European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 21, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Doily Magazine mid life crisis at the Ford by Carey Winfrey new York times n its 41st year the Ford foundation is going through a mid life crisis. Still recovering from surgery that has Cut budgets and staff nearly in half Over the last three years and awaiting new leadership that will come with the change Over of five top officers in 1979, the nation s largest and most influential foundation is in a holding pattern a phrase widely used within its new York Headquarters. There is still a lot to hold. The foundation s 1976 annual report lists assets of $2.35 billion income of $86.4 million and expenditures of $159.4 million. The foun Dation approved Grants totalling $127 Mil lion last , Harvard University recently announced a $4 million Ford Grant for re search in arms control and nuclear proliferation at the John f. Kennedy school of government. Mcgeorge Bundy Bai been the foundation s Central figure since be became its president in 1968. While he is widely praised from within for making civil rights the foundation s top Domestic priority he is charged by some subordinates with failing to Chart a new course for a much smaller though it is still the nation s largest philanthropic Agency we Are elegantly managed said one of his critics but a imaginatively led. In a wide ranging interview. Bundy a fended his handling of retrenchment the massive cutback in staff and budgets begun in 1974 to halt a precipitous drop in new Vork Tir foundation president Bundy i intend to keep things  Bundy who will retire in two years at the age of 60, also defended his decision to leave the Mission of the foundation in the next decade for his successor to deter  denied that the foundation was stalled admitted some mistakes Ana characterized criticisms of his leadership As hardly More than necessary abrasions of people with reduced  most of those abrasions can be traced to the foundation s first inti mation of mortality four Yean ago when during a 12-month period its assets plummeted from $3.1 billion to $1.7 billion the result of a history of lavish spending at the rate of $10 Mil lion a month above income and a Gen eral decline in the Stock Market. Bundy and the Board of trustees Henry Ford ii. Polaroid s Edwin h. Land. Robert s. Mcnamara of the world Bank among others considered phasing the institution out of business entirely before deciding in Stead to Cut budgets and staff nearly in half Over a four year period to Levels of $100 million a year for Grants and a staff of 370. That decision set off a wide internal debate Over How the smaller pie would be sliced. Foundation officers fought the Battle with the tools of their  were papers papers and More papers said Sanford Jaffe. A Domestic program officer. Everybody thinks what he s doing is an important or More important than what the other Guy is  there ought to be half As Many pro Grams As there Are now said another pro Gram officer reflecting a common View. In us now famous letter of Resigna Tion As a trustee made Public last january Henry Ford ii Caid that with half of toe income we Are still addressing As Many different problem areas As we did u or 15 years ago. I suspect that we arc tackling some of these rather thinly and thus not too of  while Ford s letter was widely Dis cussed within the foundation it produced neither a consensus nor any lasting Impact Many officers said that if Ford Felt so strongly about things he should have stayed on the Board to help change them. It s not As if he s just another trustee said  his year end review for the foundation s annual report Bundy praised Ford for broadening the Board of trustees Over the last 25  is an achievement unique in his Gen  he said one that precluded the Board from doing Only things that Henry Ford liked. So it was not surprising to his friends in this place that when he decided to resign last year he did so with a letter expressing some of his own  of greater internal concern than Ford s letter is the emphasis Bundy Lias placed on the Freedom of any successor to take the foundation off in new directions. While some staffers commend the intent they fault the effect. We can t pro Gram beyond sept. 30, 1979," said one pro Gram officer. In the foundation world that s  project officers Point to the future committee report As Evi Dence that the foundation is As one of them put it an organization with almost no future  for its report the committee commissioned 45 essays from consultants ranging one officer said from captains of Indus try to guru professors in  the result he added was a lot of knowledgeable perceptive comments that Are on bal.  another termed the end result a ratification of the status  Bundy defended a plan for the turn Over of key officers in 1979 four vice presidents also plan to retire that year though he conceded it could be a cause of concern to subordinates in the meantime. The trajectory most of us prefer is longer than two  he said. It s a legitimate  but he took Issue with the charge that he had wearied of the Job s challenges and was simply wailing to retire. "1 intend to keep things stirring he  did not dispute his staff s Conten Tion that his commitment of the foundation to civil rights was the major Monument to his  the debit Side Bundy said he thought we Haven t done enough affirmative action inside the building. When somebody paints out that everybody on the executive floor is a White male. Well Liat ques Tion is just very important for the next two  also cited As a mistake the poor Job by the foundation in explaining two controversial expenditures one that went toward voter registration in Cleveland and was perceived As an Effort to get Carl Stokes elected mayor the other a number of individual Grants to former Robert f. Kennedy staff members after sen. Kennedy was  were seen As excessively political said Bundy. Addressing complaint that the foundation had got too cozy with government Bundy allowed that such relationships could be dangerous. Inter reaction with the government is a double edged sword. I m sure there Are those who ask Are we just going to climb into bed with the Carter administration and be Joe Califano s tool. I think the answer is no but it s a Good  denied that his reputation As one of be architects of Lyndon Johnson s Viet Nam policies had made his Early Days at the foundation difficult people Here hated him for it said one project officer. Bundy said that a couple of people came up and said we re against the War but i was t so hot on the War myself after a year or so  As for retirement. Bundy said he found it a pleasant subject for contemplation at the end of the  tuesday june 21, 1977 the stars and stripes Page 13