NESTLE -- RALSTON PURINA
JOHN DANFORTH -- JOHN ASHCROFT
CREDIT SUISSE -- FIRST BOSTON
FACTION TWO
I don't know if this means anything, but it has a red flag waving all around it. Hopefully someone who is more informed than I am will be able to connect more of the dots and help me understand why the purchase of Ralston Purina, by the Swiss based Nestle Corporation is waving such a large red flag at me.
I was told years ago that the Nestle corporation is aligned with Faction Two.... anti NWO. The bank who advised Nestle in its acquisition of Ralston Purina is Credit Suisse First Boston. I first learned of First Boston and its connection to Faction Two back in 1989 when Gunther tried to cash in some of his stocks that were held in a First Boston Bank. I learned that Credit Suisse was connected to Faction Two when Gunther and I were in Austria in 1994 trying to finish a major gold transfer.
"Wasserstein Perella acted as financial advisor to Ralston Purina while Nestle was advised by Credit Suisse First Boston and Greenhill & Co"
I learned about John Danforth and his connection to Ralston Purina in 1991 and 1992. Gunther hated Danforth, and as a result hated everything about Ralston Purina. (In case you are a new reader of the Rumor Mill Forum, Gunther Russbacher was/is a member of Faction Two. He was in prison in Missouri at the time. John Ashcroft was the Governor of Missouri.)
"He (former Senator John Danforth) was among the most wealthy senators of his time, thanks to his family fortune in the Ralston Purina conglomerate"
According the the article that this quote came from, John Ashcroft is a protege of John Danforth. I don't know why Gunther hated John Danforth. I think it had something to do with the coverup of the October Surprise scandal. If this is true, then this could be the reason that George W. Bush was considering choosing Danforth as his Vice President. What I find strange is that Gunther did not hate John Ashcroft, even though he was a protege of a man he despised, and was also the Governor of the State that was imprisoning him on charges that were made up out of thin air.
"...two Republican senators considered Danforth proteges -- John Ashcroft and Christopher "Kit" Bond. "
In the article I wrote titled, "Why did John Ashcroft Risk his Career to Save Gunther Russbacher", I pointed out that people within the George Bush Administration wanted Gunther dead. Several attempts had been made to kill him when suddenly, after a visit to Governor Ashcroft by the Austrian Consul General, Gunther was moved to a prison that was two or three blocks away from the Governor's mansion. Once Ashcroft was advised as to what had happened to Gunther, Gunther was protected and treated fairly.
It was during Ashcroft's term as governor that Paul Wilcher came to Missouri. Paul spent two months going in and out of the prison to visit Gunther. Paul was a lawyer and was also acting as a private investigator for the attorney that was representing Gunther in his appeal. As such, Paul was given carte blanche at the prison.
During much of that time, I would spend the morning in the visiting room with Gunther and Paul would spend the afternoon with Gunther. After that, Paul and I would return to the apartment we shared, which was about 20 feet from the prison, to type transcripts of the tapes that Paul and Gunther had recorded that day.
Paul was working on preparing a report on Gunther's part in the October Surprise for the House and Senate October Surpruse taskforce.
If John Ashcroft is a protege of John Danforth, (who covered up the Waco tragedy and helped cover up the October Surprise for President Bush), then John Ashcroft not only went against George Bush when he protected Gunther, but he also went against his mentor, Senator John Danforth.
Why did Ashcroft do this? I don't have an answer. The only thing that makes sense is Ashcroft is strong enough and moral enough to stand up to anyone who wants him to do something illegal or unethical. If anyone has another take on this... please let me know.
I have known for a long time that the St Louis area, where Ralston Purina is based, is a hub of Faction Two activity. It has been since the 1840's. If Nestle, a Faction Two company, is relocating a major part of its empire to St Louis, then the only thing I can think is Faction Two feels it is strong enough to bring a major part of its empire to Missouri.
I could be all wrong in my interpretation of these events. So don't think this is written in concrete. If I get any more information on this, I will add it.
I have included the three articles from which I took the above snippets
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010116/bs/ralston_nestle_dc_1.html
Tuesday January 16 4:41 AM ET
Nestle in Agreed Bid for Ralston Purina
By Marcel Michelson
ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss food group Nestle SA on Tuesday agreed to buy Ralston Purina Co. in a $10.3 billion deal, turning one of its fastest growing businesses into the world's largest pet-food company.
Nestle is offering $33.50 in cash per share for the outstanding shares in Ralston, a 36 percent premium to the closing price for Ralston on Friday, January 12 and valuing the U.S. firm's total equity at $10 billion.
Nestle will also assume $1.2 billion in debt but will gain $0.9 billion from Ralston's financial investments.
The Swiss company, whose existing brands in the over $25 billion a year pet-food market include Friskies cat food and Mighty Dog, has seen the business become one of its fastest growing areas since its entry into the market in 1985.
With the acquisition its pet-food sales will reach $6.3 billion, putting it ahead of the previous market leader, privately held Mars Inc., which had sales last year of $5.85 billion.
``It's a really good thing for Nestle. Ralston is second worldwide in pet food sales, behind Mars,'' said analyst Amanda Hopkins at fund managers Union Bancaire Privee in Geneva. ''Pet-food sales are growing by about 6.5 per cent annually, about double that for human food.''
Nestle shares were 1.9 percent higher at 3,539 Swiss francs at 0924 GMT. The share has outperformed the SMI blue-chip index by 7.50 percent in the past year.
Nestle said the merger would be cash accretive to earnings per share at the end of the first year and lead to cost savings of $260 million annually by 2003.
It expected a positive influence of top line growth and profitability in the years to come.
Cash Facilities
Sources in London said Nestle would finance the equity part of the deal with $7 billion in debt and $3 billion from its own cash.
``The amount of this transaction does not surpass the financial facilities of the group,'' said Nestle spokesman Francois-Xavier Perroud.
He said the company had a large cash facility, planned to arrange a rolling finance facility with banks and could also sell so-called Treasury stock -- Nestle shares the company owns itself.
Asked about dollar funding, Perroud said: ``It is clear that the rolling financing facility will not be taken up with banks in Switzerland but in dollars.''
Details still needed to be worked out, though he said the merger was expected to be concluded before the end of the calendar year, subject to regulatory and shareholder approval.
Nestle had 8.7 billion Swiss francs ($5.3 billion) in cash and other liquid assets at the end of June, and generated operating cash flow of 3.2 billion in the first half of 2000.
Rene Weber, analyst at investment bank and fund managers Vontobel, said the price was high but justified.
``They are acquiring a market leader with good margins and growth potential,'' he said, adding the price/earnings multiple of 24 times as in line and even lower than some recent food industry deal which saw multiples of 26 to 28.
Weber said there was some $9.5 billion in goodwill, which Nestle will write down over 20 years. This would depress net profit but the deal was cash positive on earnings from year one.
The single biggest shareholder in Nestle is the Bettencourt family with three percent. UBS Brinson, the largest institutional owner with 1.12 percent, had no immediate comment.
Accelerated Growth
Ralston Purina, with its Purina Dog Chow brand, had North American sales of more than $2.25 billion in 2000 and international sales -- in Latin America and Europe -- of some $450 million.
Nestle said Ralston's earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for the year to September 30 were $657 million, or 23.8 percent of sales. This means the bid value is a multiple of 15.7 times the EBITDA.
``This merger is not only in line with the long-term strategic approach of Nestle, but the complementary strengths of Nestle and Ralston Purina will accelerate both the growth and the performance of the Nestle group,'' Nestle Chairman Rainer Gut said in a statement.
Ralston Purina chairman William Stiritz said the merger was ''a great deal for our shareholders and our company.''
The U.S. Friskies business will be merged with Ralston Purina into Nestle Purina Pet Care, based in Saint Louis and headed by Patrick McGinnis of Ralston Purina. Elsewhere the activities will be integrated into Nestle's businesses.
Wasserstein Perella acted as financial advisor to Ralston Purina while Nestle was advised by Credit Suisse First Boston and Greenhill & Co.
http://cnn.ch/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/07/23/danforth.profile/
Danforth, 63, who served two terms as Missouri's attorney general, was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1976. He received an undergraduate degree in divinity and a law degree from Yale, and was a lawyer in New York and St. Louis before entering politics. He also is an Episcopal priest.
Danforth's election to the Senate marked the ascension of Republicans in Missouri politics. Once a strongly Democratic state, Missouri now is served by two Republican senators considered Danforth proteges -- John Ashcroft and Christopher "Kit" Bond.
He was among the most wealthy senators of his time, thanks to his family fortune in the Ralston Purina conglomerate. But it was Thomas' Supreme Court nomination hearings that introduced Danforth to many Americans.
http://www.dallasnews.com/specials/waco/0910waco3danforth.htm
An heir to the Ralston Purina fortune, Mr. Danforth earned divinity and law degrees from Yale University and was ordained as an Episcopal priest.
He returned to his home state in the late 1960s, winning his first political race, for state attorney general. He is credited as the godfather of modern Republican politics in Harry Truman country.
Under his tenure, the Missouri attorney general's office became an unofficial training ground for ambitious Republicans. He helped launch the careers of a U.S. Supreme Court justice (Mr. Thomas), two governors who are now U.S. senators (John Ashcroft and Christopher Bond), several federal and state judges and a former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
