Corporate Strategy by Leif Johnson

Click here for Full Issue of EIR Volume 7, Number 31, August 12, 1980

Some questions about Charter Oil this year to sell his company's rich The company's trai/leads beyond Billy Carter to Permian basin Texas oil holdings Armand Hammer, St. Joe's, and Coca-Cola. to Charter? What are Hammer's links to the coup that brought Qad dafi to power in Libya, and his role in having Libya foreclose on the defaulted Carey Energy Corpora tion in 1978 so that Ed Carey was The Charter Oil Company of from Ball to Raymond Mason. forced to sell his holdings to Chart Jacksonville, Florida, which en But there is much more to the erOil? ticed Billy Carter with visions of story. The Alfred I. duPont estate The other person of note on dollar signs if Billy could land holds 73 percent of St. Joe's Paper Florida National Bank's Board is Charter 100,000 barrels per day of Company and 24 percent of Flori James Robinson Jr. of the old-line Libyan crude, enjoys highly placed da's fourth largest bank, the Flori Atlanta banking family, and son of connections. How else can one ex da National Bank of Florida. It the president of American Express, plain a company that a few years also owns a million acres of timber James Robinson Sr. What is Rob back was little more than a land land in Florida and Georgia. The inson's role in the shakeup of that jobber, but now counts former Brit duPont estate's St. Joe's Paper, in other Atlanta-based giant, Coca ish Ambassador Peter Jay as its turn, is the controlling force behind Cola, following the revelation that Washington consultant? the Charter Company, which owns Coke had retained 1.1. Davidson, a In May 1979, Charter Oil made Charter Oil. Edward Ball himself is reputed dirty money dealer and as headlines when it took possession chairman of St. Joe's Paper; four sociate of the Permindex assassina of the Carey Energy Corporation, officers or directors of St. Joe's are tion team, to help it solve delicate the world's largest privately held also officers or directors of Charter passport problems the company energy company, for a song. Now Co. In addition, St. Joe's owns was having? What role, if any, did that it's in the news again, there is about 20 percent of Charter Co., Robinson have in Coke founder an opportunity to examine Charter which in turn holds 8 percent of St. Woodruffs decision to rip up the and a few of the strange goings-on Joe's. organizational structure estab at certain corporate giants. Another shareholder in St. Joe's lished by chairman J. Paul Austin, Not only did Charter Oil en is American Financial Security, an early supporter of James Earl gage Billy Carter in 1979 to peddle with 13 percent. American Finan Carter? influence with the Libyan govern cial Security's chairman and presi Finally, what are the Republi ment, but the July 27 joint edition dent is also on the board of Max can Party tie-ins to this whole nex of the A tlanta Journal-Constitution Fisher's United Brands, which is us? For example, William J. Casey, reveals that in 1973-75 one former alleged to run drugs, guns and as Ronald Reagan's presidential cam southern regional director of the sassinations in the Caribbean. paign manager, was fast friends Federal Energy Administration Charter Co.'s alter ego, the with Alfred I. duPont, stemming named Kenneth Dupuy was in Florida National Bank of Florida, from Casey's days in the Office of volved in graft with both Billy and has two fascinating directors. If Strategic Services. Casey, like CharterOil. subpoenaed by Congress, they Charter, has been linked to Vesco, In the 1960s, or perhaps earlier, could shed even more light on Bil as EI R reported last week. Casey Raymond Knight Mason, the pres Iygate. One is Armand Hammer, sold a one-third share of his M ulti ident and guiding spirit of Charter the head of Occidental Petroleum. ponics Company to InvestorsOver Oil got picked up by Edward Ball, Why should Hammer, who holds seas Services in 1968, and was pro brother-in-law of the late Alfred I. few outside directorships, choose to hibited by the Securities and Ex duPont and executor of the $2 bil sit on the Jacksonville branch of the change Commission from hearing lion duPont estate. Mason and his board of directors of the Florida charges against Vesco, who took family now live at Epping Forest, National Bank of Florida? Why over the offshore lOS operation, the mansion built for Alfred-a gift was Hammer in deep negotiations when Casey headed the SEC.

EIR August 12, 1980 Economics 21