U.S. under-secretary of state W. Averill Harriman asked Hugh B. Brown how
long Ezra Taft Benson would be on his European mission. Pres. Brown reportedly
replied: "If I had my way, he'd never come back!" (Brown statement
to Harriman and Richard D. Poll in Salt Lake City, 25 Oct. 1963, quoted in
Poll's letter to D. Michael Quinn, 13 Aug. 1992.)
Joseph Fielding Smith identified Benson's European mission as intentional
exile. The Quorum of Twelve's president wrote to Congressman Ralph R. Harding
(Idaho) on 30 October: "I think it is time that Brother Benson forgot all
about politics and settled down to his duties as a member of the Council of
the Twelve." JFS also said, "He (Benson) is going to take a mission
to Europe in the near future and by the time he returns I hope he will get all
of the political notions out of his system." (Smith to Harding, 30 Oct.
1963, photocopy in folder 2, box 4, King Papers, and in folder 22, box 5,
Buerger Papers.)
One of the directors of an LDS institute of religion wrote: "May a
dumb spirit possess Bro. E.T.B." (George T. Boyd, associate director of
the LDS institute of religion in Los Angeles to "Dick" [Richard D.
Poll], undated but written ca. 18 Oct. 1961 and answered 24 Oct)
Joseph Fielding Smith wrote: "I am glad to report to you that it will
be some time before we hear anything from Brother Benson, who is now on his
way to Great Britain where I suppose he will be, at least for the next two
years. When he returns I hope his blood will be purified." (Wilkinson
diary, 14 Dec. 1963; Joseph Fielding Smith to Congressman Ralph Harding, 23
Dec 1963)
