LETTER TO MEMBER OF THE MINORITY FROM CHARLES E. TUTTLE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01676R003700080003-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 7, 2003
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: December 20, 1960
• Content Type: LETTER

Appro fWle,&VN2 OY :,r,IAl: QW' 3?PgpZ i P9 1
Address in U.S.A.: CHARLES E. TUTTLE COMPANY
Rutland, Vermont
Tel. Prospect 3-8930
Telephone : [phone] Cable : Tuttbooks
December 20, 193)
Dear Member of the Minority,
I wonder if you recall that--
--One hundred generations before Jesus of Nazareth, China had a civilizes_
tion so dazzling that its relics are still among the world's most
prized art treasures.
--Two centuries before Columbus, Marco Polo astounded Europe with tales (A'
"fine vineyards, fields and gardens," "cloth of silk and gold and
many fine taffetas" he had viewed on travels through Afghanistai,
Tibet, and Mongolia to Peking.
--Many years before their first appearance in the West, the wearing of
trousers was common on the Asian steppes-where the wild horse was
domesticated.
The list of "firsts" from the Far East could go on almost endlessly
...knowledge of astronomy in India eight centuries before the Greeks
..printing from wooden blocks in China five hundred years before Gutt,n-
berg... the common usage of "arabie" numerals,, the decimal system and the
mathematical zero in India three centuries before their introduction to th?
West.
TODAY- more than half the world's people are making momentous new things
happen in Asia--of which astonishingly little is recorded in the Western
press!
Scholars who know--Arnold Toynbee, Reinhold Niebuhr, W.W. Rostow, former
Ambassador Chester Bowles--have repeatedly reminded us that this avast and
complex continent is now charged with the excitement of a regional renais-
sance for which there is no precedent in modern history.
And that is why I am writing to you and to a select number of others
like yourself--members of the "minority" of the American reading public
whose intellectual, economic and esthetic interests may reach beyond any
provincial nationalistic or temporal cut-off point.
For the absurd fact is that, while our ordinary means of communication
are crammed with trivia concerning America and Europe, the portentous story
of Asia is accorded scant mention, or none at all.
We propose, therefore, to redress the journalistic "news vacuum" from Asia--
and to do so dramatically and forthwith.
The means envisioned is a striking new periodical devoted exolusivelt,
to the many diverse affairs of Asia. In physical format, it will be a
quarterly of around 200 pages -- four huge issues a year -- entirely frt;e
from the distractions of advertising, and richly illustrated in black and
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CHARLES E. TUTTLE COMPANY
white and full color. Each issue will be handsomely bound in hand-wog~ked
hard covers to give it the permanence of a finely made book.
The name of the new periodical will be ASIA.
The enclosures will tell you more but reduced to barest essentials, thebscope tofcASIA will areachaacrossrthr U
major fields:
1) News about Asia - comprehensive and varied, but organized into
meaningful long-range patterns as in Fortune and similar publicat_ons--
comprising interpretations in depth ratoer than superficial bits ?-Lnd
fragments.
2) The Asian Conversation - first-person articles by leading personriges
such as Nehru, ,Chiang, Soekarno, Stevenson; on such a level as tc) be F,
major forum of international discussion.
3) Asia's Culture and History - with the world's richest storehouse to
draw from, we will present masterpieces in lavish illustration
sample enclosed) in both black and white and in color -- often or fin}
Oriental papers.
In its view of history, ASIA will be concerned most with the present and
future, although it will not slight the past. In its consideration of 3ooli--
tics, it will avoid narrow bias and dogmatic formulation (ASIA has no
"cause" to push other than journalistic balance). When learned, it wil. no'
be pedantic. It will not promise to avoid being controversial, or even, on
occasion, wrong. But it will promise never to be dull, vulgar-or conde;cenC-
ing.
Perhaps any description of a publication not yet in being should ino~'ude
not only what it will contain, but what it will not. ASIA will not, for
instance, laboriously explain that there is a distinction between "geisha-
girls" and prostitutes; nor outline the tenets of Zen Buddhism for beatniks
in Chicago; nor purport to reveal the inner metaphysical significance of th-a
work of obscure Urdu poets.
It will try to reflect truly and tastefully, the important facts of life
-- now largely ignored -- of the world's biggest and most populous con-
tinent. It will be a medium of considered information rather than excited,
haphazard opinion.
It may be advisable to stress again that ASIA is, by no means a magazine
for every reader. Rather, it is intended for a -limited number of Amerioens
and others who have traveled in Asia or who hope to do so; who have econo-
mic, professional or personal concerns there; or who may simply be inteJli-
gently interested.
The purpose of this announcement is, quite frankly, to determine whether
there are enough such readers to make such a publication viable.
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CHARLES E. TUTTLE COMPANY
The editor of the magazine will be Noel F. Busch, whose literary and
practical qualifications include top editorial posts on both Time and 'Fife
as well as several years of viried experience in different Asian oountries
as a representative of The As_a Foundation. As publishers, our experience
includes substantial success in building up, within the last decade, a list
of over 300 titles in the field of "Books to Span the East and West.."
If -- but only if -- you feel after examining the several enclosures that
ASIA will be a valuable addition to your already substantial list of rt-ad-
ing, we hope you will permit us to include you among the original charter
subscribers to ASIA.
By sending the postpaid card now, prior to publication, you will be as-
sured of receiving a copy of the very first issue as it comes from the pres-
ses. And if you mail your reservation to us before February 15, 1961, you
may take advantage of a special pre-publication price of ten dollars T,er
year as outlined in the printed announcement.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Tuttle, President
CHARLES E. TUTTLE CO., Pub:ishE
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A NEW PERIODICAL IN E300K FORM
THIS IS A SAMPLE OF THE SUPERB COLOR KEPKODUC DONS
-SIIO1f'N 1-11RE IN ACTUAL PAGE SIZE-.
THAT VILL GRACE EACH ISSUE OF ASIA
GILT BRONZE DRAGON. Ca. A. D. zoo. l fa n 1,eriod.
Courtesy of the Fogg Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts
high, 4 4!-5" bug.
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 ASIA is for the
ENTIRE FAMILY
The enormously vari-
ed resources of the
Far East will capture
the interest of all
members of your
family-of whatever
sex or age. For exam-
ple, Creative Home-
making for women.
Many of the smartest
contemporary decorating ideas stem
directly from the East. ASIA will
bring you richly illustrated articles
on Flower Arrangement; clothes;
the tea ceremony; breath-taking
photographs of lovely Oriental gar-
dons.
First-hand views of
Business for men.
Steel-making is the
national status symbol
of the new Far East.
Japan has recently
supplanted France as
the fifth-largest steel
producing country.
Indian steel is headed for 6 million
tons within the next two years. Dis-
counting exaggerations, Communist
China now produces over 10 million
tons. What effects will these pro-
digious growths have upon the balance
of future economic opportunity?
Politics. In the pol-
itical arena, no fewer
than eleven new Far
Eastern governments
have been admitted to
the UN since its
founding in 1945. The
great statesmen and
other public figures
vlio control Asian destinies will
speak to you face-to-face in ASIA-
not in spasmodic bulletins or occa-
sional reports, but in thoughtful,
penetrating analyses and interpreta-
tions of major developments. ASIA
will bring you authorities who know!
Culture and the Arts.
Only the roots of
Asian culture are in the
past; much of its finest
flowering is taking
place today. In land
after land, a vibrant
cult of contemporary
artists, designers, and
architects are turning
out modern masterworks. Competi-
tion for the key Central terminal of
New York's International Airport
was recently won by Canton-born
Ieoh Ming Pei, gifted Chinese archi-
tect. Drawing on the ancient Japanese
haniwa, Isamu Noguchi has become
world-famous for his classic modern
lamps, designs, and stage-settings.
Appr
a
B61676R003700080003-3
A NEW PERIODICAL IN E300K FORM
"I believe that the history of our time will here-
after be written largely in Asia . . . The- most
-critical decisions will probably be made not only
in the Americas and Europe, but in such Asian
capitals as Bangkok, Karachi, New Delhi, Rangoon,
Djakarta, Manila and Tokyo.... "
CIlESTER BOWLES
More than half of the world's people live in Asia. Of its fourteen
Eastern nations, only three- -Taiwan, the Philippines and India-
possessed free governments at the time of the founding of the UN
in 1945. Today, there are eleven others. The crucial "Asian-
African Bloc" in the UN contains twice as many nations as the
"Western Bloc"-and represents three times as many people!
Direct descendents of our oldest and richest cultures, these vast
millions are now charged with the widespread excitement of a
regional renaissance for which history may hold no precedent.
Some have viewed this new awakening with hope, some with
concern. But no one who has recently seen Asia at first-hand-
whether through the eyes of a statesman, businessman, scholar,
or traveller-has long remained unmoved.
LITTLE INFORMATION AVAILABLE
Perhaps these statements seem strange or overdrawn to you. If
so, that is our point exactly! For the astonishing thing is that,
despite its actuality and the awareness of a few, the present state
of Asia is largely ignored by Western civilization--and, above all,
by the very information sources on which we have come to rely.
WE PROPOSE, THEREFORE, TO CLOSE THIS GAP--WITH A DRAMATIC
NEW KIND OF PERIODICAL TO BE CALLED SIMPLY-ASIA.
ASIA will be a handsome 200 or so-page quarterly of news,
articles, pictures, and text. Each of the four huge issues a year-
twice the size of most periodicals- will be richly printed in black
and white and in full color. Many sections, inserts, and maps will
be on exquisite papers. Each issue will be bound in hand-worked
hard covers to give it the permanence of a finely made hook. Im-
portantly-ASIA will contain no advertising to detract or distract.
The content of ASIA will be as varied as the resources of the
continent itself. It will consist broadly of: 1) Comprehensive and
organized news of latest '.Asian I .. /clopments ; 2) First-person
articles by leading public figures-such as would be given ordinarily
only to privileged journals; 3) L.tsi,h photographs and illustra-
tions of Asia's history and . ulturt. s sampling of specific mater-
ial scheduled for early publication- shown in the box below.
The people who will write for ASIA include the very personages
who are guiding the destinies of their countries . they will
include celebrated writers of histo_-v and fiction, of biography and
travel . . . they will include the i e; dent correspondents and ob-
servers stationed in Asian capital . v'ho know their communities
intimately. ASIA will be wi itten r ua uiely for inquiring minds, to
he read with intellectual pi ofit at d esthetic pleasure.
Of necessity, ASIA will nt.t be a magazine to interest everyone.
Those for whom it is edited are persons who are fortunate enough
to have known \sia already, or -."i r hope to know it someday;
those who already have, or mighi acquire, interests that will be
affected by the events of Asia; those who are students of world
affairs and want to he more fully intorrned than they are at pre-
sent.
This first announcement of ASIA is being made in aUvance.ot
publication. We invite you --if tb-s Inscription fits some interest
of yours-to reserve a cha3 ter Burst ription and receive as a col-
lector's item the eery first issue; t=r examine it in your home at
first-hand. A year's subscIliption fur permanent volumes per
year-is ten dollars. (Singly, issuer -5 ill he available at bookstores
for three dollars.) Your subscrip-i-rr is cancellable at any time.
SEND NO MONEY sSith your resersaiton--but be sure to mail the
coupon below if you wish to be:.ssnn an advance charter sub-
scriber to this important new pubic--.ttion. This may be your only
chance to reserve in advance.
DW- SEND NO MONEY All ThIS COLIJ-)OTI
News. The Japanese Economy:
how does it operate to enable 90,-
000,000 inhabitants in an area
smaller than California to maintain
the highest living standard in Asia?
The Soviet Aid Program in Burma:
a comedy of horrifying blunders
that make the worst U. S. mistakes
look trivial by comparison.
People. A profile of U Nu of
Burma; Soekarno of Indonesia;
Ikeda of Japan; and articles by
comparable authorities.
Debate. Is Democracy the most
practical form of government for
new nations? (Many scholars, such
as Reinhold Niebuhr, think not.)
Neutrality as a policy; what is its
practicality and promise?
History. Hong Kong--the as-
tounding story of Britain's best
Crown Colony, from the Opium
Wars to the present.
Art. The Chinese Art Treasures
hidden on Taiwan. Philippine
Music: why it sets the modern
standard for most of the Orient.
Sport. Trout-fishing in Kashmir
-how good it is and how to
Travel. Hokkaido: is it really
worth a three-day trip from Tokyo,
and, if so, why? Bali-how the
travelers' tales compare with reality.
Child-Rearing. Although total-
ly permissive with infants up to
four years, the Japanese produce
the world's best adult manners.
How it's done, despite Dr. Spock.
Plus: Color reproductions on
special paper of Asian art master-
pieces-unbound so as to be free
for framing or for other decorative
arrange A19d Yr Ri see 3f029 tC.4AnMypSt6B01
in Japan; golf in Ceylon, or historical interest.
ASIA, Subscription Dep- 605 West 115th Street, New
York 25, N. Y.
I would like to have cnc-year charter subscription
to ASIA reserved for mt in the terms outlined above.
Please reserve Gift Subscriptions for me
(names and addre :ses to ht sent to you later).
Name
Street
City Zone State _
I understand that if for snv reason the first copy of
ASIA you send mt- does 5" t come up to my expectations,
piyq ktbseri. ion. You can then bill me for
6R003on y I to price of single copy.
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