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Andrew HeiskellAndrew Heiskell
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Session:         Page of 824

Heiskell:

I don't know who they went to specifically. I can't remember.

Q:

But what was the general attitude at Time, Inc.

Heiskell:

Well, the general attitude at Time, Inc. was those files are ours. It's nobody's business to go poking into our files.

Q:

Any particular memories surrounding major events, i.e. any of the key invasions, FDR's death?

Heiskell:

FDR's death I can remember. Absolutely extraordinary! I was on the editorial floor when the word spread and everybody just came to a complete stop. Literally, it was as if they had been struck down wherever they stood. I don't mean that they actually fell, but we all just stopped, couldn't believe it. We had become so accustomed to the father figure that we couldn't believe that he was no longer there. Of course, instantly, your mind said, not only is the father figure gone but there isn't anybody else, because, of course, Truman had been practically a hidden person during that whole period.

Q:

Was it a surprise or did the press have any sense of how sick he was?

Heiskell:

No, no. It's really unbelievable when you consider some of those pictures that did appear--some, most of them were censored.





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