Diamond Wars | Blood and Champagne | 5

Business Wars

Wondery

History, Business, David Brown, Management

4.6 • 13.2K Ratings

🗓️ 8 July 2020

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

It’s 1966 and De Beers is about to abandon its eleven-year search for diamonds in Botswana. But the geologist behind the search is far from ready to pack up his tools.

And De Beers isn’t the only one searching for gemstones. Soon, a major diamond find in Australia will leave the diamond monopoly facing a big dilemma: should it seek to control or to destroy this Antipodean threat?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, prime members, you can listen to business wars, add free on Amazon music.
0:04.8	Download the app today.
0:12.8	Note to listeners, this episode contains disturbing descriptions of violence.
0:16.5	Please take care while listening.
0:21.7	It's 1966, and in Debeer's Art Deco headquarters in Johannesburg, Gavin Lamont stalks down
0:27.7	the corridor, wearing shorts.
0:30.4	Lamont is a geologist with graying hair and pale blue eyes.
0:34.6	His head and neck are sunburnt, and his tan legs are as thin as matchsticks.
0:39.8	For years, he's hunted diamonds in Botswana, but now the axe is about to fall.
0:46.8	He knocks on the door of his boss' office.
0:49.6	Come in.
0:51.6	Inside, Lamont sees Debeer's chief geologist Justin Murray at his desk.
0:56.8	Murray's wearing a pinstripe suit, and looking over a map of Botswana.
1:00.7	Ah, Gavin, please sit.
1:03.8	I'm afraid it's bad news.
1:05.7	Harry Oppenheimer's very pessimistic about the chances of finding Botswana diamonds.
1:11.2	And I agree.
1:12.9	I just need more time.
1:15.1	Gavin, it's been eleven years.
1:17.5	The diamonds are there.
1:18.7	I know it.
1:20.4	Think of what finding them would mean for Botswana.
	...

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