Financial Times: Shell goes for the ultimate in transparency
By Clay Harris in London
Posted 29 May 04
Royal Dutch/Shell’s new emphasis on transparency begins on the cover of its 2003 annual report, finally published on Friday after a two-month delay because of the group’s reserves cuts and management upheaval.
For Shell Transport and Trading, the UK arm of the Anglo-Dutch oil and gas group, this year’s featured shell is the Rhysota, which one can see right through. Unfortunately, its spiral looks remarkably like liquid going down a plughole.
Shell has the knack of sending unintended messages. In 2002, the cover pictured an abalone – shiny mother-of-pearl on the surface, but riddled with holes.
The 2003 report – which contains little information that had not been dripped out over recent months, including a final update on Monday – shows a new tone in another way.
Last year, Sir Philip Watts – ousted as chairman in March – was the Page 1 boy, with a quarter-page photograph. His Shell Transport successors, Lord Oxburgh and Malcolm Brinded, content themselves with postage stamp images on pages 2 and 3.
In the Royal Dutch report, Jeroen van der Veer, chairman of the committee of managing directors, has a larger picture, but is shown holding a hard hat. It was that sort of year.
Not everything has shrunk in size along with reserves. Although they received no bonus for 2003, Shell Transport directors saw their aggregate base salaries and benefits rise by 42 per cent to £2.44m. And shareholders cannot complain they are being short-changed on information. At 124 pages, the 2003 report is more than 50 per cent bigger than the 80-page 2002 edition.
This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
