A Trillion Feet of Gas
Encyclopedia
"A Trillion Feet of Gas" is a well-known short story
by the novel
ist John Updike
, set in the final days of 1956, in New York City
, published in his collection The Same Door
1959.
friend to an authentic American billionaire. They take him to a dinner party where he meets a Texan businessman, John Born.
The Forrests and their friend, Donald King, and Mr. Born discuss the recent re-election of President Dwight David Eisenhower and a gas bill that the President vetoed earlier in the year.
The history that provoked Updike to write a story about such a conversation has been largely forgotten in the intervening half century, but at that time he was able to assume most of his readers would know that on February 6, 1956, Senator Francis Case of South Dakota
had said on the U.S. Senate
floor that a lobbyist for a natural gas company had left $2500 in cash in an envelope waiting for him, presumably in exchange for his vote on the deregulatory bill. This set off an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
and forced creation of a select Senate committee to look into lobbying practices.
The deregulation bill passed anyway, although President Eisenhower vetoed it on February 17.
In the fictional discussion of these events, as Updike portrays it, Mr. Born claims that he is in possession of a trillion feet of natural gas
that he has no incentive to sell unless some similar bill is passed in the next session of Congress and signed. On their way home, the Forrests' and Mr. King are a bit confused. They wonder how many zeros are in a trillion — American and UK conventions on that differ — and whether he meant a trillion feet (305 million km) spread out along a pipeline or a trillion cubic feet (28 km³).
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by the novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist John Updike
John Updike
John Hoyer Updike was an American novelist, poet, short story writer, art critic, and literary critic....
, set in the final days of 1956, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, published in his collection The Same Door
The Same Door
The Same Door is the first collection of John Updike's short stories in book form. It was published in 1959 by Alfred A. Knopf. This was the year after his first novel, The Poorhouse Fair, was published by the same company, a house he was to remain with for 50 years.-Contents:The book consists of...
1959.
Plot summary
An American couple, The Forrests, want to introduce a visiting EnglishEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
friend to an authentic American billionaire. They take him to a dinner party where he meets a Texan businessman, John Born.
The Forrests and their friend, Donald King, and Mr. Born discuss the recent re-election of President Dwight David Eisenhower and a gas bill that the President vetoed earlier in the year.
The history that provoked Updike to write a story about such a conversation has been largely forgotten in the intervening half century, but at that time he was able to assume most of his readers would know that on February 6, 1956, Senator Francis Case of South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
had said on the U.S. Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
floor that a lobbyist for a natural gas company had left $2500 in cash in an envelope waiting for him, presumably in exchange for his vote on the deregulatory bill. This set off an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
and forced creation of a select Senate committee to look into lobbying practices.
The deregulation bill passed anyway, although President Eisenhower vetoed it on February 17.
In the fictional discussion of these events, as Updike portrays it, Mr. Born claims that he is in possession of a trillion feet of natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
that he has no incentive to sell unless some similar bill is passed in the next session of Congress and signed. On their way home, the Forrests' and Mr. King are a bit confused. They wonder how many zeros are in a trillion — American and UK conventions on that differ — and whether he meant a trillion feet (305 million km) spread out along a pipeline or a trillion cubic feet (28 km³).