[J. Reuben Clark]
Yesterday morning (March 15, 1956), Brother Bruce R. McConkie came in to learn something about the matter that was before the First Presidency, that is, the publication of a part of the sermons in the Journal of Discourses, as already submitted to us....
I said I assumed that he would not print, that is, was not proposing to print the sermons of the other brethren, that is, the early brethren, on such matters as the Adam-God theory, so-called, and the sermons on plural marriage. He said that was his idea. I said that I personally and I thought the other brethren agreed with me, felt it would be unwise to issue a Journal of Discourses with those sermons omitted inasmuch as that would give the cultists an opportunity of attack which might increase our present difficulties instead of mollifying them....
I mentioned the fact that the title he had given to the collection "Sound Doctrine," [this project would later become "Mormon Doctrine] implied that there was other doctrine that was unsound and that perhaps it would not be wise to give forth that implication. He seemed to agree with that idea.
He made a suggestion for another title which I have forgotten, but which was open to somewhat of the same objection. In this connection he made some observation to the effect that his "sound doctrine" might not, of course, be the sound doctrine of some of the other brethren....
I also called attention to the fact that it would have been better if he had conferred with the Brethren before he began the printing of his book, instead of afterward, and he admitted that that was a mistake which he had made.
I told him that I would bring the matter to the attention of the Brethren so soon as I could and intimated to him strongly that perhaps in general the thoughts I had expressed would be the thoughts of the Brethren and that it would not be wise to issue the publication as he had planned it.
I said we were anxious that he should not suffer any undue loss in the matter.
[The Diaries of J. Reuben Clark, 1933-1961, Abridged, Digital Edition, Salt Lake City, Utah 2015]
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