vca ej, .N13, 11.4 73 ExN• r- P11 Comptroller or Public Accounts • P. 0. Box 2243, Austin, Texas 78767 February 23, 1988 Mr. Paul N. Adair President Red Adair Company, Inc. 8705 Katy Freeway, Suite 302 Houston, Texas 77024 Dear Red: piokAILI I have received your letter saying that you are disappointed in me for hiring an auditor, Mr. N. P. John, who is not an American citizen. The tone of your letter diminishes the admiration I have always held for you as a businessman who built a successful worldwide operation. You do business around the world, making money from people who are not American citizens, and yet you take me to task for letting a non-American give us an honest day's work in a professional job he won in competition with all other applicants, American citizens included. Red, perhaps you've forgotten what it saNs on the base of the Statue of Liberty-- where it talks about all the Bullocks and Adairs down through history who at one time or another came here as non-American. My disappointment with your reaction aside, I will apologize for Mr. John's talking with you about the plight of people in India. I don't know whether he did or not, but you say he did, and I say that our auditors--regardless of their citizenship--aon't need to be talking about anything but their professional tax auditing business. I will also apologize if Mr. John's accent bothered you, as obviously it did, but I would also point out that this is the first such comment or complaint we have ever had on him--on any point. As I said, Red, I am disappointed in you as you are obviously disappointed in me. I can only hope that these differences between us, just as in the interna- tional world we are talking about, can be resolved or at least laid to rest in a civil a civilized manner. Comptroller of Public Accounts BB:gcy cc: Dan Pearson Aim Damiri