The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-07-03
BY RODNEY

Washington. July 3.-tNEA)-
Henry Mason Day. mystery man,
co .mercial adventurer extraordin.
airy and veteran of international
politics. is going to Jail to be with
his boss and his closest friend, Harry
Sinclair.
A. few years ago these two were
about to make Sinclair the greatest
oil king of the world.
Days fidelity to Sinclair got him
into this jam. His fidelity to Sin.
clair may make his Incarceration
easier, since Sinclair will be there,
too.
Sinclair perhaps feels differently.
He might like it better If Day were
outside, watching his interests. Day
will be out Of Jail first. Of course.
His sentence for jury.tampering
runs only four months. Sinclair
drew six months for that, on top Of
his three months for contempt Of the
senate.
Made Only One Slip
Any story about the Damon
Pythias friendship and joint activ.
tiles of Dav and rinclair must be
fragmentary because Day is, as
noted, first of all a ma of mystery.
H. has moved m~ystcriously and ef-
fectively over the world, seldom
leaving a trace. And he never
seems to have missed q trick or
made a slip until he had to depend
on group Of Burns detectives to
shadow and investigate the jury
which was trying his pal.
But it was Day who plotted with
Sinclair gigantic exploits in the En-
pire Of Oil. 1t Wa Day who went
quietly into Asiatic and European
capitals to arrange and consummate
the huge bargains for the oil fields
which were almost in Sinclair's
grasp when Teapot Dome came
crashing down upon their heads.
He looks his part. Tall. straight
and swarthy, with coal black hair;
eagle-eyed, perfectly poised and
seemingly imperturbable; energetic
ard hard-boiled, he gives an impress
sion almost sinister. But he is a
pleasant conversationalist and many
who have met him like him as much
as th.y admire him. He has the
power of q super-salesman and the
personality of his rare breed-that
of the soldier of-fortune concession
hunters who have gone indomitably
into far places since the var days
demonstrated the tremendous future
Of oil.
Defeated Old Oil Interests
It was Day who went to Moscow
with Sinclair, Albert B. Fall, Archie
Roosevelt and others to negotiate
with the Soviet q concession in the
vast Caucasian oil fields. The party
was quartered in a former royal
palace. It was Day who remained
behind until he had clinched the con-
tract, grabbing it from before the
very noses of the powerful Stand.
ard and Royal Dutch Shell interests
which were fighting for it between
themselves.
Sinclair was to invest $1l5,O0O,.
900 and raise a $3.50, OO0. 900 loan 70,
Russia in New York. Sinclair alse
undertook to obtain American recog'
milton of the Soviets. His Close
friend Harding was president then
he had paid off the Republican cam,
paign deficit or was about to-
and he had close relations with cab
met members.
Henry Mason Day was playing
on the international big time!
Found Oil at End of Earth
He went off to the end Of th'
earth to Sakhalin Island, alongsid,
Siberia, and is supposed to have ne
gotiated with Moscow the Sinclair
concession for Sakhalin's rich oil de
posits, which Japan wanted so badly
Working in Moscow, CONSTANT
nople and Teheran, Day appears t
have been the mar who landed tn
immensely valuable concession TO
the North Persian Oil Fields, beat
ing out both the Standard and TIL
Anglo Persian interests. It has BEEF
charged that the murder Of Majo
Robert Imbrie, American ~vice-counci
in Teheran, was plotted by financier
trying to block Sinclair and Day.
Day lived mostly in Europe, bu
often visited Washington and !
} always was supposed that he wa
} dealing here in international poll
tics and oil. He was also reporte
at the Locarno conference. If hi
true history is ever written it vii
be q breath-taking tale.
The Rise of Sinclair
With the Caucasian fields, Mort
Persia and Sakhalin under his belt
and his other properties in Europe
Africa and the United States, Sin
!. clair was beginning to overshado,
the R~ockefellers and Sir Henri De
! REPORT OF TIL