On December 21, 1966, only six days after Walt’s death, O.B. Johnston, Vice President of Merchandizing, issued the following memo to all department heads:
“The Studio will soon begin work on a comprehensive biography of Walt Disney. Projected for many volumes, it will cover the man, his life, his art, his stories and his plans for the future.
“It is anticipated that many book publishers, editors, writers and authors will want to do biographies of Walt. Most will be opportunistic; some will undoubtedly be thoughtful and artistic. None are to be authorized.
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