We never got a chance the other day to follow-up on the news of the appointment of Clive Crook as a writer and the senior editorial advisor to Atlantic Media, the parent company of Hotline, National Journal, The Atlantic (Monthly), Government Executive, and CongressDaily, among other publications.

Chairman and Publisher David G. Bradley's memo to staff on Tuesday laid out his vision for the new position. Clive, who will arrive in the States from his current position at the Economist sometime in mid-July, will join Bradley's senior conclave of John Sullivan, John Galloway, and Elizabeth Keffer to help make editorial and visionary decisions.

Offering high praise for anyone starting work at a magazine that has included writers like Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Mark Twain, and W.E.B. DuBois, Bradley wrote of Clive, "He runs deep, lucid, rigorous, across terrain I wish I had mastered. And, therein, I find him original and compelling. We have, and have had before, arresting intellectual talent in our magazines. I don't know that we have had better."

Full memo, dripping with DGB's unique deferential tone, after the jump.

Memorandum

To: Atlantic Media Colleagues

From: David G. Bradley

Re: A Seven Year Ambition

A true media titan could have accomplished this in a fraction of the time. Even so, I am deeply pleased that, after seven years of conversation, we have had some success in recruiting Clive Crook to join the Atlantic Media enterprise. Before our business day in Washington began, the Economist in London announced that Clive is moving to Washington to take a full-time position as writer and as my senior editorial advisor at Atlantic Media.

The Appointment in Brief

As perhaps you imagined, I have spent some portion of the last two years without a principal, editorial advisor to help me think through and execute our larger editorial ambitions: creating a great journalism destination, recruiting and advancing exceptional talent, thinking through new publications, vetting the possibilities for acquisition. This is a role difficult in any circumstance, all but impossible for anyone also charged with getting out a specific publication.

Upon his arrival in Washington, just after July 4, Clive will step forward to a new title and position in the firm, Editorial Advisor to the Chairman. Clive will join John Sullivan, John Galloway, Elizabeth Keffer and me on the modest committee we convene to govern the enterprise.

Clive's Background

The run of Clive's career is what you would want in the leadership of the Economist. Clive graduated from Magdalen College, Oxford, in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. He pursued his masters in economics at the London School of Economics. He labored (I assume the right verb) for five years in the Government, a final two year posting in HM Treasury. Then, and beginning in 1982, Clive began his path up the Economist's (hidden) masthead, serving as economics correspondent, Washington correspondent (1985-1986), economics editor and, since 1993, deputy editor--the number two position. With Bill Emmott, the editor, Clive is responsible for the greater part of the brilliance of the Economist formula--a consistent world view expressed, consistently, in tight and engaging prose.

Some of you must know this sentiment: realizing that someone's comment expresses, but better, exactly your view--save for the fact that you had not thought it until now. Across much of the world political economy, that is Clive for me. He runs deep, lucid, rigorous, across terrain I wish I had mastered. And, therein, I find him original and compelling. We have, and have had before, arresting intellectual talent in our magazines. I don't know that we have had better.

On balance, it may be no favor to a new executive to post him so high in an enterprise. Perhaps I can ask you, all the same, to help welcome Clive to Washington and then to our work.

I close with my continuing appreciation to all of you, mindful of the privilege of working in your company.

David