Spain

"Jefferson spent most of his time working. America and Spain kept debating Louisiana’s boundaries, and the president kept elbowing for more. His administration feuded with Irujo, and the Spanish diplomat complained bitterly about Lewis and Clark. (Of course, he never mentioned their Spanish shadows, Vial and Jarvet.) There were rumors that Jefferson would purchase Florida. Allies like Mitchill begged him to think bigger. Jefferson believed the Louisiana territory ended at the Rockies. What if it didn’t? What if, in Mitchill’s words, it stretched “beyond that chain, quite to the Pacific Ocean”?"

"They met more traders ascending the river, all of whom were shocked and thrilled to learn that, after such an absence, the expedition had survived. Lewis felt well enough to participate in these chats, asking if Jefferson was alive, if he’d won reelection, and how things were going with Britain and Spain and France. (Not well.) The captains tried to process two-plus years of national news, received in a few minutes over a campfire. Clark wrote the headlines in his journal: “Mr. Burr and General Hamilton fought a duel, the latter was killed, etc., etc.” The traders, despite embarking on their own dangerous journeys, gave the party gifts they hadn’t tasted in a long time, including chocolate and biscuits and whiskey. They wanted to fete these famous men. At some point on the Missouri, the Corps began to grasp that they were celebrities. Lewis had lived on “pure water” at Fort Clatsop. Now strangers were handing him bottles of wine."

"The Spanish were also mad at Lewis. One of Spain’s top spies, a double agent hidden deep within the American military, wrote a report about the captain. The spy’s code name was Agent 13, and he promised that Lewis was only the start. According to Agent 13, bets were being placed “that the United States will have a seaport on [the Pacific] before five years roll by.” Agent 13 knew what he spoke of: His real name was James Wilkinson, and he was America’s highest-ranking general. In his memo, Wilkinson urged Spain to deploy cavalry to hunt the expedition down. Jefferson, it seemed, had not been paranoid enough. Spanish officials loved Wilkinson’s idea. Since Spain was contesting Jefferson’s boundaries, they felt they had every right to seize Lewis and his papers. In Santa Fe, they began planning a series of well-funded missions that would involve more than a thousand troops. They hoped to move quickly—to crush American expansion before it could truly begin."

"Jefferson started by inviting Spain’s diplomat, Carlos Martínez de Irujo, to the White House. This was surprising. While Jefferson and Irujo were friendly—the diplomat had helped him find a chef for his White House dinners—Madison handled most of these meetings. But Jefferson wanted to do this one himself. On December 1, Irujo arrived and found the president in a shockingly good mood. They talked briefly about New Orleans, but Jefferson seemed more interested in sharing his new idea for an expedition. The president confided in Irujo, explaining that the mission would be framed as a commercial one, for constitutional reasons, but that his real hopes—he could be honest with Irujo—were science and geography. As he talked, Jefferson grew excited, even agitated. Then he paused and asked if Spain would have any objections. Spain certainly would, Irujo said. Jefferson was trying the same trick he always saw in others—emphasizing the Enlightenment to deflect from the colonizing. The diplomat didn’t buy it. After leaving the White House, he sent a report to Madrid. “The president,” he wrote, “has been all his life a man of letters, very speculative and a lover of glory.” But Irujo sensed a different motive. The expedition, he believed, was a step “by which the Americans may someday extend their population.”"

"André gave the character a voice, made him practice every sport, every profession, every clownish act. He inflated or deflated at will, smoked cigars, danced the waltz, transformed into a puppet, spoke in front of a blackboard. He conducted an orchestra in London, entered the arena in Spain, or participated in a rodeo in America. Always good-natured, full of humor, in dazzling form—thanks to the Michelin Exerciser—and devilishly pedagogical."

"He opens his iPhone and checks the sales data in real-time in individual countries. He is worried about Spain, observes how sales are going in the flagship store in Madrid, monitors the performance of his Spanish representative's deliveries."

"In general, Amancio eats little but is a good host. "My favorite food—he has told me more than once—are fried eggs with French fries and sausage." This down-to-earth man, incapable of giving himself importance no matter how many times he appears cited in international economic magazines as one of the richest in Spain, and on the lists of the world's richest compiled by Forbes, in a more prominent position as the years go by, told me in great detail the starting point of his business story; a story so unusual and endearing, so deeply human, that it is key as a testimony of his life."

"It was never entirely good with my father, but we found a modus vivendi that was civilized. The incident and grandfather's words shattered the last shackle to parental authority and became the final step towards a life of my own in freedom, a memory my thoughts touch upon in contemplative moments. I can only marvel at grandfather's empathy in his son and grandson's relationship. That I would have been the stronger was unthinkable, but it naturally reveals a wisdom that comes to the old about how generations follow generations, take over, and succeed—not without sacrifice. I have often wondered how our relationship would have developed if my father had lived longer, had successes as an ambassador in Brazil, and ended his diplomatic career in Spain, as he dreamed of. Perhaps his negative outlook on life would have changed then, and he would have dared to show that he liked me."

"In his second homeland, Spain, Fredriksen saw opportunities in a crisis-stricken shipping industry. Through cheap acquisitions of a number of small shipping companies, Fredriksen became the largest private shipowner in Spain during a hectic period. Economically, it was no gold mine, and when the crew of the bulk carrier "Resmar Dos" went on a strike lasting several months during unloading at Hydro Aluminium in Karmøy, Fredriksen sued Haugesunds Avis for their portrayal of him."

"1992Media Capital SGPS in Lisbon, a corporate group of magazines and broadcasting stations, is sold to Nicolas Berggruen for 29 million dollars. Apparently, the first media company of Portugal, founded in 1988, ran into difficulties and needed a cash injection. As is often the case in practice, such capitalization leads to the loss of independence. The investor becomes the boss. In industry circles, there is speculation that the deal in Lisbon was initiated by the Domingos. Having already owned a media conglomerate in South America, which included among others the most listened-to radio stations in Colombia, they wanted to expand their empire to Europe. The entire Spanish-speaking world was to belong to the Domingo family. At that time, Nicolas Berggruen was still relatively unknown in the investment market; he could discreetly set in motion the Domingos' assault on the media landscape of Portugal and Spain."