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Join Wundry Plus in the Wundery app or on Apple Podcasts. Wandering. It's April,

April, 1943 on Wall Street in New York City, almost 18 months after the United States joined World War II.

55-year-old hotel entrepreneur Conrad Hilton

walked through the heart of America's financial district

alongside Jim Blaney, a local real estate broker,

and old friend.

Life's been good for Connie in the past few years.

He's bought up hotels at bargain prices

and finally succeeded in expanding his company out of Texas.

He believes the good times are coming back to America

after the Great Depression and that the hospitality industry will reap the

rewards. But not everyone has as much faith as Connie, especially on Wall Street.

So Connie is trying to take advantage of that by buying up cheap hotel bonds.

Now, Jim, I know what the smart money boys here are saying, Conrad Hilton is a sucker well you are

making a bit of a name for yourself I mean there's a reason these hotel bonds are

buying are available for cents on the dollar nobody else wanted them well I want

them yeah and it's been like Christmas for these guys.

They're offloading bonds on you that they've been trying to get rid of for years.

Well, do I look like Santa Claus to you, Jim? I've never gambled on the stock market in my life and I'm not gambling now.

Oh yeah how much have you spent? $10,000 so far? So far, Connie. Look I know

hotels. They're getting healthy. This is the opportunity of a lifetime.

...