Mr. Jenner.

in America, Rangely, the last boomtown in the United States. We lived in shacks, we lived in 40-degree below zero temperature, mud. It is the roughest place you ever saw in your life.

Mr. Jenner.

You eventually tired of Rangely, Colo., and moved over to Aspen, did you not?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. No; I didn't move to Aspen. I just had a little cabin in Aspen. I had a cabin in Aspen, and would go there on weekends. But then I became chairman.
Joe Zorichak resigned his position and moved to Dallas as assistant president of the American Petroleum Institute, assistant to the president of the API. And I was appointed to replace him.

Mr. Jenner.

Was it about this time that you took residence in Aspen?

Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Well, no; about that time, I would say--I didn't take residence. I just had a cabin in Aspen.
But I commuted between Rangely and Aspen.

Mr. Jenner.

That is quite a commutation. It is 165 miles, isn't it?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Nothing for the oil field.

Mr. Jenner.

But it takes a long time to get 165 miles.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. 3 hours. But naturally I would go there on the weekend and come back. Probably they accuse me of spending all my time in Aspen. But, anyway, what finally happened is, good or bad, we decided to sever connections with the Rangely Engineering Committee. They decided to stop completely the Rangely Engineering Committee.

Mr. Jenner.

You had some difficulties with them before they decided to break it up, didn't you?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. I don't remember too much of a difficulty.

Mr. Jenner.

Was there something about your spending too much time over at Aspen, and not being---
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Well, they never told me that. But possibly.

Mr. Jenner.

The severance of your relationship was mutual?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Yes, I think so. I don't think--you may call it I was fired, but I don't think so. As far as I remember, we just got together with the manager of Texaco in Denver and he told me, "George, we are just going to stop the operation at Rangely Field of the Engineering Committee." I was the only one left, you see. So I said fine, stop it.

Mr. Jenner.

And this was about when?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Well, I forgot to tell you. Since you are interested in my character--is that it?

Mr. Jenner.

Yes, of course.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. At Rangely, Colo., it stopped being an operating oil field, and it became a statistical job. When I moved there first it was the greatest boomtown and the greatest drilling place in the United States. We had 30 rigs going. It was very interesting.
Every day we had new problems. It was a very active life. Then at the end of my stay there was no work practically except to compile the statistical report. So naturally I started going to Aspen more often. I don't think I ever had any complaint against me.

Mr. Jenner.

You were interested a great deal initially when the field was being developed.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. That is right.

Mr. Jenner.

When it degenerated, if I may use that term, into a statistical assembly, you lose interest, spent more time over at Aspen, and there were some disagreements about that, a difference of opinion, and your employers questioned it.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. That is right.

Mr. Jenner.

Was there any problem about your savoir-faire, for example, attitude with respect to keeping expenses?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Maybe so. But you know, our salary was very small there, and so we had to show certain expenses. They never questioned me. But possibly they considered my living expenses were too high. But I was the only one to do the job, instead of two. I kept the budget, more or less, at the same level, maybe lower.