THE WASHINGTON POST

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01314R000300380106-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 8, 2004
• Sequence Number: 106
• Content Type: MAGAZINE

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easy 2004/~,,~~~,A-88-01
I would like to .add a word on titles,
which seemed to intrigue Mr. Goulden.
Mr. Bradlee was given the title of executive
editor upon the retirement of J. P.usscll
Wiggins, the superb and loyal editor of the
paper before. hint. At that time, I tool: back
the title of publisher which my father and
my husband had both used and also resumed
responsibility for the editorial page, au ar-
rangcmcnt that existed when Ilerbert )/Ilis-
ton was the editor. This change was sug-
gested by Mr. Bradlee. himself. He at no
time appeared as "editor" on the masthead '
as'your story aheg~d.
I believe and hope that management de-
cisions in this company are madC thought-
fully by responsible people; not by power
struggles on the one hand or whim on -the
other.
KATHARn`E GRAnAM
President
The Washington Post
- because of purely personal circumstances.
-That occurred a year before Bradlee knew
anything about it.
We hoped that Mr. Sweeterman would
change his mind and we successfully post-
poned his decision to give him time to re-
consider. He had been of the utmost im-
- portance to the growth and prosperity of "
The Post and no one-including Ben Bradlee
-wanted him to step down.
After several months of reconsideration,
Mr. Sweeterr,ran insisted that for personal
? reasons it had become imperative for him .
to take a less active role in the company.
At that point, NIr. Beebe, Mr. Swecterman,
and I set out to find a successor. Our choice
was Paul Ignatius who was ]caving govern-
- ment after ,more than seven years and who
. came to our attention through outside rcc-
" ommendations. He was described by Mr. .
Goulden as my "tennis playing friend." In
fact, I had never met him prior to this
- time. '
The 1'~ashington Post
You were generous in the space you devoted
to Joseph Goulden's interesting article on
The Washington Post [October 1970]. He
made many points with which I might dis-
:-agree but, no doubt, seem valid to him. But
' I wish to correct for your record and ours
the major errors of fact it contained.
' It is good drama and good reading to
depict offices-newspaper offices, in particu-
lar-as "lions dens" of intrigue in which the
corpses of victims are heaved nut while the
grinning victor munches with delight on a
piece of leg.
' I would not pretend that any office, this
~ one included, is devoid of politics and
maneuverings. But there is more to man-
agement than politics. bi'hen new managers
are brought in, it is predictable and inevi-
table that they will build their awn staffs.
That has occurred on The Post since 19Gi
when Ben Bradlee was brought in to man-
age the uews deparuuent. Ile assembled his
own staff and ll?Ir. Goulden reads into that
process plots and strugg]cs that did not
occur. ?
Bradlee's predecessor, Alfred Friendly, is
my good friend as well as my colleague.
For 10 years he guided the editorial growth
of The Post to a place of distinction in
American journalism. At the urging of my
husband, he had accepted that assignment
reluctantly and only on condition chat he
could one day return to writing. My hus-
band agreed to those terms and they were
honoicd by me. "
The mast hurtful, damaging, and nutty
accusation of the Goulden article was that
Bradlee, unsatisfied with control of the
news department, sought to control the
" business side of this newspaper, too.
The fact is that John Sweeterman, the
"President and Publisher of "The Posr, came
to me and to our board chairman, Fred-
erick S. Beebe, to ask for semi-retirement
and an advisory position in the company
At no point during the search for Mr.
~w e~snan'~ sluccesso~~c],jc>, ,~~cBradlee
3'e~~t' 1Rr~,src~g ~r~a ~1Q~, sEd~bf~-RDP88-013148000300380106-5
for it.
Appu-