Welch interview rated X
Harvard Business Review editor asked to quit after alleged affair with ex-GE chief.
March 4, 2002: 8:41 a.m. ET
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NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Four top editors of the Harvard Business Review have called for the resignation of the publication's editor after an interview with former General Electric CEO Jack Welch evolved into an alleged affair, according to a published report Monday.
Editor Suzy Wetlaufer requested that the interview she conducted with Welch be pulled from the Harvard Business Review, saying she "had become too close to Jack," according to the Wall Street Journal, citing a source familiar with the situation.
Weeks before the story was scrapped, Wetlaufer told several staffers she was romantically involved with Welch, according to the report.
Those calling for Wetlaufer's resignation agree she acted responsibly by coming forward and requesting that the interview not be published, but say she should have done so sooner. No one at the publication called the content of the interview tainted, according to the report.
The editorial director of Harvard Business School Publishing assigned two lower-ranking editors to conduct a second interview which, entitled "Jack on Jack," appeared on schedule in the February edition of the Harvard Business Review, the paper reported.
Wetlaufer said in a prepared statement that she made the request to halt publication of her interview after receiving a call from Welch's wife, Jane, the Journal reported.
Jane Welch questioned whether Wetlaufer could be objective, given her relationship with Jack Welch, the paper reported, citing someone familiar with the situation.
Jack Welch, 66, declined to say whether he has ever been romantically involved with Wetlaufer, 42, saying "I don't talk about my personal life," the paper reported.
Welch served as Chairman and CEO of General Electric (GE: Research, Estimates) for 20 years before Jeffery Immelt succeeded him at the helm of the world's largest company in terms of stock capitalization. 
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