Alright, sorry for the slight delay my friends. Holidays, you know?
Anyway, my beautiful partner Edman and I are back with a new episode that I'm particularly pleased with. This is a far-reaching episode where we try to untangle the history of World Commerce Corporation, a Post-War company in which William Stephenson, William Donovan, Nelson Rockefeller, and Edward Stettinius Jr., among others, were all involved. WCC is discussed briefly in a number of books about Donovan and the OSS and the early years of the CIA, but no one has previously taken the time to investigate its purpose or activities thoroughly. Until now that is.
Here's part one of the episode, wherein Edman and me walk it all the way back to the French Commercial Code of 1807. In this part we talk about the history of banking and corporate laws and structures in the 19th century, and about St. Simonianism, Crédit Mobilier, and the origins of the doctrine of Development.
I was going to edit in some samples over the intro music, but I really enjoy this piece and didn't want to spoil the vocals. It's Mahler's Fourth Symphony, Fourth Movement. Check the link for a performance, actually prefer this over the version I have rights for. And below is a translation of the text, to set the mood.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCsnpVYetMg
The Heavenly Life:
We enjoy the heavenly pleasures
and avoid the earthly things.
No worldly tumult
does one hear in Heaven!
Everything lives in the gentlest peace!
We lead an angelic life!
Nevertheless we are very merry:
we dance and leap,
hop and sing!
Meanwhile, Saint Peter in the sky looks on.
Saint John has let his little lamb go
to the butcher Herod.
We lead a patient,
innocent, patient,
a dear little lamb to death!
Saint Luke slaughters oxen
without giving it thought or attention.
Wine costs not a penny
in Heaven's cellar;
and angels bake the bread.
Good vegetables of all sorts
grow in Heaven's garden!
Good asparagus, beans
and whatever we wish!
Full bowls are ready for us!
Good apples, good pears and good grapes!
The gardener permits us everything!
Would you like roebuck, would you like hare?
In the very streets
they run by!
Should a fast-day arrive,
all the fish swim up to us with joy!
Over there, Saint Peter is running already
with his net and bait
to the heavenly pond.
Saint Martha must be the cook!
No music on earth
can be compared to ours.
Eleven thousand maidens
dare to dance!
Even Saint Ursula herself is laughing!
Cecilia and all her relatives
are splendid court musicians!
The angelic voices
rouse the senses
so that everything awakens with joy.