the fastest-growing paper in the city, rivaling The Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press in the great Detroit newspaper war. The Times hit its highest circulation in 1951, with an average daily high of 438,757 papers sold. But the 1950s were not kind to the newspaper business, and the Times''' circulation numbers slipped to about 400,000 copies sold daily by 1960. Rumors of a sale of the Times had been circulating for weeks, then on the evening of Sunday, November 6th, 1960, Newsweek magazine broke the story with the headline,"One Out In Detroit," explaining that Hearst's "limping" paper had been sold to The Evening News Association, owner of its "independently owned, well-heeled competitor," The Detroit News. Reports of the sale also appeared that evening on Detroit radio station WXYZ (now WXYT) as well as in the early "bulldog" edition of the Detroit Free Press. The Free Press reported at the time that only one person at the Times, General Manager William H. Mills, knew of the imminence of the sale, and that H.G. Kern, General Manager of the Hearst chain, had informed Mills of the completion of the sale as early as Friday, November 4, instructing him to only inform the employees on Monday morning. The Times' 1,500 employees were given little notice: They received termination telegrams at two in the morning on Monday, November 7, mere hours before they would begin reporting for work. The telegrams stated the following: "It is with deep regret that the management of the Detroit Times must inform you of termination of your services as of the opening of business on Nov. 7, 1960. It is not necessary for you to report for further duty. Your paycheck will be available on your usual payday in the Detroit Times lobby. The chief accountant has been instructed to mail you a check as soon as possible for any monies that may be due you under the collective bargaining agreement between the Detroit Times and the Guild." The telegrams offered no explanations for the terminations. Employees were only informed that the building was locked and there were armed guards around it. A week or so later employees could return to clear their desks, accompanied by those armed guards. The news of the sale was delivered to the newsroom staff in the middle of the night, at approximately 3am on Monday, November 7. They were nearly finished