I have been a subscriber to Chronicles for roughly twenty-five years. I love the print magazine, which I intend to take until I pass on to my reward, its publication ceases, or its “voice” becomes indistinct from that of National Review, whichever comes first.

But it seems to me that, beginning about the time of the death of Tom Landess, there have been changes afoot behind the scenes that have proceeded at a fairly rapid pace. That is discomforting for someone such as myself who is of such a conservative bent that I was initially put off when Chronicles changed its font. And now that I have had to come to terms with that, with Tom Fleming’s stepping away from Chronicles to go do essentially the same thing on his own, Scott Richert’s departure, and the growing vacuum left by the deaths of Landess, and later John Howard, Egon Tausch, and now more recently John Lukacs, Aaron Wolf, and Justin Raimondo—all of which I have borne silently.

I am at last moved to break my silence and ask (perhaps selfishly) for an explanation, to wit: What has happened to Chilton Williamson? It seems that in the wake of Aaron Wolf’s death and the shift to The Charlemagne Institute as publisher of Chronicles, he has simply vanished from institutional memory—no longer listed on the masthead or even as an active contributor, and all without any public announcement or even a “goodbye.” Did I miss something? Has he been purged? If so, would you mind telling me why?

—Thomas Allen

Macon, Ga.

Mr. Foley Replies:

Thomas, thank you so much for your letter! You’ve given me much to write in response.

Perhaps it would be best to start with some background. About three years ago, well after the departure of Dr. Thomas Fleming, the board of directors of Chronicles’ parent organization, The Rockford Institute, and representatives of the publishing entity then called Intellectual Takeout began discussing the possibility of a merger, as they shared a common mission and outlook.

The leadership of both institutions recognized that each organization’s strengths would support the other’s weaknesses. Chronicles is a print magazine with a tremendous intellectual heritage and a formidable stable of contributors. Intellectual Takeout had a young staff and a very large digital audience of nearly 9 million unique readers annually, primarily under age 40. Furthermore, in the wake of Dr. Fleming’s departure, the board of The Rockford Institute was looking for new leadership.

While conversations continued at a gentle pace, Intellectual Takeout commenced a strategic plan that included renaming its nonprofit entity to The Charlemagne Institute, launching the Alcuin Internship, and making Intellectual Takeout a digital publication of the institution.

By May 2018, the conversations increased in seriousness and a key meeting between the boards was arranged in August 2018. The merger details were ironed out and on Dec. 31, 2018, the two institutions officially merged. The chairman of The Rockford Institute, Raymond Welder, became the chairman of The Charlemagne Institute.

The now-combined board decided to use the name The Charlemagne Institute while making Chronicles magazine the flagship publication, joining Intellectual Takeout and the Alcuin Internship under the strategic umbrella.

The mission to defend and advance Western, Christian civilization continues. The strategic plan was, and is, to continue to give Chronicles readers the rigorous writing for which it is known, while also promoting its work to a new generation of Intellectual Takeout readers. Meanwhile, the combined institution will provide the needed infrastructure to grow the magazine’s subscriptions, reach, and influence.

After the merger, Aaron Wolf was preparing to take over as editor in chief while Chilton Williamson would restart Chronicles Press under the name Charlemagne-Chronicles Press. This plan was discussed and known by all involved. Under Aaron’s leadership, we planned to redesign the Chronicles website and put more resources into the print magazine, and recruit and groom the next generation of writers.

We were all very excited to be working together on these plans. The horrible reality of Aaron’s passing upended them.

A heart attack struck down Aaron Wolf on Easter Sunday. He was 45 and left behind his wife Lorrie and their six children. Our first duty was to immediately see to the needs of the family and then to make sure Chronicles would continue to be published. Aaron played an absolutely central role to the success of Chronicles as the Charlemagne/Intellectual Takeout staff had little experience publishing a monthly print magazine.

A heart attack struck down Aaron Wolf on Easter Sunday. He was 45 and left behind his wife Lorrie and their six children. Our first duty was to immediately see to the needs of the family and then to make sure Chronicles would continue to be published. Aaron had played an absolutely central role in the success of Chronicles as the Charlemagne/ Intellectual Takeout staff had little experience publishing a monthly print magazine. In the whirlwind of activity taking place the week of Aaron’s death, Chilton Williamson decided to resign from Chronicles magazine. It was entirely his choice, and we wish him well. Chilton is one of the great writers and thinkers of his generation. He had done much good since the departure of Dr. Fleming. In the grand scheme of things, we see ourselves caught up in a generational shift. Older Americans who carried the torch of freedom are retiring or passing on to their rewards. A younger generation, of which I am included, is now receiving the torch and realizing the gravity of what is ahead. For over forty years, Chronicles has played an extremely influential role in American culture and politics. We recognize our duty to preserve and promote that inheritance while staying true to the mission. Though further changes will occur at Chronicles as a new generation of editors and contributors steps into the breach, I pledge to you that we will do our very best to fulfill our charge.