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News Reports of Sir Henri Deterding Food Donations to Nazi Germany

BRITISH PATHE NEWS film footage has come to light which shows the huge importance Hitler attached to his fundraising vehicle for the Nazi regime. Royal Dutch Shell founder Sir Henri Deterding was by far the largest single donor, sending 7,000 railway wagons full of Dutch food produce. Despite criticism in the news media, specifically linking the money saved on food to Nazi rearmament, Deterding continued to donate Dutch food to Nazi Germany.

By John Donovan

In December 1936, there were global news reports about Royal Dutch Shell founder Sir Henri Deterding’s massive food donations to Hitlers Winter Relief Charity fundraising project in Nazi Germany.

e.g.

The Scotsman: £1,100,000 Gift to Germany FOR FOOD PURCHASE: 28 December 1936 (Contains confirmation of the report of the gift)

The Nation: Dutch State and literary newspaper: Sir Henri Deterding and the Dutch agriculture: Purchase for Germany: 28 December 1936

The Manchester Guardian: £1,000,000 TO BUT FOOD: Helping Germany: SIR H. DETERDING PROVIDES MONEY: Tuesday 29 December 1936

Extract

£1,000.000 TO BUY FOOD

Helping Germany

SIR H. DETERDING PROVIDES MONEY

The report is published in the official Nazi newspaper “Angriff,” under the headline “Deterding Plans Gigantic Gift of Foodstuff for the “Winter Help.”

The Times: Dutch Shell for Germany: Surplus Farm Produce: Sir Henri Deterding’s Scheme: 30 December 1936

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS: DUTCH SHELL HEAD TO BUY DUTCH FARM PRODUCTS FOR GERMANY: Wednesday 30 December 1936

DUTCH SHELL HEAD TO BUY DUTCH FARM PRODUCTS FOR GERMANY

The rise of a new agrarian party in the Netherlands, dominated by Sir Henri Deterding, may result from the oil magnate’s large-scale purchases of Dutch farm products for Germany, officials here said today.

Another result may be preferential treatment for Sir Henri’s oil interests in a grateful Germany, these authorities indicated.

Sir Henri, chairman of the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company, a Hollander recently married to a German woman, yesterday announced he was making available 10,000,000 guilders (about $5,400,000) to buy products of Dutch farms – which have had a hard time finding markets- for shipment to Germany, where shortage of foodstuffs is a serious problem.

The Argus (Melbourne) Wednesday 30 December 1936 Page 1

With the object of assisting Dutch farmers, Sir Henri Deterding has given £1,000,000 for the purchase of farm products for export to Germany.

The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA) Wednesday 30 December 1936 Page 11 Complete Article

UNEXPECTED AID FOR GERMANY

£1,000.000 Purchase Of Dutch Produce THE HAGUE. December 28.

With a view to assisting Dutch farmers, Sir Henri Deterding, Director-General of the Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., has given £1,000.000 to purchase produce for export to Germany. The gift is said not to be concerned with politics. Sir Henri Deterding married a German, Fraulien Knaack, in June last year, and at present lives outside Berlin. His object is, as a Dutchman, to help both countries. He proposes to buy up vegetables and meat, unsaleable owing to over-production. The Dutch Government has agreed to issue special export licences.

The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA Thursday 31 December 1936 Page 17: Complete Article

DUTCHMAN’S GIFT TO GERMANY

Communism And Trade Barriers Aimed At

Australian Associated Pres.

THE HAGUE, December 29.

Indicating that his gift of £1,000,000 to purchase produce for export to Germany was aimed to circumvent economic restrictions and communisism.

Henri Deterding, Director-General o! the Royal Dutch Petroleum Co, said today:—”The main object of the Communists is to prevent co-operation between nations. They therefore started to create trouble in Spain six years ago, and the result is now daily visible.” Britain, he said, could be thanked for her policy of non-intervention which had prevented greater trouble among other Powers whose further co-operation would be the quickest remedy against infectious Communism. Reviewing the economic conditions obtaining in Holland, Sir Henri Deter ding said that the only solution was the diversion of surplus products to a country where they were wanted. Trade restrictions between Germany and Holland could then be safely cancelled. Criticising the present go:d policy Sir Henri Deterding declared that not gold but products of ]abor would have to serve as the means of exchange. He asked for financial and other support for his scheme under the motto, “Western Co-operation.” Meanwhile 30.000 pigs and 1,000 tons of bacon have already been bought with his gift, and a new industry has been founded at Haarlem. It is expected that Sir Henri Deterding’s scheme will slightly increase the prices of dairy produce in the United Kingdom, of which Holland is a substantial supplier. Australia will undoubtedly benefit to some extent, but the increase in British purchases from individual nations is likely to be small. Australian circles hope that a considerable part of the gift will be devoted to buying Dutch eggs, which strongly compete with Australian eggs. This would be marked assistance and would go far to ensure a successful Australian export season.

Version also published same day in The Sydney Morning Herald on page 10

Time.com: GERMANY: Petticoat Philanthropy? Monday, Jan 11, 1937:

Extract

Sir Henri, who was knighted by King George V in 1920, has for many years had his chief residence in London’s swank Mayfair, but last week he was sitting in his new house near the German capital and showed signs of developing into a good Berliner. His big Germanic gesture as 1937 opened was to place 10,000,000 Dutch guilders ($5.475,000) at the disposal of Dutch farmers…

The Montreal Gazette: SIR H. DETERDING, 72 DIES IN SWISS HOME: Monday 6 February 1939

Page 14

EXTRACTS

Netherlands – born Magnate Built Up Royal Dutch Petroleum Company

Was Ardent Hitler Supporter and Foe of Soviet

Sir Henri, who possesses a personal fortune estimated at between $150,000,000 and $200,000,000, retired from the direction of the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company.

He became an ardent Nazi after Adolf Hitler attained power in Germany.

A practical token of his admiration for the anti-Communist regime of Hitler was given in 1937. He gave $5,000,000 with which to purchase Holland’s surplus food products. He stipulated that the proceeds should go to Germany’s “Winter Help Fund.”

THE OSHKOSH NORTHWESTERN: Rockefeller of Europe, Sir Henry Deterding, Dies: MONDAY FEBRUARY 6, 1939 Page 7

EXTRACTS

He became an ardent Nazi after Adolf Hitler attained power in Germany.

A practical token of his admiration for the anticommunist regime of Hitler was given in 1937. He gave $5,000,000 with which to purchase Holland’s surplus food products. He stipulated that the proceeds should go to Germany’s “Winter Help Fund.”

The Advertiser (Adelaide), Saturday 23 January 1937 page 23

Extract fro page 23

Awaiting Goering’s Return

The Berlin correspondent of “The Times” adds:—”Germany at last seems to realise that certain Nazi trends In respect of Spain and elsewhere can no longer be hidden in a mist of words. This does not mean that she will not pursue the trends to the logical end, but it does strengthen the arguments of those advising Hitler that present German policy in Spain is not worth the risks. Hitler himself may be more cautious, but much depends on the mood in which the Air Minister (General Goering) returns from Italy.” Reports from other sources suggest that while Germany would undoubtedly welcome tentative conversations at present regarding possible economic readjustments, she will not allow any interference with her military Four-Year plan. She may even for that reason refuse Sir Henri Deterding’s offer to buy £1,000.000 worth of foodstuffs from Holland for Germany.

The Montreal Gazette: SIR H. DETERDING, 72 DIES IN SWISS HOME: Monday 6 February 1939 Page 14

EXTRACTS

Netherlands – born Magnate Built Up Royal Dutch Petroleum Company

Was Ardent Hitler Supporter and Foe of Soviet

Sir Henri, who possesses a personal fortune estimated at between $150,000,000 and $200,000,000, retired from the direction of the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company.

He became an ardent Nazi after Adolf Hitler attained power in Germany.

A practical token of his admiration for the anti-Communist regime of Hitler was given in 1937. He gave $5,000,000 with which to purchase Holland’s surplus food products. He stipulated that the proceeds should go to Germany’s “Winter Help Fund.”

SOURCE

THE OSHKOSH NORTHWESTERN: Rockefeller of Europe, Sir Henry Deterding, Dies: MONDAY FEBRUARY 6, 1939 Page 7

EXTRACTS

Son of Sea Captain Rises in Meteoric Career in Fashion Comparable to Horatio Alger Tales – Strong Pro-Nazi and Bitter Russia Opponent Carves Way to Success.

He became an ardent nazi after Adolf Hitler attained power in Germany.

Deterding immediately saw the possibilities and set out to tie Royal Dutch and Shell together, the better to compete with Standard Oil.

A practical token of his admiration for the anticommunist regime of Hitler was given in 1937. He gave $5,000,000 with which to purchase Holland’s surplus food products. He stipulated that the proceeds should go to Germany’s “Winter Help Fund.”

OTHER REFERENCES TO THE FOOD DONATIONS

Entry in diary of Joseph Goebbels made on 12 January 1937: Elke Fröhlich: The Diaries of Joseph Goebbels, all fragments, Munich, New York, London, Paris 1987, Part 1, Volume 3, p. 8

“Hilgenfeld says WHW Deterding has donated 40 million.”

This was a reference to a 40 million Reichsmark donation made by Deterding to the German Winter Reiief food donation scheme known by the acronym “WHW”. Part of the funds received were diverted by Goebbels for other purposes e.g. to build a giant factory for Volkswagen.

Related extracts from translated Wikipedia article

In the prewar years, the largest item on the revenue side, however, were the “donations from companies and organizations…

The Winter’s Fund was therefore an indispensable financier of the Nazi People’s Welfare, which in turn ran a “Nazi racial-genetic biology people care.” Primarily the Nazi People’s Welfare aimed with its affiliated organizations aim to promote the “genetically healthy” and “racial quality” within the meaning of a “people care”…

In item 202 of Volume 1 “A History of Royal Dutch Shell” Shell’s paid historians comment on the reference to the entry in Goebbels diaries. They do not take issue with the substance of what is stated above, but make the point that it was not Deterding’s intention for part of the funds to be diverted to the Volkswagen factory.

Way for America by Alexander Laing Published by Duell, Sloan and Peace 1943 378 pages

EXTRACT FROM PAGE 242

Deterding made it plain that he too considered Hitler’s dictatorship a stabilizing influence which could join in an orderly removal of the blunders of Versailles. If he was secretive about his early backing of the Nazis, later he came out as an eamest advocate of a scheme which greatly eased Hitler’s problems. Deterding put his own estate manager in charge of the Western Cooperation plan, under which benevolent Dutchmen bought up the Dutch food surplus and gave it to German organizations. Public acknowledgment of Deterding’s own first contribution to the scheme placed it at a sum which converts to more than five milion dollars. This was after Hitler and his henchmen had committed some of their most loathesome brutalities.

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

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