My Life

My Life - Oswald Mosleychecked up through his associate, Ward Price, and other friends who were then muchin my company, and understood that the movement had about four hundred large andactive branches in Great Britain. If these vigorous young men would act asdistributors, he would share the profits fifty-fifty, half to himself as producer and halfto our movement as distributor. It was clear to him that the deal would have to beannounced in order to secure the co-operation of our people, but he was quite willingto face that situation.I warmly welcomed his proposal, for a straightforward business deal seemed to methe best and cleanest way to raise large funds, and I was sure our people would cooperatewith enthusiasm in a proposition offering such benefit to the party. So off hewent like a steam-engine to get everything moving; within a few days he had ordered£70,000 worth of machinery and had secured the services of one of the chief expertsof the combine on the production side, with a long contract for a large and guaranteedsalary. Things were moving, and we were shortly going into business in a big way.Then came a sudden message that he could not proceed, and had decided to sell all themachinery for what it would fetch. I went to see him in a hotel he frequented, andfound him in a relatively modest apartment, an imposing figure of monumental formlying flat on his back on a narrow brass bedstead; it seemed an incongruous setting forone of the richest men in the world.Lord Rothermere explained that he was in trouble with certain advertisers, who hadnot liked his support of the blackshirts, and in company with many other people hadnow heard of the tobacco business and liked it still less. This was war, and I reactedstrongly. The card to play with Rothermere was always his brother Northcliffe, whomI had never met but who was a legend for his audacity and dynamism. I said: 'Do youknow what Northcliffe would have done? He would have said, "One more word fromyou, and the Daily Mail placards tomorrow will carry the words: 'Jews threatenBritish press' "; you will have no further trouble'. The long struggle fluctuated, but Ilost. He felt that I was asking him to risk too much, not only for himself, but forothers who depended on him. He was a patriot and an outstanding personality, butwithout the exceptional character necessary to take a strong line towards the end of asuccessful life, which might have led to a political dog-fight. In my view, the mattercould have been quite reasonably settled if he had stood firm.These Jewish interests took this action in the mistaken belief that their life and interestwere threatened. Any group of men who feel this will naturally do their utmost toresist. This is no evidence of occult Jewish power, simply the determination to fightby men who in this case had the means to do it, which I had not. The whole affair wasas simple as that, there was nothing obscure or mysterious about it. When it comes tothe subtle use of men in the employment of power I have known Englishmen moreskilful than most Jews, and who have even used Jews for the purpose. For instance,Sir William Tyrrell, the brilliant professional diplomat who was ambassador in Parisduring my youth and from whom I learnt so much, would use my friend CharlesMendl, who was a Jew, like Svengali used Trilby. It was the ambassador who had thebrains and he used this likeable Jew with his universal contacts and wide friendshipslike a conduit pipe between himself and French life, through which he receivedinformation and executed his own manoeuvres. What matters in this world are brainsand character, and they can be found in all the great peoples. I do not blame the Jewsfor using any power they had in what they believed to be a battle. What is289 of 424