A Letter From The Publisher, Jan. 6, 1975

As a crucial decision maker and a symbol of Arab petropower, Saudi Arabia’s King Faisal is TIME’S Man of the Year. Throughout 1974, Faisal’s actions about oil prices and related matters touched, in various degrees, the lives and pocketbooks of virtually every human being on earth. Politically, too, 1974 was marked by the increasing cohesion and power of the Arab world, a surging strength fueled by the largest transfer of capital in history. In all this, the shrewd and dedicated King has played a key role.

All year long readers contributed an avalanche of Man of the Year suggestions. Richard Nixon received the most votes — both as hero and villain. Other choices ranged from Chicken Tycoon Frank Perdue and Heavyweight Champ Muhammad Ali to the beagle on our recent pet cover (on the grounds that the U.S. is going to the dogs). Within TIME, the process of selection began in early October when the managing editor invited other editors and bureau chiefs to submit nominations. A remarkable degree of consensus resulted: along with a number of New York-based editors, 18 bureau chiefs round the world mentioned heads of oil-producing nations as the men who had most affected life in their areas. King Faisal received more ballots than any other candidate. The number of such votes influences, but never dictates the final selection; this time the votes and the principal editors’ own judgment went the same way.

Once the choice was made, preparations for the story began under conditions of secrecy. From Beirut, Bureau Chief Karsten Prager distilled 18 months of reporting on oil while Cairo Bureau Chief Wilton Wynn flew to Jeddah to sip Bedouin coffee in a rare audience with King Faisal. In New York, Reporter-Researchers Ursula Nadasdy de Gallo and Sarah Button gleaned information on oil and the Middle East. Sequestered in an out-of-the-way office, Senior Editor Marshall Loeb then wrote the cover story, which was edited by Assistant Managing Editor Edward L. Jamieson. Associate Editor Spencer Davidson sketched Faisal the man, and Senior Writer Lance Morrow analyzed Man of the Year also-rans, including Nixon, Ford and Kissinger. Why were they also-rans? Because their actions over the past twelve months did not meet the criterion that determines TIME’S choice: the person who has most significantly affected — for good or ill — the course of events.