“Bright and early,” Ron said.

“You’ll want to see Blaustein over in Economics,” Tommy said, as if he were helping to fill the schedule. “Remember him? He was the lawyer from Justice at the trust hearing.”

“I remember Mr. Blaustein.”

“On the other hand, you weren’t exactly best friends.”

“He had his ideas, I had mine,” Breimer said easily. “What is he doing here? ”

“Same idea. Decartelization. One of the four Ds.”

“Four Ds?” Jake said.

“Military Government policy for Germany,” Ron said in his briefing voice. “Demilitarization, de-Nazification, decartelization, and democracy.”

“And the least of these shall be decartelization. Isn’t that right, congressman?” Tommy said.

“I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

“American Dye and Chemical’s in your district. I seem to remember they held the North American Farben patents. I thought maybe you’d come over to see-”

He waited for Breimer to take the bait, but the congressman just sighed. “You’re barking up the wrong tree. Same one Mr. Blaustein kept barking up.” He shook his head. “The more successful a business became, the more he wanted to tear it down. I never did understand that.” He looked straight at Tommy. “American Dye’s just one business in the district, just one.”

“But the only one with a German partner.”

“That was before the war, Mr. -? Who did you say you were with?”

“Tom Ottinger. Mutual. Don’t worry, we’re off the record.”

“We can be on the record for all I care. I’m not here for American Dye or anyone else. Just the American people.”

Tommy grinned. “Now that makes me homesick. You forget people talk like that in Washington.”

“I’m glad you find us so funny.” He turned to Ron. “Well, I can see I’m not winning any votes here,” he said, an unexpectedly graceful exit. Then, unable to resist, he turned back to Tommy. “You know, it’s easy to attack business. I’ve heard it all my life, usually from people who don’t know the first thing about it. Maybe we ought to keep in mind that those companies, the ones you want to break up, won the war for us.”