"Given your age, you haven't attended college yet, have you?" Taft adjusted his glasses, as if recalling something.
"I was originally planning to enroll this year, but I wanted to gain experience with Mr. Wilkie, so I requested to be his assistant and postponed my college plans."
In such a setting, it was essential for Niall to show respect to Wilkie. He couldn't very well say, "Mr. Wilkie asked me to join him to help him fight for power," because that would be an embarrassment to Wilkie. Such a thing simply couldn't be said.
"I see. So, which university are you planning to attend?" Taft asked, either in a good mood or just curious, as he delved further.
"I haven't decided yet," Niall admitted, still unsure.
"My brother-in-law, Professor Manning, is at Yale. If you're interested, I could recommend you," Taft offered, seemingly extending an olive branch.
"As for a letter of recommendation, Mr. Dewey has already written one for me," Niall replied, not rejecting the offer, but making it clear that he already had one.
"What? You know someone in my circle?" Dewey asked, genuinely puzzled.
He was sure he had never met Niall before, nor did he recall knowing anyone with the last name Gallagher. There were plenty of Irish-Americans in New York, but he didn't remember anyone asking him for a recommendation for a kid named Niall.
"By chance, I once assisted Mr. Meyer Lansky in Las Vegas," Niall casually mentioned, dropping the name.
"Oh, it's him!" Dewey's expression changed immediately. He remembered his dealings with Charlie Luciano and thought of Lansky, who had been Luciano's right-hand man.
"So you two know each other?" Taft was surprised at the smallness of the world, where seemingly random people in a room could have mutual acquaintances.
"We don't," both Niall and Dewey answered at the same time.
"Ha ha ha ha..." They all laughed, not needing to explain further. The implications were clear, and there was no need to go into detail.
A small interlude, but a significant one. Taft quickly dropped the subject of Niall's college decision. The important matter at hand was their plans to attack the Tammany Hall machine. Bringing down Tammany and placing New York, a city of millions, under Republican control was an enticing goal.
According to the plan Wilkie had discussed with Niall earlier, the time to act was now. They all knew that not only was the mayoral election coming up next November, but also that the Republican Party was still in control. However, after the presidential election, this might not remain the case.
As long as Hoover was still in power, even if this plan failed, there would be a safety net to cushion the blow.
"Let's do it, gentlemen!"
Fiorello confirmed that the investigation into the city officials would begin within the next one to two weeks. Once the investigation started, the media would need to jump on it quickly to shape the narrative. Public opinion would be stoked, causing panic and instability within the Democratic city administration.
What would happen next was beyond the control of any of them. Tammany Hall, which had dominated New York for half a century, may have weakened, but even a broken ship still had some steel left. It was hard to predict how they would retaliate.
They agreed to keep their phones open and to stay in contact. They needed to strike quickly and take down several high-ranking city officials before the end of the year.
As Niall sat in Wilkie's car, he thought over Dewey's words and actions. As a future presidential candidate for the Republican Party, Dewey, at just 29 years old, was already showing his sharp edge.
"Earlier, I knew you had some connections, but I didn't realize you knew Dewey as well?" Wilkie remarked, surprised.
"I actually don't know him personally. I just got a letter of recommendation from him."
"Well, about Yale," Wilkie pressed. "If you go there, you'd have someone to look out for you, which could be useful."
Yale University was renowned for its professors running the school. There was a saying in academic circles: "Princeton is ruled by the board, Harvard by the president, and Yale by its professors."
If Niall went to Yale, having a respected professor take him under their wing would make things easier and help him avoid potential issues, allowing him to focus on his studies.
"I'll think about that later. Right now, I need to focus on the task at hand," Niall responded, noncommittally. He was open to Yale, but it wasn't a must for now. They could revisit it next year.
Meanwhile, Taft sat in the backseat of his car, quietly reflecting. He knew exactly what kind of person Wilkie was.
As a well-known lawyer, Wilkie had a sharp eye for talent. Niall's story about wanting to gain experience was likely just a cover. It was clear that Wilkie had seen potential in Niall and wanted to groom him.
Taft wasn't concerned about competing with Wilkie for talent; rather, he was thinking about his own family's future. He had been married for only two years and had no children. His father, Old Taft, had two sons and a daughter. His daughter had married a history professor at Yale and had two daughters. There was no hope for the family legacy to continue through them.
Taft's younger brother, Charles Phelps Taft, was a difficult and rebellious man. He had been sent to Yale to study law but instead dropped out to join the military during World War I, much to the displeasure of the family.
In Taft's eyes, his brother was completely unreliable. The family needed someone capable to carry on the Taft name, and given that Taft had no children of his own, he was looking for someone talented and capable to help secure the family's legacy.
Just like in China's feudal families, Taft, as the patriarch, was willing to promote young people who had no significant connections but were full of potential. At least that way, he could maintain the family's honor for the next generation.
Beyond that, though, he would have no control. Every generation had to deal with its own affairs.