November 11, 1944.

Mr. Robert Fuoss, Managing Mditor,.
The Saturday Svening Post,
Philadelphia 5, Pennsylvania.

Dear lire Pucas:

: _ Neturally the minds of many people wonder why the ine
constituted athletic authorities of the National Collegiate Athletic Assoo-
jation are not enthusiastic regarding an intercollegiate ozar the type of

Judge Landig. :

I am giving you this information confidentially. You
may never want to touch upon it in any wey, but it will explain things to
you, I believe, that will be helpful in Pethoing this situation.

, | I have known Major John L. Griffith for thirty-five or
more years. John Griffith was director of athletics and director of the
Drake Relays, as well as the football and other sports coach when one man —
coached all sports. This was long before World War I. He was a better
then average coach and a great personality with organizing ability. Con-
fidentially, he has had a phobia to be in the President's Cabinet for years
as the educational athletic advisor of the nation, much after the manner of
the Commissioner of Bducation.

During World War I he was one of the athletio adminis tra-
tors, being stationed at Camp Dodge, just out of Des Moines. In 1916 just
before World War I, I wigned a contract with George Huff, direator of
athleties at Tllinoks, to go to Illinois. ‘The war rumblings were then on
and we postponed my going until after the war. After the war things had
changed quite diane and Major John L. Griffith was then an appli- —
cant for intramural director at Illinois and one of the administrators of
‘the four-year coaching school course.

Some of my duties and some of Mejor Griffith's duties
were overlapping. I went to Urbana to confer with Mr. Huff regarding the
job. Just at thet time the possibilities opened here, and I chose the
competitive side while Major Griffith, due to his war work, went into the
intramural and administrative field.

_ When a commissioner for the Big Ten was disoussed, Tom |
Jones who was athletic direotor at Wisconsin, wrote me and asked if I was
interested in the commissioners job. He said there were certain factions
promoting Major Griffith of Illinois, and Wisconsin was not at that time