Sublime

In the last analysis, it seems certain that Kennedy, Stephen, Hill, and Kittson did offer Farley a substantial reward—maybe even hinting at a full partnership—in return for his cooperation and betrayal of his trust.

As Ivar explained, the desires of the three parties were clear: American investors wanted high returns, European governments wanted US dollars, and the match industry wanted monopoly power. The resources also were clear: American investors had dollars, European governments had the power to grant monopolies within their territories, and the match in

Morgan made his specialty the refinancing, reorganization, and rationalization of America’s badly overextended and overcapitalized railroads; his “clients” included some of the largest, such as the Erie, the New York Central, and the Pennsylvania.

According to Ivar, by 1932 he had 225 subsidiaries. He had operations in every civilized country except Russia, and he manufactured three-quarters of the world’s matches. Ivar had secured match monopolies in twenty-four countries. During seven years, he had loaned almost 300 million dollars to European governments. Ivar’s loans had helped borrower