The Times: Different dealings weaken Shell group: “deemed responsible for the same horrendously damaging issue of cutting corners”
Business Commentary
By Robert Cole
August 13, 2004
SIR PHIL WATTS and Walter van de Vijver were ejected from the Royal Dutch/Shell group at the same time. They were deemed responsible for the same horrendously damaging issue of cutting corners on reported proven oil and gas reserves.
Mr Van de Vijver, we now learn, is to receive a £2.5 million payoff, more than twice as much as his former boss, as well as a deferred pension of £257,000 a year. Perfectly rational arguments could be made for this seemingly inconsistent treatment. The reality, however, is that although both superficially worked for the same integrated organisation, Mr Van de Vijver is a Royal Dutch man, treated according to Dutch law and practice, while Sir Phil was a Shell Transport chap and so dealt with in Anglo Saxon ways.
This little miniature speaks as much as the volumes of consultants reports, on the underlying issue exposed by the great reserves affair. It shows how proper consistent governance is now undermined at Royal Dutch/Shell by the traditional differences between the two holding companies and their consequential lack of an effective role in the joint operating management company.
This is clearly now going to change. The issue is only whether the two holding companies should be parallel entities with the same directors or whether they should be merged into one. If sterling had joined the euro, a full merger would have made sense. As it has not, a merger would create yet more losers among investors.
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.
