Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co Chairman and Chief Executive Philip Purcell didn't know Tuesday how many of his 3,700 workers on 22 floors of the World Trade Center survived the worst terrorist attack in history.
On Wednesday, he learned that fewer than 15 employees are missing.
Yesterday, Purcell ran advertisements in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and other newspapers to thank the hundreds of rescue workers ``for their courageous efforts'' in pulling people from the rubble.
There were 10 full-page ads in Friday's Times and five in the Journal addressing the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. They came from companies such as Merrill Lynch & Co, AON Corp and American Express Co, and organizations such as the Embassy of Kuwait and the United Jewish Communities.
In yesterday's ads, Purcell offered words of condolence and his "heartfelt thoughts and prayers" with those who suffered ``the devastating loss of a loved one."
"This past Tuesday, many of us who work at the World Trade Center returned home to our loved ones," Purcell said. "Sadly, all of us did not. They were the innocent victims of what will certainly be characterized as one of the most tragic events in American history."
In Friday's Journal, Times and other papers, Merrill Chairman and Chief Executive David Komansky urged "compassion, courage and strength," extended his thoughts and prayers to the "thousands of people affected," and thanked his employees that helped the company get through the disaster.
"Because of these efforts, Merrill Lynch is open for business around the world," Komansky said in the advertisement, which ran in papers including the Journal, the Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
"We are actively working with government and industry officials to achieve an orderly and timely reopening of all markets.'' AON Chairman and Chief Executive Patrick Ryan, whose insurance company had about 1,100 of its 50,000 employees based in Two World Trade Center, bought ads to express his company's ``deepest sympathy and concern'' for everyone affected by the disasters. The company said the ``vast majority'' of its workers are safe.
``We have been deeply moved by the outpouring of support extended by our employees, clients, business partners and the community at large," Ryan said in his ad, which ran in the Times, the Journal and other papers Friday.
Some companies used full-page ads to implore Americans to help victims of the tragedy.
Royal Ahold NV's Giant Foods unit, which operates Giant supermarkets in the US, asked people to donate to its American Heroes Fund in an ad that ran in the Washington Post on Friday.
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