Chapter 27 Karakarai Falls - 5

After spending just one night in Helsinki on the way back from Moscow, Klimrod, Taras and Haas headed straight for London.They arrived just in time for lunch, which, according to Diego, "wasn't worth the haste we had to make from Finland." It happened to be New Year's Day, and in the afternoon they met with Costakai Maijorescu.Without saying a word at first, the little man shook Reb Klimrod's hand for a long time, then expressed his gratitude in broken English, and reiterated that all promises made by his family would be honored. cash.He avoided talking about his imprisonment, although his long confinement had damaged his health; but now that he has been released, he has regained full control of the command, which can be clearly seen.Klimrod explained to him that the negotiated price of the 16 oil tankers was 29.6 million U.S. dollars, which had not yet been paid by the insurance company, because it happened to be New Year's Day and banks were closed.Maiorescu shook his head again and again.

"Never mind. The tankers are yours. God knows you didn't get them for nothing anyway, and a man who can save the three of us from where we're staying will no doubt cost thirty million The power of the dollar. Klimrod!" "Ok?" "Is it not accidental that you sent Lierny first, and then Berkovitch to us—I mean London to my family—to propose this unusual idea?" "They work with me a lot." "But they're Romanian in origin, like us. It's certainly not just a mere coincidence." Klimrod said with a smile: "They are just the most suitable candidates." He raised a hand with a treacherous expression. "I accept your invitation because you are about to offer to treat us to lunch tomorrow. I can totally understand that tonight you would prefer to be with your loved ones and celebrate. My favorite Romanian dish is tocana de vetel ( Note: Romanian, veal stew) with mititei (note: Romanian, spicy sausage). Finally, a little dulceata (note: Romanian, pickled candied fruit).”

In fact, Reber's extensive knowledge of Romanian cuisine was not the main reason why Taras and Setiniaz were surprised.What really astonished them was the daring of this whirlwind.In a matter of days, the operation mobilized Taras and Setiniaz, the Petridis brothers, plus Diego Ha Marx, Harlan, and how many Soviet ministers and senior officials known only to Marx, including Beria and Stalin, as well as Madame Eva Peron and President Juan Peron, a possible Orientalist A spy from the United States, an Argentine tycoon (he is Diego's uncle) and another American tycoon who is keen on collecting Russian art works (he is a shareholder of one of the largest insurance companies in the United States).And now they've just learned that at the same time Reber moved two other pieces on his board—his two best black dogs.

When Leiber brought Setiniaz to London, almost as if kidnapping him, he said to him: "I hope, at least this time, you will go to the stage." In Setiniaz's eyes, His play is over. The next few weeks and months were a bit odd.At least to those who don't often see how Leiber works, it may seem odd.Of course Diego Haas is not on this list.He was used to Reber running fifty or more deals at the same time, often using separate teams that were unaware of each other's existence, and who might have met each other if they knew they were working for the same person. will be even more surprised.Once Leiber had articulated his vision and given relevant instructions, he would disappear without a trace, sometimes disappearing for a long time, until he suddenly reappeared when he had to, like a chess master at the same time in the next game. Baipanqi.

From mid-July 1950 to the spring of 1955, especially after the purchase of the tankers, Leiber retreated more and more into the background (in fact, during this period, he directed a series of action, working with Lillian Morris on expanding Yava Foods, discussing with Roger Dunn about developing a publishing and printing business, and getting a job on joint restaurants, etc.).His name was still not used in any action, and when he had to act himself, it was always by another name or by concealing his real position in the matter.He expanded the whole system of using commission agreements.He made surprisingly few mistakes in picking assistants, both for and on his behalf.He often chooses recent immigrants to the United States, mostly from Poland, as trustees.He was also the first to take full advantage of companies based in Panama and Curacao.

Setiniaz calls this period the "breakout period."This is actually manifested in the growing number of what he calls "black dogs". The title "Black Dog" was perhaps demeaning, almost insulting.But this is not what Seitiniaz meant. In his opinion, the name reflected the absolute loyalty and ferocity of those lawyers when they needed to defend the king's rights and interests.After Lierne and Belkovich, the number of black dogs increased every year. They came from all over the world, and each time they appeared alone and secretly on East Fifty-eighth Street. In the first few days of 1951 in London, several members of Wang Future's think tank had such a rare opportunity to get together, including Taras, Setiniaz, the Petridis brothers, Lierny and Berkovich.They form a nucleus which will be greatly expanded later on.

Tony Petridis travels to Argentina.His elder brother was in charge of chartering the ship and cooperating with the "Java Blue Rose" to complete the transportation task. The cargo ship "Java Blue Rose" was acquired by Klimrod through the Rock shoe store. Taras visited some shipyards on the east coast of the United States, especially those in Maryland and Massachusetts.He also went to Libya and Japan—to prepare for a Japanese operation. Setiniaz finally returned home to New York.He quit his job at the law firm of Whittaker & Cobb to set up his own business on East Fifty-eighth Street (where he still is, not far from Carnegie Hall), recruiting staff (Kerry, for that matter). Mrod empowers him to make his own decisions).

One day in February, Reb Klimrod came to the new office for the first time.Despite New York's icy weather and snowy streets, he wore nothing but cloth trousers, a cloth shirt, and an old leather jacket with a fur collar.He was lucky enough to get in.He had to wait half an hour, though, during which time he had a pleasant conversation with a female operator.If Setiniaz hadn't come out of the office, he wouldn't have known Reb was there. "Why don't you tell me who you are? All I know is that there's an Anton Baker waiting to see me." "That girl you have here is very sweet," Reber asked innocently.Setiniaz wasn't sure if it was true or not.

Reber continued: "David, do you remember the night we went to London together? I gave you an overview of my career. You weren't able to make any notes at the time. However, I think we can do it now .This will take a while, so if you have any other appointments, I think cancel them, unless it's urgent. Shall we get started?" So they worked together for eighteen hours without interruption except for a little coffee and a few sandwiches.Reber alternated between two methods; either sitting opposite David with his legs outstretched, eyes wide open looking at the ceiling; or walking around the room with his hands deep in his pockets, pressing his The irritating habit of slightly adjusting the frames of pictures and certificates, in fact, put them in a crooked position where they were hung upright, and knowingly did so.

He kept talking one by one.Everything by heart, never with the aid of notebooks and memorandums, and apparently no mnemonic invented by anyone.Endless and unhurried. "...Chicago, October 11, 1950, Name of Company: Samatari Foods, Inc. Trustees: Anatoly Palevsky, March 2, 1909 Born in Brest-Litovsk on the 13th, American citizen, married, with two children. Occupation: Electrical contractor. Address: 1096 North Ginsburg Street, Tel: 2256784 Funds of the company: $10,000. Profit as of January 31 last year, $623,567. Movable and immovable property, $3,150. Loan bank, Fairfax Amount of credit: $50,000. Including interest payments of $916 per month. Attorney: Mo Abramo, Chicago, previously mentioned. Responsible Manager: Herbert Meyer Fowski, who can be found at the company headquarters at 106 Roosevelt Road (tel. WA23856) or at his home at 985 Elmsey Road (tel. 2786123). Securities Reserve, Seal and Book Depository Ann State Bank, safe deposit box number 45219xc, unlock code...

"Detroit, November 9, 1950, company name..." and so on.Once, Setiniaz pretended to make a mistake with a disbelieving attitude. "I'm sorry. There's a place ahead I don't know if I remember it... Please repeat the exact address of Beppard, the trustee of the Reichnow Company in Baltimore." "He doesn't live in Baltimore. He's in Frederick, Maryland. His address is 67 Lincoln Avenue, 65789. David, please don't waste my time..." 218 companies, 131 trustees such as Zbiniew Cybulski and Diego Haas (the only person Setiniaz knew) , both male and female, and to Setiniaz's surprise there were so many female trustees. "It seems you recruited them from a girls' elementary school..." "They're usually past secondary school age. I like working with women; they're usually more reliable than men." Diego Haas alone represented almost twenty-five companies. "Raeber, this is stupid. Sooner or later, the Treasury Department will see the connection," Setiniaz said. "So what? All these companies pay taxes according to the regulations. Your business is to study the situation created by the juxtaposition of all these companies and draw legal and tax conclusions. I will pay the full prescribed taxes as long as you and your The work team, and every other tax professional you want to ask, thinks I really have to. Once you said that all I needed was an accountant. Now you can see that I'm counting on you to do a lot more than just Check my business dealings. It is your job to bring it all together, to check the books of all these companies, and to let me know of the slightest error of any kind. And it is your responsibility not to Mention my name under any pretext. Can you do it, David?" "Anyway, I can try." Setiniaz was a little at a loss when he replied. "You can do it, David." "Are you going to set up another company?" "Probably, we're trying to get everything sorted out up to today. From now on, the lawyers themselves will tell you what companies they've set up and give you the information. You'll have to check everything, of course. .David, please don't trust anyone." "Even George Taras?" "Even including him. Every new business project will report to you through two different channels: a lawyer like Benny Berkovich, Lierne or Abramovich (who will in charge of drafting the contract and making all the preparations) and my official agent. You will be in touch with brothers Petridis and Talas in all matters concerning shipping. In other fields there are others like Petridis People. Shall we continue to sort it out, David? Montreal, September 29, 1950, company name..." Sure enough, the black dogs started looking for Setiniaz.Most of them are Jews of Romanian origin (especially in the early 1950s and in business projects in Europe or the United States).These people are all surprisingly similar, at least in the following aspects: furtive demeanor, close to the point, mafia-like style, extremely serious work, and infinite loyalty to Klimrod.Setiniaz had never had the opportunity, nor did he intend, to have contact with them outside the scope of his duties.Take Berkovic as an example, with whom Setniaz met regularly for a quarter of a century before discovering by pure chance: he was married, had four children, collected porcelain, Loved literature—but only as a hobby, and Benny Berkowitz, especially in his early years in the King's service, generally worked more than sixty hours a week. The Petridis brothers—Nick and Tony—are almost identical.They manage, make decisions, and essentially lead all trustees and companies in Panama or Liberia.But in prudence they were on a par with Lierny or Berkovic, and in ability to work they were almost equal.If they think other people's questions should not be answered, they have a slightly special way of avoiding answering. Instead of maintaining the kind of silence of "killing them without opening their mouths, it is difficult for immortals to strike", they appear under their identical mustaches. With a faint smile, he began to tell stories that have nothing to do with the topic.The result is still the same: they only show the cards they must.In the nucleus formed by Kvenmrod in December 1950-January 1951, they soon became specialized figures, specializing in Wang's shipping affairs and other specialists- Especially the two Scots - working together but supervising everything personally.They are not just black dogs, but more like ministers or nobles entrusted by Klimrod to manage a fiefdom. Others emerged over the years, with similar characteristics and similar responsibilities, but in other realms or parts of the world. Among them was a Frenchman named Paul Soubis.Perhaps it was because Setiniaz got along better with him, or simply because both men spoke French, that their friendship has survived to this day. There is also Tudor Angel, a Californian despite his Romanian name, who started out as an ordinary black dog and rose through the ranks to hold high positions as Klimrod's A key figure in conducting business activities until his death in 1976. There was also a Mexican, Francisco Santana, who was an expert in taking advantage of low interest rates, indeed.Setiniaz also made friends with him. In New York, any transaction requires a facade to win the trust of an institution that has traditionally been "Bai Ying Xin" At that time, Klimrod often invited several law firms named after the host's real name to come forward, because many of these people were students of Taras when he was teaching at Harvard.Falling into this category is Vandenberg. Roger Dunn in charge of publishing, audio-visual, and Ernie Gorzchenak in charge of the restaurant system and Yava Foods Corporation, were among the greats of business in the Northern Territory. In foreign countries, several names appear in succession; because these people are farther away and thus really become the king's vassals.In this category are the Swiss Alois Aynap and his successor Tadoiz Tepfleur, a Chinese named Han, and the Lebanese Nessim Shahadze—who A near-legendary expert in the foreign exchange market, he also deals with countries in the Middle East.In charge of the hotel system is an Englishwoman, Ethel Court. In addition, there is the entire South American division, including the Argentinian Jaime Rochas (not to be confused with the Brazilian Ubaldo Rocha (note: Rochas and Rochas in English) (Rocha) is close)) the latter falls into another category like Diego Haas), two Brazilian lawyers - Jorge Socrates in Rio de Janeiro and Emerson Coelho in Sao Paulo. Setiniaz did not discover the existence of these South Americans until much later.This is a set of parallel working teams.None of these people knew each other.For example, in the mind of Nick Petridis, Klimrod is a ship owner and nothing more.In Santana's mind, he is an oil magnate who also does real estate business.and so on.The same isolation measures are also taken for the black dogs.Therefore, sometimes three or four black dogs came to Setiniaz's office at the same time, or Neil Pateridis and Tudor Angel passed by in the hall without knowing it. They were sent here by the same man. There was one man above them, occupying a special position equal only to that of David Setiniaz, and who knew as much about the King's affairs as he did, but in other respects.This person has always played a role of something like an "informal personal advisor".He is George Taras.He arrived there around April 20 and walked through the offices spread over two floors (the third floor was taken down in 1964). Back in David Setiniaz's own office, he shook his head and said, "What the hell happened to you and me, David? Six years ago, on this very day, you and I were in rather special circumstances. I met a strange young man, and he left a very unusual impression on us at that time... When he reappeared in front of you, did you recognize him? Tell me, when was that?" Setiniaz hesitated, regretting his indecision, almost ashamed of being wary of it. "The sixteenth of July last year. It happened to be my birthday and my wedding day. Yes, I recognized him right away." "He came to see me in early September. I recognized him right away. Not only that, but I immediately remembered his last name and the first two. Back then, in Mauthausen, I, the fool hang those outrageous photos all over my office wall; I vividly remember him standing looking at them and saying to me in his unhurried tone: 'I don't feel defeated by the United States of America...you What right do you have to ask me these questions?' And at that time, this young man could barely stand!" Taras looked at Setiniaz in silence for a moment, then burst out laughing. "And after six years, what state are we in now? You and I have known each other for twelve or three years, but now you and I dare not speak easily, for fear of revealing that Reb Michel Klimlow Some dreadful secret of His Majesty's! Are we mad, David, have we caught his madness?" "I believe you're right," Sevaniaz said, laughing as well. "I'm very glad to see you again, George." "Me too, Dave mate. You've been my favorite student, despite your lack of humor. By the way--I said 'by the way, of course it's irrelevant,--by the way, I just came from Japan Come back. I didn't go there for sightseeing. He sent me on this trip, and he asked me to tell you about it. I should tell you everything. I would like to tell you everything. Please write it down , Mr. Setiniaz. Lesson 14: "How to Build the World's Largest Oil Tanker Fleet Without Paying a Penny." He then spoke for an hour in exactly the same tone as he had taught at Harvard, as if explaining to his students that the law had always been "a collection of self-contradictory rules with ulterior motives, whose purpose was to clothe the most absurd practices." Reasonable cloak." During the hour, he conveyed to David Reber's latest vision and what they hoped to achieve. "Among the Greeks, especially Onassis, there was an idea to take advantage of the mess of some German shipyards. There are such war-torn shipyards near Hamburg, Bremen, and Kiel, and there is no need to mention it. More. The Germans, of course, want more than they want, so they welcome him wholeheartedly. They are ready to build a large number of ships for the Greeks mentioned above, and they are already building. Reber estimates that another defeated country in the last war may In a similar situation, orders are also welcome. That is Japan, Mr. Setniaz. There is a place in Japan called Kure City, which is southeast of Hiroshima. Brother David, in order to prepare to fight us in the Pacific Ocean, the Japanese once took the history Since then, the largest warships "Yamato Maru" and "Musashi Maru" have been sent to sea, with a displacement of more than 72,000 tons. I may incidentally mention that these two warships were sunk by us, but the Japanese know how to build ships. The fact remains. They have agreed to build ships for Leib. Leib has ordered six tankers, two of which are—listen here—50,000 tons deadweight. They will be the largest tankers ever built. By comparison, Even Glandris' ship looked small." "But what about money?" Setienaz asked in his usual practical spirit. "Nick Petridis will come to meet you and hand you all the contracts. Details aside, it will go like this. Nick has a long-term lease from Gulf or Shell (possibly both) The contract for the ship. The oil tanker that originally belonged to Maiorescu was leased to them for fifteen years. This is a very considerable transaction, which can especially guarantee a stable income. Using this as leverage, Leiber borrowed money from other places, for shipbuilding in Japan. Since he has already signed other medium-term contracts to charter out three of the six ships he is ordering for a period of three to five years, he can rely on this other batch of contracts Starting to seek a new series of loans... (note: half a page is missing here) will be in the US.If I understand correctly, it's in Sparrows Point and Bethlehem Steel's shipyards.The total amount of all transactions is nearly 300 million US dollars.He is a risk that normal people would never take. " "I know." Setiniaz said nothing else. When Taras finished speaking, Setiniaz felt that a few words were already on his lips, such as: "George, what you know is not the whole thing"; "If he only took such a big risk in one direction, I wouldn't tremble every time someone sent me a new dossier." As he grew to understand the sheer size of the rising empire, the conditions of its birth were built almost entirely on credit, though He had no doubts about the extraordinary talents of Reb Klimrod, and his apprehensions grew with each passing day, despite the strict adherence to the company's strict rule of innards. But he said nothing, but remained silent, keeping his promise not to trust anyone, "not even Georges Taras." "Okay, David. There was one last question: Would you like to have lunch with me? I'm almost on the verge of saying that. Let's leave it alone now." "Not today. Maybe next time." Taras got up to say goodbye.He was smiling, but the smile was a bit forced after all. "See you soon." They broke up.Both felt that the first crack had appeared in their almost flawless friendship.The rift did not widen, but it never healed during the next four years. During these four years, Setiniaz often only saw Reber once in a few weeks or even a few months.At first David was apprehensive about this long absence, just as much as Reb's trust in him made him uneasy.However, as time went on, he began to think that this situation was normal, or at least ordinary. Setiniaz has provided some figures.He is the only one who knows the numbers.However, he pointed out that these figures do not represent all the businesses that Klimrod entrusted to him, and he also has no way of knowing how many other businesses Wang ran.In the spring of 1982, David tried to make a list and came up with a number of 1,687 companies, and Klimrod's name did not appear in any of them.Not once.However, one company did use the R. M. Klimrod name.Taras pointed out to Setiniaz that somewhere else in the world, in Switzerland or France or elsewhere, there could well be another David Setiniaz doing the exact same job, facing the same A list of is feeling equally amazed too! In May 1955, David Setiniaz wrote a brief (without specifying who reported to) outlining the areas into which Wang's business activities extended. Yava Foods Corporation and its thirty-seven subsidiaries are worth an estimated $960 million. Communication business, estimated assets of nearly 420 million US dollars.These include: Advertising Manager; Two TV weekly magazines (founded in 1953); travel and entertainment agencies; S． O． S．Immigration Services; Nineteen radio stations broadcasting in nine languages ​​(autumn 1953); A TV station (summer 1954), planning to build a second one. Roger Dunn is the nominal owner (60 to 80 per cent) of each of the aforementioned businesses.In fact, according to the entrustment agreement between him and Leiber, he has 10% of the shares (not bad). Newspaper publishing has grown considerably, both geographically (entering California in the winter of 1951) and vertically (taking the necessary legal steps to circumvent the Antitrust Act).Garages here and there that service and repair vehicles sign contracts with other companies, buying them up in part or in whole.There are also: Trucking and warehouse leasing; delivery business; Industrial equipment maintenance and emergency repair business (September 1953) Valuation: $380 million. Four restaurant systems.Distribution: From Canada in the north to the Mexican border in the south.organized competition.Supplied by Yava Foods Corporation or its affiliates.It is planned to develop the west coast in 1956, and has signed a contract with a British group to enter the European market. The supermarket system (ostensibly separate from the restaurant system).The trustee for the above two large sections is Lillian Morris.Total value: $400 million.Including factories and cooperative farms and pastures, it was 630 million U.S. dollars (1953). Real estate: 150 million US dollars.The operation on Wall Street has yet to be completed, and the plan is to end in 1957! maritime industry.Twenty-nine different companies, total tonnage: 3.62 million tons. (Source: Neil Petridis).A 28,000-ton tanker is worth about two million dollars.Estimated total value: $385 million (April 20, 1955). Current assets (estimated): US$109.12 million (April 30, 1955). How much is it worth?The calculation should take into account credit amounts, expensive security measures (to protect Leiber), large number of collaborators... Setiniaz concluded that 1955 was almost ten years since Mauthausen and less than five years since he arrived at a newsstand in New York. Twenty-seven-year-old Reb Michel Klimrod is worth well over a billion dollars. But no more than five people know this. At the beginning of May 1955, George Taalas returned to New York after finishing an errand. "Yes, David, for him. You declined my invitation to lunch with you three or four years ago. Remember? How was today?" They came to the Cairnton on Wall Street.Setiniaz sipped his martini as usual.He spotted at least five people working for Klimrod sitting at a few nearby tables greeting him, and returned the salute with a small nod.However, these inconspicuous movements did not escape Taras' sharp gaze. "Are you playing with a hidden sense of power, David?" "You could say that," Setiniaz laughed.He was embarrassed, even annoyed, because there was some truth in what Taras said.Setiniaz knew all about these people, and they knew next to nothing about him; indeed, as a result of his dealings with them, he developed a certain hidden sense of power. "You've even started to adopt some of his idioms: so to speak." "Let's talk about something else." They ordered, and after the head waiter left, Taras suddenly said, "I have something to tell you, David. Let's talk about your sister-in-law first." Setiniaz looked at him in surprise. "Listen," Taras said, "I know I must come across as an unwelcome troublemaker, but don't let appearances blind you. What does your wife's natal family think of aestivation?" "I do not understand what you mean." "When was the last time you saw Xia Mian? I don't mean your people, David. It also includes people from Shao Anna and your father-in-law's family." "She spent Christmas with us in New York. Every year." "Did you not notice anything?" David Setiniaz was a level-headed, mild-mannered man.In recent years, through management work for various economic activities of Reb Klimrod, he has discovered with astonishment that certain qualities in him are undeniably useful, especially in organizational management.Reber had told him in a hotel in London that he had qualities he had never imagined; time had proved him right. But Taras' question aroused a series of strong and contradictory feelings in Setiniaz, which almost made him lose his self-control.He was irritated by Taras' ill-considered interference, and at the same time dreaded that the things that aestivation had made him uneasy would be confirmed.In addition, he often felt the pressure of the silent war waged against him by his wife and mother-in-law, both of whom seemed to blame him for failing to "keep that Klimrod at arm's length." "Noticing what?" He asked in a complaining tone, which was a rare phenomenon for him. "Xia Mian is not normal. She may be the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in the world, but her family should pay attention to her situation." Taras finished his martini and looked straight into Setiniaz's eyes. "David, please don't be angry. I accidentally learned something I shouldn't and don't want to know. When was the last time you saw Reb? David, please don't look at me like that." "From February 12th to 13th, we worked all night." "What about the future?" "I haven't met." "David, he told me that he's got all his businesses (he said all of them, but I only know a few of them) set up to grow themselves. Is that so?" "yes." "Then it's not surprising that he hasn't contacted you for several months?" Setiniaz frowned. "What do you mean?" "That's just one of the things I should tell you, David. He's going away for a while. Don't ask me where he's going or why, I don't know. It's just my duty to let you know about it." , though he should have told you himself." "How long?" "I don't know. I asked him too, but it didn't work out...I want another martini." "And what else are you going to tell me?" "That's about aestivation. You probably already know her and Reb..." He didn't finish the sentence.This is on purpose.He wondered to what extent David understood the strange relationship between Aestivation Page and Reb Klimrod. "I know," Setiniaz said, "she and Reb have been in close contact in recent years. But she never talks about Reb to us, and they're never seen together." He sensed Taras' piercing gaze. "What happened to Xia Mian?"