During the fall of
1955 a friend of Juanita’s requested the opinion of Elder LeGrand Richards
regarding The
Mountain Meadows Massacre. In his reply the apostle cast doubt upon
Juanita’s friendliness toward the Church. Perhaps unwisely, the friend
forwarded the letter to Juanita, who immediately wrote the apostle defending
herself: “Anyone who knows me will tell you that I have always been active in
the Church: MIA Ward President, MIA Stake Board, Stake S.S. Board, Stake Pres. of
Relief Society. I financed, practically alone, a brother and a sister on
missions; we have sent two sons on missions and have three more growing up to
go. I went to the Temple just last Saturday” (JB to LeGrand Richards, 28
November 1955, [originals or photocopies in possession of]L[evi]S[.]P[eterson]).
In his prompt reply,
Richards complimented Juanita’s good deeds but reiterated his negative
judgment. Even if her interpretation of the massacre, he asserted, it was not
in the interest of the Church “to bring it up at this late date.” He was reminded
of a mother who cautioned a tactless son who wished to inform a man that his
nose was big and red: “All the truth does not always need to be told” (LeGrand
Richards to JB, 30 November 1955, LSP). Quickly mailing a rebuttal, Juanita
claimed that time would prove her book to have been in the best interest of the
Church. As for the man with the red nose, it seemed “that if he had a mirror,
no one would need to tell him of it. He could see plainly enough himself” (JB
to LeGrand Richards, 5 December 1955, LSP). Richards agreed to accept the test
of time but affirmed his prior position: “I love the church so much and
defended it so many times that I don’t like to see statements coming from
within that in any way that cast a shadow upon the integrity of the leaders of
the church.” He declared that he intended to read the book, “hoping that by so
doing I will obtain a more favorable impression than I now have” (LeGrand
Richards to JB, 7 December 1955, LSP).
Some weeks later, his
reading completed, Richards wrote that he was unwilling to believe that Brigham
Young and other leaders had inflamed their zealous followers before the
massacre, had concealed their misdeed afterwards, and had sacrificed John D.
Lee in the interest of the Church at large. “I am at a loss to understand your
motive for writing the book,” he asserted. “In view of your statements that you
are a loyal member of the church, and interested in its reputation, surely you
cannot truthfully say that your book does not injure the reputation of your
church and its leaders.” He exhorted her to turn her gifted pen to a work that
promoted rather than destroyed faith. With that, he insisted the matter be
closed (Ibid., 13 January 1956, LSP). (Levi S. Peterson, Juanita Brooks:
Mormon Woman Historian [Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1988], 245-46)
