The Life and Times of America’s Banana King
1250033314
Rich Cohen
Notes
Banks fail, women leave, but land lasts forever.
He never sent letters or took notes, preferring to speak in person or by phone. He was described as shy, but I think his actions are more accurately characterized as careful…“He was one of those guys, part of him is always figuring. You listen to a man like that. He knows something that can’t be taught.”
It was after the birth of Doris that Sam Zemurray decided he needed to get bigger and make more. The only way to do this was to expand. And the only way to do this was to plant his own bananas.
There are times when certain cards sit unclaimed in the common pile, when certain properties become available that will never be available again. A good businessman feels these moments like a fall in the barometric pressure. A great businessman is dumb enough to act on them even when he cannot afford to.
Because they’re impossible to control, men like Lee Christmas are a threat to business. If you want to survive, you must drive them from the country.
United Fruit did what big bureaucracy-heavy companies always do: hired lawyers and investigators to search every file for the identity of the true owner. This took months. In the meantime, Zemurray, meeting separately with each claimant, simply bought the land from them both.
This was a preferred Zemurray tactic: if you meet a truly formidable foe, flip him.
According to friends, Sam was a sharp trader who knew the prize goes to he who does not lose his head or open his mouth too soon. What cannot be accomplished by threats can often be achieved by composure. Sit and stare and let your opponent fill the silence with his own demons.
The coup in Guatemala violated a rule he had practiced all his life: do not draw unnecessary attention.
It’s like this: first conquer, then kill, then gather the artifacts and open a museum.