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QUEST/78
AND
EVEREST HOUSE Mr. Armstrong's conunents made last Friday
before the Area Coordinators should answer a number of questions
concerning the future of QUEST/78. I do believe, however, that a
little history of Everest House would be helpful at this time.
Last fall, Robert Kuhn and I engaged the services of an outstanding
editor in the trade publication field.
We knew that eventually it
would be in the best interest of the Work that Mr. Armstrong's books
be published and receive wide distribution amongst the reading public
-- a public that has been increasing each and every year in the
religious field.
We also felt that a trade publication house would
be a valuable adjunct to QUEST/78 and would permit us to penetrate
even more deeply into a reading audience that otherwise would be
unreachable by us with our regular publications.
Unfortunately, in January 1978 Mr. Gillenson, the editor of Everest
House, came to Pasadena in the company of a nwnber of employees from
the business side of QUEST/78.
They came to Pasadena at the invitation
of Robert Kuhn for the purpose of meeting Mr. Garner Ted Armstrong
who, again unfortunately, was introduced to Mr. Gillenson and others
as the chief operating officer of the Church, the College and the
Foundation.
I was not invited to the meetings that were held in
Pasadena and express instructions were given to the personnel in
attendance, including Mr. Gillenson, that information was not to be
made available to me in the future.
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At the meetings and in subsequent correspondence between Mr. Gillenson
and Headquarters, Mr. Gillenson received express authority for each
and every project that he planned for both the spring and fall lists
of Everest House.
In a letter written to me on June 27, 1978, Mr.
Gillenson stated:
"In January I went to Pasadena for the express
purpose of presenting the list of books that we had put together.
I
asked to see anybody in authority and was told to talk to the following
people:
Garner Ted Armstrong, Ray Wright, Wayne Cole, Brian Knowles,
and perhaps one or two other people in addition to Jack Martin, Glenn
Parker and Robert Kuhn.
At the meeting I described every one of the
books and invited comment.
All seemed to agree that none of the
titles would create problems.
"During the visit, I was asked to inspect the pre-publication facilities
and was urged to use them.
The meetings with Garner Ted Armstrong and
the pre-publication meetings were arranged by Jack Martin, with Robert
Kuhn's assent.
I subsequently sent reports through Jack Martin to
the west coast which I assumed went to the proper executives of the
Foundation.
In those reports I described the books in detail,
inviting any criticism. None was made.
;'It therefore came as a surprise to hear some books were being held \IP
in shipment and production because there was something offensive about
them."
This letter from Mr. Gillenson sent to me in June was a result of my
telephone conversations and letters to him expressing great dissapoint
ment.at the selection of some of the books on both the fall and
spring lists.
However, it was only in May that any of this came to
my attention and I am thankful for the efforts of Mr. Lippross and