Dear Rick,

I hope you are fine and keep doing good and nice work.

Before you go on reading this letter, I would like you to know that I have always and am being very honest with you and am the same Antonio that you know.

I find it is time to write to you once more a little longer letter so that you can understand my position and me. Sometimes distance is a problem and written words do not have intonations, so they can become a wealth of misunderstandings and that is what I want to avoid.

I recall Ryan saying I was too polite a guy, and that is not meant as a self-compliment. I am just the way I am.
On the other hand, I urge you to view me by what I am, by what I have done, under a neutral perspective, meaning not contaminated by any personal experience of you being an American and I a Portuguese, but as human beings. 

My early approaches to you indicated I have spotted someone with great potential and if you can recall I volunteered in giving you some un-requested advice on the strategy of implementing a business plan as well as trying to assist you out of the joy of seeing you succeed and contributing with ideas such as the Cicada Forge name and logo design. That gave me a sense of satisfaction. After my visit to you, I posted my article at the Forum, possibly incurring under the dissatisfaction of some, but I place my beliefs in front. 
I know that some people who are unconditional smith admirers now may detest me, though they don’t have the guts to state it. Unfortunately the world we live in is sometimes populated by worshippers who will applaud even the worst flaw that is presented to them, because it would be a sin to say that their kings sometimes appear naked.

In short, my approach to you was not seeking my benefit. I hope you do me justice on this.

I am recalling this only to clear any misinterpretations, as I am very happy to assist you with whatever knowledge I have. I must state however that swords are not an obsession to me. In saying this I am not belittling swords or I wouldn't have deposited with you US3.000 in advance. What I mean is that I have other interests in my life. 
My obsession is being efficient, treating others kindly and respectfully and being treated with the same respect.

All this may have to do with Fred Chen. 
Like I said earlier, Fred did not call me yesterday, when we were due to meet. Today he called me saying he was in Shanghai. He spoke a very fast Mandarin with Taiwanese accent, (kind of a Texan American accent) and presented some excuse, which I believe I could decipher, as that he arrived very late and his mobile was out of charge, or he went straight to Shanghai, which I doubt very much. Well as a pretty seasoned traveler, I could see this situations very easily solved. One with a phone call from Taiwan’s airport saying, ?i>I’m pretty sorry but the flight was delayed and I decided to fly to Shanghai? The second issue is that he may not know that local calls are free of charge...
But there’s a strange thing here. He totally refused that I would pick him up at the jetfoil terminal from Hong Kong, while the odd thing is that there are direct flights from Taiwan to Macau. Why did he refuse in advance my courtesy of picking him? Why did he took a flight via Hong Kong when the time to come from Hong Kong airport to Macau is almost the same as the flight to Macau itself? Very intriguing or perhaps very revealing. He never meant to meet me or changed his mind at the last moment. This is not good news, not to me, but mainly to you.

I am pretty acquainted with Chinese manners, and no Chinese would fail to show up without attempting all possible means of contact, because this is not showing face or consideration for the other party that you indicated. As you may know, face is very important to the Chinese, and I have incorporated this value in me also.
I have waited from 4:30 pm till 9:00 pm and I still remained at home. I have prepared pamphlets and leaflets to show him the quality of our printing and production capability. You don't need to be Chinese to follow certain behavior principles.

Ironically, during today’s phone call in which he shallowly presented a quick, by-the-way semi-apology, he said he wanted to show me some catalogs so that I could see what was it. I told him I had Bugei’s catalog, Nosyuiaido catalog, Arms & Armor catalog, Fred Lohman's,  and I told him I knew what a catalog is. Then I conveyed your message for him to finish the samples urgently. He repeated it would take two months, and then he said that he would personally bring the swords to be photographed by me.

I begun to talk to him about my view of the shogyusha tsuka, but he could not understand it, then I decided it was not my business. He told me to fax him. In a final goodwill effort I faxed him plainly the following: Please fax me your Chinese name so I can write to you in Chinese. Again I was being corteous. When you write in Chinese you address someone with his Chinese name. The person who was to write the letter was my former secretary who is like a daughter to me, and would not know anything about his worries.

But since he did not even bother to reply, this was the gross drop that overflowed the glass:

I must say that I don’t deal in anyway with a person who managed the feat to show enough amount of lack of consideration in two days to make me totally loose my patience, and I don’t care about the fact that he may be weary because of the Nosyuiaido issue which is, as you well know, not of my concern, and you witnessed my exchange of emails with the Polland fellow to see that I openly took your side.

In short, Mr. Fred Chen does not and will not dispose of me at his will, nor will I be waiting for Mr. Fred Chen to decide to show up and watch me take pictures of the swords. I’m nobody’s bell boy, and I am definitely not Fred Chen’s. If you have to blame somebody for this, please blame him. Although I have mentioned Chinese habits, there are some values that are Universal. If you slap a Chinese, an American and a Portuguese in the face, the insult will be the same.

I’m sorry to have reached such a decision, but I appreciate the fact that you will recognize that I will not trust anyone who does not trust me. It’s a matter of indeclinable principle. I have sustained many confrontations in my life, including with the last Governor of Macau who was powerful enough to make my life a hell. I refused a medal at the end, as if my principles were purchasable, and I do not yield on my principles.

Now, furthermore to this, I must bring to your attention that he did not follow your request to meet me, so in the Chinese way, he mainly disregarded your request. So in fact, although I'm very pissed off at him for his behavior, I think you should think about this episode very carefully concerning you.

Like I said, I am a man of honor, respectful, friendly and honest. But if for any reason whoever doubts it, no matter what are the costs, this person will just be erased from my list.
Now, if you transpose this situation into something I am beginning to see, I must let you know that those who are secretive as Fred Chen is, easily failing to fulfill simple commitments, are no good news.

I recall telling you that some Taiwanese were very peculiar, if I may use the word. I sense you are giving him for free all he wants. Am I instilling venom? No way. The is a time that we must open our eyes wide and see what sometimes we might not want to see. 
I'm just linking facts. All I have been talking about are facts. You once told me his experience with Nosyuiaido, and how they exploited him. I'm not judging but analyzing.
1. He worked for Nosyuiaido willingly. I don't suppose they pointed a gun at his head.
2. Rick Polland, in one of the emails he sent you, mentioned that he was the factory's foreman. If that was the case, who owned the factory? Possibly the Japanese.
3. Is the present factory owned by him?
4. Why is he not willing to meet me? Because he knows I'm close to Shanghai, I may be dangerous to him. He know that there is no need to take a photograph of him. Me seeing him will suffice.
5. Why he is asking for 2 months for the prototypes? In the least is intriguing knowing how the Chinese can decorate a whole shop in Macau in a week. Swords are different you'll say and I agree.

My conscience tells me that I did what I thought was best to contribute to your success.
My conscience also tells me that I love the swords you are able to make and that I look forward to seeing both of them completed.
My instinct tells me he is sucking your knowledge to his advantage.
I have met many Taiwanese real investors. Most of them are educated in the US as speak fluently English. Well Fred doesn't and his way of speaking Mandarin is one of somebody who is not aware of how he should communicate: i.e. does not make an effort to speak slowly. Not knowing him personally, but just his voice and lack of English knowledge, I am lead to portrait Fred Chen not as an investor, an entrepreneur.

My sense of the present situation is that you should be very very cautious. My outrage on his behavior towards me is something I can handle, though it prompted me to think deeper and I want you to know about it, but you should be aware that, if someone hides from others out of a mere litigation, then he has something in his conscience. I don't think you have much to say against me. It may be a dangerous path in which you may loose all the know how you gave him, plus he may drag you into putting the blame on you, whatever it is. 
 
Again, my personal experience is nothing but an experience that prompted me to think. I am  not important to him, so he feels he does not need to give me face. For now you are important to him. So he visits you and so forth.

My conscience is open and free. So I feel I can tell you openly what I think, specially since I can decipher Chinese as well as any other Chinese. 
And one thing that has been with the Chinese for millenniums: they hate and fear anything concerning courts. 
Just an example: If there's a car accident in a populated street in Macau, you won't find anyone willing to testify. Nobody saw anything. 
Again, I'm giving you facts and am sharing my thoughts with you around facts for you to ponder.

Also please do me the justice to acknowledge that I have told you before that any dealing I may make with Cicada Forge would never allow my survival, and I never regarded it as a source of wealth or even of considerable profit, but more the joy of doing it among the many different projects I have in my life.

May I finish this not so nice chain of events by stating one wise Portuguese saying translated as close as possible into English: Those who don’t trust others are not trustworthy. If your word about me was not enough for him, well, you be the judge of how your own word is taken by Fred Chen.

Dear Rick, I hope you can convoke all your understanding abilities on this situation that I did not originate. I’m not a devious person and I cannot live with both my conscience and devious persons who do not show the least consideration for others.

I hope that you may appreciate the values that dictate this letter to you. They are based in true friendship, the utmost honesty, openness and honor. There is no money or weapon pointed at me that will make me change my principles.
Like I said. I did not fail you or Fred Chen. But I'm nobody's puppet.
What I want to convoke on you is that you be the judge of what a real friend is. Somebody who spends the time praising you, or someone who - when the time comes - talks to you frankly and warns you.

Take care friend,
Antonio