This is the story of Warren Anderson, CEO of Union Carbide Corporation at the time of the disaster, and still wanted in India on the criminal charge of Culpable Homicide.
THE STRANGE VOYAGE OF WARREN ANDERSON
Part 1.
Anderson flew to Bhopal on December 7, was arrested and held at Carbideโs luxury lakeside guest house. Hours later the press camped at the front gate learned he had left Bhopal. No one saw him go, but according to a reporter who was there, the back gate leading to the lake was off its hinges. When the Chief Minister was asked if Anderson had been rowed across, his only reply was an enigmatic smile. Here, in a fictional piece, we speculate about what might have been passing through Warren Andersonโs mind on that strange trip.
As the boat pulled away, with sunset beginning to settle on the water, you must still not have been sure that you were going to escape. This was the craziest thing yet in a nightmare that had begun the day you were ill and they woke you with news that your Indian plant had gone rogue.
โWeโre afraid there were deaths.โ
‘How many deaths?’
โTen or twelve, we think.โ
By 6am the reports said 50, then the figures spiralled beyond counting.
โI must go there,โ you said.
Your wife was adamant that you should not. โYouโve had a bad fever.Send Jackson. Warren, what if those Indians get mad and lock you up?โ
โThey wonโt, Lil.โ
We know you were pretty confident of that because you had sought and received assurances from a shaken Indian government.
Lily wanted you to stay home in bed but you drove to Danbury. Each of the 57 minutes it took seemed to last an hour. Then before the cameras of the worldโs press you took โmoral responsibilityโ for the thing that had happened in Bhopal. It was the idea of a PR guy, Peter Hargy-something. The lawyers predictably were most unhappy about it, but as the PR guy said, โmoral isnโt the same as legalโ.
Two days ago in New York, we hear that the lawyers were still trying to talk you out of going to Bhopal.
โBad idea, sir. Could be read as an admission of guilt.โ
โItโll make a good impression if I say something in Indian. Something like, Iโm so sorry for what happened.โ
โDonโt say sorry,โ the lawyers will have chorused. โGo ahead, express sympathy all you like but donโt say sorry because Iโm sorry sounds like youโre to blame.โ
As the plane landed you looked out to see police cars drawn up on the tarmac.
โNice of them to give us an escort,โ you said, but never got to recite the decent words youโd rehearsed.
You can read the complete Bhopal Marathon publication online here