It was 1986 when George W. Bush's struggling oil venture, Spectrum 7, was purchased by Harken. Harken gave Bush a seat on the board of directors and an annual paycheck of $120,000. At the time, Bush's father, George H. W. Bush, was vice president. It was around this same time that the Harvard fund began investing in Harken. The fund eventually poured $30 million into Harken and became the largest shareholder. A Harvard Management official, Michael Eisenson, was given a seat on the Harken board.