S8 Ep1143: Charles Spicer explains that by 1935, major business interests like Unilever joined the Fellowship to protect trade and understan

The John Batchelor Show · Jul 19, 2026 · 5m

Charles Spicer explains that by 1935, major business interests like Unilever joined the Fellowship to protect trade and understand the new German regime. Following the Night of the Long Knives, some optimists believed Hitler'sgovernment was becoming more "civilized." The Fellowship provided extraordinary lobbying power, allowing Tennantto secure meetings with Hitler that traditional diplomats could not reach. German industrialists like Robert Bosch, who privately loathed the Nazis, also sought connections in London. This era was marked by parallel efforts in both nations to avoid war through…