The Teapot Dome scandal rocked the petroleum industry in the 1920s. It involved the fraudulent leasing of U.S. oil reserves in Wyoming. The Continental Trading Company was created to funnel profits into untaxed Liberty Bonds.
Henry Blackmer, head of Midwest Oil Company, was a key player in the scandal. His private secretary, Ralph Dietler, attended a crucial meeting in 1921 where plans were made to form the Continental Trading Company.
Dietler's papers, housed at the American Heritage Center, provide an insider's view of the scandal. They include a 1970 interview where Dietler recounts his knowledge of the Continental Trading Company and the resulting fallout. A personal scrapbook contains news clippings of Blackmer's self-imposed exile to France. Blackmer sought to avoid testifying in investigations and trials. Dietler's papers offer a unique perspective on one of the biggest scandals in the history of the oil industry.
Visit UW’s American Heritage Center to see the Ralph Dietler papers where you can learn more.