Chapter 772: 265, President’s Secret News
“So soon to leave Washington? You haven’t stayed long at this estate, have you?”
Andrew Mellon sat on the sofa in Donnie’s study, conversing with him about the current situation with a smile on his face.
“I’ve already settled things with the Navy, so there’s no need to stay here any longer. I have to meet with Seymour Stratton at MIT!”
Donnie, holding a glass of wine, sat on the sofa as well, a smile on his face.
This trip to Washington had been very smooth for Donnie, so he was in a good mood!
Andrew Mellon, hinting at something, said, “I thought you would meet with Albert and the others; they all know you’re here in Washington.”
Donnie had quite a few friends in the Harding Cabinet, at least that’s how it appeared to outsiders.
For instance, the Minister of the Department of Justice Harry D’Agostino and the Minister of the Interior Albert Furr were Donnie’s friends, not just personally but also as business partners.
Harry D’Agostino was Donnie’s closest comrade in the bootlegging business, and Albert Furr was heavily involved in Donnie’s oil business.
Now to Andrew Mellon, it seemed illogical for Donnie to prefer meeting with the powerless Coolidge and to achieve an even closer cooperation, instead of meeting with Albert Furr and Harry D’Agostino!
“I thought you’ve always looked down on them!” Donnie was even more casual in his conversation with Andrew Mellon now, though this casualness was also deliberate.
Andrew Mellon laughed heartily and said, “Whether I like them or not doesn’t really matter; it’s more about what you think of them.”
Although these men were members of President Harding’s Cabinet, the White House Cabinet was not a unified bloc.
Just like Andrew Mellon and others looked down upon Harry D’Agostino and Albert Furr.
Before becoming the United States Treasury Minister, Andrew Mellon was already a founder of the United States Mellon Consortium. He was still one of the most powerful men in the country even without his ministerial position.
Media described men like Harry D’Agostino and Albert Furr as President Harding’s cronies. They managed to become Cabinet members only because of their relationship with Harding.
Thus, these were people whom Andrew Mellon and his ilk did not respect.
In Andrew Mellon’s eyes, these men were perhaps just clowns!
Donnie was indeed deliberately keeping his distance from these people, especially since after Harding’s mysterious death next year, their fates would not be pleasant.
Albert Furr would become the first Cabinet member in American history to be imprisoned.
As for Harry D’Agostino, he had it somewhat better, because Coolidge had a sense of loyalty, allowing D’Agostino to serve his full term as the Minister of the United States Department of Justice before replacing him with his own person, Harlan Stone.
Nevertheless, with the impending eruption of the Teapot Dome oil field scandal, Albert Furr and the others’ reputations were certain to take a hit, and Donnie did not want to be too involved in this scandal.
However, he definitely could not say this to Andrew Mellon.
“Before leaving, I still need to meet with the President. The initial plan was to meet at the White House, but it’s obvious that our dear President can no longer tolerate his wife, so he will come here tonight instead. Harry D’Agostino and Albert Furr will also be coming!”
Donnie had decided to leave Washington tomorrow. Regardless of how well he understood history, Harding was still in office and would be for a few more months, so Donnie continued to maintain contact with Harding!
Hearing Donnie say this, Andrew Mellon was still somewhat puzzled. In his view, Donnie should have held a small social gathering with Albert Furr, Harry D’Agostino, and the others, as they had done before.
Now, it was only because of Harding’s presence that Donnie chose to meet with Harry D’Agostino and Albert Furr, which baffled Andrew Mellon.
Could it be because of the Baku Oil Field?
Andrew Mellon knew that in the matter of the Baku Oil Field, Albert Furr was siding with Sinclair Oil Corporation.
Nonetheless, Andrew Mellon did not voice these speculations, after all, it was Donnie’s private affair.
“Alright then, if that’s the case, I’ll take my leave now. As for the Baku Oil Field, we’ll just wait and see how things unfold!”
Andrew Mellon stood up; he had not planned to attend tonight’s party. Although he did not have Donnie’s foresight into the future, Andrew Mellon was aware of one thing: if the United Kingdom’s MI6 was really preparing to move against Sinclair Oil, Albert Furr was sure to face tough times.
Donnie nodded and took his leave, waiting for Harding and the others to arrive.
Alice was busy arranging the various aspects of tonight’s party, acting as the lady of the house.
As evening arrived, surprisingly Harding was the first to get there, and not with his wife Florence, but with a young girl of only about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NovᴇlFɪre.ɴet