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It's late 1908 at the offices of Royal Dutch Shell in the Hague, Netherlands.

Honoree Deadarding, the head of this European oil behemoth, steps into a crowded boardroom.

The chatter stops as Honoree takes his place at the head of a long table.

Honoree is convinced it's time for Royal Dutch Shell to plant their flag in the United States

and to challenge John D. Rockefeller and his standard oil for a chunk of the American oil industry.

But members of the board aren't sold on Honoree's plan.

Today, Honoree's determined to win them over.

Gentlemen, I'm glad we have this opportunity to discuss my vision for the future of Royal Dutch Shell.

It was this vision that drove me to push for a merger between our two companies

and it is this vision that will lead us to the United States.

But before Honoree can continue, he immediately gets opposition from a board member voicing the concerns of many in the room.

I'm sorry. Honoree, we applaud your willingness to take risks and your ability to look beyond the present moment.

We're all aware that your leadership has been the driving force behind our success in Asia and Europe.

But this plan, to move into the States, to challenge Rockefeller, it seems reckless.

Reckless, you think I've come up with this plan on a whim?

You think I haven't weighed the risks versus the reward?

No, I'm sure you have.

But making an effort to corner a portion of the American market will cost us millions just to lay the groundwork.

There's no guarantee we'll have success. Royal Dutch Shell is still a new company.

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