Officials fired at Dow Chemical for secret talks: two accused of seeking outside buyout deal; a tip from J.P. Morgan

Executive vice president Romeo Kreinberg and senior advisor J. Pedro Reinhard were fired from their positions at Dow Chemical Co. after it was discovered that the two, without the authorization of the company's board of directors, had been in talks with Oman investors regarding a leveraged buyout. The discovery came from information provided by a source at J.P. Morgan Chase and Co.