Session: 1234567891011121314151617         Page 501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549 of 755

individual. I knew him, and Jack said: “Subject to any feeling that you have, I'd like to move.”

I said: “Go right ahead.”

He got Manning in and talked with him, and Manning said: “I can't take it.” He didn't say why.

Now what I've learned since is that Fred took two or three people--Bill Leonard, Gordon Mannning and I've forgotten who the third one was--into his confidence, before he sent the letter, and said: “I'm going to resign, but don't any one of you guys take the job, if it's offered to you, because I want to” (in effect) “negotiate a better position for the future.”

How did he have that kind of power?

Well, he's a strong individual, and very gutsy. Had I known that at the time, I really would have gotten those three guys in and said: “You know, this is disloyal and improper.” And everything else. I would have been very rough on them for agreeing to, in effect, block management from doing an effective job from protecting a very important part of the company.

We labored for a short period without a full-time head, although the organization was compartmentalized and was operating very well. Jack then came around to the point of view that there was only one person to go in, and that was to bring Dick [Richard S.] Salant back, which, of course, had my full support, and Dick agreed to do it. Paley