by Calculated Risk on 11/12/2008 04:40:00 PM

Upping the ante on JPMorgan's CEO Dimon and Merrill's CEO Thain (see previous post), former Goldman Sachs chairman John Whitehead is quoted as saying the current slump will be worse than the Great Depression!

From Reuters: Whitehead sees slump worse than Depression (hat tip Rex Nutting)

The economy faces a slump deeper than the Great Depression and a growing deficit threatens the credit of the United States itself, former Goldman Sachs chairman John Whitehead ...

"I think it would be worse than the depression," Whitehead said. "We're talking about reducing the credit of the United States of America, which is the backbone of the economic system. ... I see nothing but large increases in the deficit, all of which are serving to decrease the credit standing of America. ... I just want to get people thinking about this, and to realize this is a road to disaster. I've always been a positive person and optimistic, but I don't see a solution here."

So far most of the Great Depression discussions have been phrased in terms of "worst since". Whitehead has taken the next step - however I think "worse than" is extremely unlikely.