Part: 1234         Session: 12345         Page 355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384 of 512

“Punch: The departure of Dick Peters, who, as you know, was hired with Op-Ed very much in mind, points up the need for action on Op-Ed. I don't see why it has to be deferred until after a decision has been made on the evening edition.”

That's a reference to the fact that the Times -- and all the news department people particularly -- were very much involved, at that moment in '67, in whether or not the Times should start an evening edition, an idea that was eventually given up. But my point here was that Dick Peters was a man I had hired onto the editorial board, with the expressed intention and expectation that when we finally established an Op-Ed page, he would be the editor of it. But he finally left in the spring of '67, because the Op-Ed idea had been so much delayed, and the editorial work I had given him to do -- It just didn't pan out. He didn't want to hang around until we eventually got an Op-Ed page organized. This was a very good indication of what was going on now.

So I go on in this memo, after referring to his departure, pointing up the need for action on Op- Ed now.

The next paragraph, following the one I've just quoted, is as follows: “As I see it, the problem is now quite simple. You tell me that at long last the third floor is willing to trade the index for obits, which of course is, what would make Op-Ed possible; that is --”

I have to interpolate here. As I had often said before, the thing that was really holding up the Op-Ed page, I thought, was the news department's refusal to move the obituary page away from its position opposite the editorial page -- which was the only place I felt would be appropriate for an Op-Ed page. That was, I thought, one of the principal reasons. It