A Richard Rohmer Omnibus by Richard Rohmer

Author:Richard Rohmer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HIS027160
Publisher: Dundurn Press
Published: 2010-11-03T04:00:00+00:00

New York City

Tuesday, May 26, 1981, 8:00 A.M.

Margaret Cameron had hurriedly dressed and gone to her own suite two floors below while Pierre de Gaspé ordered breakfast for Weinstein and himself, showered, shaved, and dressed.

The Senator arrived at 8:00 sharp, just as the breakfast appeared. While they were exchanging pleasantries, de Gaspé was impressed by the aura of confidence and power which literally exuded from this rotund New Yorker. A New Yorker he was, complete with the city’s own accent. De Gaspé knew he was in his early sixties. He looked it, although he appeared fit, tanned, and well preserved.

When they had finished their meal, Weinstein pulled out a long, elegant cigar and said, “Hope you don’t mind?”

“Not at all.”

Weinstein lit it, sucking vigorously to get it going. “Yeah. Well, I guess we should get down to the short strokes. Today we hear what the court is going to say. If the Exxon management get their injunction, you’re finished. You’re out and Foss and I will not present the bill. I can’t see you going for an appeal, or Exxon for that matter.”

De Gaspé remained expressionless.

“Now if the court refuses the Exxon injunction, then Foss and I will introduce our bill tomorrow. It’s sure to go through. As majority leader of the Senate, I guarantee it, and if Foss was here he’d say the same about the House. Okay?”

There was still no expression on de Gaspé’s face.

The Senator went on. “So if the judge refuses the injunction, you look good, PetroCan looks good, and the Canadian government looks good-and the United States and Exxon lose face. And so, Foss and I introduce our bill. It goes through. The United States looks good. Exxon is preserved as it should be, as an American company, the largest oil company in the world. Canada and the Canadian government look bad; the relationship between the two countries, bad enough as it is now with that shambles last fall, will be in terrible condition again. Reprisals you know, the whole thing. Bad for both countries–very bad.”

A long suck on the cigar, a great cloud of smoke billowing around de Gaspé, a non-smoker. Still no evidence of any emotion, or reaction.

“So what I’m saying is this-a deal.” He spoke slowly now. “If the court refuses the Exxon application for an injunction, then Foss and I will not put forward our Exxon legislation if you agree to withdraw your offer to the shareholders. That way we can all back off and go home, and there won’t be any confrontation between the two countries. God knows we’ve had enough of that.”

Pierre de Gaspé coughed lightly from the Cigar smoke, reached forward, and picked up the coffee pot. “More Sanka, Senator?”

“No thank you, Pierre.” For the Senator everybody should be on a first-name basis, except when addressing the Senator.

“Senator,” de Gaspé looked him squarely in the eye, “I’ve anticipated the proposition that you’ve just put to me so I got instructions from my government and from my board of directors on this very question last Friday.

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