Session: 1234567891011121314151617         Page 140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179 of 755

around Christmas, I called him to wish him a merry Christmas, as merry as it could be under the circumstances. And he said, “What are you doing?” And I said, “Just getting ready to close up shop and go home.” I think it was the day before Christmas because I was closing the office. And he said, “Why don't you drop by and have a drink with me?” And he was living at that time in the Drake Hotel which is now the Swiss hotel over on Park Avenue. And I had been to his apartment many times. I think he had a house up in Rye or Scarsdale, or someplace up there. But I went over to the apartment. And when I went in, there were no lights on, the place was very dark. I found him sitting by himself in his study. We had a drink and we sat and talked and he poured out his heart to me. It was a very grim experience. Now that I'm talking about it, I remember some parts of it which haven't much to do with this oral history, except that this was a man who was crushed, and who felt he'd given everything, including his wife to RCA, and Sarnoff had let him down. I'm sure there's another side to the story, but that was certainly his position.

Why was he set aside?

Why?

What were the particulars about how it was handled?

Well, he was counting on bigger things in the RCA empire and Sarnoff cut him off. I think, in a way, Sarnoff was jealous of Folsom's success. Folsom became a very strong person in the industry. And I really believe that the General couldn't face it. But Frank sat there in that chair in the darkness -- I say darkness, it was a dark apartment to begin with and it was a cloudy day and everything was just gloom -- and sat there and cried and drank