The King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich Read online

  The KING of OIL

  THE SECRET LIVES OF

  MARC RICH

  DANIEL AMMANN

  St. Martin’s Press

  New York

  THE KING OF OIL. Copyright © 2009 by Daniel Ammann. All rights reserved.

  Printed in the United States of America. For information,

  address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

  www.stmartins.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Ammann, Daniel.

  The king of oil : the secret lives of Marc Rich / Daniel Ammann.

  p. cm.

  ISBN 978-0-312-57074-3

  1. Rich, Marc. 2. Petroleum industry and trade—United States—Biography. 3. Tax evasion—United States. 4. Criminal justice, Administration of—International cooperation. I. Title.

  HD9570.R53A55 2009

  381'.42282092—dc22

  [B]

  2009016926

  First Edition: October 2009

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  To Irene and to Emilie

  CONTENTS

  Acknowledgments

  1. THE UNDISPUTED KING OF OIL

  2. THE BIGGEST DEVIL

  Meeting Marc Rich • Charming and Cunning • “He Was Our God” • The Final Frontier • Anti-Semitic Stereotypes • His Greatest Strength • Skiing in St. Moritz

  3. A JEWISH FATE

  The Escape from the Holocaust • Casablanca • “We Lost Everything, but We Survived” • “He Was Small, He Had an Accent, and He Was Jewish” • His Biggest Influence

  4. THE AMERICAN DREAM

  A Jewish Tradition • The First Trade • To Create a Market • Sensitive Assignments • Fidel Castro’s Cuban Revolution • Friends in Fascist Spain • American Hero

  5. THE CRUDE AWAKENING

  The World’s First Oil Embargo • The Seven Sisters • A Wave of Oil Nationalizations • “I Was the Right Person at the Right Time” • Pincus Green

  6. ISRAEL AND THE SHAH

  Top-Secret Pipeline in Israel • Trading with the Shah of Persia • Crude Middleman • Yom Kippur War • The Breaking Off

  7. MARC RICH + COMPANY

  Swiss Secrecy • Vendetta • Thanks to Iranian Oil • The Oil Shock of 1974 • Faster, Longer, More Aggressive • The Invention of the Spot Market • The Secret of Trust • “Don’t Let Them Eat Your Soul” • Pioneer of Globalization

  8. TRADING WITH THE AYATOLLAH KHOMEINI

  Khomeini’s Return • Iran Hostage Crisis • The Second Oil Shock of 1979 • “We Had Oil Available, and Our Competitors Did Not” • Israel’s Salvation

  9. THE CASE

  Marc Who? • “With Our Shotguns Blazing” • Rich’s Flight to Switzerland • Rudolph W. Giuliani Takes Over • Draconian Fine • Caught in the Crossfire • “The Largest Tax Evasion Indictment Ever” • The Oil Price Control • “Sham Transactions” • Prosecutors Go Nuclear • Unconditional Surrender

  10. RUDY GIULIANI’S FAILURES

  A Mysterious Lapse • The Stubborn Swiss • American Legal Isolationism • Too Many Mistakes • Not Presumed Innocent • Five Flaws • Rich’s Obstruction • A Political Case

  11. “I NEVER BROKE THE LAW”

  “A Scapegoat Was Needed” • Gross Overreaction • Rich’s Biggest Mistake • Why He Didn’t Come Back

  12. THE HUNT FOR MARC RICH

  A Leak in the U.S. Administration • Code Name: The Riddler • London Fog Saved Rich • “I Was Very Careful” • Avner Azulay • Pitiful Attempts • Secret Protection? • “Crusade Against Me”

  13. CLANDESTINE TALKS

  Secret Meeting with Marc Rich • “Not One Day in Jail” • No Negotiations with Fugitives • “Vindictive Time”

  14. THE SECRETS OF SUCCESS: FROM ANGOLA TO SOUTH AFRICA

  It’s the Long Term, Stupid • The Bribes • The Talented Mr. Rich • Ayn Rand • The Mysterious Monsieur Ndolo • Angolan Absurdities • Jamaica Me Crazy • South African Stratagems • Dealing with Dictators

  15. SURPRISING SERVICES: HOW RICH HELPED ISRAEL AND THE USA

  Reconciliation Between Israel and Egypt • Sealed Documents • Secret Cooperation with the U.S. Government • Helping Israel’s Mossad • Escape from Yemen • Informal Mediator Between Israel and Iran

  16. THE PRIVATE LIFE OF THE RICHES

  “Don’t Come Home, Daddy, Please” • Daughter’s Grave Moved to Israel • Blind Date with Denise Eisenberg • Family Values • Demanding Father, Dominant Mother • Denise, the Songwriter • That Tall Blond German Woman • Don’t Be Late • “Marc Destroyed Our Family” • $365 Million for Denise • “My Biggest Failure”

  17. THE END OF THE KING OF OIL

  The Worst Deal of Rich’s Career • Defections • If You Can’t Catch the Fish . . . • “A Little Bit of Rich in My Pocket” • Marc Rich’s Departure • “I Was Weak” • Unlucky Comeback • The Fear of Dying Poor • Philanthropist

  18. THE PARDON

  The Furor • Organizing a Pardon • Crucial Discretion • Ehud Barak’s Support • Financier of the Peace process • The Role of Denise Rich • A Delicate Financial Agreement • The Role of Eric Holder • President Clinton’s Motivation • Rationally Right vs. Morally Bad • Tax Bargain • “I’ll Never Go Back to the USA”

  19. THE FUTURE ACCORDING TO MARC RICH

  Marc Rich talks about the future of oil and the commodity markets, the biggest mistakes of U.S. foreign policy, the worst financial crisis in decades, and doing business with dictators.

  20. EPILOGUE: THE GRAY AREA

  Notes

  Index

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I couldn’t have written this book without the help and the advice of dozens of people I didn’t know when I started. These oil and commodities traders, who had worked with Marc Rich in one capacity or another during the last forty years, shared their thoughts and their memories with me, opened doors and documents, and explained the technicalities of trading and financing. They tried to show me the big picture, and they revealed their little secrets. Most of them want to keep a low profile and don’t wish to read their names in a book. I thank you all for trusting me so much without knowing me before.

  Arthur Klebanoff was the best agent and counselor imaginable: highly professional and motivated, truly knowledgeable, and with a good sense of humor. Phil Revzin, Senior Editor at St. Martin’s Press, believed in this project from the moment we talked about it for the first time. Roger Köppel, the owner and editor-in-chief of my journalistic home Die Weltwoche, generously granted me a long leave of absence from my position as Business Editor. I owe them my sincere appreciation.

  Several friends and colleagues took the time to ask the right questions and to review, discuss, and improve the manuscript. They proved their friendship by being critical.

  Among those who helped me, in various ways, to realize this book, my heartfelt thanks go (alphabetically) to Avner Azulay, Stefan Barmettler, Simon Brunner, Peter Hänseler, Pia Hiefner Hug, Christian König, Thomas Kramer, Michael Krobath, Monika Meili, Isaac Querub, Karin and Christoph Rothenhöfer, Ursula Santo Domingo, Jun Sarbach, Danny Schaechter, Peter Schildknecht, Doris and Jakob Schildknecht, Markus Schneider, Stefan and Lydia Spohr, Christine Steffen, Gabriele Werffeli, André A. Wicki, Jodok Wicki, Mark Willard and Tradukas, Bruno Ziauddin, Dave Zollinger, and Alain Zucker. I wish to mention particularly Hans Jörg Brun, without whose support and insights this book would not exist.

  My deepest gratitude goes to my parents Margrit and Josef Ammann-Mahler, who always believed in me and taught me to make up my own mind. And most of all to Irene Schild
knecht Ammann, the best wife, and to Emilie, the best daughter, for their love, for their encouragement, and for their (much needed) patience.

  The KING of OIL

  The UNDISPUTED KING of OIL

  O

  il. Black gold. The “world’s most controversial resource” has created the mighty dynasties of the Rockefellers and the Gettys.1 It has tempted dictators such as Saddam Hussein into acts of aggression and brought down emperors such as the shah of Iran. Even today, countries are prepared to go to war to secure access to this strategically important resource. Without oil, there would not be an airplane in the sky or a car on the road. Without oil, hospitals would cease to operate and shopping centers would remain empty. Our modern economy is unthinkable without oil. Oil is the world’s most important source of energy. More important, it is the most important commodity of an industrial society. We live in the Age of Oil. We are “hydrocarbon man,” whose very survival would be impossible without oil.2

  The spot market for oil was surely one of the most lucrative ideas of the twentieth century. Back when Marc Rich first began to snatch away a part of the global oil trade from the mighty oil corporations, crude oil cost 2 per barrel. In summer 2008 a barrel went for a record 140.3 Marc Rich’s undertaking was revolutionary—and highly successful. In the 1970s, Rich and a handful of trusted partners single-handedly managed to break the cartel of Big Oil, a cartel that dominated every aspect of the oil trade from the well to the gas pump. They created the first fully functioning, competitive market. They invented the spot market. Thanks to the oil trade, Rich—who came to the United States as a poor Jewish refugee boy—became one of the world’s richest and most powerful commodities traders. He advanced to become the “undisputed King of Oil,” as one of his longtime associates referred to him.

  The high point of Rich’s power was soon followed by his fall from grace, a fall that cost the billionaire his reputation, his wife, and his company. Marc Rich is not known the world over as a result of his amazing entrepreneurial achievements, which were many. His name does not ring a bell because he was a unique pioneer of globalization, which he was. His name is not bound to the realization of the American dream, even though he rose from a penniless European Holocaust survivor to become one of the richest men in America by the strength of his own will.

  Despite his fabulous wealth, Rich lost control over his own name. Today the name Marc Rich means the billionaire trader who fled the United States in 1983 to avoid charges of tax evasion and making illegal oil deals with Iran during the hostage crisis. Marc Rich stands for the controversial last-minute pardon he received from President Bill Clinton in January 2001, “one of the most disgusting acts of the Clinton administration,” as Forbes magazine wrote.4 Marc Rich stands for doing business “with just about every enemy of the United States,” according to Rep. Dan Burton, chairman of the House Committee on Government Reform from 1997 to 2002.5

  Who is this man who led a life of high stakes and high risks? Who is this man who saw wars and revolutions not as curses but as business opportunities? Who is the real Marc Rich, the man who managed to elude the agents of the most powerful nation on earth for nearly twenty years?

  Although he is one of the most important and most controversial commodities traders of the twentieth century, only one biography has been written about him, nearly twenty-five years ago, and is now outdated.6 Perhaps this lack of coverage has something to do with the 1983 criminal proceedings that made Rich into the persona non grata that he is today. More likely it is because Rich is considered the most secretive trader of the notoriously furtive commodities trading community. For years, no one had ever seen a photograph of him. The media had to resort to artists’ sketches for their reports. He systematically avoided reporters. Rich gave his last interview of significant length over twenty years ago. As a result, no one has ever succeeded in getting to know the real Marc Rich. No one has ever been able to find out his secrets.

  Three years ago I decided to do just that.

  “Dear Mr. Rich,” I wrote in a letter in December 2006, in which I asked him for a meeting. “My aim is to get to know you better—your values, your thoughts, and your motivations.” I included a long list of questions.

  I wanted him to know that I did not intend to avoid the delicate subjects. I wanted to ask him why he thought it was right to do business with Ayatollah Khomeini’s Iran, with Fidel Castro’s Cuba, or with apartheid South Africa—with corrupt, violent, and racist governments. I wanted to hear him speak about the charges of tax evasion, which he was accused of by none other than Rudolph W. Giuliani. I wanted to know why he did not return to the United States and defend himself in court. I wanted to know why he was finally pardoned by President Bill Clinton. I wanted to ask him how he came to terms with the death of his daughter, whom he was unable to visit in the United States during her illness. Of course, I also wanted to know why and how he of all people was so successful.

  In all truth, I did not expect a response. Rich had never answered these questions before. That is why I was so surprised when he agreed to a meeting. Perhaps he was pleased by the fact that as a journalist I had been following his story for over ten years. I had always tried my best to remain fair and balanced. Each time I wrote an article about Rich, I gave him the opportunity to make a statement. It came as an even greater surprise when Rich agreed to my demands for total control over the contents of this book. I insisted on the “final cut privilege.” I did not want to write an “authorized account”—I wanted to do all of my own research, and naturally I wanted the freedom to write the things that he might not wish to read. Rich agreed to my terms, but he had one condition. He wanted to read my manuscript before it was sent to the publisher so that he could have the opportunity to point out any mistakes. I accepted his request on the condition that I would not be required to make changes to my manuscript if I thought I was right. After having read the manuscript, his comment was as short as it could possibly be. He thanked me in a letter for writing “a balanced report” and didn’t ask for any changes at all.

  My many long conversations with Rich were an important source of information for this book. As you’ll see, he answered all the questions I had wanted to ask, and many more. It was the first time he had ever spoken about any of these subjects, and he only refused to answer my questions when he thought he might have a legal reason for doing so. He spoke openly about his dealings in the world’s troubled regions and admitted to having made deals with Iran, South Africa, Angola, and Cuba. He spoke for the first time about the legal case against him—insisting that he never evaded paying taxes and had never broken any laws.

  I interviewed dozens of oil and commodities traders from the United States, Africa, Europe, and Asia who had worked with Rich in one capacity or another during the last forty years. They told me about the milestones in Rich’s life, his most important business partners, and his decisive business deals. They introduced me to the intricacies of the commodities trade. I had to accept the fact that most of them wished to remain anonymous. Commodities traders, I learned, take more pains to avoid publicity than even Swiss bankers. In this business—which often brings together clients who officially will have nothing to do with one another—discretion is one of the most important prerequisites for success. I read countless—sometimes confidential—documents concerning Rich’s case and his companies.

  In order to find out more about the private Marc Rich, I spoke with his daughters Danielle and Ilona as well as with his close friends, including the legendary hedge fund pioneer Michael Steinhardt. My conversation with Denise Rich, a very impressive woman, was of particular significance. She spoke frankly about her life with her former husband, their bitter divorce, and her role in obtaining Rich’s pardon. Ursula Santo Domingo—Rich’s first secretary, a Spanish marquesa—told me of Rich’s early days as a trader. A former officer of the Israeli intelligence service, Mossad, provided insight into Rich’s very special relationship to Israel and the crucial services he provi
ded to the Jewish state. Finally, the attorneys Jack Quinn—Bill Clinton’s former White House counsel—Robert F. Fink, and André A. Wicki tried to convince me of how flawed the case against their client actually was.

  Naturally I spoke with Rich’s opponents, such as his “nemesis,” Morris “Sandy” Weinberg Jr., who as a young assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York led the investigation into Rich’s dealings and wrote the indictment against him.7 I spoke with former U.S. Marshal Ken Hill, who for fourteen years secretly sought to detain—or even kidnap—Rich. I spoke to members of the judiciary and diplomats in the United States and Switzerland who told me off the record what they could not tell me publicly. I spoke to competitors and former employees who had fallen out with Rich.

  The result of all the conversations and research is an epic story of power, morality, amorality, and ingeniousness in which many things are not as they appear. It is a story in which private lives collide with global politics. It is the saga of Marc Rich.