"During the First World War, some community leaders and provincial politicians had mused about merging Berlin and neighbouring, more British Waterloo. Although both had a “German” majority, the cities were different, with Waterloo an insurance capital and its dominant business the famous Seagram distillery. Waterloo, with about a quarter the population of Berlin, seemed a “tasty morsel” to Berlin business and political leaders, but Seagram and other Waterloo business leaders resisted being chewed up."