60 years ago today - Nov 9, 1955

The First Presidency informs Seventy's president Bruce R. McConkie that they have misgivings about his intended publication of a multi-volumed 'Sound Doctrine' as a censored and condensed version of the Journal of Discourses. Three weeks later the Presidency is stunned to find advertisements for McConkie's publication in the Deseret News (30 Nov. 1955) and in the December issue of the Improvement Era. He writes the Presidency on 1 Dec. that the ads appeared without his knowledge and "are not intended in any way to embarrass or pressure you Brethren." He then explains that he would "not permit any improper or questionable statements to appear" in his projected ten-volume version of the original twenty-six-volume collection. The First Presidency reads page-proofs of the first volume and responds on 9 Feb. "Omissions would probably be sought out and magnified" by the church's critics, the letter says. "Under this situation we feel constrained to request that you give up the idea of an abridged edition of the Journal of Discourses." Nineteen years later the originally contracted publisher releases 'Journal of Discourses Digest,' under the editorship of the oldest son of McConkie, then a member of the Twelve.

[Source: The Mormon Hierarchy - Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn, [New Mormon History database (http://bit.ly/NMHdatabase)]]

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