With no bibliography or source notes, it's hard to verify much of what the author writes. However, given my knowledge of the extent to which political maneuvering happens in the United States, it's not hard to believe what he writes. A friend in Oregon recommended this book to me, so I requested through an interlibrary loan. The copy I received had at least two stories missing--on both sides of one complete page that was torn out. Even those secrets are hidden from me.