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Sign up todayThe Profiteers
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Learn moreFrom the bestselling coauthor of The Money and the Power—the inside story of the Bechtel family and the empire they’ve controlled since the construction of the Hoover Dam
The tale of the Bechtel family dynasty is a classic American business story. It begins with Warren A. “Dad” Bechtel, who led a consortium that constructed the Hoover Dam. From that auspicious start, the family and its eponymous company would go on to build the world, from the construction of airports in Hong Kong and Doha, to pipelines and tunnels in Alaska and Europe, to mining and energy operations around the globe.
Today Bechtel is one of the largest privately held corporations in the world, enriched and empowered by a long history of government contracts and the privatization of public works, made possible by an unprecedented revolving door between its San Francisco headquarters and Washington. Bechtel executives John McCone, Caspar Weinberger, and George P. Shultz segued from leadership at the company to positions as director of the CIA, secretary of defense, and secretary of state, respectively.
Like all stories of empire building, the rise of Bechtel presents a complex and riveting narrative. In The Profiteers, Sally Denton exposes Bechtel’s secret world and one of the biggest business and political stories of our time.
Sally Denton is the author of eight books of investigative journalism, including the bestselling American Massacre, The Money and the Power, and The Profiteers: Bechtel and the Men Who Built the World, which was a New York Times Editors’ Choice selection, among other awards. She has been awarded numerous grants and fellowships including a Woodrow Wilson Public Scholar Fellowship, the Hoover Media Fellowship at Stanford, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Black Mountain Institute Fellowship, and the Lannan Foundation Literary Grant.
Bernadette Dunne is the winner of more than a dozen AudioFile Earphones Awards and has twice been nominated for the prestigious Audie Award. She studied at the Royal National Theatre in London and the Studio Theater in Washington, DC, and has appeared at the Kennedy Center and off Broadway.
Reviews
“Denton has deftly pulled back the curtains on one of the most consequential business dynasties in America. The Profiteers is eye-opening reading for anyone who truly wants to understand how money, government, and power intersect.”
“In the highest tradition of investigative journalism, Sally Denton tells the compelling, troubling story of a vast enterprise that has blurred the lines between governmental and corporate power. This is how our nation really works, and this is a book that’s impossible to ignore.”
“Denton strikes at the very conundrum that worried Madison—the relationship between corporate power and government in a political democracy…Denton begins it with a bang, itemizing amoral investments, environmental damage, exploitation of labor and chummy relationships with policy makers. Whether she persuades on all points or not, she shows that it’s a conversation we must have.”
“In this compelling corporate history, [Denton] artfully details how Bechtel accrued power by exploiting the ‘revolving door of capitalism.’"
“A taut, page-turning narrative…Filled with stories of cronyism and influence peddling, Denton’s riveting and revealing book will undoubtedly displease the so-called ‘boys from Bechtel,’ who refused to talk to Denton, referring her to the company website.”
“The author’s journalistic writing style is fast paced, hard-hitting, and engaging.”
“Denton’s extensively researched work informs readers about the firm’s maintenance as a privately held concern during its growth into a huge, multinational enterprise.”
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