“By 1891, six years into the attempt to build the EIC, the whole project was on the verge of bankruptcy. It would have been easy for Léopold to raise revenues by sanctioning imports of liquor that could be taxed or by levying fees on the number of huts in each village, both of which would have caused harm to the native population. A truly “greedy” king, as Hochschild repeatedly calls him, had many fiscal options that Léopold did not exercise.” Leopold IiCongo Free StateAdam HochschildLeopold S GhostRed RubberConho Book:King Hochschild’s Hoax: An absurdly deceptive book on Congolese rubber production is better described as historical fiction. Source: King Hochschild’s Hoax: An absurdly deceptive book on Congolese rubber production is better described as historical fiction.