My Weekly Russell: 5) Russell on "The Question of the Negro and the Priesthood"

[Gabriel]

In writing these posts regarding Russell’s autobiography, From Heart to Heart, I have taken some care to cross-check them with his later biographies by Spencer J. Condie (Russell M. Nelson: Father, Surgeon, Apostle) and Sheri Dew (Insights From A Prophet’s Life). As they both have read and refer to Russell’s autobiography, I am only concentrating on what they either omit from their accounts, or places where theirs differs materially from Russell’s own as published in 1979. Granted that they have more chronological material to traverse, it’s understandable that they would be unable to cover all the ground in Russell’s book; and they also have the unenviable burden of having to harmonize Russell’s later public utterances of a faith-promoting nature. There is, however, one absolutely glaring omission made by Condie and Dew for which I cannot account: Their biographies make no mention of Russell’s reaction to the Proclamation allowing all worthy males to receive the priesthood. Even more astounding, the Priesthood Proclamation itself is not mentioned a single time in either book. Not once. And this despite the fact that it was the biggest institutional change that the church has made since the abandonment of plural marriage, (not to mention the fact that Russell was on fairly intimate terms with President Kimball at the time).

Would it be an exaggeration to say that almost every faithful member over the age of 12 who lived through that time remembers where they were and what they felt when they first heard the news? It was HUGE! It was like 9-11 or the Kennedy Assassination. One remembers these things.

It turns out, however, unlike Condie and Dew, Russell does write of this event. And except as noted, all quotes are from Russell’s autobiography, From Heart to Heart. Quality Press, Inc: Russell M. Nelson. 1979.

First, let it be noted that Russell started prepping for his autobiography in 1977. From the chapter Highlights of 1977 p.381:

August 7 - Attended the sunset service at the Garden Park Ward, where President Spencer W. Kimball and President N. Eldon Tanner spoke. There I was inspired by President Kimball to begin the preparation of this personal history.

Russell’s personal history concludes at the close of 1978. From Highlights of 1978 p.389

December 28- Met for one hour with President Spencer W. Kimball reviewing the contents of this book. He studied it carefully and approved my publishing the chapters referring to my privilege of being his servant and surgeon. He was so happy to see his request honored that this book be written. It seems fitting that the first entry refers to his generating the idea; the last entry pertains to his approbation of the completed manuscript.

At over 400 pages, it is doubtful how much President Kimball would have been able to review in an hour. But, let’s be magnanimous and assume that he at least got the gist of Russell’s narrative. That Russell worked on his autobiography through 1979 is evidenced by a footnote to the first chapter (which was an overview written by his wife, Dantzel) that two additional grandchildren were added to the family by June, 1979. The book was printed sometime afterwards. (The copy that I purchased had a brief, handwritten greeting in the inside cover from Russell and Dantzel to Bishop L. Blaine Liljenquist, dated December 1979). The reason that I am emphasizing the date of Russell’s writing project is to show that he was working also with the benefit of hindsight when he recounts what follows. I had to skip back and forth between chapters to assemble the following in chronological order. So, to quote the words from The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,

Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question ...
Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”
Let us go and make our visit.

Timeline

In 1971, when Russell was President of the Bonneville Stake, he was considered as a possible candidate to succeed Ernest L. Wilkinson as president of BYU. From his Highlights of 1971 p. 343:

March 17- I was interviewed by Elders Marion G. Romney, Boyd K. Packer, and Marion D. Hanks regarding the presidency of Brigham Young University.
March 19- 1 was interviewed by President Harold B. Lee and President N. Eldon Tanner for more than two hours regarding the presidency of BYU. (Fortunately for the Church and for BYU, they subsequently appointed Dallin Oaks to that position.)

In his chapter entitled Presidents Hugh B. Brown, N. Eldon Tanner, Marion G. Romney, Ezra Taft Benson Russell recounts fondly his relations with these brethren. He devotes only a page to Marion G. Romney, but in it he includes this snippet on p.192:

In 1971, when the search was underway for a new president for Brigham Young University, President Romney interviewed me extensively, particularly on the question of the Negro and the Priesthood. I gave him a simple answer: I had no problem with that doctrine, because I knew that in the Lord's own due time a revelation would come which would enable the Blacks to receive the Priesthood, and until that time came, they were not to receive it. It was just that simple. I suspect some of the other men who were being interviewed may have had more to say on that subject.

He devotes a chapter to President Harold B. Lee (entitled President Harold B. Lee). When the following occurred Russell was General President of the Sunday School. On p.159:

On Friday, December 23, 1973, I took Dr. Anne G. Osborn in to meet President Lee, she having been newly appointed to the general board of the Sunday School. I wanted the two of them to know one another. Graciously, he reached for two copies of his new book, Decisions for Successful Living. He personally inscribed a copy to Sister Osborn, and then he inscribed a copy to me for my family. What a thoughtful and generous thing for him to do. I suppose those were two of the very last books he inscribed and gave away, for his death came suddenly three days later on December 26, 1973.

Decisions for Successful Living includes an interesting chapter on race entitled "Youth of a Noble Birthright", of which we will speak anon.

In the third episode of My Weekly Russell, Russell and Hugh on the Sailboat Sealestial, we were told about Hugh B. Brown’s vision of the deceased Harold B. Lee in 1974. Russell’s dream occurred a year later. It was too sacred to mention here but we will note it anyway. From his chapter President Harold B. Lee p.159

Since the passing of President Lee, I have had two very special dreams involving him. The first was in April of 1975. The substance of that message is too sacred to mention here, but it was a very reassuring and humbling experience.

Fast-forwarding to 1978, Russell first learns of the revelation enabling blacks to hold the priesthood on June 9. I bolded the date but included some other dates for context. From Highlights of 1978, p.386:

June 2-Dantzel and I went to Mexico City with Addie Fuhriman of the Relief Society General Board for meetings under the direction of Regional Representative Ronald Stone and his wife, Pat.
June 4-Regional meetings were held for the Industrial Region in Mexico City.
June 5-Fazur Estrada drove us to Cholula and Puebla with the Stones.
June 6-Flew to Guatemala, accompanied by Dr. John and Pat Bevan of the Young Men General Board. Met with Elder G. Enrique Rittscher, Regional Representative of the Twelve.
June 7- We flew to Tikal to see the remnants of an ancient American civilization that existed there from 600 B.C. to A.D. 800 or so.
June 8-We went to Chichicastenango and later spent the night at Lago Atitlan, one of the most beautiful lakes we've ever seen.
June 9-While we were attending a cultural meeting on the evening prior to regional meetings in Quetzaltenango, news of the revelation enabling blacks to hold the priesthood was announced to us by President Juan O'Donnell.

In September of the same year, Russell recounts his second dream of Harold. And it was while transcribing this particular dream in last week’s episode of My Weekly Russell, Post-Mortal Harold Pays a Couple Visits to Russel that a little red flag went up. It was from the portion that I bolded in the following account. Again from his chapter President Harold B. Lee pp. 159-160:

The second occurred on September 16, 1978. In the dream there were two vivid messages: first, that if President Lee had gone on living, a very severe affliction would have developed in his body if allowed to progress, would have given him great pain, suffering, and incapacity. The medical details of this were dreadful and distressing. He said his sudden death in December 1973 was brought about as an act of love and mercy, for the Lord wished to spare him and the Church the misery that otherwise would have ensued. His second message was that the revelations received and the actions subsequently taken by President Kimball were the very same as would have been received and performed by President Lee had he remained as the prophet. President Lee exclaimed that the Lord gives His will to His living prophet regardless of who the prophet is at the time, for the Lord indeed is directing His Church.

I was not the only one to be somewhat skeptical here. Because it also drew a comment from one of the many scholarly contributors to this forum.

The bolded text immediately brings the priesthood/temple ban policy change to mind. I find it interesting that Nelson's dream occurred three months after the change was announced (and nearly five years after Lee's death). Were there questions floating around about whether Lee would have made that change?
Nelson mentions Lee's book, Decisions for Successful Living. That book includes a chapter on race titled "Youth of a Noble Birthright" (excerpts are posted here). I have my doubts that Lee would have made the change in 1978 if he had lived that long.

The excerpts to which Tom is referring can be found here: https://vozesmormons.org/harold-b-lees- ... -teachings

The TLDR of "Youth of a Noble Birthright" is the back-then orthodox fare that those born into the black race were less valiant in the premortal existence, the mark of Cain was the black skin, the Lamanites, if worthy, will one day be white and delightsome, the races should not intermarry, etc., etc.

Just to make sure that Harold’s writing wasn’t altered or taken out of context by a bunch of Brazilian anti-Mormons, I purchased the Ebook of Decisions for Successful Living from deseretbook.com for comparison to make sure that they check out. Other than the fact that portions of the quotes on the Brazilian site were bolded for emphasis, they do. You can buy Harold's book by clicking on this link. Hurry while supplies last. https://deseretbook.com/p/decisions-suc ... 0140-ebook

Russell’s final mention of this subject is on p. 389 from Highlights of 1978:

September 30-General conference. This was a very historic conference because: (1) The revelation regarding the priesthood becoming available to all worthy male members of the Church regardless of race was ratified by vote of the conference. (2) A new emeritus status for General Authorities was created and granted to seven. (3) Elder James E. Faust was named as a new apostle to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of Elder Delbert L. Stapley. (4) Other new General Authorities named were Elders F. Burton Howard, Teddy E. Brewerton, and Jack H. Goaslind, Jr.

This post is longer than I anticipated so I will end here rather anti-climactically sans comment.

Do zobaczenia! Gentle Reader!

[Philo Sofee]

Quite interesting! Thanks for your efforts on all this.

[Moksha]

Would it be an exaggeration to say that almost every faithful member over the age of 12 who lived through that time remembers where they were and what they felt when they first heard the news? It was HUGE! It was like 9-11 or the Kennedy Assassination. One remembers these things.

I remember people asking me if I would rejoin the Church because of this change.

"Youth of a Noble Birthright"
No one of you with safety can defy the laws of heredity and the centuries of training that have developed strong racial characteristics and tendencies among the distinctive peoples of the earth, such as your own innate LDS craving for tuna casserole.
Lee, Harold B. Decisions for Successful Living. Deseret Book Company, 1973, pp. 1087-1114

Niech moc będzie z Tobą!

[Tom]

In 1971, when Russell was President of the Bonneville Stake, he was considered as a possible candidate to succeed Ernest L. Wilkinson as president of BYU. From his Highlights of 1971 p. 343:

March 17- I was interviewed by Elders Marion G. Romney, Boyd K. Packer, and Marion D. Hanks regarding the presidency of Brigham Young University.
March 19- 1 was interviewed by President Harold B. Lee and President N. Eldon Tanner for more than two hours regarding the presidency of BYU. (Fortunately for the Church and for BYU, they subsequently appointed Dallin Oaks to that position.)

In his chapter entitled Presidents Hugh B. Brown, N. Eldon Tanner, Marion G. Romney, Ezra Taft Benson Russell recounts fondly his relations with these brethren. He devotes only a page to Marion G. Romney, but in it he includes this snippet on p.192:

In 1971, when the search was underway for a new president for Brigham Young University, President Romney interviewed me extensively, particularly on the question of the Negro and the Priesthood. I gave him a simple answer: I had no problem with that doctrine, because I knew that in the Lord's own due time a revelation would come which would enable the Blacks to receive the Priesthood, and until that time came, they were not to receive it. It was just that simple. I suspect some of the other men who were being interviewed may have had more to say on that subject.

I was recently looking through Richard Turley's biography of Dallin Oaks. (I don't recommend it.) Chapter 10 provides some details on the church's selection of Oaks as president of BYU. (Among other things, Oaks was not on the search committee's initial list of 25 candidates.) Apparently, one of Oaks' chief concerns was whether he could accept the "short hair and no-beard regulations." Turley notes that "BYU's dress code had come up repeatedly in the interviews." Not mentioned in the biography is the fact that the selection of Oaks occurred following a period of race-related protests against BYU. I assume that, like Nelson, Oaks was asked for his views on the priesthood/temple policy.

[IHAQ]

In terms of why the June 1978 revelation doesn’t feature in Nelson’s personal glory fest Heart To Heart, nor since, is perhaps due to his status at the time it happened. He was, I think, Sunday School President at the time, so wasn’t involved in the process. There was no opportunity to make it all-about-Russell and so it served no useful purpose to him.