Life, Crime and Capture of John Wilkes Booth

[RJNorton]

Gath writes, "Atzerodt had a room almost directly over Vice-President Johnson's. He had all the materials to do murder, but lost spirit or opportunity."

This concept is included in many books, and it is also what I taught in my classroom. However, in his own statements, Atzerodt denied ever agreeing to kill Johnson. What is the truth - did Atzerodt agree to kill Johnson but then lost his nerve, or did he tell Booth "no" all along?