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It became clear that we needed a little more space on 52nd Street than we had under lease, and it involved Toots Shore's restaurant, which was then down the street. Paley didn't want to spend the money to enlarge that, and we had a big meeting with Saarinen and my inside facilities man and some of our financial people and Paley. It was in the Board Room. Maybe half a dozen of us.

Saarinen, who was a very bright, very direct--not a very good guy with clients--made a helluva case for getting this extra piece of land, to give him a bigger base, so he could do a more impressive building. Paley was dragging his feet, and Saarinen said something--I never knew quite what it was--that offended Paley. Paley got up and left the room, and sent a note in to me that he wanted to see me in the hall.

So I went out, and he said: “I want you to fire that guy. That's no way to be treated.”

I couldn't figure out what the hell had--because I knew Saarinen. Christ, I'd sat through all kinds of arguments with him at Lincoln Center, and other architects, too. All part of the game. I didn't think you had to roll over and say “yes, sir” when an architect said something to you. And vice versa.

But Paley was offended, and I went back into the meeting and tried to work my way out of it gracefully and was sick about the idea that we were that close to going. I'd even gotten into the question of the kind of stone to be on the building and so forth. So I got hold of Clarence Hopper, who was the vice-president in charge of facilities, and I said: “I don't want you to ask me any questions, but I don't think we're going to go ahead with the