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in the company would say, “Well, why the hell do you have Heiskell on your board when he doesn't even understand what it's all about and allows his publications to do this terrible story that has done us great damage?” I thought it was a no-win situation and I continued that policy even though a lot of my colleagues disagreed with it. And ultimately I had--as we grew broader and broader--I had to just sort of give in, because we would acquire companies. When we acquired Temple, I couldn't very well ask Arthur Temple to go off all the boards that he was on just because he had become an officer of Time Incorporated. So if Temple was allowed to be on, how come Jim Shepley couldn't be on some board? That's sort of how it went, and gradually they wore me down. But I had made it so clear that I personally did not wish to be on any board that I wasn't even invited! [laughter] I think I was invited once.

To where?

G.A.F. I'm glad I had that policy. [laughter] I was invited to that once, and I was also invited to be head of N.B.C. once. I forgot about that.

You mean to run N.B.C.?

Yes.

What period was that? Who invited you?