Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Yes, yes.
Mr. JENNER. Russian Student Fund?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Yes. After my divorce I decided that I am still
interested in this oil business, and all my pursuits in various
directions are not too successful, so I should go back to school and
study geology and petroleum engineering.
Mr. JENNER. Had you made inquiry at the Colorado School of Mines?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Yes. Tried Colorado School of Mines, Rice
Institute, and University of Texas.
Mr. JENNER. All right. You are now about 33 years old, somewhere in
that neighborhood?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. During these years you led sort of a bohemian life, did you
not?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Yes. Well, you see--bohemian and trying to make a
buck, as you might call it.
Mr. JENNER. I am trying to bring out your personality.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. That is right. But you see the main reason I
actually came to the United States is to look for a country which did
not have--which was a melting pot, because I am a melting pot myself,
as you can see. I changed from one country to another, a complete
mixture. So I thought that would fit me right. And eventually it did.
It took a long time to get adjusted to it. The first five years are
very difficult in the United States. I didn't speak English very well.
And it was just tough going. Fortunately I had friends, acquaintances,
and a lot of relations. But, otherwise, I probably would have starved.
And it did actually happen that I did starve occasionally. So I decided
to go----
Mr. JENNER. You were young and full of energy?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. While working for the Humble Oil Co. I said that
a man without the education in that particular field--I did not have
the background of geology or petroleum engineering, except that I kept
on studying by myself. I didn't have much chance to succeed. I was
wrong, by the way. I should have followed Mr. Blaffer's advice and gone
in the oil business, and I would have been a multimillionaire today.
Mr. JENNER. Well, you might still be.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Well, I probably will be. But really that was--he
was the man, the only man who gave me the right advice--of all my
friends and acquaintances. He said, "George, go on your own and try
to speculate on oil leases and drill wells on your own," which is the
basis of the oil industry. "We will give you a lease, you can promote
some money to drill on it, and here you have it." And that is what
happened. That is the origin of many, many of my friends in Texas who
are very wealthy.