was
a week before I saw the little old man again and one of the other
fellows told me who he was. My God, it was Sir Ernest Oppenheimer!"
Head
of one of the most complicated empires of industry in the world,
Oppenheimer is a very rich and powerful man, but a shy one. Rich and
powerful men are sure to be referred to in the press, sooner or later,
as "mystery men," though the description may not apply at all. As far
as Britain and the United States are concerned, however, Sir Ernest
really is a mystery man. He's almost unknown personally in those parts.
It is true that he endows colleges and scholarships, and contributes to
libraries and all the rest of it. His name pops up copiously on the
financial page, but the general public doesn't pay much attention to
endowments or financial pages. The general public reads society columns
instead, and Oppenheimer isn't a society-column type. He is not seen
at Cannes; he doesn't give parties at racecourses. He doesn't wander
about in a yacht. He likes books and paintings and staying at home: he
is a man much preoccupied with family affairs. His general interest is
chiefly in South Africa, which is a long way from England and the
States. Though he was born in Germany and spent a good part of his
youth in England, he has been in South Africa most of his long life and
is a South African by nationality. London and New York are the main
distribution centers for diamonds, and diamonds have been the
foundation of his fortune, though his financial interests are
widespread through other commodities now, but Sir Ernest doesn't visit
London often and he goes even more seldom to New York, leaving such
voyages to younger people such as his son Harry. Sir Ernest likes
Johannesburg, a city he watched grow up. He enjoys his house there,
