Sons of Wichita: How the Koch Brothers Became America's Most Powerful and Private Dynasty (44 page)

BOOK: Sons of Wichita: How the Koch Brothers Became America's Most Powerful and Private Dynasty
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15.
a federal grand jury indicted
: “Ex-Judge Davis Accused by Jury of Selling Favors,”
The New York Times
, March 29, 1941.

16.
$1.5 million from his foes
: Charles Koch,
The Science of Success
(Wiley, 2007), p. 7.

17.
severed ties
: Ibid., p. 10.

18. “
It was a living hell to him
”:
Koch v. Koch Industries
, trial testimony of David Koch.

19.
Fred’s advice to his sons
: Charles Koch,
The Science of Success
(Wiley, 2007), p. 7.

20.
led the world in petroleum production
: Vagit Alekperov,
Oil of Russia
(East View Press, 2011), p. 80.

21. “
a plan for a great world revolution
”: Hearings Before the Committee on Ways and Means, 71st Congress, “Prohibition of Importation of Goods Produced By Convict, Forced, or Indentured Labor,” p. 153.

22. “
its merit
”: “American Cracking for Soviet Refining,”
Oil of Russia
, No. 4, 2012.

23.
When Fred arrived in Moscow
: “Two Shores of Professor Sakhanov,”
Oil of Russia
, No. 1, 2012.

24. “
we will make you rotten to the core.
”: Fred C. Koch,
A Business Man Looks at Communism
(1960), p. 8.

25. “
Why did you save my life?
”: Ibid., p. 8.

26. “
We are here just like slaves
”: Ibid., p. 38.

27. “
I’ll see you in the United States
”: Fred C. Koch to Howard E. Kershner, January 9, 1961, Howard E. Kershner Papers, Box 10, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries.

28. “
I was naïve enough to think
”: “John Birch Signer,”
The Washington Post
, February 22, 1964.

Chapter 3. “The Dead Will Be the Lucky Ones”

1. “
It’s something I grew up with
”: Brian Doherty,
Radicals for Capitalism
, (Public Affairs, 2007), p. 407.

2. “
the only sound countries in the world
”: Charles Francis de Ganahl,
The Life and Letters of Charles F. de Ganahl, Vol. II
, pp. 893–98.

3. “
whether we are going to be free men or slaves
”: Fred C. Koch to Gen. Albert C. Wedemeyer, May 2, 1966, Albert C. Wedemeyer Papers, Box 45, Folder 30, Hoover Institution Archives.

4.
returned to Moscow
: “Millionaires to Tell Russia ‘It Isn’t True,’ ” Associated Press, July 23, 1956.

5. “
The meeting will be completely ‘off the record’ ”
: Robert Welch to T. Coleman Andrews, October 27, 1958.

6. “
Before tomorrow is over
”: A transcript of Welch’s remarks in Indianapolis were published in
The Blue Book of the John Birch Society
.

7.
gave him a job
: Koch,
A Business Man Looks at Communism
(1960), p. 7.

8. “
He was always convinced that they pushed him out
”: “The Paranoid Style in Liberal Politics,”
The Weekly Standard
, April 4, 2011.

9. “
Here, Bob, we’re in business
”: G. Edward Griffin,
The Life and Words of Robert Welch
(American Media, 1975), p. 274.

10. “
the dead will be the lucky ones
”: Fred C. Koch to Rep. Al Ullman, May 11, 1961, Group Research Inc. Records, Box 190, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

11.
So many listeners called in
: Fred C. Koch to Howard E. Kershner, January 9, 1961, Howard E. Kershner Papers, Box 10, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries.

12. “
It is not the Communists who are destroying America
”: Koch,
A Business Man Looks at Communism
, p. 5.

13. “
My father hated Picasso
”: “The Koch Collection: Sculptures, Paintings Chosen for Powerful Statements,”
The Wichita Eagle
, September 6, 1992.

14.
Demand was so great
: Fred C. Koch to Elizabeth Brown, November 9, 1961, Elizabeth Churchill Brown Papers, Box 2, Folder 19, Hoover Institution Archives.

15. “
a security risk
”: FBI file of Fred C. Koch.

16. “
The sad fact
”: “An Address Given on the Occasion of the Graduation Exercises at the Field House of the University of Wichita,” June 5, 1960, Dr. John Rydjord Papers, Box 9, Folder 6, Special Collections and University Archives, Wichita State University Libraries.

17. “
you won’t be very controversial lying in a ditch
”: “Bircher Warns America of Massive Conspiracy,” Associated Press, August 16, 1961.

18. “
If many of the opinions
”: Koch,
A Business Man Looks at Communism
, p. 20.

19.
he and Fred had led the successful effort to curb the power of unions
: J. Allen Broyles,
The John Birch Society: Anatomy of a Protest
(Beacon Press, 1966), p. 58; also, “Responsible Leadership Through the John Birch Society,” a pamphlet published by the John Birch Society that included biographical sketches of its members.

20.
many of the same business leaders
: Gene Grove,
Inside the John Birch Society
(Gold Medal, 1961), p. 96.

21. “
practically medieval
”: Broyles,
The John Birch Society: Anatomy of a Protest
, p. 56.

22.
McCarthyesque tactics
: “Organizations: The Americanists,”
Time
, March 10, 1961.

23. “
They used my textbook on differential geometry
”: “In His Prime: Dirk Jan Struik Reflects on 103 Years of Mathematical and Political Activities,”
Harvard Educational Review
, Vol. 69, No. 4, Winter 1999.

24. “
an MIT Alger Hiss
”: Fred C. Koch to Elizabeth Churchill Brown, February 9, 1962, Elizabeth Churchill Brown Papers, Box 2, Folder 19, Hoover Institution Archives.

25. “
down on Tech
”: Fred C. Koch to Robert M. Kimball, February 1, 1961, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Office of the President, Records of Julius A. Stratton, AC 134, Box 124. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Institute Archives and Special Collections.

26. “
said to have infiltrated Republican organizations
”: “Mutiny in the Birch Society,”
Saturday Evening Post
, April 6, 1967.

27.
repealed by referendum a city fluoridation plan
: “Fluoride Fight Has Long Rights, Passionate Advocates,”
The Wichita Eagle
, October 27, 2012.

28. “
when the Communists… begin to light these racial fires
”: Fred C. Koch to Gen. Albert C. Wedemeyer, July 9, 1963, Albert C. Wedemeyer Papers, Box 45, Folder 30, Hoover Institution Archives.

29.
ordered 2,500 copies
: Rick Perlstein,
Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus
(Hill & Wang, 2001), p. 62.

30. “
They are the kind we need in politics
”: “Goldwater Hits Birch Views,” Associated Press, March 30, 1961.

31.
Buckley volunteered for the assignment
: “Goldwater, the John Birch Society, and Me,”
Commentary
, March 2008.

32. “
so far removed from common sense
”: Ibid.

33. “
a weapon of demagoguery
”: Jonathan Schoenwald,
A Time for Choosing: The Rise of Modern American Conservatism
(Oxford University Press, 2002), p. 63.

34. “
I wrote Buckley
”: Fred C. Koch to Elizabeth Churchill Brown, February 9, 1962, Elizabeth Churchill Brown Papers, Box 2, Folder 19, Hoover Institution Archives.

35.
ran twice, unsuccessfully, for Congress
: “Civic, Business Leader, William Robinson, Dies,”
The Wichita Eagle
, December 27, 1993.

36. “
Billy is a very compassionate guy
”: “Captain America,”
Sports Illustrated
, April 20, 1992.

37. “
Father was paranoid about communism
”: “The Billionaire’s Party,”
New York,
July 25, 2010.

38. “
The U.S. government is trying to win votes
”: “U.S. Is Accused of Welfarism by a Speaker at KU,”
Lawrence Daily Journal-World
, December 16, 1965.

39.
opened a John Birch Society bookstore
: “Two Birch Society Members Open Bookstore,”
The Wichita Eagle
, July 15, 1965.

Chapter 4. May Day at MIT

1.
dug an old ROTC uniform out of his closet
: Interview with Kent Groninger.

2.
being pelted with bottles
: “MIT, B.U. Riot Follows Hanging of Castro Effigy,”
The Boston Globe
, May 2, 1961; and “700 Students in Riots,”
The Tech
, May 3, 1961.

3. “
the Engineers prostrated themselves
”: “MIT Invades the Yard,”
The Harvard Crimson
, May 2, 1961.

4.
News of the anticommunist student uprising
: Interview with Kent Groninger.

5.
a halfhearted MIT investigation
: “Letters,”
The Tech
, May 10, 1961.

6. “
Led by the brothers Koch
”:
MIT Technique
, 1962.

7. “
Great friends, wild parties
”: “MIT Class of 1962 25th Reunion,” Institute Archives and Special Collections, MIT Libraries.

8.
A top rebounder
: “Meet the Captains,”
The Tech
, November 15, 1961.

9.
Bill was a second-stringer
: “Interest High for Harvard Game Tomorrow,”
The Tech
, December 9, 1960.

10.
MIT’s basketball team had a dismal track record
: “Hoopsters Have Losing Season; Win Only Three of Sixteen Games,”
The Tech
, March 10, 1959.

11.
Recognizing their inexperience
: “Barry Well Earns ‘Coach of the Year’ Title,”
The Tech
, March 7, 1962.

12. “
He organized the team to compensate
”: “Captain America,”
Sports Illustrated
, April 20, 1992.

13.
apologized to Barry
: “Crimson Basketball Players Romp to Easy 84–34 Triumph at MIT,”
The Harvard Crimson
, December 14, 1959.

14.
aggravated an old knee injury
: “Cagers Beaten by Springfield, USCGS,”
The Tech
, January 12, 1960.

15.
Averaging 24 points a game
: “Area Coaches Pick Tech Star to All New England Team,”
The Tech
, February 10, 1961.

16. “
The backbone of the team
”: “Tech Five Beats RPI in Finale,”
The Tech
, March 10, 1961.

17. “
hustling, fighting, aggressive
”: “Meet the Captains,”
The Tech
, November 15, 1961.

18. “
We didn’t even have to attend class
”: “Succeeding Through the Foundations of Science,” MIT speech, May 1, 1997.

19.
A heart attack had also claimed his older brother
: Interview with Carol Margaret Allen.

20. “
remain in business until I died
”: Fred C. Koch to Robert Welch, August 19, 1966, Clarence E. Manion Papers, Chicago Historical Society, Box 74, Folder 4.

21.
left the faintest of impressions
: Interviews with several Harvard classmates.

22. “
far more interesting work than what was required of me
”: Harvard College Class of 1955 Triennial Report, 1958.

23.
his master’s thesis
: Frederick R. Koch, “No Bed for Bacon: A Musical Comedy in 18 Scenes,” Haas Family Arts Library, Special Collections, Yale University.

24. “
familiar with a booklet or pamphlet
”: Frederick R. Koch to ONE Institute, July 15, 1959, Box 29, ONE Incorporated records, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.

25. “
My father was quite concerned
”:
Koch v. Koch Industries
, testimony of Frederick Koch.

26. “
inferiority complex
”: Leslie Wayne interview notes.

27. “
Freddie never composed anything himself
”: “Survival of the Richest,”
Fame
, November 1989.

28. “
He told me either you come back here
”: “Koch vs. Koch,”
The Wichita Eagle
, March 8, 1998.

29. “
I hope your first deal is a loser
”: Charles Koch,
The Science of Success
(Wiley, 2007), p. 10.

30. “
I have tried to discourage him
”: Fred C. Koch to Elizabeth Brown, January 22, 1962, Elizabeth Churchill Brown Papers, Box 2, Folder 19, Hoover Institution Archives.

31. “
I think we are going to pour the money down the drain
”: Fred Chase Koch to Elizabeth Brown, February 9, 1962, Elizabeth Churchill Brown Papers, Box 2, Folder 19, Hoover Institution Archives.

32. “
the junk
”: “Family Feud at a Corporate Colossus,”
Fortune
, August 26, 1982.

33. “
Who?
”: John Lincoln,
Rich Grass and Sweet Water: Ranch Life with the Koch Matador Cattle Company
(Texas A&M University Press, 1989), p. 14.

34. “
He really taught me a lot about the importance of people
”: “Koch and His Empire Grew Together,”
The Wichita Eagle
, June 26, 1994.

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