what can we do for himT' "To begin with, please don't tell anyone I came to see you.,, "That sounds ominous, Mr. Vickery. I'm not sure I approve of Washington's tactics in these areas." "I'm no longer attached to the government; the request is personal.
Frankly, the government doesn't approve of me any longer, because in my former capacity, I think I uncovered information Washington-especially the Department of Justice-doesn't want exposed. I believe it should be; that's as plain as I can put it." Goldman rose to the occasion. "That's plain enough." "In all honesty, I used my brief meeting with your son as an excuse to talk to you. It's not admirable, but it's the truth." "I admire the truth. Why did you want to see me?"
Scofield put his glass down. "There's a company here in Boston, at least the corporate headquarters are here. It's a conglomerate called Trans-Communications." "It certainly is." Goldman chuckled. "The Alabaster Bride of Boston. The Queen of Congress Street." "I don't understand," said Bray.
"The Trans-Comm Tower," explained Anne Goldman. "It's a white stone building thirty or forty stories high, with rows of tinted blue glass on every floor." "The ivory tower with a thousand eyes staring down at you," added Goldman, still amused. "Depending on the angle of the sun, some seem to be open, some closed, while others appear to be winking." "Winking? Closed?" "Eyes," pressed Anne, blinking her own. "The horizontal Unes of tinted glass are huge windows, rows and rows of large bluish circles." Scofield caught his breath. Per nostro circolo. "It sounds strange," he said without emphasis.
"Actually, it's quite imposing," replied Goldman. "A bit outre for my taste, but I gather that's the point. There's a kind of outraged purity about it, a white shaft set down in the middle of the dark concrete jungle of a financial district. " "That's interesting." Bray could not help himself; he found an obscure analogy in Goldman's words. The white shaft became a beam of light; the jungle was chaos.
"So much for the Alabaster Bride," said the lawyerprofessor. "What did you want to know about TransComm?" "Everything you can tell me," answered Scofield.
Goldman was mildly startled. "Everything?... I'm not sure I know that much. It's your classic multinational conglomerate, I can tell you that.
Extraordinarily diversified, brilliantly managed." "I read the other day that a lot of financial people were stunned by the extent of its holdings in Verachten." "Yes," agreed Goldman, nodding his head in that exaggerated way a man does when he hears a foolish point being repeated. "A lot of people were stunned, but I wasn't. Of course, Trans-Comm owns a great deal of Ver- achten. I daresay I could name four or five other countries where its holdings would stun these same people.
The philosophy of a conglomerate is to buy as far and as wide as possible and diversify its markets. It both uses and refutes the Malthusian laws of economics. It creates aggressive competition within its own ranks, but does its best to remove all outside competitors. That's what multi- nationals are all about, and Trans-Comm's one of the most successful anywhere in the world." Bray watched the lawyer as he spoke. Goldman was a born teacher-infectious in delivery, his voice rising with enthusiasm. "I understand what you're saying, but you lost me with one statement. You said you could name four or five other countries where Trans-Comm has heavy investments. How can you do thatT' "Not just me," objected Goldman. "Anybody can. All he has to do is read and use a little imagination. The laws, Mr. Vickery. The laws of the host country." "The laws?" "They're the only things that can't be avoided, the only protection buyers and sellers have. In the international financial community they take the place of armies. Every conglomerate must adhere to the laws of the country in which its divisions operate. Now, these same laws often insure confidentiality; they're the frameworks within which the multinationals have to function--corrupting and altering them when they can, of course. And since they do, they must seek intermediaries to represent them. Legally. A Boston attorney practicing. before the Massachusetts bar would be of little value in Hong Kong. Or Essen." "What are you driving at?" Bray asked.
"You study the law firms." Goldman leaned forward again. "You match the firms and their locations with the general level of their clients and the services for which they're most recognized. When you find one that's known for negotiating stock purchases