New Man for the Trib

In the city of Mexico (pop. 14,000) on the south fork of the Salt River in Missouri's Little Dixie region, the afternoon Ledger has a four-county daily circulation of about 8,800, turns in a tidy annual profit for its owners and co-editors, L. Mitchell White and his son, Robert Mitchell White II. In the city of New York (pop. 8,000,000) on the east bank of the Hudson River, the morning Herald Tribune has a daily circulation of about 351,000, has returned little profit to its new owner, John Hay Whitney, U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James's. This week, in the hope that what has been good for the thriving Mexico Ledger might also be good for the ailing Trib, "Jock" Whitney announced the surprise choice of Robert Mitchell White II, 44. as president and editor of the Herald Tribune.

Since taking control of the Trib last summer, Whitney had been scouring the nation for a man to replace Ogden ("Brownie") Reid, whose family had owned the paper since the death of Founder Horace Greeley in 1872. Whitney's lieutenants consulted the roster of U.S. press bigwigs, invited suggestions from such publishers as Bernard Kilgore of the Wall Street Journal and John Cowles of the Minneapolis Star and Tribune. Whitney was politely turned down by several nominees, e.g., Executive Editor Lee Hills of John S. Knight's Detroit Free Press, and turned down several himself after close examination. A newcomer to newspapering, Whitney had never heard of Mexico's Bob White, but, as one Whitney aide explains, "nearly everyone we spoke to mentioned his name; so we got in touch with him." Asked for an opinion. Chicago's Marshall Field Jr.--for whose Sun-Times White had served as a part-time consultant (1956-58)--offered a blue-chip recommendation. Five weeks ago White flew to London, met Ambassador Whitney. Says Horace Greeley's successor: "I told him, 'Come East, young man,' and, fortunately, he has decided to come."

Jaguars & Joining. Known among Missouri newsmen as "a nice guy with a tremendous capacity for work," crewcut, wiry (6 ft. 1 in., 168 Ibs.) Bob White was born in Mexico, Mo., went to the local Missouri Military Academy, then on to Virginia's Washington and Lee University, where he played halfback on the football team. A sometime freelance writer and U.P. correspondent in Kansas City, he served on the wartime staffs of Generals MacArthur and Eichelberger, got a Bronze Star, wound up as a major stationed in the White House on War Department public relations duty.

Returning to Mexico, young Bob White took up work on the family paper and two hobbies: sports cars (he owns a Jag) and joining. His penchant for joining organizations got him widely known in the newspaper world, helps explain how the editor of the Mexico Ledger moved in one giant stride to become president and editor of the New York Herald Tribune. Board chairman and past president of the Inland Daily Press Association. Bob White is also a director of the American Newspaper Publishers Association, chairman of the Associated Press nominating committee, a member of the National Conference of Editorial Writers, the National Press Club and the American Society of Newspaper Editors, topping it all off with a long list of trusteeships, directorships, honorary posts and the job of national treasurer of Sigma Delta Chi, the professional journalism fraternity.

Hang or Dance. White's Mexico Ledger has a first-class reputation in Missouri, a motto ("Covering the news like dew covers Little Dixie'') and a strong Democratic policy. At the Herald Tribune, Bob White will be taking over one of the nation's oldest, staunchest Republican newspapers. When White first talked to Whitney, he pointed out that he was a Democrat, was keenly interested in whether Republican Whitney wanted to turn the Herald Tribune into a better newspaper or merely into a G.O.P. mouthpiece. Whitney's answer was firm: he wanted a good newspaper. On that basis, Whitney and White were agreed. Says Whitney: "It happens that Mr. White is a Democrat, while I am a Republican. The paper will continue its policy of complete objectivity in its news columns and of independent Republicanism on its editorial page."

It is a long way from Mexico, Mo. to New York, N.Y., and the top spot at the Herald Tribune is one of the toughest. In accepting the responsibility, Mexico's White also gets the authority to go with it. Where Whitney had sought two men, one to be editor and another to be president, White was handed both hats. Moreover, he will name a managing editor and business manager of his own choosing. Says he: "My neck is out. I'm either going to hang or dance." If he dances, it could be a mighty merry jig, both for Bob White and the New York Herald Tribune.

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