White Papers Before Major Moves

“At that point, in February 1966, I wrote what I call a white paper, something that I have tried to do at every important turn of events. I started with the founding of Pronto Markets. In a white paper you try to write down everything you plan to do, and the reason why you think you should do it. That way, when things don’t work out, you can’t play the role of a Soviet historian and airbrush history. The other important use of a white paper is to circulate it to the troops, to engage their support and solicit their ideas.”

“After chewing things over for two months with the key players—Leroy, Bob Berning, Gene Pemberton, and Frank Kono—I wrote a white paper in February 1977 outlining our answer to deregulation, a white paper I called the Five Year Plan ’77.”