Previous | Next
Session: 123456789101112131415161718192021 Page 337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357 [missing]358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394 of 1029
can saying, “Guaranteed not to turn pink in the can.” It worked immediately, but then the people who made pink salmon went to court and said that he was implying that pink salmon was contaminated when he said, “Guaranteed not to turn pink in the can.” They made him stop, but all the canners of the white salmon wanted to do was sell out anyway. They didn't want to go on with it.
I told this story as a triumph of press agentry and Bob Haas said, “Very interesting, but nonsense, because there is no such thing as white salmon.” Well, of course, I challenged him on this. I said, “There most certainly is white salmon.” I couldn't have known less about it. There was no subject that I knew less about. A tremendous argument ensued, and I finally said, “I bet you $10 that there is white salmon.” So Bob, always suspicious, said, “How are we going to prove it?" I said, “We'll write to Mr. Schneider, the head of the New York Aquarium.” There was no Mr. Schneider. I made up the name of Mr. Schneider on the spot. Bob looked askance at me and said, “All right, but I want to see the letter that you write. I don't trust you.”
So I went back to the office and wrote 'this letter to Mr. Schneider, the head of the Aquarium, saying, “There's been a slight bet here. One member of the firm says that there is no white salmon, another insists there is. You're the man we feel that can decide it. Is there or is there not a white salmon in this world?" Bob Haas read it sideways and upside down, to see I wasn't putting anything over on
© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help