ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Special thanks go to Troy N. Miller, who worked with me for years as a producer and writer for the television show The Big Picture, which I hosted every weeknight for seven years in Washington, DC. Troy worked hard as a researcher, sounding board, editor, and often cowriter on parts of this book, and deserves recognition for it.

At Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Steve Piersanti—who was the founder—worked with me to kick off this series. It’s been a labor of love for both of us, and I’m so grateful to Steve for his insights, rigor, and passion for this project. Of the many other people at BK who have helped with this book (and some projects associated with it), special thanks to Jeevan Sivasubramaniam (who has helped keep me sane for years) and Neal Maillet. BK is an extraordinary publishing company, and it’s been an honor to have them publish my books for almost two decades.

They also provided a brilliant final editor for the book, Elissa Rabellino, who did a great job smoothing and tightening the text while also fact-checking.

Bill Gladstone, my agent for over two decades, helped make this book—and the Hidden History series—possible. Bill is truly one of the best in the business.

My executive producer, Shawn Taylor, helped with booking expert guests into our radio and TV programs, many of whom provided great information and anecdotes for this book. And my video producer, Nate Atwell, is a true visual genius. I’m blessed to have such a great team helping me produce a daily radio and TV program, which supports my writing work.

And, as always, my best sounding board, editor, and friend is my wife, Louise. Without her, in all probability none of my books would ever have seen the light of day.