The Revolution Will Not be Televised

Breech grooms Henry; Henry brooms Breech.(Ford 100)

Automotive News June 15, 2003 Byline: Jeff Mortimer Rumors had been in the wind for years. More and more, it was Robert S. McNamara rather than Ernest Breech who had Henry Ford II’s ear.

More and more, Hank the Deuce countermanded Breech’s orders and upstaged him at meetings, most famously at a senior management retreat at the Greenbriar in West Virginia in 1958 when he followed Breech’s remarks with his own – and significantly different – vision for the company’s future, a vision he had discussed with his board chairman in advance. “I am the captain of the ship,” he concluded, “and I intend to remain captain as long as my name is on the bow.” Henry Ford II even took away Breech’s Detroit Lions tickets. The tandem that had steered Ford Motor Co.’s reinvention as a modern corporation was coming apart, and only one of the men was named Ford. On July 13, 1960, the one who wasn’t resigned.

Henry II had been 28 and president for less than a year when he had hounded Breech, 21 years his senior, into coming to work for him. But that was 14 years earlier, and he was finding the relationship increasingly irritating, especially after Breech was elevated from executive vice president to board chairman in 1955. That meant it was Breech, not Henry, who acted as company spokesman at the shareholders’ annual meeting. go to website detroit lions tickets go to website detroit lions tickets

`Almost a father’ Henry Ford II toppled the man he later described to one Ford chronicler as “almost a father” to him – the man who, it was generally understood, had run the company, even as he schooled Henry II in how to do it himself. “My job was to teach Henry,” Breech said, “and he was a good learner.” The degree of sensitivity with which the deed was done – and even the question of whether Breech fell on his sword – continues to be debated by historians. The company line always has been that Henry II ended the suspense one day by saying, “Ernie, I’ve graduated.” Others say Hank the Deuce couldn’t bring himself to do it, and it was Breech who said: “Henry, now you’ve come of age. You want to take over, and I want to step aside.” Henry was The Man In any event, Henry Ford II was ready. The story about Breech’s exit on the front page of Automotive News noted that his departure was “unexpected” and was generally upbeat. It focused on his achievements and his continuing role with the company. The finance committee was invented largely to give Breech its chairmanship. But it also was clear that Hank the Deuce was now The Man – president and chairman.

He held both jobs for less than four months before naming McNamara president, but the latter was in office even more briefly before becoming secretary of defense for President John Kennedy.

Flummoxed by this turn of events, Henry II tried to lure back his old mentor. Breech politely declined, saying he was happily retired. A few weeks later, he joined Trans World Airlines.

CAPTION(S):

Ernest Breech, left, said of Henry Ford II: “My job was to teach Henry, and he was a good learner.”

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• PropogandaLess

  Your funny. Sure Hugo Chavez was doing good by nationalizing food and feeding the poor. Really is he? Do you know any Venezualans? Do you know how his plan worked out and how this latest power grab is totally making even the poor go hungry? You claim to be against propaganda by taking people who give you facts and show videotape and then telling you to search more and decide for yourself and painting them as propogandists. The proceed to talk in a very ill informed manner and spread propaganda. Fox news is no doubt right wing. But they have views from both sides and make an effort to highlight differing opinions.
  
  CNN and MSNBC are totally hilarious propoganda lefty nutcase machines. Just check out NewsBusters or WeaselZippers to see how they twist truths to get to ill informed people who would most likely take the opposite view if they knew the full story. I guess this is why FOX has triple the audience those networks have. Most people arent fringe delusional and the crazies arent just like everyone else as they want you to think, they are crazies.

• http://www.gonzotimes.com/ PunkJohnnyCash

  Please, there is no difference between CNN or Fox. All the same. One pimps the D one pimps the R. And your claim to Fox having 'both sides' shows that you believe there are only two sides the D and the R which further proves the joke is on you. It's representation of 'another side' is laughable at best, which is fine. If you want a D side you go to CNN. But you are trapped between two statist apolagists.

  As for Chavez. He's no different than our little tyrants who nationalize Health Care, Car Companies and banks. They all nationalize force. To paint him as a villain and some other U.S. statist as a good guy is nothing but a double standard. If you want to hold that candle up to Chavez you need to hold it up to the Teaparty, Republicans, conservatives, progressives and democrats. It seems we are only willing to point those flaws out in the 'not us'.