How a Jewish boy from a Ukrainian village became a lord, media mogul and spy of 5 countries

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Robert Maxwell was called the "baron of the press", because in the middle of the 20th century he created one of the world's largest media empires, which covered 125 states, and for his enormous growth and tough temper, the billionaire was nicknamed "the killer whale." But this is only the outer side of his biography. Until now, many are convinced that the media mogul was the greatest spy of the twentieth century, and not one state, but 4 or 5 countries. Journalists like to say that the fate of Robert Maxwell is a modern fairy tale, in which he played the roles of Cinderella, the prince, and the fairy godmother. The story of one of the most influential people in the world began in a small Transcarpathian village, which today is located on the territory of Ukraine.

The billionaire himself talked about himself like this:. It is difficult to say if this can be considered a good "recipe for success", but Robert Maxwell has achieved really impressive results in life, starting from the lowest start.

Chaim Benyumen Hoh (this is how the name of the future lord actually sounded) was born in 1923 in the Transcarpathian town of Solotvino. In those years, this area was part of Czechoslovakia, therefore, in the future, in addition to the epithets "shining" and "magnificent" Maxwell was often called behind the backs of the eyes "impudent Czech" or "Slovak upstart", although his parents were Orthodox Jews. The fate of the Hoch family could serve as a sad illustration of its time: almost all of Chaim's relatives died in Auschwitz.

The boy was lucky: in 1939 he fled from his native village to France. A 16-year-old boy fought in the ranks of the French Foreign Legion, and then reached England and volunteered for the British army. By the end of the war, he was already a lieutenant and commander of a sniper battalion unit. Various sources ascribe to the future tycoon already in this period of his life numerous connections with Jewish terrorist organizations and British military intelligence.

More reliable is the following legend, which later became a "family" one. Allegedly, having met a pleasant girl Elizabeth in Paris in 1944, and having fallen in love at first sight, Maxwell told her: “I will receive the Military Cross. I will re-create a family. I'll make a fortune. I will become the prime minister of England. I will give you happiness until the end of my days. " After exactly a year later, the first point of this bold plan was fulfilled - the war hero really received the Military Cross - the girl, without hesitation anymore, gave him consent. This marriage lasted for many years, and Maxwell did "recreate the family" with nine children.

Having fought valiantly, the unknown boy managed not only to obtain British citizenship, but also laid the foundations of the fortune - he received 10 thousand pounds and the same amount of interest-free loan. Further financial success is usually explained either by Maxwell's natural talents, or by the same connections with the intelligence services of several countries. For example, there is another version of its rapid rise, associated with the organization of military aid to the young Israeli state from Czechoslovakia in 1948. It is, of course, difficult to check such rumors. However, it is known for sure that over several decades Maxwell really multiplied his fortune many times over and gradually became one of the most significant figures in the world.

He began by supplying magazines from other countries to England, and by the mid-80s he had built a gigantic media empire, which included book publishers, newspapers, magazines, radio stations (including MTV) and television channels in 125 countries on four continents. In terms of sales, Maxwell was ranked first in the UK and second in the United States. The size of the fortune was estimated at 4 billion pounds. Legends circulated about him as a carousel and madcap: he could buy a skyscraper in the center of London just for the sake of a helipad, fire 130 employees of New York DAILY NEWS in five minutes and offer 60 million in aid to his native village.

Later, Maxwell was suspected of collaborating with the United States and the USSR. The media mogul really built relations with the Soviet Union and the socialist countries. camp: his publishing houses published biographies of the leaders of the social. countries, books of selected speeches and articles by Brezhnev, Suslov, Chernenko, Gromyko and others were published. He even tried to organize the publication in Europe of two Soviet newspapers - Pravda and Moskovskiye Novosti. The British businessman met with Brezhnev several times and was closely acquainted with almost the entire government elite of the USSR. For this, all over the world he was considered an ardent socialist, however, as it is believed today, his interest in our country could be just business, and his passion for the heads of state was a kind of hobby. He met with equal pleasure Gorbachev and Mitterrand, Reagan, Deng Xiaoping, Honecker and Ceausescu.

After the unexpected death of Robert Maxwell, the charm of this tale was shattered. In 1991, while on a trip on his yacht, the billionaire disappeared. His body was later found in water, but it was not possible to establish the exact cause of death - it may have been a heart attack. As the newspapers later wrote, the media mogul left behind a life full of paradoxes and an indefinite legacy. It turned out that the state of his empire was not at all so stable. With his unpredictable behavior - the movement of capital from one company to another, the opening of new branches in different countries - Maxwell long ago confused all observers, and when the state of affairs became clear, gigantic frauds were revealed. So, it turned out that Maxwell had fraudulently embezzled about $ 600 million from pension funds and the capital of subsidiaries.

Unfortunately, even the family - the indestructible bulwark of Maxwell's empire - also turned out to be less perfect. The two sons of the media mogul were put on trial in the case of pension funds and proved their innocence for a long time, and in 2019, his beloved daughter Gislaine ended up in the center of a dirty child molestation scandal that broke out. Until now, many are convinced that Robert Maxwell, a spy for several countries, was killed. But there are too many options for in whose favor he worked and which side eliminated him.

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