Financial Times: Shell fighter begins the big clean-up
“it could itself become a bid target”; “if you get it hopelessly wrong, then people start sniffing around.”: “In answer to a question about whether they are sniffing now, he said: “You will have to ask the sniffers.”
By Deborah Hargreaves
Jul 30, 2004
Jeroen van der Veer, chairman of the committee of managing directors at Royal Dutch/Shell, has just completed the most bruising episode of his 33-year career at the Anglo-Dutch oil company.
He was appointed to the top post in March to clear up the mess left after the company downgraded its proved reserves by 20 per cent – a debacle that led to the departure of three executives, including Sir Philip Watts, his predecessor.
Mr van der Veer is now fighting on all fronts to put the reserves issue behind him and draft a future for Shell in which it clarifies its complex governance structures, opens itself up to the outside world and focuses on building the business. But he still has a long way to go to convince shareholders that the company has taken the issues seriously enough.
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.
