Ben Wright - Biographer

"Man sieht nur das, was man weiß."
Literary agent: @andrewlownie.

[Ben Wright - Biographer @intelhistory]

Britain 2026: Use of AI is going to lead to massive human job losses. Also Britain 2026: no AI means massive human job losses.

[Ben Wright - Biographer @intelhistory]

@fharris2011 I don't think I'm the only one who was glad Healey was in the room. This is not good.

[Ben Wright - Biographer @intelhistory]

In search of Russia's lost gold
https://t.co/2tNx5xQX4V via @bbc_travel

[Ben Wright - Biographer @intelhistory]

A few years ago, I happened across a tender moment of British royal history during 1940, when Queen Mary was anxious to have a copy of Lieutenant Colonel Edward Lisle Strutt's diary, his account of the rescue of the Austrian royals in 1919, with her at Badminton.

The threat of invasion in 1940 was much greater than we're comfortable remembering, I think.

[Ben Wright - Biographer @intelhistory]

@NicholasOShaug1 @thespyhistorian I’ve never gone deep into the SOE European archive because it’s just so massive! It’s hard to get my head around how many recruits there were.

[Ben Wright - Biographer @intelhistory]

When Egypt severed diplomatic relations with Germany in 1939, Berlin responded by interning a number of Egyptians and Arabs. Otto von Hentig, who by then was one of his country's most sophisticated 'Eastern specialists', thought the act not only monstrous, but stupid: pragmatically, it went against all his instincts and experience (in WWI he had ventured to Afghanistan as part of the Hentig-Niedermayer mission to turn Kabul against Britain). Berlin should be getting Cairo on side against London, not making useful propaganda for it.

Ribbentrop summoned Hentig to a meeting on the 6 December 1939. It seems like Hentig had attended an Egyptian tea party and this had infuriated the Foreign Minister. Hentig noted that whilst speaking to him, Ribbentrop closed his eyes and spoke with a suggestive, almost seer-like, quality. They were now in a life or death struggle with England, Ribbentrop said. England would soon be destroyed. To underline his point, Ribbentrop added:

'er habe viele sehr gute englische Freunde. Heute aber würde er jeden dieser Freunde bedenkenlos vergiften oder ermorden lassen.'

Though he had many good English friends, he would have no hesitattion now in having each one poisoned or murdered.

Ribbentrop dismissed Hentig by stating that he had magmanimously forgiven him for attending the tea party, something he would not have extended to anyone else; and that Bohle, head of the Auslands organisation, had been notified of his status persona non grata. Presumably, the forgiveness meant Ribbentrop had not poisoned Hentig's tea.

In 1946, Ribbentrop was hanged. Werner Otto von Hentig served as the first West German Ambassador to Indonesia, holding the position from 1952 to 1954.

[Ben Wright - Biographer @intelhistory]

Else Krüger, Bormann's secretary, married her interrogator post war and, according to the source I have just read, lived in Bedford.

[Ben Wright - Biographer @intelhistory]

Lia NIAKO - Nazi stooge or hapless intriguer?

[Ben Wright - Biographer @intelhistory]

@fharris2011 @pequod51 I was reading some Hansard from the mid Fifties a few weeks ago. It was incredible! Not only brilliant long well argued contributions but also at times really funny.

[Ben Wright - Biographer @intelhistory]

https://t.co/vVmNghs5Jv

[Ben Wright - Biographer @intelhistory]

@NicholasOShaug1 I didn't know about the Bedford connection. Interesting.

[Ben Wright - Biographer @intelhistory]

@ClarkeMicah @csfgin I hate cars. I have never been a Trot.

[Ben Wright - Biographer @intelhistory]

https://t.co/vVmNghs5Jv

[Ben Wright - Biographer @intelhistory]

There still appears to be doubt over whether Jakob Peters was 'Peter the Painter' of Siege of Sidney Street fame. But Captain George Marie Goldsmith reported over a hundred years ago that a tailor, imprisoned with him in Butriski prison, had feared for his life, precisely because he was one of the few that could positively make the ID.

The tailor was shot on Peters' orders.

End of mystery.

[Ben Wright - Biographer @intelhistory]

@tomhfh For one thing, I can contentedly recall being 33.

[Ben Wright - Biographer @intelhistory]

@storme_bro38889 @ShabanaMahmood Just below Highfield.

[Ben Wright - Biographer @intelhistory]

@BeardyHowse Never knew this.

[Ben Wright - Biographer @intelhistory]

@NicholasOShaug1 Unfortunately, the idea would be discussed and reduced to single serving scratch and sniff cards.

[Ben Wright - Biographer @intelhistory]

@NicholasOShaug1 Yes, indeed. And Florence lived till age 90 despite all that heroic frontline service against disease.