Youth for Harper's

"When I became editor of Harper's 14 years ago," said John Fischer, "I hoped to do a great deal of writing." As with most editors, it didn't work out that way. Though he has written a regular column, "The Editor's Easy Chair," his editorial responsibilities have kept him from writing much else. Last week he announced that at last he would find time to indulge his preference. On July 1, he is resigning as editor in chief to become a contributing editor. His replacement: Willie Morris, 32, a native Mississippian who joined the magazine in 1963.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Texas and a Rhodes scholar, Morris has long breathed the breezes of freewheeling dissent that blow through Austin. For two years, he edited the controversial Texas Observer, which startled and infuriated many Texans with its outspoken views on almost any topic. Joining Morris on the staff will be two new contributing editors: David Halberstam, 33, a foreign correspondent for the New York Times, and Larry King, 38, a freelancer who has written extensively for Harper's. Managing Editor Russell Lynes is being replaced by Senior Editor Robert Kotlowitz, 42. Like Fischer, Lynes will continue to write a column. "These additions," said Fischer, "will give Harper's the best-balanced--and youngest--editorial staff in its 117 years."

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