#henry luce

Speaking of the Oscars 2025, what I was most excited about should be Ben Stiller and Adam Sandler. As I haven't subscribed to Netflix yet, it's been a while since I last saw them in movies/on TV; I was being so delighted to see both on TV that I sort of shouted in glee in a living room alone haha. I always think that they are gems of contemporary American film and deserve more recognition.

The conflict between nationalist and communist China was difficult to navigate for Henry Luce, the founder and editor-in-chief of Time Inc.’s influential publications. Luce was born in China and maintained a connection to the country which eventually included a relationship with Chiang Kai-Shek, head of the Chinese Nationalist Party. In 1944, as Life was preparing a feature article on China, Luce struggled to reconcile his anti-communist ideals with the illiberal policies of the nationalists and the threat still posed by Japan. 

Letters and photographs that shed light on how Luce attempted to maintain the appearance of neutrality in his publications while still advocating for certain policies are now on view in the reading room of the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library. 

Photograph of Henry R. Luce with Chiang Kai-Shek. circa 1947. Time Inc. Records. New-York Historical Society.

Henry R. Luce. Letter to members of Time’s management. March 24, 1944. Time Inc. Records. New-York Historical Society. 

Map from “Life looks at China”. May 1, 1944. Time Inc. Records. New-York Historical Society. 

On April 9, 1963, Winston Churchill was made an honorary citizen of the United States by John F. Kennedy. A most prestigious honor, it was still just one of many expressions of admiration that the British statesman was offered over the years. A 1946 letter from Churchill to Henry Luce shows him having to turn down honorary degrees from a number of prominent universities. He did, however, agree to a dinner hosted by the Time Inc. publisher at New York’s Union Club. It was a lavish affair, but not everything came off exactly as Luce might have hoped. The large ice sculpture of an eagle with its wings outstretched over mounds of black caviar was melting so quickly that a stream of water ran down the bird’s noble beak. At this Churchill remarked: “The eagle seems to have a cold.”

Winston Churchill. Letter to Henry Luce. February 26, 1946. Time Inc. Records. RG2: Bio files. New-York Historical Society.

Dinner in honor of...Winston S. Churchill...menu and seating arrangement. March 14, 1946. Time Inc. Records. RG2: Bio files. New-York Historical Society.

Pearl Kroll became the first woman sports editor at any major American magazine when she was promoted at Time in 1938. This was during an era when women were typically restricted to research and typing, which, officially, is what she had been doing since joining the magazine in 1927. Unofficially, however, her work with writer Noel Busch had her effectively co-writing his stories. When Busch was moved to another job, Kroll was made sports editor, and she remembered Time editor and publisher Henry Luce telling her at the time that, “You write most of the story anyway.” 

Despite her position, Kroll was still not generally allowed to cover events from the men-only press box. When Luce offered to intervene on her behalf, she declined, feeling that, as she put it, “the men used such bad language that I was glad not to have to sit with them.” Kroll stayed with the magazine until 1944, but as is evident in her correspondence with Luce, she never lost her fondness for the busy newsroom at Time.

Pearl Kroll. Letter to Henry Luce. circa 1944. Time Inc. Bio files. New-York Historical Society,

Henry Luce. Letter to Pearl Kroll. April 27, 1944. Time Inc. Bio files. New-York Historical Society. 

“Sport”. Time. January 1, 1940. Time annotated volumes. Time Inc. Records. New-York Historical Society. 

On March 3, 1923, Time published its first issue. In this prospectus, founders Henry Luce and Briton Hadden describe their vision for a news magazine “aimed to serve the modern necessity of keeping people informed, created on a new principle of COMPLETE ORGANIZATION.”

TIME The Weekly News-Magazine (A Prospectus). Time Inc. Records. New-York Historical Society.