Presidential Papers, Doc#1643 Personal and confidential To John Gedroice Powers, 8 September 1960. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower
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Document #1643; September 8, 1960
To John Gedroice Powers
Series: EM, AWF, Name Series ; Category: Personal and confidential
The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, Volume XXI - The Presidency: Keeping the Peace
Part X: Ending an Era; August 1960 to January 1961
Chapter 23: "To keep the Free World free"

 

Dear Mr. Powers: Since our talk of a few weeks ago I have been thinking over the possible character of my future activities.1 Your letter presents a number of intriguing suggestions; but I have come to a decision that will make it impossible, I think, for me to take advantage of the opportunities you outline.2

When I wrote a book in 1948 it was published by Doubleday Company, whose President, Douglas Black, became my warm friend.3 There are one or two other individuals in the publishing world with whom I would like, as a matter of sentiment, to be connected--again because of past experiences and friendships.

I am not formally committed to this course of action; but my past connection with these several friends has been so satisfactory that I must tell you in all frankness that I plan, once I have laid down the duties of this office, to confer with them with a view to establishing the contacts of which I speak.4

I have explained this situation to you so that you will see that I mean no disrespect either to the sincerity or the attractiveness of your own suggestions.

While I would find most interesting any future conversation with you, as I did our earlier one, I thought it only fair to make my position perfectly clear.5

With best wishes, Sincerely

1 Powers (A.B. Princeton 1938; LL.B. Harvard 1941) had been president of Prentice-Hall, Inc., since 1954. He had practiced law for two years before becoming the general counsel for the book publishing firm and in 1947 was promoted to editor-in-chief and vice-president and director. The President had met with Powers on July 7 at the White House.

2 Powers had written on August 26 (AWF/N) that Eisenhower’s background of successful administration in the Armed Forces, the government and education would provide "the basis for a broad publishing association." He suggested that the President could write about topics of his own choosing and could, in addition, plan and direct a complete publishing program using other authors, in areas in which he had unique experience. Powers had also invited Eisenhower to join in policy making for all divisions of Prentice-Hall and its subsidiaries as a general advisor or as a member or honorary chairman of the Board of Directors.

3 On December 30, 1947, Eisenhower and Black had agreed informally to publish the General’s memoirs of World War II. The book was published in 1948 as Crusade in Europe (see Eisenhower, At Ease, pp. 323 - 29; Galambos, Chief of Staff, no. 1977; and no. 1636 in these volumes).

4 For background on Eisenhower’s decision to publish his memoirs with Doubleday and Company, Inc., see no. 1624. For developments see no. 1650.

5 The President would not meet with Powers again before January 20.

Bibliographic reference to this document:
Eisenhower, Dwight D. Personal and confidential To John Gedroice Powers, 8 September 1960. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, ed. L. Galambos and D. van Ee, doc. 1643. World Wide Web facsimile by The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission of the print edition; Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, http://www.eisenhowermemorial.org/presidential-papers/second-term/documents/1643.cfm

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