A.M. “Abe” Rosenthal, the former editor of The New York Times for 17 years through the 1970’s and 80’s, died Wednesday at the age 84 from the effects of a stroke suffered two weeks ago.
Probably the biggest story that the Times broke under Rosenthal was the publication in 1971 of the Pentagon Papers — confidential government papers on America’s secret involvement in Vietnam — which won the Times one of its many Pulitzer Prizes awarded while Rosenthal was editor. The Pentagon Papers revealed that every Presidential administration since World War II had enlarged America’s involvement in Vietnam while hiding the extent of that commitment, but publication of the papers was risky given their classified nature. The Nixon Administration tried to suppress publication of the papers, which led to to a landmark Supreme Court decision upholding the primacy of the press over government attempts to impose “prior restraint” on what may be printed.
The best story about Rosenthal, however, is the one involving his forced retirement from the Times, which was not pleasant. In the mid-80’s, Rosenthal stepped down as editor of the Times and became a columnist for the newspaper. But in 1999, after 40 plus years with the Times, Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. rather unceremoniously dumped Rosenthal with no explanation. Rosenthal made clear that his leaving the Times was not his idea, telling one reporter that he should not report that he retired because it “would imply volition.” Then, when a young female Washington Post reporter asked him whether he had been fired, Rosenthal famously replied:

“Sweetheart, you can use any word you want.”