Donald Cook
 Donald Cook    (financier, accountant) | |
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| Born | April 14, 1909 |
| Died | December 16, 1981 (Age 72) |
| Nationality | US |
US financier who attended the 1965 Bilderberg when he was a candidate for Secretary of the Treasury. President LBJ though he was “the smartest man in the country”.
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Donald Clarence Cook was chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission between 1952 and 1953 and was also a member from 1949 to 1953.[1]
He was an advisor to President Lyndon Johnson, who shared the opinion of Robert McNamara that Cook was “the smartest man in the country”.[2]
Cook attended the 1965 Bilderberg, when he was a candidate for Secretary of the Treasury, but did not get the position.
He ultimately became chairman of American Electric Power (1962–1976)[3]
Contents
Education
Cook was a resident student at the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science and the Arts in 1927.[4]
Career
From 1945 to 1949, Cook practiced law and accounting in the Washington, DC area and served in various government and Congressional staff roles. The 1944–45 Yearbook of the American Institute (published in 1946) listed Cook (who had joined the Institute in 1944 after passing the exam in Maryland) as being the Executive Assistant to the Attorney General of the United States. The Yearbook (1946–1947) gave the same affiliation, but the Yearbook (1947–1948) listed Cook’s affiliation as “partner, Cook and Berger, attorneys-at-law, Ring Bldg., Washington, DC.” listed Cook’s affiliation as “partner, Cook and Berger, attorneys-at-law, Ring Bldg., Washington, DC.”
Office of Alien Property
His obituary also listed positions as special counsel to the House Committee on Naval Affairs, and director of the Office of Alien Property in the Justice Department (1946–47). The latter assignment later led to a high profile role in 1964 during the Johnson administration as head of a seven-member Attorney General’s Advisory Committee regarding the controversial disposition of General Aniline & Film (GAF) stock representing US assets confiscated during World War 2, which the government was offering for sale.[5]
GAF began as American IG, the American holdings of German IG Farben. During World War 2 a Swiss intermediary company was established per claims of the US Government to front for IG Farben as to the ownership of GAF. This invoked a section of the Trading with the Enemy Act. As millions of shares were at stake the contest related to whether or not public sales of GAF shares would maintain American control over the class of 20,000,000 common shares with potential value of between 200 and 300 million dollars. The dispute was resolved with the proceeds of the public auction being split between Interhandel and the US Government. Interhandel subsequently merged with UBS, providing substantial cash to propel UBS into a top spot among Swiss banks thereafter. Adding to his previous favorable reputation in government, the resolution of this matter raised the profile of Cook as a knowledgeable “money man.”[5]
Lyndon B. Johnson
Cook was nominated for Secretary of Treasury in March 1965. He attended the Bilderberg in June 1965. No other candidates had been vetted, yet Cook declined this position and thereafter also declined leading the New York Stock Exchange, apparently for compensation related reasons.[5]
Cook worked with and began a long friendship with Lyndon Johnson while Johnson was a Congressman in 1943. When Johnson became a Senator, he asked Cook for assistance in 1950 on a study being conducted by the preparedness subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. Cook complied with the Senator’s request even though he was working full time as an SEC Commissioner. He spent his Saturdays and Sundays working for Johnson.[5]
Press reports that surfaced when Johnson became President in November 1963 expanded upon this role, noting: “One of Johnson’s proven friends in industry is Donald C. Cook.... President of American Electric Power Services Corp. Cook quit the chairmanship of the Securities and Exchange Commission in 1953 to become chief counsel of Johnson’s Senate preparedness sub-committee.”.[5]
Upon becoming President, following the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, Johnson quickly called Cook for advice. Eight days after becoming president, Johnson discussed several issues with Cook, including Viet Nam and the possible replacement of Henry Cabot Lodge. Johnson then offered to send a car for Cook so they could discuss other issues in person. In late 1964, Johnson told an FBI investigator that Cook “would be the ablest member of my cabinet,” if he agreed to serve. Then, in early 1965 when discussing the appointment of a new Secretary of the Treasury, Johnson told Senator Everett M. Dirksen that Robert McNamara had called Cook “the smartest man in the country”.[5]
Donald C. Cook Nuclear Generating Station is named for him.
External links
- A film clip "Longines Chronoscope with Donald C. Cook" is available at the Internet Archive
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1965 | 2 April 1965 | 4 April 1965 | Italy Villa d'Este | The 14th Bilderberg meeting, held in Italy |
References
- ↑ https://history.nasa.gov/biosa-d.html
- ↑ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1052045718300328?via%3Dihub
- ↑ "History of AEP". American Electric Power website. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
- ↑ General Register. Detroit, Michigan: UM Libraries. 1928, page 158
- ↑ a b c d e f https://web.archive.org/web/20220627072640/https://daneshyari.com/article/preview/11020437.pdf
