On April 12, 1945, Vice President Harry Truman was summoned to the White House. He was told to come as quietly and as quickly as he could. On arriving, he was brought into Mrs. Roosevelt’s sitting room and greeted by her with the news that her husband, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, had died. Overwhelmed with the news, hardly knowing what to say, he responded as many of us would have, “Is there anything I can do for you?” To this she replied, “No Harry. Is there anything we can do for you? You’re the one in trouble now.” To have the presidency of the USA thrust upon him through death at a moment when critical decisions needed to be made to end World War II was an overwhelming responsibility. His motto from that time on became, “The buck stops here.”
If leadership in the political arena brings with it responsibility, then editorship in the publishing world also carries responsibility and accountability. The buck uncomfortably stops at an editor’s desk.
It will come as no surprise to our readers that we have failed to deliver Truth and Tidings to you in a timely fashion. We have made numerous changes, particularly in the layout and design of the magazine, which, while improving the appearance and readability of the magazine, have also resulted in delays in production and mailing. For this we owe you a sincere apology. David Oliver and Don Draper, (who assists him) have put long hours into these improvements and deserve tremendous credit.
But apologies without change and a return to normalcy are like superficial repentance – they accomplish little. To enable us to return to a more predictable date of delivery for the magazine, we are taking the unusual step of combining the April and May issues; our intention is to have June Truth and Tidings to you closer to the beginning of the month.
To my knowledge this is the first time, and hopefully the last, that we will need to take the step of not publishing a magazine for you in a given month. The many years that our brother Crawford was solely responsible for everything, the magazine appeared like clock-work. It has required numerous workers to attempt what he accomplished single-handedly. He is to be commended for his excellent record.
We recognize that both assemblies and readers depend on the news items for conference planning and often for prayer reminders concerning gospel series. We beg your indulgence and understanding on this single occasion and assure you that we are taking all steps necessary to try to avoid any further delays in the production of the magazine.
All on the Board of Truth and Tidings sincerely apologize for the problem and appreciate your understanding.
