This book examines the phenomenon of presidential power in great detail. Reviewing the activities of Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan as Presidents of the United States, the author, a professor at Harvard University, touches on a variety of aspects of the head of the executive branch’s actions, from legal to psychological. Particular attention is paid to the techniques and methods by which the president extends his influence on the electorate, officialdom, the press, and U.S. allies. An important place is given to the analysis of presidential charisma in modern society. «My goal,» the author notes, «is to explore the complex relationship of the White House’s master with power. This is a classic problem of a man who got to the top of the political system: how, being a nominal holder of power, to become such in fact.» Neustadt’s book, which has been published several times in the United States, has become a bestseller in many countries.