This book assesses contrasting interpretations of President Roosevelt's relations with the Nye Committee. It explores the complexity confronting Rayburn in weighing the factors that influenced his actions during the New Deal portion of his near half century in Congress.

Section I: FDR and Groups: Chapter One Roosevelt and Progressive Republicans: Friends and Foes, Chapter Two: The Congressional Mavericks: The "Radical" Populist- Progressive Heritage and the New Deal, Chapter Three: FDR and the Nye Committee: A Reassessment, Chapter Four: 'Die Velt, Yene Velt, and Roosevelt': The New Deal in the Jewish Community, Section II: FDR and Individual Congressmen: Chapter Five: Sam Rayburn and FDR, Chapter Six: Wright Patman's Entrepreneurial Leadership in Congress, 1929-1941, Chapter Seven: A Southern Congressman Clashes with His Commander-In-Chief: James P. Richards, FDR, and the 1941 Neutrality Act, Section III: Looking at the Record Fifty Years Later: Chapter Eight: The 1938 Purge: A Reexamination, Chapter Nine: The Realignment Theory After Fifty Years, Chapter Ten: Cutting the Deck: New Deal, Fair Deal, and the Employment Act of 1946: Problems of Study and Interpretation