Rating: 
Summary: A REVEALING AND RIVETING EXPOSE!!!
Review: "Rats in the grain" is a powerful story of how publicly traded ADM was controlled by the Andreas family and its iron fisted chairman Dwayne. He showed that being white, well connected and greasing politicians for decades was very helpful when he got in trouble. Lieber also writes about shareholder activists who decided to expose what the media was afraid to write about. They published the ADM shareholders watch letters that infuriated ADM and its Washington law firm Williams & Connolly. They were relentless in there pursuit of justice, and for that they paid a price. This powerful book is also a must-read for anyone who feels they would like to become a government witness. You just might change your mind after you read what happened to a top executive who got ten years in prison for playing that role. It is beyond belief how the FBI agents who handled the witness could stand by and do nothing to help him after he worked with them for two and half years. He exposed the largest price fixing cartel in the history of the United States, and then was sold down the river. About Corruption, Greed, Cowards and Courage. Worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: A REVEALING AND RIVETING EXPOSE!!!
Review: "Rats in the grain" is a powerful story of how publicly traded ADM was controlled by the Andreas family and its iron fisted chairman Dwayne. He showed that being white, well connected and greasing politicians for decades was very helpful when he got in trouble. Lieber also writes about shareholder activists who decided to expose what the media was afraid to write about. They published the ADM shareholders watch letters that infuriated ADM and its Washington law firm Williams & Connolly. They were relentless in there pursuit of justice, and for that they paid a price. This powerful book is also a must-read for anyone who feels they would like to become a government witness. You just might change your mind after you read what happened to a top executive who got ten years in prison for playing that role. It is beyond belief how the FBI agents who handled the witness could stand by and do nothing to help him after he worked with them for two and half years. He exposed the largest price fixing cartel in the history of the United States, and then was sold down the river. About Corruption, Greed, Cowards and Courage. Worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Rats to pricefixing?
Review: AGRIBUSINESS ANTITRUST CASE LEAVES WHISTLEBLOWER IN PRISON The book, "Rats in the Grain; The Dirty Tricks and Trials of Archer Daniels Midland" by James B. Lieber describes what Nicholas Hollis, president of the Agribusiness Council called "one of the most important antitrust cases of the century. It certainly was the most important to agriculture." The case developed because one of ADM's highest officials, Mark Whitacre became "one of the most productive...and...courageous" whistleblowers in history," Hollis added. He noted that Whitacre "stood up to two eight-hundred-pound gorillas, ADM with the Andreases and the federal government." He's talking about ADM's primary grandfather, Dwayne Andreas and his relatives. Ironically, the federal judicial system treated the whistleblower more harshly than it treated ADM and its leaders. Whitacre was given up to 10 years of prison (probably until 2007) while only two of his supervisors were tried and given a couple years. One of them, however, was Andreas' only son, Michael (Mick). Helpful in Lieber's 400-page account are various appendices that list people and places linked with white-collar crime close to the case. Despite its lawyer-like detail, this is not a tedious book. It suspensefully chronicles case events. Lieber also includes useful data on U.S. trust busting history. Lieber describes an epic struggle for justice and his part IV, "The Cover-Up" shows how the government avoided giving ADM the usual punishments for such major crimes. It seems justice has yet to be served. This book ought to be require reading not only for every journalism, law and business student who wants to know what goes on in the 'real' world but for every high school class studying the U.S. government. Lieber documents every truth about the ADM scandal. Read "Rats In The Grain!" - end -
Rating:
Summary: Rats to pricefixing?
Review: AGRIBUSINESS ANTITRUST CASE LEAVES WHISTLEBLOWER IN PRISON The book, "Rats in the Grain; The Dirty Tricks and Trials of Archer Daniels Midland" by James B. Lieber describes what Nicholas Hollis, president of the Agribusiness Council called "one of the most important antitrust cases of the century. It certainly was the most important to agriculture." The case developed because one of ADM's highest officials, Mark Whitacre became "one of the most productive...and...courageous" whistleblowers in history," Hollis added. He noted that Whitacre "stood up to two eight-hundred-pound gorillas, ADM with the Andreases and the federal government." He's talking about ADM's primary grandfather, Dwayne Andreas and his relatives. Ironically, the federal judicial system treated the whistleblower more harshly than it treated ADM and its leaders. Whitacre was given up to 10 years of prison (probably until 2007) while only two of his supervisors were tried and given a couple years. One of them, however, was Andreas' only son, Michael (Mick). Helpful in Lieber's 400-page account are various appendices that list people and places linked with white-collar crime close to the case. Despite its lawyer-like detail, this is not a tedious book. It suspensefully chronicles case events. Lieber also includes useful data on U.S. trust busting history. Lieber describes an epic struggle for justice and his part IV, "The Cover-Up" shows how the government avoided giving ADM the usual punishments for such major crimes. It seems justice has yet to be served. This book ought to be require reading not only for every journalism, law and business student who wants to know what goes on in the 'real' world but for every high school class studying the U.S. government. Lieber documents every truth about the ADM scandal. Read "Rats In The Grain!" - end -
Rating:
Summary: ADM, ... enterprise, punishes whistleblower
Review: Attorney Lieber deserves high praise for his objective, informative presentation of the antitrust criminal case vs. Archer Daniels Midland, the agribusiness giant, that ADM, its powerful lawyers and Clinton's Justice Department did not want published. To his credit, he continued to pursue this case after most reporters backed off and swallowed the dizzying spin and disinformation that ADM's CEO Dwayne Andreas and his aggressive lawyers gave the media, crying crocodile tears as the "victim" of an allegedly deranged ADM executive, Mark Whitacre, who became the FBI's mole, and made hundreds of tapes incriminating ADM executives fixing prices in world markets with their competitors. Lieber correctly smelled the stench of a cover-up and adroitly guides readers to make their own
conclusions after compiling evidence, omissions from court records, and other factors that allow readers to infer that the judicial process was compromised by ADM's widespread political
influence before the trial even began. Although Dwayne Andreas,
the infamous political fixer and king of corporate welfare, got immunity in a highly secretive plea bargain to Justice in 1996,
after ADM agreed to pay a record fine of $100 million, his son
Michael was convicted and imprisoned with Terry Wilson for a
mere 3 years, and Dwayne (thanks to outraged and courageous ADM
shareholders) finally resigned. Tragically, Whitacre was
convicted, fined and sentenced to a harsh term of 9 years
because of ADM's swift retaliation against him as whistleblower, for exposing to the FBI the ... corporate culture of
ADM...(anything goes-but don't get caught-and here's your big
bonus (not reported on books)to keep silent, the unspoken words
being that an employee would be fired and crucified if they
blew the whistle.
Lieber's chilling comment (p. 322)should concern every citizen
or future whistleblower who believes in due process and our rule of law: "It was expected that ADM's attorneys would savage the
snitch. What was highly bizarre in the world of criminal law was the way the Justice Department joined in the frenzy to destroy Whitacre. This was an aberration...the perpetrator was a
politically wired corporation whose law firm- the president's law firm- had unbridled entree and influence at Justice. The
mole's lawyer had none."
Lieber makes a strong case that this American corporate history- "one of the most important antitrust cases of the century"- should be closely examined. Rightly so. Why was the court record sealed, why were key witnesses (e.g., Wayne Brasser) not deposed, who could have validated Whitacre's claims that the hidden bonuses were a quid pro quo for engaging in illegal price-fixing? The author's appendices are very helpful. ADM and Dwayne Andreas not only have lobbied for years to emasculate our antitrust laws (the "Magna Carta" of free enterprise) but know that the massive soft money donations to key politicians can grease not only the wheels of justice, but also ensure that ADM continues to get huge subsidies for ethanol and other favors from Agriculture Dept. (high fructose corn syrup,peanuts) that have cost taxpayers billions of dollars.
Rats in the Grain is highly recommended, and was a difficult book to write because of the case's complexity. James Lieber should be considered for a Pulitzer Prize.
Rating: 
Summary: This story has been told
Review: I have not read this book, but it seems that the publisher's statement here at Amazon should include some mention of what this book can tell us that Kurt Eichenwald's exhaustive, prizewinning book, _The Informant_, does not. Eichenwald's book covers exactly the same material, and Eichenwald (the _New York Times_ reporter who covered the case) had the same access to Whitacre and other sources that Lieber had. For obvious reasons, I would prefer not to give a "number-of-stars" rating to a book I haven't read. But Amazon demands it, so I've chosen a neutral "three."
Rating:
Summary: A Tale of Two Conspiracies
Review: If you read one book this year, read "Rats in the Grain." Behind the facade of "ADM Supermarket to the World" a criminal element operated that would have made Al Capone envious. The author reveals how a criminal empire was built on political donations to elected and appointed officials of county, state and federal governments dating back fifty years. It was these connections that kept the chairman out of prison. ADM had the power to thwart FBI investigations, decide who should be indicted, and send the government witness to jail for ten years. They concocted a coverup with the help of devious lawyers from Washington DC. The government witness Mark Whitacre is a hero and also a casualty of a corrupt Justice Department. If it can happen to him it can happen to you. This is required reading!
Rating:
Summary: Let The Truth Be Known To All
Review: Jim Liebert gets to the truth. Dwayne Andreas and others at ADM are not kind folks. Their ties with murderer/dictator Fidel Castro are real. Their contemptuous involvement with the illegal extraction of Elian Gonzalez from freedom and his subsequent delivery to slavery in Castro's communist prison is also very real. All in the name of appeasment to Castro. These people are stench and deserve to be imprisoned, if not worse. Thank you Mr. Liebert for telling the truth.
Rating:
Summary: ADM Breeds Rats.
Review: Lieber writes about a company that taught its employees to fix prices, steal technology, dispose of waste by mixing it with feed, hire prostitutes for corporate espionage, use shareholder money for illegal campaign donations and other crimes. Mark Whitacre, president of the bioproducts division, was a very good student and also the FBI's cooperating witness for two and half years. During this period Whitacre was also helping himself to illegal bonuses. Lieber shows the company was aware of the bonuses, yet they denied any knowledge or involvement. Whitacre underestimated the power of ADM's Chairman Dwayne Andreas and landed in federal prison for 10 years. Dwayne Andreas got immunity for himself and other executives for the above mentioned crimes, except his son Michael Andreas and Terrance Wilson who were indicted on one count each of price fixing. They received only 3 years in federal prison camp after bilking ADM's customers out of $100s of millions over the years while the FBI witness got 10 years. Lieber shows how the government and the powerful Washington law firm of Williams & Connolly worked together to hide all the crimes and make an example out of the FBI witness so no one will ever think about standing up against ADM in the future. Every American should read this book to realize it is the corporate criminals who operate with impunity and immunity that are the real threat to democracy, yet we are loading our prisons with the young who have made minor mistakes compared to the enormity of ADM' crimes.
Rating:
Summary: Rats Everywhere
Review: Mr. Lieber leads the reader through the Archer Daniels Midland labyrinth of deceit, influence peddling, price fixing, and illegal corporate bonuses paid into offshore bank accounts. Thus avoiding taxation, detection, and rewarding executives for their complicity in price fixing schemes. The roots of corporate misconduct start in the sixties and the chief orchestrator is Dwayne Andreas, the Chairman of ADM. Under his tutelage ADM becomes the worst of corporate citizens, buying political influence with hefty contributions, including involvement in the Watergate scandal. Andreas's corporate motto the "competitor is our friend and the customer is our enemy." The pay off is huge. Not only does ADM profit from its price fixing activities, it also benefits from "corporate welfare", courtesy of the U.S. Government. Friendly politicians, recipients of campaign contributions, keep the subsidies flowing to the ethanol industries and the largely ineffective Food for Peace program. Who foots the bill? The American taxpayer does! The Andreas influence is overwhelming. When ADM is finally brought to justice, it receives only a wrist slap. The "record" fine of $100 million is subsidized by USDA contracts worth over $80 million. Once again the American taxpayer foots the bill. The whistle-blower, who aided the FBI during three years in its investigation, receives a stiffer sentence than ADM executives Michael Andreas and Terrence Wilson, who are guilty of price fixing. The message is clear - ADM has the guns, the powerful Washington law firm of Williams & Connolly, to retaliate against anyone who would challenge their empire. Mr. Lieber's book weaves an incredible tale exposing the dark underside of ADM's corporate culture and the frailties of the American elected officials. Rats in the Grain is a wake up call the American public must heed. The rats are not only in the grain. They are everywhere!
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