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[[left margin in red]] Howard Coffin [[/left margin in red]]
about this and organised a [[underlined in red]] board of advisers which [[/underlined in red]] seem [[underlined in red]] to have no coordination. [[/underlined in red]] A man is one department by carrying out his decisions, upsets everything in another department etc.
[[underlined in red]] Coffin calls it "a mess". [[/underlined in red]] and told them so at Washington and pointed out their absolute lack of coordination Compares present situation to a zig-saw puzzle of which all the blocks are thrown pell mell and distributed among so many persons who stubbornly hold to their own piece. [[underlined in red]] Notwithstanding the pleasure [[/underlined in red]] of [[underlined in red]] meeting my remaining fellow. [[/underlined in red]] members of the board; the whole discussion made a very chilling impression on all of us. [[left margin in red ad underlined]] Franklin Roosevelt [[/left margin]][[underlined in red]] Frank Roosevelt got into quite a jam with his advisors of the "Brain Trust." [[/underlined in red]] and we do not seem at the end of it. since the tinkering with the [[underlined in red]] Gold Dollar. Every one I meet is perplexed as to what [[/underlined in red]] we may expect next.
Home at midnight.
[[underlined]] Nov 12. (Sunday) [[/underlined]] All day studying & writing - several problems
[[underlined]] Nov 13 [[/underlined]] Busy day. News about [[underlined in red]] little Freddie not encouraging [[/underlined in red]] New examination by specialist in New York sees no progress and he will have to continue in [[underlined in red]] bed for several months [[/underlined in red]] so as to try healing by time.
[[underlined]] Nov 14 [[/underlined]] Mailed another 50$ to Rachel [[strikethrough]] then no [[/strikethrough]] Feel very depressed
[[underlined]] Nov 15 [[/underlined]] & 16. at office. at 4:30 [[underlined in red]] George Hasslacher [[/underlined in red]] came to see me. He had written me a letter saying that it might be better for Bakelite Corporation if the directors were not all officers and included some outsiders
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[[left margin in red]] [[underlined]] 2000000$ [[/underlined]] to buy our Roessler Hasslacher Co R & H and George Hasslacher! [[/left margin in red]]
Also the [[underlined in red]] disadvantage [[/underlined in red]] of [[underlined in red]] our stock not being listed [[/underlined in red]] and thus making if difficult to put a value on it whenever estates had to be adjusted, by death etc.
Told him [[underlined in red]] condition of Bakelite [[/underlined in red]] and how it [[underlined in red]] should not be confused with the tricks which the directors of Roessler Hasslacher. [[/underlined in red]] played and who altho' representing the minority of stock allocated to themselves exorbitant salaries and bonuses and options to purchase stock at low prices etc. Told him I myself would like to have our stock on the Exchange so as to have a proper idea of its value. But the Stock exchange does not permit to list a stock of which the majority of the shares are [[strikethrough]] not [[/strikethrough]] owned by a few shareholders. He was astonished when [[underlined in red]] I told him that I received no more compensation than the other men [[/underlined in red]] on our directorate except Hays. That on the contrary, when I get 15000$ a year for fees, it means that I [[underlined in red]] only get about one half because [[/underlined in red]] I take it out of my own property [[underlined in red]] having about 1/2 of the total stock, [[/underlined in red]] and when [[underlined in red]] after deducting my taxes I have less than $7000.00. [[/underlined in red]] He was astonished also when I told him there was no bonus and that when Bonuses were alloted they never exceeded in conjunction with salaries $30000.00 as the highest after I [[underlined in red]] got rid of R&H and Karpen coalition who wanted to induce me to take a fat slice [[underlined in red]] before salaries and dividends. That this was the reason [[underlined in red]] why I took about $2000000.00 [[/underlined in red]] of my [[strikethrough]] good [[/strikethrough]] well invested money [[underlined in red]] to buy out R&H [[/underlined in red]] 5000 shares of Bakelite and thus break up the coalition of Karpen and R&H who wanted to put their interests ahead of those of our corporation