I am not gonna waste my time trying to defend Gygax, as I think you are probably right. However, I just read that whole last chapter + epilogue last night and he makes it clear no one else was there and knows for sure. This is a point Peterson makes sure to mention more than once. While I think the judgement you mention is a reasonable conclusion, I think the Blumes' own sketchiness and nepotism requires that we preserve at least a little doubt.
I would totally agree about their sketchiness and nepotism! The whole Purchasing Department saga ...
But ... I guess I read Peterson a little differently I read it as, "No one can ever know .... but let's lay this out ...." I don't think there was any other conclusion?
It's the way that Peterson does the "show, don't tell." Let me explain why I read it the way I did. You have the accumulation of details that paints Gygax as not being truthful (why would the Blume settle without the commitment? why were they sending the letters without the commitment? and so on).
And then, right at the end of the chapter, was this-
"The court also considered the question of whether Gygax had promised to buy the Blume family position in the solarium at Rexnord on April 16, and finally ruled on the basis of testimony from the independent board members that Gygax had 'agreed to buy their stock, and the Blume and {Gygax}
reported that commitment ... to the other directors." p. 310 (emphasis supplied)
So yes, only they were in the room, but other people testified under oath that right afterwards, Gygax said he was going to buy it (which makes sense, since that's what led to the settlement).
Anyway, I think we are definitely in general agreement. Such a good read! There have been a lot of good comments in this thread, so I'm going to write one long and more general comment regarding the rest of it in a little while when I get the chance.