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What the tortured directors could not escape was the ambiguity of Torkild Rieber's activities abroad. Recently the British, policing their blockade, asked Cap Rieber to pull over. Texas' sales of oil and gasoline to Axis-Partner Spain had been mounting toward 100,000 tons a month. The British thought 25,000 tons would be about right. Hard-boiled Salesman Rieber tried to compromise, argued that the Spanish, busy rebuilding their country, could not be transshipping any oil to Germany. But the British preferred not to take a chance. Those who knew Cap Rieber knew his motives were not to skunk the British, but simply to sell oil. But it was then that Franklin Roosevelt saw fit to proclaim his scrap iron and oil licensing regulations, and U. S. customs officials held two Spain-bound Texas tankers in the Gulf.
Breezy, blunt Cap Rieber, an office-bound sea rover who feels equally at home in any of the world's ports, was boss of Texas' tanker fleet, and made a specialty of pushing sales of Texaco abroad. Yet his company's revenue from all European sales was less than twice what it took from the Hitler-conscious New York area. That statistic the directors kept firmly in mind.
Rebuttal. From his uneasy seat on the carpet Chairman Rieber told his story. Not one barrel of oil had Texas Corp. sold, directly or indirectly, to Germany since World War II began. It had got delivery last winter on one or two tankers contracted for in Germany and paid for in oil before the war. This was done after Rieber had had a talk with Goring, but also with cheers from the British, who naturally preferred to see the tankers in the U. S. rather than in the North Sea. Texas Corp. had no permanent investments in Germany. "Under no circumstances could he [Richer] be identified with any kind of un-American activity."
So far as his relations with Dr. Westrick were concerned, Oilman Rieber explained they were strictly business. He had retained the attorney on occasion to represent Texas Corp. in Germany. When Westrick came to the U. S. recently, the Texas Corp. head had offered him a company car (which Herr Westrick refused), advanced customary business courtesies such as arranging for a Texas Corp. loan (because of exchange restrictions) with which to buy a car. He knew of no reason for the attorney's visit other than to promote better business relations between the U. S. and Germany.
Exit. Disturbed not only by the public hullabaloo but by the belief that he was becoming persona non grata in Washington, the eleven directors finally let chastened Torkild Rieber submit his resignation from the chairmanship, kept him on as a director to save face.