For much of the past 15 years, my assistants and I have been reading minutes and papers in the National Archives, the Board of Governors and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. I owe a debt of appreciation to the Board's librarians; to the archivists at the New York Fed, to my several assistants, and to many at the Fed who cooperated helpfully to make this project come to completion. The result soon will be published in three volumes of more than 2,000 pages. Volume 1 has been in print for