An emailed message underscores a divide between the chief executive, Will Lewis, and the people who helped build The Post into a force in American journalism.
In February, as morale at The Washington Post was reaching new lows, two of the newspaper’s most respected alumni decided to intervene, according to several people with knowledge of the decision.
Leonard Downie, the paper’s top editor for 17 years, and Bob Kaiser, who spent more than a half-century at the newspaper, including as managing editor, emailed The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos, with a simple message: He needed to cut ties with Will Lewis, its embattled chief executive.
“Replacing him is a crucial first step in saving The Washington Post,” the note said, according to a person who saw it.
Mr. Bezos has not responded to the message, according to the person, and there has been no public sign of daylight between him and Mr. Lewis. But the message is the most pronounced sign of a break between Mr. Lewis and the generation who built The Post into a formidable force in American journalism.
When reached for comment, Mr. Downie, who led The Post’s newsroom from 1991 to 2008, and Mr. Kaiser, who retired in 2014, acknowledged that they had sent the message to Mr. Bezos but would not provide any additional details, saying it was a private appeal.
A spokeswoman for The Washington Post declined to comment. A spokesman for Mr. Bezos did not respond to a request for comment.