December 30, 1969
Dear Curt,
This will acknowledge your
letter of December 24, which I found on returning to my office yesterday.
I certainly agree with you that you, as a human being, are
not a piece of property to be bought and sold. This is fundamental in our
society and I think obvious. However, I cannot see its applicability to the
situation at hand.
You have entered into a current playing contract with the St.
Louis club, which has the same assignment provision as those in your annual
major league contracts since 1956. Your present contract has been assigned
in accordance with its provisions by the St. Louis club to the
Philadelphia club. The provisions of the playing contract have been negotiated
over the years between the clubs and the players, most recently when the present
basic agreement was negotiated two years ago between the clubs and the Players
Association.
If you have any specific objection to the propriety of the
assignment, I would appreciate your specifying the objection. Under the
circumstances, and pending any information from you, I do not see what action I
can take and cannot comply with the request contained in the second paragraph of
your letter.
I am pleased to see your statement that you desire to play
baseball in 1970. I take it this puts to rest any thought, as reported earlier
in the press, that you were considering retirement.
Sincerely yours,
Bowie Kuhn