ROBERT FUOSS - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 10/24/1952 - HFSID 201868

ROBERT FUOSS
He responds to a professor who criticized the Saturday Evening Post's position on the upcoming Eisenhower v. Stevenson Presidential race: "I confess that your letter strikes me as being pretty damn silly."
Typed letter signed: "Robert Fuoss", in black ink, 1 page, 8½x11. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 24, 1952. On his official letterhead as Managing Editor at The Saturday Evening Post "Dear Mr. Wells" Professor Carlton F. Wells, in full: "I have always found myself in essential agreement with the opinions you have expressed in your letters to the Post, but I confess that your letter of October 17 strikes me as being pretty damn silly. We have made no secret of our partisanship; we declared for Eisenhower before the Republicans convened in Chicago and we have re-declared for him on several occasions since. Hence, it should be no shock to our readers that we'd like to see the man elected president. On the other hand, we did, and do, feel an obligation to give the opposition a chance to state its case. That is something that no newspaper in America does. It is also something that few, if any, magazines do. There is no obligation on us to 'give equal space' of 'equal treatment.' We would definitely be out of bounds if we deliberately slanted news that we do print in favor of either candidate, but there is no obligation on us, or on any other magazine, to show both candidates in double-breasted blue suits, both candidates in Homburg hats, both candidates in Cadillac automobiles, both candidates in New York City, both candidates in horn-rimmed glasses, both candidates with crew haircuts, etc.. Following your testimony, we would be out of bounds if we failed on any one of these scores. And your remark about the photograph only confirms the belief of many: That the party in power would like to forget that it has been in power as the Truman Administration of the last six years. Unhappily, we just can't forget it. As a matter of fact, I think your judgment of the photograph is quite wrong. If Stevenson wins--and he very well may--he will owe more to Mr. Truman, in my opinion, than to any other single individual. Sincerely," and handwritten postscript, "The enclosed clipping from Newsweek Expresses my opinion in the 'equal space' issue." Robert Fuoss (1913-1980) joined the Saturday Evening Post in 1942 as managing editor. He saw after the newspaper for several years and was promoted to editor-in-chief in 1962. Later that same year, he retired from the Post to work for Federated Department Stores. He was Senior Editor of Reader's Digest from 1964-1965. Normal mailing folds. Corners creased and worn. Small nick at right edge. Otherwise, fine condition.