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Red Sea Sharks: What is the relationship between di Gorgonzola and Dawson?

MCS019
Member
#1 · Posted: 14 Aug 2017 01:20
Can somebody answer these questions concerning the Red Sea Sharks for me?
1. Can somebody please clearly explain to me what the relationship is between Marquis di Gorgonzola and JM Dawson?
2. Does Arabair have any connection with the dealings of all the mosquito planes?
3. If di Gorgonzola is involved with the dealings of the mosquito planes, then how?
Thank you all in advance for your help. 1st time on the site and love it!!
mct16
Member
#2 · Posted: 14 Aug 2017 14:55
On page 12 Tintin overhears a conversation between Dawson and a workman about the Mosquitoes operating in Khemed and getting DC3 spares over there. Di Gorgonzola owns Arabair which sponsored the rebel overthrow of the Emir and Dawson supplies the planes to Arabair (the DC3s) and the rebels (the Mosquitoes).

On page 31, the Emir does mention that di Gorgonzola is the owner of Arabair and a "gun-runner". He's one of those businessmen who has a finger in every pie.

It's always been my suspicion that Dawson met Rastapopoulos (the future di Gorgonzola) when the latter was arrested during the Blue Lotus affair. They may have found that they had a lot in common - especially their mutual hatred of Tintin!

BTW, welcome to the site :)
MCS019
Member
#3 · Posted: 14 Aug 2017 22:51
Thanks.
Does di Gorgonzola buy the DC3's and Mosquitoes from Dawson (as in, like, they have a contract but work independently), or does Dawson work for di Gorgonzola?
I'm also curious to know whether di Gorgonzola had any hand in the dealings between Dawson and General Alcazar.

And I'm also confirming - is the transaction between Dawson and Alcazar illegal? If it is, then why does Dawson put an ad in the paper for it?
It makes it very public...
mct16
Member
#4 · Posted: 16 Aug 2017 00:05
MCS019:
does Dawson work for di Gorgonzola?

The newspaper clippings on page 60 include a story which confirms that Dawson was working on behalf of di Gorgonzola; so it is likely that di Gorgonzola knew about the deal with Alcazar.

Exporting arms are not illegal provided you have the necessary licences and influence and di Gorgonzola certainly had plenty of that.
MCS019
Member
#5 · Posted: 16 Aug 2017 02:24
Ah... Thank you very much. I was a bit confused about the illegal or not thing because the Thom(p)sons said that Alcazar was "smuggling" aircraft.
jock123
Moderator
#6 · Posted: 16 Aug 2017 13:22
I think you also have to bear in mind that what is "legal" varies on where you are and who is doing it: it might be legal to buy-and-sell something in one country, openly and above board, and illegal to move that across borders, or into a country where that thing is illegal, or to be the person doing that moving.
For example, a mundane example was that when the PlayStation was launched there was nothing to stop anyone walking into shops and buying them, but there were several countries into which it was illegal to export them (because of restrictions on the chips or associated technology they contained). It would be dependent on where you were and your intention for the equipment to decide if what you were doing was legal, or if you were seen as a smuggler.
Computers and software generally were another area of concern for many years (and may still be). Tetris, the game, was written and designed in Russia at a time when it was illegal to export Macs to "Iron Curtain" countries. It was also frowned on to own a Western computer in Russia, but somehow the equipment was obtained. In that case, both sides of the border were against it, but over and above this, the software was sold both in the West and the Eastern Block.
It may have been legal to sell the Mosquitoes, but illegal for Alcazar to obtain them, or move them into a proscribed region, hence his being described as a smuggler.
MCS019
Member
#7 · Posted: 16 Aug 2017 13:44
Thank you very much to both of you!
mct16
Member
#8 · Posted: 19 Aug 2017 22:34
If you want to know more about the supplying of weapons to dubious characters plotting to overthrow governments, such as Alcazar, then I suggest that you read Frederick Forsyth's "The Dogs of War" which is also about mercenaries, coups and arms smuggling.

It is a long time since I read it myself but I believe there are parts in which Forsyth explains how arms dealers like Dawson operate.
MCS019
Member
#9 · Posted: 21 Aug 2017 23:02
Roger. Thanks!

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