America 1919-Chapter 805 - 276, Teapot Dome scandal erupts
Chapter 805: 276, Teapot Dome scandal erupts
Visit ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience.
Montana senator Thomas J. Walsh, a Democrat, suddenly announced to the public that he had evidence of Albert Furr, the US Interior Minister, accepting bribes and secretly leasing the Teapot Dome and Elk Hills oil fields to the Sinclair Oil Corporation and Pan American Petroleum Company.
The news came so unexpectedly that almost at the same time Thomas Walsh made the disclosure, the entire Democratic Party began to attack the Republican Party.
They pointed the finger directly at President Harding, insinuating to the public that the true puppet master behind the whole affair was Harding; without him, Albert Furr would not have had the audacity nor the means to do so.
After all, the responsibility for the Teapot Dome and Elk Hills oil fields was originally in the hands of the Navy, but after Harding took office, he transferred this responsibility to Albert Furr!
Before the Republican Party could react, the Democrats had already started their offensive, and soon turned their sights to Theo Roosevelt, who at the time was the Assistant Secretary of the Navy. As the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Theo Roosevelt should have been aware of the whole situation but seemingly turned a blind eye to it.
Meanwhile, even the current Secretary of the Navy, Robert Coontz, was held accountable.
The entire affair has become the fuse for the Democrats to attack the Republicans in American Politics.
And, naturally, this matter has also affected the business world.
At the headquarters of Sinclair Oil Corporation, Laze Madison and Archibald Roosevelt were like ants on a hot pan, frantic and restless.
“We absolutely cannot let the Soviet side know about this; we should immediately go to the Soviet Union and sign an agreement with them!”
After withstanding a brief moment of panic, Laze Madison immediately expressed his thoughts.
Although it was Harry Sinclair, the former president of Sinclair Oil Corporation, who signed the drilling rights with the US Government, the party to the contract was ultimately Sinclair Oil Corporation itself.
The matter arose so abruptly, but looking at the result of its impact, there is no doubt that Sinclair Oil Corporation will inevitably be implicated!
At the very least, being subject to an investigation is the lesser worry; the revocation of their drilling rights at Teapot Dome is a very real possibility.
This would be a destructive blow for Sinclair Oil Corporation, especially as it has invested a significant amount of capital in Teapot Dome.
In the midst of internal strife, how much strength does Sinclair Oil Corporation have left to exploit the Baku Oil Field is now a big question mark!
At least the Soviet side is definitely considering this, as they have just been established and wouldn’t want to work with an oil company whose fate is uncertain.
That’s why Laze Madison hopes to lock down cooperation with the Soviet side as quickly as possible. It’s only after signing the agreement in black and white that they could guarantee the continuity of this partnership!
“I’ll get someone to book a ticket to Europe right now!” Archibald Roosevelt also understood that there was no time to delay and immediately responded.
Once Archie Roosevelt had his secretary book the tickets to Europe, he turned to Laze Madison and asked,
“How did this situation suddenly erupt? Why were there no signs of it beforehand?”
“It’s not that there were no signs at all. In fact, there has always been controversy within the government about this matter, but at the time Albert Furr was very confident about it, which led us to believe there wouldn’t be any problems!”
Laze Madison explained.
“Foolish!” Archie Roosevelt, having joined Sinclair Oil and been responsible for matters related to the Baku Oil Field, had not paid much attention to other issues and was not very familiar with this one.
Hearing what Laze Madison had said, he suddenly spoke angrily.
“At this time, the Democrats will find every means to attack the Republicans. What was Albert Furr thinking? Who gave him such confidence?”
Sitting there, Laze Madison shook his head helplessly: “It’s no use talking about this now, our most pressing issue is to find a solution to this problem.
Now that this has blown up so suddenly, it’s clear that the other side has been investigating for a long time. If we cannot find a solution, not only might we lose the mining rights to the Baku Oil Field, but we might also fail to hold onto the Teapot Dome rights!”
Archibald Roosevelt’s eyebrows were furrowed as he suddenly asked: “Where is Harry Sinclair right now?”
“Los Angeles, what about it?” Laze Madison didn’t quite understand the implication behind Archie Roosevelt’s question.
“He can’t stay in the United States anymore. Find him and tell him that if he doesn’t want to end up in prison, he needs to leave the country immediately. As for the government’s side, I will find someone. This matter involves many more than just us. As long as Harry Sinclair disappears and Albert Furr keeps his mouth shut, then everything becomes an unsolvable mystery. Given the scale of this incident, it will drag on for many years. During these years, we need to exploit Teapot Dome for all it’s worth!”
Archie Roosevelt spoke fiercely.
As a member of the Roosevelt Family, Archibald Roosevelt had a keen political sense. In another timeline, Thomas Walsh initiated an attack on this issue, subsequently becoming the person in charge of the investigation.
