Opening Hours
Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Manuscripts
Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
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Manuscripts
Approx. 110 items. The bulk of this material is correspondence between Williams and conservative columnist Morrie Ryskind, including a telex (3/30/1965) in which Ryskind resigns in protest over a column being dropped. Williams reply in dated 3/31/1965. Similar disagreements occurred several times during the period in which R. submitted material to LAT later in the same year. Also in the file are clippings of Ryskind columns and a copy of Pro-America-Gram, a right-wing newsletter. Letters complaining about the absence of Ryskind columns became quite heated at times: "Where in blazes is Morrie Ryskind?...I am fed up the half-assed liberals you keep printing day after day.... I don't know what happened to (Otis Chandler) at Stanford but he sure came out pure pink." The clear majority complained of Ryskind's absence.
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Manuscripts
Approx. 20 items. The file includes LAT memos and exchanges of letters between Ryskind and Williams. At this point in time, Ryskind had not appeared in LAT for some years, but was firing broadsides at LAT from the pages of Herald-Examiner and Evening Outlook. The folder contains clippings from both papers and discussion of same in memos. Also in folder is a draft version, with editing marks, of a 5-pp. letter to R. from Williams which helps to understand a story involving L.A.P.D., Blacks, and what LAT and Ryskind wrote about it.
mssLAT
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Manuscripts
2 items. Two versions of Williams speech on "The Responsibility of the Press." One was a work-up of the text with the standard b/w portrait-style drawing that appeared with W.'s columns, but this apparently did not run in LAT. The second is a re-print of the speech that ran in the October 1962 issue of California Parent-Teacher magazine.
mssLAT
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Manuscripts
Approx. 80 items. Letters and memos. Response to Sam Chandler (4/21/1970) on working to eradicate prejudices; Ted Kennedy and Chappaquiddick; (4/15/1970) 2-pp. letter to reader Wallace Williams on the meaning of "freedom of the press"; "thank you" note to Gen. William Peers of the Pentagon after he joined the LAT Editorial Board for "off-the-record" talks; letter to Walter Annenberg, Ambassador to Great Britain; (4/9/1970) 4-pp. letter to columnist Morrie Ryskind on Police Chief Ed Davis--LAT--Ryskind incident; letter to Bishop Gerald Kennedy, United Methodist Church -- L.A. Area; response (4/8/1970) to M.D. Shelstad, who canceled subscription. and accused LAT of trying to "bust our President"; more explanation of reason LAT canceled "Li'l Abner"; more qualified defense of editorial cartoonist Paul Conrad; etc.
mssLAT
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Manuscripts
Approx. 65 items. Subjects include: a 3-pp. Williams letter responding to Edwin Haroldsen, Chairman-elect of Comm. Dept., Brigham Young U., who asked W. to "indicate your own background and how you've been able to advance in the profession [of journalism]"; Williams response to letter from mayor of San Dimas explaining LAT decision to close its Pomona office; Williams response to a Claremont Men's College professor who had written alleging "sensationalism" in LAT coverage; letter from an executive of Horton & Converse (pharmacies) claiming LAT had run a damaging article; letters of congratulations to both Williams and William Thomas on retirement and promotion respectively; LAT staffers Champlin and Seidenbaum on KCET's "Citywatchers"; etc.
mssLAT
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Manuscripts
Approx. 25 items. Letters. LAT apparently had sent out a request for general reaction to the columns of Ayn Rand and others. Many of the letters in the file seem to be from intelligent, thoughtful people. Some found Rand's viewpoint refreshing, others flatly opposed it. One writer referred to her as an "extremist" of the right. Others of the letters can be summed up in a quote from a soldier stationed at Ft. Ord: "Her philosophy, whether one agrees with it or not, provides endless material for...debate." Of the letters represented here, a clear majority approve of Rand's opinions. (One letter and reply, involving Marilyn Dyer of Burbank, seem to have no mention of Rand)
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