Ken - Michael will be talking with this reporter tomorrow but he'd be
grateful if you could make 10 minutes to be our Board Voice for this
important interview in the Wall Street Journal.  I know you are only
available today at 4:30 p.m. so i am waiting for a response.  Here is
the background on the interview.  Let me know if you have any concerns
or questions. Thank you in advance. -- Grace Trent

Holman Jenkins at The Journal is working on his column "Business World"
which will run next Wed on the editorial page.  He would like to capture
your view on why the merger is the right next step for Compaq and Compaq
shareholders.

Holman would like to present a Compaq rationale for the merger story and
his groundrules are to run "near word for word" the business case with a
working title of "Why this deal is the right next move for Compaq and
Compaq shareholders."  He will then weign-in as to whether he "buys
into" our rationale or not.  He is starting from a good/seemingly fair
mindset.  The reporter has a reputation for having strong personal
ethics and we have no reason to believe this will be a negative story.
In fact, Holman said that "he is inclined to think this was a move made
for all the right reasons but for some reason the street hasn't
understood."

Ken -  we need your help to underscore Michael's tenure, track record
and ability to get the integration done; all-the-while  being careful
that we don't paint a picture of Compaq's future that leaves the reader
with a sense of concern if the merger is unsuccessful.  We know there is
a risk of the headline being  "the end of an era" or worse, the end of a
great brand."  But instead of the end, it is actually the beginning of
something great -- a better, strong company -- and as Carly said in the
Houston Chronicle last week, "While Compaq will not be the
enterprise-wide brand for very pragmatic reasons, it does not mean the
end of the Compaq brand."
Holman's Takeaway:
While we won't make this a point by point on the new HP Compaq vs. IBM
it is likely that his takeaway is that this deal is about creating a
viable alternative to IBM and why that is a good thing for the industry,
the customer and our global competitiveness.
Lastly, chemistry is important with Holman and this will be more of a
conversation that an interview. There could be issues that come up that
you'd like him to understand but won't want attributed to a Compaq
spokesperson. In that case, they should feel free to let him know you'd
like to share your thinking but would like to do so off-the-record.
I am specifically referring to the EU and regulatory landscape which
he'll have to ask about and we'll obviously want the public record to
reflect a somewhat humble comment about both companies commitment to go
through the entire process and address any concerns they may have.


Grace Chen Trent - Executive Director
Office of the Chairman & CEO
Compaq Computer Corporation
20555 SH 249 - MS110802
Houston, Texas 77070-2698
281-518-9460  work
281-518-9882 fax



Grace Chen Trent - Executive Director
Office of the Chairman & CEO
Compaq Computer Corporation
20555 SH 249 - MS110802
Houston, Texas 77070-2698
281-518-9460  work
281-518-9882 fax