What would Harold Levinson's problems be, especially with regards to the Teapot Dome Scandal?
What would Harold Levinson's problems be, especially with regards to the Teapot Dome Scandal?
Unless I'm mistaken it was a bad investment, like when Robert bet the wrong way in the premier of Season 3 and went bankrupt.
It was actually about bribery. Senator Albert Fall solicited bribes from a couple oil companies and in return provided below market no bid leases to federal property for the purposes of drilling for oil. One of these locations was Teapot Dome Wyoming, hence the name of the scandal.
What the connection is to Harold Levinson is certainly curious. He cannot be one of those issuing bribes without rewriting history, since it is known who they were. He could potentially have been on the board and one of the major investors, but it would seem too early to be pulled into anything at this point. The first Senate hearing didn't occur until the fall of 1923 or roughly a year after the time period of the episode it is first mentioned.
The only thing I can think of was that there was a scheduling conflict with Hugh Bonneville and possibly Rob James-Collier and this was the excuse to write them out of the better part of two episodes as well as a means of introducing Harold.
The problem is there were only two people involved in the bribes, Harry F. Sinclair of Sinclair Oil and subsidiary, Mammoth Oil, and Edward L. Doheny of Pan American Petrolium. I suppose Harold could have been someone investegated early on and then cleared however no evidence of wrongdoing was found until the $100,000 loan by Doheny was uncovered. It was really Senator Fall that was being investigated, not the oil companies, at least early on.
See: Teapot Dome scandal
See: Teapot Dome scandal
You are right. However, Albert Fall was the Secretary of the Interior.
While it is true that he was Secretary of the Interior at the time, it is also correct to address a former Senator as "Senator". In fact Robert addresses him as "Senator Fall" in 1922 when he left office in 1921.
96.244.60.50 wrote: Unless I'm mistaken it was a bad investment, like when Robert bet the wrong way in the premier of Season 3 and went bankrupt.
It wasn't a bad investment at all, because Robert sucks at business (as he does in everything), It's just that Harold did an "illegal" thing, if it had worked, he would be twice as rich, but it didn't.
A lot of reputations were damaged over Tea Pot Dome ... but lots of money was made also including by Fall who made millions and was only fined $100,000. The scandal swirled about ... and a trip to the Continent ... would have been a good thing ... until the conroversy blew over. Harold though could easily have made a hansom profit.