He joined the staff of the "New York Evening Post" (now the "New York Post") in 1934, and in 1935 was hired by "Current History" as a book critic. He later ascended to the position of managing editor. He also befriended the staff of the "Saturday Review of Literature" (later renamed "Saturday Review"), which had its offices in the same building, and by 1940, joined the staff of that publication as well. He was named editor-in-chief in 1942, a position he would hold until 1972. Under his direction, circulation of the publication increased from 20,000 to 650,000.