Joshua Lederberg Ray Robinson on- George S. McGovern Edmund K. Faltermayer on the Black Death baseball history on arms traffic on suburbia

Elje 'Washington post

V.1. IR, No. 24 0 1169 Pasftli Carp. .WORLD JUNE 15,1969

The Times THE KINGDOM AND THE POWER. By Gay Tahoe. Maw !rated. World. 555 pp. 510. that tries I cannot claim to have approached the subject of this """'"----""5"-'"'"*"'"'"""`". —T.2"`"=Irairiihod 4? llelliCbment. Eibbtecia Of the Most * - - men 8 SOIttas miserable months, of my life were spent as a local re- By Sander Vanocur porter for The New York Times. It was during this pe- riod, 1954-55, that I first met Gay Talese. He was work- ing in the sports department and, as I remember, getting nowhere. He was terribly bright and showed it; he wrote exceedingly well; and he was what us boys raised in the Middle West used to call a "snappy dresser." At that time, none of these qualities was very helpful to rapid advancement at the Times and it was apparent that Talese was not long for the Times. But Talese has a problem and I suppose I have it, too — and it is probably shared by anyone who has ever worked for the Times. Even when we find it in error, or distorted, or just dishonest, we are reluctant, often un- willing, to judge the Thee: by those standards we use to measure other institutions, spiritual and temporal. One personal example. When Talese was correcting the galley proofs for this book, he called me to check whether the facts I had given him in an interview were correctly set down. They were, with one important ex- ception. Talese had written that I had resigned from the Times. I told him this was not right: I had been fired. "But look" he replied, "no one ever gets fired from the Times. They simply get moved farther and farther back in the newsroom where they die a slow death." I begged Talese to report what I had told him; the fact of being fired from the Times was something that would look good in my resume. But he never cor- rected the mistake. This incident, trivial though it may be, suggests that most of us have conditioned ourselves, or have been conditioned by the Times, to believe that the people who run it are above the baser instincts and struggles of human existence. Well, they are not And that is what this book is about Then why should anyone outside the field of journalism be interested in the petty jealousies, plots, counterplots and villains (there are no heroes) which Talese so vividly describes? Given the holier-than- thou attitudes that ooze out of the Times every day of the week, the discovery of this mare's nest is like seeing dirty linen hung out in a detergent factory. But there is more to it. The men who have run the Times — Adolph Ochs; Arthur Hays Sulzberger, who married Ochs's daughter; Orvil Dryfoos, who married Arthur Hays Sulzberger's daughter; and now Stdz- bargees son, Arthur 0. (Punch) Sulzberger— are good and decent men. The members of this family do not run the Times primarily for profit (though profitable it is) ; they run it as a public service. (Continued on page 3) Sander Venom" is anchor man on NBC-TV's "First Tuesday" show.

BOOK WORLD WORLD BOOK

served no one save the family, to whom he endeared endeared he whom to family, the save one no served Catledge's protege, and he served him loyally. Reston Reston loyally. him served he and protege, Catledge's

tional prestige by marrying Margaret Truman, had been been had Truman, Margaret marrying by prestige tional

mental charm and cunning. cunning. and charm mental

associate editor. Both ostensibly served under the execu- the under served ostensibly Both editor. associate

tive editor, Turner Catledge, a Southerner of monu- of Southerner a Catledge, Turner editor, tive

paper's leading columnist, who now bore the title of of title the bore now who columnist, leading paper's many years chief of the Washington bureau and the the and bureau Washington the of chief years many

Daniel, the managing editor; and James Reston, for for Reston, James and editor; managing the Daniel,

their pursuit of power. power. of pursuit their

too was surrounded by courtiers, seeking his favor in in favor his seeking courtiers, by surrounded was too

1963. It was foreordained that the new publisher would would publisher new the that foreordained was It 1963.

thirty-seven, was given the post. Shortly thereafter he he thereafter Shortly post. the given was thirty-seven,

be a member of the family. Punch Sulzberger, then then Sulzberger, Punch family. the of member a be

a gentle man, who died shortly after the settlement of of settlement the after shortly died who man, gentle a

latest episode. It began with the death of Orvil Dryfoos, Dryfoos, Orvil of death the with began It episode. latest the bitter and-protracted New York printers' strike in in strike printers' York New and-protracted bitter the

sense that you are helping to shape history. Talese's Talese's history. shape to helping are you that sense

book is about that struggle, or more specifically, its its specifically, more or struggle, that about is book ledge that your newspaper is taken by those in high high in those by taken is newspaper your that ledge

places in this country and elsewhere as Holy Writ. The The Writ. Holy as elsewhere and country this in places

men's lives. The gratification that comes from the know- the from comes that gratification The lives. men's

how this "public service" will be run. run. be will service" "public this how

hope that they in turn may be empowered to determine determine to empowered be may turn in they that hope

the men who compete for the owners' favor — in the the in — favor owners' the for compete who men the

Power Power

(Continued from page 1) 1) page from (Continued

In the strictest sense, Daniel, who had achieved na- achieved had who Daniel, sense, strictest the In

The final struggle came down to two men: Clifton Clifton men: two to down came struggle final The

The stakes are enormous. The power to influence influence to power The enormous. are stakes The

is uniquely interesting for what it tells us about about us tells it what for interesting uniquely is

Jane 15,1969 15,1969 Jane

The Kingdom and the the and Kingdom The

seems to be — soon lose favor with officials in high high in officials with favor lose soon — be to seems

places, and in turn lose favor with the publisher, who who publisher, the with favor lose turn in and places,

is going on in this country country this in on going is raged. And those who do becolne outraged about what what about outraged becolne do who those And raged.

of the apparatus that runs the country. In this arrange- this In country. the runs that apparatus the of ment, the the ment,

many years in Washington: the idea that it is the duty duty the is it that idea the Washington: in years many

of the the of the running of of running the

executive editor, replacing Catledge, Reston brought to to brought Reston Catledge, replacing editor, executive

peculiar to powerful journalists who have spent too too spent have who journalists powerful to peculiar

sion that the wrong side won. rhis is not to pass judg- pass to not is rhis won. side wrong the that sion

on those of their supporters. Hut when he was named named was he when Hut supporters. their of those on

chosen to replace Wicker, hiul been wounded in a a in wounded been hiul Wicker, replace to chosen

ment on the personal character of Reston or Daniel or or Daniel or Reston of character personal the on ment

terrible struggle for power. power. for struggle terrible James Greenfield, whom Daniel and Rosenthal had had Rosenthal and Daniel whom Greenfield, James

bureau chief (chosen byReston as his successor) ; and and ; successor) his as byReston (chosen chief bureau

editor, Abe Rosenthal; Rosenthal; Abe editor,

before a number of able men the assistant managing managing assistant the men able of number a before

family more disinterested than those of his competitors. competitors. his of those than disinterested more family

cause Reston is a moral man with a touch of the the of touch a with man moral a is Reston cause

same power game, pretty much the same way, but be- but way, same the much pretty game, power same

preacher about him, his moves must have seemed to the the to seemed have must moves his him, about preacher

capacity to see no distinction between the national in- national the between distinction no see to capacity

when the two were not the same. Everyone played the the played Everyone same. the not were two the when

terest and the interest of of interest the and terest

himself by his professional ability and by his unfailing unfailing his by and ability professional his by himself

In a curious way Talese leIes one with the impres- the with one leIes Talese way curious a In

In the end, as Talese, relates, Reston won, but not not but won, Reston relates, Talese, as end, the In

Times Times

Times Times

to be a part, along with the government, government, the with along part, a be to

scolds, it criticizes, but it is rarely out- rarely is it but criticizes, it scolds,

The New York Times Times York New The

\

crom Wicker, the Washington Washington the Wicker, crom

The New York Times, Times, York New The

as Tom Wicker often often Wicker Tom as

a philosophy, philosophy, a

even even

to ponder. ponder. to

there, flapping in the breeze, for all of us to see and and see to us of all for breeze, the in flapping there,

thinking this sort of thing did not go on at at on go not did thing of sort this thinking

allies in this struggle. What is remarkable is that, until until that, is remarkable is What struggle. this in allies

haps by some whom he has nurtured and who were his his were who and nurtured has he whom some by haps

York Times. Times. York

this book was written, we had deluded ourselves into into ourselves deluded had we written, was book this

the struggle for power will continue and in due course course due in and continue will power for struggle the

Reston himself will be challenged by younger men, per- men, younger by challenged be will himself Reston

The hand of reconciliation has been offered to all by by all to offered been has reconciliation of hand The

Reston, who is in so many ways a generous man. But But man. generous a ways many so in is who Reston,

rarely if ever questioning its assumptions. assumptions. its questioning ever if rarely

porting its workings, criticizing its judgments, but but judgments, its criticizing workings, its porting

shown in certain sections, would have followed a dif- a followed have would sections, certain in shown

The New York Times, Times, York New The

sponsible for the brighter look the the look brighter the for sponsible ferent path; they might have avoided the notion, so so notion, the avoided have might they path; ferent pronounced in Washington, that newspapers, especially especially newspapers, that Washington, in pronounced

it might have forced him to cancel it it cancel to him forced have might it Daniel and his ally Rosenthal, both of whom are re- are whom of both Rosenthal, ally his and Daniel

an act which prompted Kennedy to say later that had had that later say to Kennedy prompted which act an

Kennedy Adminstration's plan for the Cuban invasion, invasion, Cuban the for plan Adminstration's Kennedy

the the

of Pigs persuaded Orvil Dryfoos to play down the the down play to Dryfoos Orvil persuaded Pigs of

by those in high places. places. high in those by

enjoys, from time to time, being consulted and flattered flattered and consulted being time, to time from enjoys,

Reston is now in charge and Daniel serves under him. him. under serves Daniel and charge in now is Reston

One cannot be sure, but Talese seems to imply that that imply to seems Talese but sure, be cannot One

It was Reston, after all, who on the eve of the Bay Bay the of eve the on who all, after Reston, was It

Times Times

printed all that it knew about the invasion, invasion, the about knew it that all printed

Thanks to Talese, the dirty linen is out out is linen dirty the Talese, to Thanks

should be part of the system, re- system, the of part be should

Times Times

has recently recently has

The New New The Page 3 3 Page