The Press: Very Dear Diary

The diaries of Nazi Paul Goebbels belong to the U.S. Government: so the Office of Alien Property decided last week. Doubleday & Co., which thought it held the rights, sadly agreed (TIME, March 1). Nevertheless with OAP’s blessing, Doubleday will go ahead with the diaries’ publication. The book will still be the May selection of the Book-of-the-Month and some 75 U.S. newspapers will run a series of excerpts. But all royalties (a minimum of $160,000) and all other profits will be held in escrow until GAP decides whether or not Doubleday is entitled to anything more than printing costs. Furthermore, Doubleday will not have the sole publishing rights. And as it is using only part of the diaries, there is plenty of material left for GAP to license to other publishers. Cracked GAP Boss David Bazelon: “All you’ve got to do is get a translator and you’re in business.”