3101 Clifton Ave, Cincinnati, Ohio 45220 (513) 221-1875 phone, (513) 221-7812 fax

americanjewisharchives.org

MS-603: Rabbi Marc H. Tanenbaum Collection, 1945-1992.

Series E: General Alphabetical Files. 1960-1992

Box 79, Folder 4, Big business day, 1979-1980.

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Big Business Day · 1346 Connecticut A venue, NW Room411 . .

. . Washington, DC 20036 (202) 861-0456 .

. December 7, 1979 .

To the Board of Advisors

Big Business Day

April 17, 1980.

Please note that our initiating sponsors, Ralph Nader,

John Kenneth Galbi;aith, Douglas Fraser, William Wynn, Jmnes Farmer, ·

and others will be holding a press conference to announce that Big

Business Day will be celebrated April 17, 1980. The press conference

will be held at the Methodi~t Building, Conference Room 2, J.00

Ma;ryland Ave, N.E. Washington, D.C. at 11:30 A.M. on . Wednesd.a.y,

.· Dece~ber 12, 1979. I~ your schedule permits, you: are invited to

attend. Please ·join us.

The staff of Big Business Day will ke~p you informed as to press

reac~ion and the success of this event.

Enclosed is our latest flyer w~ich will shortly b~ mailed ..

ou·c to numerous citizen organizations ·. Please note. ·that this

advance copy ·of the p~mphlet was · pr.inted by a union house. Contrary

to our instruct.ions, the union labei was omitted. ..

All. copies

for p~blic distribution will, of .course, bear the union label.

Board of Advisors

Initiating Sponsors Ralph Nader John Kenneth Galbraith Douglas A. Fraser

: : James Farmer .. William H. Wynn Patsy T. Mink

Advisory Board Gar Alperovitz lraArlook Ed Asner George Ba!lis Richard Barnet Julian Bond · Heather Booth David Brower Marc Caplan Cesar Chavez Jacob Clayman Barry Commoner Rep. John Conyers Art Danforth Rep. Ronald V. Oellums. Joe Fish EdGaNey Robert Georgine Bishop Thom·as Gumbleton Robert Harbrant Michael Harrington Fred Harris Robert Heilbroner Hazel Henderson Monseigneur George Higgins Jim f:lightower INing .Howe William Hutton Mildred Jettrey Mary Gardiner Jones Frances Moo.re Lappe Robert Lekachman Joyce Miller Kathleen O'Reilly .Wade Rathke Jeremy Rifkin Rep. Ben Rosenthal Stanley Scheinbaum Arthur Schlesinger. Jr Scott Sklar Timothy Smith Rabbi Marc Tanenbaum Mary Luke Tobin William Winpisinger Jerry Wurl

Board of Directors

Mark Green Michael Jacobson Victor Kamber Jules Bernstein David Burgess Frank Viggiano . Alice Tepper Marlin William Olwell Peter Harnik Marjorie Phyfe Thom Fassett Ann Beaudry

BIG BUSINESS DAY APRIL 17, 1980 1346 Connecticut Avenue, NW Room 411 · Washington, DC 20036 (202) 861-0456 .

Rabbi· Mark Tannenbaum

January 18, 1980

National ·Director of Interreligious · / Affairs

American Jewish Committee 165 East 56th Street New York, New York 10022

Dear Rabbi Mark Tannenbaum:

Thank you for joining the· Advisory Board of .. Big Business Day. Organizing for the Day is progres~ing rapidly, and we want to keep you completely up to date.

Big Bus~ness Day was announced at a press conference o~ December 12 in Washington, D.c .• . and coverage · was excellent (see representative news : " clips enclosed). A national staff of eight has be.en working to· develop contacts, project ideas, publ ici­ty for the_ Day, and t he Big Busines·s Day Reader, ·.a comprehensive anthology to be published in March~ · Our new brochure, which bears your name, has b~e~

-sent to over 60, 000 individuals and organizations·. The Corporate Democracy Act has been drafted and _is being circulated with several members of Congre!:!.s . expressing interest in sponsorship. .~: .; .

There are three r~quests we would ask of you: :lo help make · the Day a success.

'" ' ,·

First, we are sending along 50 Big Business ;_.p~y brochures which we hope you will circulate to · ; : . ; . interested persons and organizations in your .. travels. Please let us know if you need additiorial materials.

Second, could you set aside April 17, 1980, · on : .. .. your calendar to avoid any future schedule t· conflicts? Once ou~ cities, projects and organiiers are in place, we can get back to you to decide ~~ere you would like to speak that day.· ·

. .. . · ... -: .. : ,.

Sponsored by Americans Concerned About Corporate Power

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, " • ~w· · . ... .

...

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And third, Big Business Day has raised some $60,000 from foundations, unions, public interest groups, churches and individuals , but it is only a beginning . In order to meet the considerable costs of organizing the event, we need to raise an additional $100,000 in the next three months. Would you be interested and able to make a contribution to this shared effort (our 501 (c)(3) tax status is now pending)? If this is not possible , could you return the enclosed contact card to provide us with additional names for organizing or fundraising

· purposes?

We intend to continue specif ic mailings of this type, including our Big Business Day Newsletter, on a regular basis. · Please let us know of any specific program ideas for the Day you may have.

Thank you for your interest and support. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

~~ Mark Green President of the Board

Enclosures

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,; ~ 111 eJ 11 I ~ lilstitute cf Hunian P.e!ations • 165 East 56 Street, New York, ttv. to022 • 212!751-40U!l • Cable Wishcorn, N.Y.

March 25, 1980

Mr. Mark Green, President Board of Directors

· Big Business Day 1346 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036

D2ar Mr. Green ,

I regret that it has not been possible for us to meet together during my recent trips to Washington. I have become seriously concerned about the directions that the Big Business Day programs and publicity have been taking and I wanted to have an opportunity to discuss these concerns with you in person.

Since it is not likely that we will be able to meet during the coming days, I v:i sh to inform you that I a;n disassociating ;nyse1f frcm this ef­fort. and to tell you why.

When one of your representatives came to visit with me and to invite my joiping your board of advisors, we discussed one primary issue that is of great conce~n to me, namely, the moral and ethical responsibility of all Americans, for the growing deterioration of the environment and the qual­ity of life in this great country.

. .

As I told your representative, it disturbs me. greatly to read GAO reports about the disposal of some thousands of toxic chemical waste dumps through­out Ame-rica that are poisoning the air and water of our country. Hooker Chemical Company and the Love Canal tragedy is but one illustration of an industry putting profit before the welfare of people. I am deeply con­cerned that there will be hundreds of Love Canals as well as radioactive waste concentrations emerging around the country which constitute a threat to the very ex i stance of 1 ife and human we 11-bei ng today and to future gen­erations.

~I C!'!ARO l.:A/.SS. Pr~:: ~~r. I 111 ~.:.\Yt:t R'.) t \'l!!:~~~C~. Cfl::•c":'l~l l, aoa10' c: Gr.·1ttno•s • MO~T('N ~. e:..~U Sl EJ N, Ct.;,i,rrian, Nat1cnar Exi::c1i ; ivl! COl!'!Cil 11 ~OWA?.O I. ;:~:E!)'. .4~~( C!'lzirma., . ~i::l~i: of ';'·i.,.; ' ;.:'I~ N

C t '1; :~1 ·:.~ i : . 5: ~\::\, 7.1...L.::c:r r;; !.E.;;~~;.th,J :. "1·;..~~E~. ~c;:..rtt~."\ E r;:~E.r.T t. ~-~i::;·;\'114 . A:~oc:a : e- i.c:...; .. rec ~ Ti· .:-O:OF[ Ell~: • .;;:; , C: .. ~: :m:;;• , ·: t .:J ·: .e : .>-: .. .;::.: !:

HJnora•/ Pres•~-.nts: M0?.RIS B. t.an~w.. ARTHU~ J GOL09f.i1C. PHILW E HOi'fr.!AN. H l.!ER L w:11Ti:R I:! Honorar1 ""t-l'•esi~'":s: llA!H.\N AP?c~:.: .:.· 1. ?:!TH fi ~cc:;,:;;!,! ANi)ilcW &o;:c:1:Ml. JA~!ES l~Af\Sl'~LL. Wl t ll.:.M il~SENVIALO • MAX M. Fi 5H~R. Honororf CMirmoi. Na•io>al ExeCL ll' e Cocnc;; Iii ~'AURIC~ GLl llERT. h ~OCl3f\' T:~o;wer a JOH1l SLAW$C!., i:xew1"e 'l •ce-Fresi~~n: Emeri1• : II Vice·?rtsidents: STAN rOP.!l M. JOELS;EH., RJ•i~ C::·f. o. O ; OA'.'ID H : ~SCli HO~N . S;ltimore: MILES JAFFE, Owoi:; Alri>i:O ~ l.IOS:S. Washin?IOn. o.c.: faAll;~ PETSCHEK. WestcMmr; M~RVIN H. P:SEMA~. New York: RICHARD E. SHERWOOD, LM Ar.geies: ~H:•nt.:.N H. STARil, Boston: EM:LY w. ~l1N5Tc lll . i'~ ilJ'. i:lp~1a.

GEORGE M. SUEAD. Westchester; E~!~E 0 WATERMAN. New York • .

Mr. · Mark Green . -2- . March 25, 1980

I was assured that it · was a ·central intention of Big Business Day to .raise consciousness ·aboutmoral accountability that would. lead :to .a con­tain~ent of the~e excesses and abuses: . I made it quit~ explicit that I wanted no part of .any effort that was out 11 to get business 11

•

As I indicated to your representative, .I -hold a · firm conviction that the. American free ·enterprise system, has be~n t.he source of u.ntold blessing, having· provided the highest standard of living to more millions of people than any other productive system in history. It has also been the deci-

. sive resource for providing more food, clothing, shelter~ medical care to millions of hungry, starving, and sick people throughout the world than any nation in the hi story of mankind: · ·That -i-s -not -an --abstraction -.to me -I sav1 firsthiir'ld during my recent three vi-si.ts to Southeast Asia ·what bene­fits . our Amer:ican capitalistic system . has br.ou,ght in helping save .the live·s and restore the dignity of thousands of hapl~ss refugees . . · .

Similarly, through ·my involvement in world hunger and for~i gn aid ·pro­grams I also know firsthand how great has been t he ·relief that our nation 1 s production system. has brought to the poor and deprived in our own country ~s well as in Afri ca, Latin America, the Near and Far East •

. I don't want to see that ·incredibl e productive system weakened or para­lyzed, nor do I want to hel p produce a mepi"tine tha:t i.s worse than the disease. · On the contrary-, I believe every ·Ame'rican has a mor~l obligation to-help make the American economic system more productive for the welfare 9f mankind, rather . than 1 ess. - .-

Beyond that, as I have lcng . ~go written in the enclosed essay in Theology Digest~· on an ideological level I am deeply c9nvinced that the American free enterprise system with a human face is the id~ological ground of our . civil, polttical , and rel i gious l iberties~ and that state capitalism is ~urest enemy of democratic liberties.

. .

From those starting points, · I find the literature and publicity of Big Busi~ .ness Day .deeply disturbingo I cannot find hardly a positive statement in any of the public pronouncements that affirms a,.ny of .the positive values of American free enterprise system at ·its best. What eiT]erges for me is \lirtually a caricature of American. capitalism ·and its his'toric achievements,

. the .net consequence of which cou 1 d we 11 be a further underm·; n ing of confi­dence in "central structures of American society - at ·a time when the Amer.- ·

. i~an people are suffering mbre -thah enough of dem6raliz~ticin : ·

For all these reasons, I have com~ to the conclusion that I have no alter­native but to ·disassociate myself from this campaign, and I · am therefore · herewith tendering my re_si_gnation f~om the Boa.rel. .. of Advi_sors . .

.. .. · \ ...

· mht:..rp~ '

Sincerely,

Rabbi Marc H. Tanenbaum National Dir~ctor Interreligious Affairs