses to ‘Regret’ His Resignation,” New York Times, April 2, 1933.
27 “a mass psychosis” Clark, Einstein: The Life and Times,
p. 569.
28 “Surely there will come a time” Nathan and Norden, eds., Einstein on Peace, p. 217.
29 “All I ask” “Einstein’s Plan to Lecture Here Unaffected by Post in Madrid,” New York Times, April 12, 1933.
30 “What I shall tell you” Nathan and Norden, eds., Einstein on Peace, p. 229.
31 “It is beyond me” Ibid., pp. 234–35.
32 “Hitler’s methods may be insane” Ibid., p. 230.
33 “Can you possibly be unaware” Ibid., p. 231.
34 he listed his address as “ohne” “Commons to Rush Einstein Measure,” New York Times, July 30, 1933.
35 “When a bandit” “Einsteins Plan Cruise,” New York Times, September 9, 1933.
36 “Be on your guard” “Einstein, Guarded, Addresses 10,000,” New York Times, October 4, 1933.
37 “We must realize” Ibid.
38 “I am European by instinct” “Einstein in Refuge on English Coast,” New York Times, September 11, 1933.
39 he remained in his cabin “Einstein Is Silent on Ship at Halifax,” New York Times, October 16, 1933.
40 “He and Mrs. Einstein” “Einstein Arrives; Pleads for Quiet,” New York Times, October 18, 1933.
CHAPTER 4: THE GARDENIA OF THE LAW
1 They weren’t entirely wrong For background on NYPD graft, gambling, and gangsters from 1910 to 1920, see Mike Dash, Satan’s Circus: Murder, Vice, Police Corruption and New York’s Trial of the Century (New York: Crown Publishers, 2007).
2 Up for reelection For details on Mayor Jimmy Walker and Arnold Rothstein, see Nick Tosches, King of the Jews (New York: Ecco, 2005).
3 “I’ve got to make a change” Whalen, Mr. New York, pp. 133–34.
4 Whalen took office For details on Whalen’s term as police commissioner, see Johnston, “The Gilded Copper,” pp. 21–24; Elmer Davis, “Our Island Universe: Reflections of a Resident of Manhattan,” Harper’s Magazine, November 1929, pp. 682–87; and Davis, “Barnum in Modern Dress,” pp. 453–63.
5 “the best on the market” Davis, “Barnum in Modern Dress.”
6 “I’ll have no use for that” “Whalen Begins Shake-Up, Ousting Two Inspectors; Will War on Speakeasies,” New York Times, December 20, 1928.
7 “The city is in for” “Whalen Abolishes the Homicide Squad; Carey Is Forced Out,” New York Times, December 22, 1928.
8 A newspaper cartoon “In Room 349,” Time, December 24, 1928.
9 “He loves to design uniforms” Davis, “Barnum in Modern Dress.”
10 “the two men responsible” Whalen, Mr. New York, p. 144.
11 “strong-arm squad” “Whalen Spurs Raids on Speakeasies That Sell Poison Liquor,” New York Times, January 3, 1929; “Strong-Arm Corps Revived by Whalen to War on Crime; Policewomen Told to Aid,” New York Times, December 27, 1928.
12 “I told them” “Whalen Begins Shake-Up,” New York Times.
13 “I want every” Ibid.
14 He also got rid “New York’s Whalen,” Time, January 7, 1929.
15 “A record of that kind” Ibid.
16 “certain major cases” “Mayer Now Leads Search for Biller,” New York Times, December 25, 1928.
17 “There are certain types of places” “Whalen Begins Shake-Up,” New York Times.
18 thirty-two thousand “Buck-Passing,” Time, September 9, 1929.
19 several dubious films Ibid.
20 “poison liquor” “Notes and Comment,” New Yorker, January 12, 1929, p. 10.
21 Just after New Year’s “Whalen Spurs Raids,” New York Times.
22 “those that sold a drink” Davis, “Our Island Universe.”
23 “It seemed evident” Whalen, Mr. New York, p. 150.
24 “Red infiltration” Ibid.
25 frequently so violent “The Week,” New Republic, March 19, 1930, p. 110.
26 “Mr. Whalen declared” Davis, “Our Island Universe.”
CHAPTER 5: NEW YORK WORLD’S FAIR, INC.
1 “Well, we won the election” Whalen, Mr. New York, p. 164.
2 “would tolerate no interference” Ibid., p. 138.
3 “I lost his friendship” Ibid.
4 “This isn’t Wanamaker’s” “Mulrooney for Whalen,” Time, June 2, 1930.
5 “It was your devotion” Ibid.
6 he had spent countless hours “Be Seated!” Time, February 4, 1929.
7 “Gardenia of the Law” “In Mr. Whalen’s Image,” Time.
8 “nineteen thirty-four” Whalen, Mr. New York, p. 173.
9 In the summer of 1935 For background on the World’s Fair Corporation, see “Great World Fair for City in 1939 on Site in Queens,” New York Times, September 23, 1935; Hellman, “For City and for Coty I & II”; and Bainbridge and McKelway, “That Was the New York World’s Fair.”
10 managed to turn a small profit For initial estimates regarding the Chicago World’s Fair, see “Fair Investment Set at $45,000,000,” New York Times, March 3, 1936.
11 brought about $770 million worth Shalett, “Epitaph for the World’s Fair.”
12 On October 22 “Fair Papers Are Drawn,” New York Times, October 20, 1935.
13 “probably the most eminent group” Harding, “World’s Fair 1939: A Preview,” p. 135.
14 “The corporation is not organized” “1939 World’s Fair Now a Legal Fact,” New York Times, October 23, 1935.
15 “We had to find an idea” S. J. Woolf, “The Man Behind the Fair Tells How It Grew,” New York Times, March 5, 1939.
16 “If the Galoshes Hall” Bruce Bliven Jr., “Fair Tomorrow,” New Republic, December 7, 1938, p. 121.
17 “You had to have the soul” Harding, “World’s Fair 1939: A Preview.”
18 the desired minimum of fifty million Minutes of the Promotion Council, January 24, 1938, NYWF Archives, B1, F7.
19 “After we had the basic idea” Woolf, “Man Behind the Fair.”
20 “That word, ‘future’” Ibid.
21 a better life to come “A World’s Fair on New Lines,” November 30, 1936, NYWF Archives, B9, F19.
22 “It is evident that” Bernard Lichtenberg, “Business Backs New York World’s Fair to Meet the New Deal Propaganda,” Public Opinion Quarterly (April 1938): 314–20.
23 “compelling cause for hope” Ibid.
24 “the necessity of defending itself” Gardner Ainsworth, “The New York Fair: Adventure in Promotion,” Public Opinion Quarterly (October 1939): 695.
25 “I wouldn’t engage anyone” Woolf, “Man Behind the Fair.”
26 “world war or World’s Fair” Forrest Davis, “Money Makes the Fair Go,” Saturday Evening Post, April 15, 1939, p. 37.
27 “I haven’t the slightest idea” “Navigable River to Pierce Fair Site,” New York Times, September 26, 1935.
28 In fact, the city “392 More Acres Asked for the Fair,” New York Times, October 12, 1935.
29 “one step ahead of the lawyers” “City Votes $200,000 for Early Fair Work,” New York Times, October 24, 1935.
30 “there has not been” “1939 World’s Fair Now a Legal Fact,” New York Times.
31 “The more I have thought” “Navigable River to Pierce Fair Site,” New York Times.
32 “This is to be” “City Votes $200,000,” New York Times.
33 “It was the judgment” “Great World Fair for City in 1939,” New York Times.
34 From the beginning For details on Robert Moses’s involvement in the reclamation of Flushing Meadows, see Moses, “From Dump to Glory;” Moses, Saga of Flushing Meadows; and Starr, “Valley of Ashes: F. Scott Fitzgerald and Robert Moses.”
35 “the only site in New York” Moses, “From Dump to Glory,” p. 72.
36 “A fighter of quick temper” Cleveland Rogers, “Robert Moses,” Atlantic Monthly, February 1939.
37 The son of For further biographical detail on Moses, see Caro, The Power Broker; Hilary Ballon and Kenneth T. Jackson, eds., Robert Moses and the Modern City: The Transformation of New York (New York: W.
W. Norton, 2008).
38 Nevertheless, he remained For works by Moses, see Robert Moses, Public Works: A Dangerous Trade (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1970); Moses, “The Limits of Government,” Saturday Evening Post, October 12, 1935; Moses, “The End of Santa Claus,” Saturday Evening Post, June 27, 1936; and Moses, “Slums and City Planning,” Atlantic Monthly, January 1945.
39 “Bob Moses is” Rogers, “Robert Moses.”
40 “If this Moses scheme” Hubert Herring, “Robert Moses and His Parks,” Harper’s Magazine, December 1937, p. 29.
41 “Can’t you realize” Ibid., p. 28.
42 “The minute you put” Ibid., p. 26.
43 “Robert Moses is a good man” Ibid., p. 36.
44 “His most ferocious attacks” Herbert Kaufman, “Robert Moses: Charismatic Bureaucrat,” Political Science Quarterly (Autumn 1975).
45 Since January For details of Moses’s various governmental battles, see “Robert (Or I’ll Resign) Moses,” Fortune, June 1938; and Rogers, “Robert Moses.”
46 “He acknowledged no one” Kaufman, “Robert Moses: Charismatic Bureaucrat.”
47 “too expensive” “Park No Place for Art Museum and 40-Cent Coffee, Moses Says,” New York Times, March 12, 1935.
48 “before he becomes a Mussolini” “Court Sees Moses in ‘Mussolini’ Role,” New York Times, April 4, 1935.
49 He followed that “Moses Defends Inwood Park Road,” New York Times, March 23, 1935.
50 “You tell him for me” “La Guardia Vexed by Moses Threat over Bridge Post,” New York Times, June 29, 1935.
51 It was one of the nicer For details on the Moses/La Guardia showdowns, see Caro, The Power Broker, pp. 446–67.
52 On November 20 For details on the original board of directors of New York World’s Fair, Inc., see “McAneny Elected World’s Fair Head,” New York Times, November 21, 1935.
53 In December, he warned “Moses Asks Speed in Plans for Fair,” New York Times, December 24, 1935.
54 “adopt an alternative plan” “Moses Again Warns of World’s Fair Delay,” New York Times, January 25, 1936.
