The Richard Jackson Saga: Book 11: Interesting Times

by Ed Nelson

  The USGA suggests that at least a 2-foot radius surrounding the hole “should be as nearly level as possible and of uniform grade.” The hole shouldn’t be placed on a steep slope on which a missed putt from above the hole will roll a long distance past the cup. “A player above the hole should be able to stop the ball at the hole,” according to Rule 15-3(iii).

  Additionally, the hole shouldn’t be located on a former hole’s spot until the old location has healed completely.

  Rule 15-3(vi) recommends that officials use a balanced selection of hole locations "for the entire course concerning left, right, central, front and back positions."

  Officials also change some hole locations between rounds to force golfers to hit a different shot into the green. They try not to have the players hit the same shot or even use the same club. This is where it can get dangerous, by deciding on a different shot they can play to the strength or weakness of a group of players, and still be within the rules.

  The USGA also advises tournament officials to maintain a consistent degree of difficulty throughout the event. Rule 15-3(vii) rejects the idea of making a course progressively more difficult each day, calling such a plan "fallacious."

  We got this information from an article in Golfweek by M.L. Rose.

  The rule book covered every possibility but that of someone taking the players into account. It would only affect the average outcome, not an individual outcome but that was the sort of edge the professional gamblers were looking for.

  There was a note handed to me at the 9th hole turn to call Popeye. I did it, fortunately, the foursome behind us agreed to switch places so I could make the call.

  “Rick, thanks for getting back to me. I think my questions opened a hornet’s nest. No one knows of anything crooked going on in golf, except one well-known guy that will blow a tournament for a good payday.”

  “Other than that, they want to know how it can be done. I told them I had no idea, that the question was asked of me if it could be done, not that someone knew how.”

  “That said these guys are going to put it together that you are the golfer in the family. What should I do?”

  “Nothing. We can pull its teeth in the next two months.”

  “How?”

  “An article in Golfweek talking about how it might be done will be enough of a spotlight to prevent it from happening. There is only one course where it might be possible and we do not have any indications that anything has gone on, other than trying to make it more interesting for the spectators.”

  “Well watch yourself, some wise guys may come knocking at your door.”

  “That’s why I carry a P38.”

  “And they may have a Thompson, don’t be complacent.”

  “I won’t and thanks for the heads up.”

  My play on the back nine was barely adequate.

  We finished up and returned to the hotel where another phone call was waiting, this time from Jim Williamson.

  “Jim, did you find anything out?”

  “Yes, I did, there is a group being formed to try to force you to go public. I haven’t been able to identify all the major players yet, but it seems to be homegrown.”

  “That is good news I guess, it’s not like the Soviet government.”

  “It is a publicly-traded Investment Bank. Now they are selling Game Co. short to drive its price down so they can take control and loot the company. And of course make a lot of money from the short alone.

  They have announced their next objective is to take Jackson Enterprises public. The major investors are a bunch of money men and politicians.”

  “Which politicians?”

  “They seem to be from both parties and all over the states, anyone wanting a fast buck. A local broker shared an information letter the investment bank sent out stating that they needed the help of anyone with political influence to make it hard for us to do business. Thus, encouraging us to go public to relieve the pressure.”

  “Jim I can’t let this go on. Write up a press release that Jackson Enterprises are expanding their operations.”

  “Where?”

  “England and Germany for production, the European headquarters will be in England. This way a lot of employment will go to Germany, but most of the corporate taxes to England.”

  “I will call the Germans, and the Queen to see when and where. I will get back to you within the next twenty-four hours.”

  “One other thing, buy Game Co. stock to keep the price up.”

  “My pleasure.”

  It was too late in the day to make phone calls to Europe, so I turned in early and made them in the morning after my usual routine.

  My first call was to the office of the German Federal President in Bonn. When I got through and explained who I was I was put through to a senior staffer.

  I told him about the Federal President asking if I would consider putting a factory in Germany with at least a thousand jobs. I went on to tell him I was ready to make five thousand jobs in Germany with a shipyard in the Hamburg area.

  This got me on the line with Mr. President quickly.

  “Herr Jackson, what has prompted this decision?”

  “I have found that it will become more difficult to do business in the States shortly. An expansion has been in the works. This news just moved up the decision cycle.”

  “I see, if you spread out it will lessen the amount of pressure that can be brought.”

  “Correct, I will have Mr. Goodson contact whoever you want to make it formal, plus any concessions you would care to make would be appreciated but not a requirement.”

  “Herr Jackson, you are certainly different in your business approach. We have heard about your dealings with the Chinese. You are an interesting person. May I ask who has or will be trying to make it difficult for you.”

  I gave him the name of the investment bank and how they were selling Game Co. short.

  “I will instruct my broker to buy Game Co.”

  “That is wonderful. I also must tell you I will be opening operations in England and a headquarters there.”

  “I understand, it is your heritage.”

  My last call was to Mr. Norman. I explained the investment bank and its objective. He liked the steps I was taking. He thought the new jobs would be a shot in the arm for the English economy which was still recovering from the war.

  I asked him where the Queen thought I should place my factories. Of course, the headquarters would be in London.

  He told me they would get back to me on that. It appeared that some politicians who favored the Queen’s approach would find their seats a little safer, while others might become nervous.

  Again, I told him that Todd Goodson would contact their designated person. This time I asked for no concessions nor were any offered. I think I just robbed a dog for the Queen.

  He also wanted to know who was behind this. When I gave him the investment bank's name and about them and Game Co., he wrote it down. I asked if he were going to buy Game Co., he told me no, he was going to find out who was behind the bank's decision, so they could watch for tricks like that in England.

  After those phone calls, John and I headed out to the airport to catch our flight back to LA. It had certainly been an interesting trip and I even got some golf in, a good week all around.

  Chapter 40

  Arriving in LA in time to fight the rush hour, or at least for our limo driver to deal with the heavy traffic. Construction was going on all along the way home. California’s answer to congestion seemed to be more freeways.

  What would they do when there was no land left to pave? Anyway, that wasn’t my worry at least today.

  John had left his car at our house, so he moved his bags from the limo to his. I did help him. He drove away and I realized that there was no one to help me with my bags. I thought I was supposed to be an important person.

  Denny came out the door at that time, so I asked him to help. He wanted to know how much I would pay him. So much f
or brotherly love.

  I managed to lug my stuff to my room. I was moaning to be moaning, it wasn’t that much.

  Mum was in her office doing her charity stuff, that or playing solitaire, I didn’t ask. Dad was still at work, so I went through my accumulated mail. There were invitations to various Hollywood events, many of them already past.

  There was one hand-addressed letter to me. It was from Nina. I debated just tossing it in the fire but decided to read it.

  There were no surprises, she was deeply sorry, she didn’t know why she did it, could we kiss and make up?

  My first reaction was Yes! Then I thought No! I wondered where that Yes! had come from.

  Did I still have feelings for her? My mind said no, my heart said otherwise. What a stupid mess, Nina why did you have to do this to us?

  I thought about calling her and decided not to, I would let this issue sit for a while and see how I felt. There was no hurry. I wasn’t going to run off with some other girl. If she found another guy that settled our relationship for all time.

  Mum found me with the letter in hand. She didn’t say a word through the envelope was lying in plain sight so she could see who it was from.

  “Rick, I had the strangest phone call from Carl Gambino. I’m to tell you that golf is a game for gentleman and not to be messed with, also there isn’t enough money in it to make it worthwhile.”

  Mr. Lucky had died recently and had been succeeded as head of the Commission by Carl Gambino. Mum knew all the big-time gangsters.

  “Rick, what is all this about?”

  “Got half an hour?”

  “Yes.”

  We went to her office and closed the door. I then related John’s findings and our speculation about what could be done with them.”

  “You should have left well enough alone, but that ship has sailed. What are you going to do now?”

  I told her about the article John was going to write for Golfweek.

  “And what do you think it will do for Augusta?”

  “I hadn’t thought that through. They have asked me if I wanted a full membership and I told them yes.”

  “If that article is printed write that goodbye.”

  “Have John write two articles. One describing the statistical findings in general. That should put the PGA on notice they have a potential problem.

  Then have him write the article as first proposed but only send it to the President of the Board at Augusta. Let them know that you don’t want to damage the club's reputation, but they might have an internal problem.

  “Then I would come up with a nice gift for John and his wife.”

  “What sort of a gift.”

  “She teaches at UCLA, make an endowment in her name. That will help her career tremendously and not be directly connected to the articles.”

  “Mum, you should have been a troubleshooter of some sort.”

  She smirked as she said, “Well, I was a troubleshooter. I shot trouble.”

  “In Morocco?”

  “Now off with you, it’s time to clean up for dinner.”

  I will find out one day what she did there.

  As I was getting dressed in my room, I had the radio on. Dennis Lawson was reporting on changes occurring at the large transportation company, Jackson Enterprises.

  It seems the company is going international, with production in Germany and England, plus a European Headquarters in England.

  Dennis speculated this was to serve notice to the US Government that there was a limit to the taxes they kept piling onto the company. With a new headquarters and overseas production, they would be able to move operations out of the US if needed. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

  In unrelated news, he reported that an investment bank in New York City was in dire trouble. They had been short selling Game Co. stock instead of falling as predicted it was rising.

  It had massive support from overseas, particularly in England. If there was any more bad news for this bank its value could go down to zero.

  I called my broker in England, where the transactions were taking place, and told him to buy more Game Co. stock, and that I had heard more bad news was coming out in the form of the Jackson Enterprises announcements.

  I no sooner hung up than my private line in my room rang. It was Bobby Kennedy.

  “Jackson, what are you trying to do to us?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Moving your operations.”

  “I’m not moving anything at this time, we have to expand, and I thought it best to do it overseas. It spreads the risks of losses from hurricanes and such.”

  “They don’t have hurricanes in Pittsburgh!”

  “You know what I mean, things like tornadoes or tax-hungry governments.”

  “Do you realize that you are destroying the fortunes of hundreds of people in the investment bank?”

  “You mean that bank that was trying to steal my company from me?”

  “They wanted to make it more profitable.”

  “Profitable by selling off all the divisions to pay for the takeover, forcing me off the board, and then plundering the remainder of the company.”

  “That wasn’t our plan at all.”

  “Your plan?”

  “I misspoke, the bank's plan.”

  I replied, “of course.”

  “So, are you going to call your dog’s off?”

  “Are you going to call yours off?”

  “It’s not my call. Some big money is behind this.”

  “Care to share?”

  “I can’t, Rick, this time I’m only the messenger.”

  “Can you tell me this, is there any foreign government involvement.”

  “Not to my knowledge.”

  “That bank has to go, tell your friends whoever they are that I’m going to take it down and that they should stop throwing good money after bad.”

  “I will but I don’t think it will do any good.”

  ‘It is going to be a bloodbath financially, if you have anything in it, bail out before you lose everything.”

  “Do you think you have enough money to outlast the Rockefellers or the DuPont’s?”

  “We will see.”

  I knew I didn’t, but I bet England, Germany, and China did.

  I went down to dinner; it was too late to call England and Germany. I would call China after dinner.

  At dinner, the talk was about Denny’s new photo franchise. He had opened a studio in San Diego. I asked how he was going to oversee it. He told me that he had created a team, with Dad’s help to provide technical support, advertising, and financial oversight.

  It sounded like a good plan. I’m proud of my younger brother, even if he won’t help carry my bags.

  Mary had all sorts of questions for him. Was he open to outside investment in the overall operation? Would he sell territories? Had he thought of footstools to make little girls look taller?”

  His answer to all was no, but he would think about the footstools.

  Dad told me that he and a group in Switzerland associated with his bank were buying Game Co.

  I brought the family up to date but only alluded to my call from Bobby Kennedy. I could hear Mary at school, or I would rather not.

  Both parents agreed that pressure had to be applied until the bank collapsed. It would prevent problems in the future. Especially if it became known that I had led the effort to take them down.

  “How will people know that I’m the prime mover.”

  “I think Dennis Lawson would like an exclusive.”

  “Ah, perfect. Warning to the world while building up our people. I love it.”

  I made my call to China to Chairman Deng's office. He wasn’t available but the assistant who answered my call had a lot of questions and took notes, as he read them back to ensure he got it correctly.

  Communists or not, the Chinese loved to make money, especially from that filthy capitalist. His words, not mine. I wanted to ask him if we were the fil
thy capitalist in the scenario what did it make him but left well enough alone.

  My last call of the day was to John to ask him to do two articles. I explained the rationale behind them, and he agreed. I also explained that his wife would benefit from an endowment being created in her name.

  It was one of the few times I saw John speechless.

  I would have to remember to call the bursar at UCLA tomorrow to start the process.

  Chapter 41

  After my morning routine and breakfast, I did remember to call UCLA and leave a message that I would like to talk to the Bursar about an endowment.

  I forgot that they keep later hours than most of the world.

  I did receive a call as I was getting ready to leave the house. It was ten o’clock on the east coast and the markets had opened. Once more it was Bobby Kennedy.

  “Jackson, you have to call your dog’s off, the bank's losses just topped a billion, at this rate it will be bust before the day is over.”

  “They should have thought about that before they decided to make a run at my company.”

  “Unless stop buying Game Co. we will bring the full power of the United States government down on you.”

  “Did you hear that we are opening up production and a headquarters overseas? If I must, I will move everything out of the United States. Now here is my counterproposal. Don’t support that bank, they are going down. Have everyone withdraw their money.”

  “They won’t do it; they want all their money back.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay, what?”

  “Okay, I will prepare to break their bank and move my operations out of the country.”

  “You can’t do that, think of the loss of American jobs.”

  “Somehow I’m not sure that you care about American jobs or your friends wouldn’t play so fast and loose with them.”

  “That was when we didn’t think we could lose.”

  “So, it's we now?”

  “You know what I mean, I’m just the messenger.”