Time now to separate fact from fiction.
The meeting between Andrew Mellon and Franklin Roosevelt (prologue) happened on December 31, 1936. The two men were fundamentally different (chapter 46) and personally detested each other. As depicted, Roosevelt had no choice but to accept Mellon’s donation for the National Gallery of Art, and the meeting’s purpose was to finalize that gift. Of course, I added the part about Mellon’s revenge. Roosevelt did in fact have Mellon prosecuted for tax evasion. When a grand jury refused to indict, Roosevelt pursued the case civilly. That litigation ended in Mellon’s favor with a full exoneration. And as Mellon notes, Roosevelt was not the first to use the Bureau of Internal Revenue (as it was then known) against enemies. The story of Senator James Couzens is historical fact. Also, the derogatory campaign ad Roosevelt makes reference to is taken from history, and the comment from Harry Truman about Roosevelt’s lying is real.
Venice is accurately portrayed (chapters 1, 4, 6, 23), as are Isola di San Michele (chapters 1 and 4), the cruise ship terminal complex (chapters 19, 21), and ferry terminal (chapter 23).
Kim Yong Jin is fictional, but he is based on Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of the late North Korean ruler Kim Jong-il. Jong-nam was the heir apparent when, in May 2001, he tried to sneak himself and one of his children into Japan to visit Disneyland. The details of that fiasco provided in chapters 2 and 27, along with Kim’s exile to Macao, are factual. Kim Jong-il did in fact disown Jong-nam and his younger son, Kim Jong-un, became heir and eventually head of North Korea in 2011. In the novel I refer to this person only as Dear Leader. Most of the Kims’ history, as related throughout the story, is taken from reality. Political purges, which include sham trials and swift executions, are commonplace in North Korea (chapters 9, 44, 45).
The insurance fraud scheme described in chapters 4 and 10 is factual. Millions of dollars were realized each year, all presented to the North Korean leader on his birthday. Those illegally obtained funds were used to finance everything from luxury goods to nuclear components. Of late, though, international attention to the scam has made its continuation more difficult.
Sadly, the North Korean labor camps, which are an integral part of Hana Sung’s life (chapters 13, 39, 44), exist. At present it is estimated 200,000 people are confined in unimaginable horror. The best primary source on the subject is Escape from Camp 14, by Blaine Harden, which tells the story of Shin In Geun, the only known person to escape and tell the tale. Most of Hana’s experiences herein are based on Shin’s experience. And though recently Shin has publicly acknowledged that some of the accounts related in the book may not be true, he continues to insist that he, and thousands of others, have suffered behind the fences. Typically, the North Koreans acknowledge nothing, saying only There is no human rights issue in this country, as everyone leads the most dignified and happy life.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court functions in the same manner and at the same locale as in chapter 14. All of the statistics cited about that court are accurate.
Several interesting personalities are portrayed in the story.
First and foremost is Andrew Mellon. His bio, and that of his father, Thomas, noted in chapter 15, are accurate. Mellon did in fact retain control of the Treasury Department through three successive presidential administrations. My speculation as to how that might have happened, though, is just that. Mellon also greatly admired Robert Burns’ “Epistle to a Young Friend” (chapter 46). In 1924 he published Taxation: The People’s Business, and the excerpt from that book quoted in chapter 35 is verbatim. Mellon’s 1937 funeral, burial in Pittsburgh, and eventual reburial in Virginia happened (chapters 46 and 64). The Homewood Cemetery and Mellon mausoleum in Pittsburgh, along with the family plot in Upperville, Virginia, are there (chapter 67). The only fictional addition was the marble door with XIV carved into it. The definitive biography of this fascinating man is a 2006 volume, Mellon: An American Life, by David Cannadine.
Philander Knox is another curious character. His background and faults (as described in chapter 16) are accurate. He was secretary of state in 1913 when the 16th Amendment was supposedly ratified. He was also a close friend of Andrew Mellon. As first detailed in chapter 16, it was Knox who convinced President Harding to first appoint Mellon secretary of Treasury. Likewise, Harding refused to appoint Knox to any cabinet post, a decision Knox openly resented. Whether there was any subterfuge regarding the 16th Amendment, or if Knox passed some secret on to Mellon, we will never know. All the reasons offered in chapter 40 as to why Knox might have ignored any irregularities in the ratification process (though my speculation) are grounded in history.