Conspiracy theory: "By January, I was really concerned about our relationship. I wrote to you that 'your view that there is a conspiracy with the people around me toward you is ridiculous.' "
Ever the agent: "By the end of April, I hoped you were getting the point. I was frustrated because you wouldn't take anything and follow through. You seemed to be agenting, not operating.... I tried to explain to you the difference between a public and private company. You obviously spent too many years getting unbelievable deals for executives with companies that did not care, or rather talent deals where leadership and real scrutiny did not matter."
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Friday February 27, 2004 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 50 words Type of Material: Correction
Eisner letter -- An article in Thursday's Business section incorrectly quoted a portion of a letter from Disney Chairman Michael Eisner to Michael Ovitz as saying, "Even on the phone, I could not get your attention." The letter actually said, "Even on the plane, I could not get your attention."
All about image: "Image is always important to you. When asked, I did agree for you to go on the executive committee of the board. I have always wanted to support you and do whatever I could to give you the stature you needed. I could not give you the COO [chief operating officer] title and responsibilities until you understood what they were and how to exercise them. I had hoped that company operations someday would become as important to you as image."
Trouble with the truth: "Most of our executives were out of step with you. And that cadence problem basically was caused by lack of trust in you. As we've discussed many times, we all never knew when you were telling things as they were. The truth was often hard to decipher."
Handling the press: "We do not agree on the way to handle the media. I feel distance and honestly [sic] and non-manipulation is the way to go. You want to control or handle or humor the press. In your letter you told me to read 'Peter Bart [of Variety magazine] and I will better understand relationships.' That's all you said. When the article came out, you told me, he had sent it on to you beforehand for 'corrections and tone and editing.' That is not how we should run this company. We are the media."
A slow start: "You started off slowly, with which I believe you would agree. You were nervous and wanted to impress everybody. And you would agree that this was a mistake."
The end: "Michael, the more I dig with you, the more truth comes out. I really am tired of giving you the second degree. You must be tired of getting it? You may think that so much of what I have written in this letter is petty. I know that. But the time is finally, once again, to be clear. It cannot work. And I want it to end as soon as possible. I want you to direct your energies to how to exit, not how to cure."
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To read Eisner's letter to Ovitz, go to latimes.com/letter.
