| Description | These papers relate to efforts made by Mosley, his second wife Diana, and other supporters, to establish radio stations in countries outside the UK in order to sell advertising to raise money. Although the funds raised from this venture were intended to support the B.U.F, it does not appear that the radio network was ever intended to have a political focus. However, it was necessary to disguise Mosley's involvement in the project so as not to deter potential advertisers, and this entailed the establishment of holding companies and the recruitment of Diana Mosley and other supporters to enter into negotiations with representatives from the identified host countries.
The material comprises drafts and copies of legal agreements; correspondence; and progress reports providing summaries of existing agreements and ongoing negotiations with host countries. Mosley's friend and B.U.F supporter W. E. D. (Bill) Allen was central to the plan, both for his financial assistance, and his connections to advertising through his family business, David Allen & Sons Ltd, based in Northern Ireland. The file contains correspondence from Bill Allen to Mosley, including /2: letter dated Mar 1936 which refers to a loan, and /30 : letter dated Aug 1938 which discusses travel arrangements, forthcoming meetings with Frederick Lawton, the barrister appointed by Mosley's solicitors as a legal adviser, and payments to Peter Eckersley, another B.U.F sympathiser who was involved in one of the holding companies set up as part of the radio advertising project.
The file contains several drafts and copies of legal agreements, largely relating to the establishment of the companies Museum Investment Trust, and Air Time Ltd. These include /4-/11: annotated drafts of Articles of Agreement dated 1937 drawn up by Frederick Lawton relating to the agreement reached in 1937 with the ruler of Sark to establish a radio station on the island, involving David Allen & Sons Ltd and Museums Investment Trust, and associated correspondence. There is also a draft Deed of Covenant, dated 1939, with annotations and additions by Frederick Lawton, relating to the allocation of shares in Air Time Ltd to David Allen & Sons Ltd, and a revised version of this document, together with associated papers.
Papers relating to the 1937 agreement to establish a radio station on Sark include /26: typed memorandum on the jurisdiction applying to the establishment of radio stations on the Channel Islands, and to the rights of the Seigneur of Sark, and /27: an Opinion, compiled by Frederick Lawton to assess the legal situation.
Other material includes of typescript reports and memoranda concerning agreements and negotiations, including /3 : undated report on proposals to set up a radio station in Spain; /28: a document dated April 1938 which contains plans for representatives to attend conferences in Luxembourg, Spain and Liechtenstein, and details of the current efforts to secure franchises in Belgium, Ireland, Denmark, Germany, Liechtenstein, Sark, Iceland and Austria; /29: photocopy of a typescript progress report that appears to date from 1938 outlining the terms of existing agreements with Sark, Liechtenstein and Toulouse and Bordeaux in France, and the state of negotiations in Ireland, Denmark, Germany, Belgium and Austria.
Further information about attempts to establish a radio station in Germany is contained in /12-/24: set of correspondence from Captain Wiedemann, Hitler's adjutant, to Diana Mosley, who travelled to Germany on several occasions to try to negotiate an agreement with the German government. These letters have been photocopied, and some have attached typed English translations. The correspondence is dated 1937-1938. It appears that Diana was occasionally accompanied by Frederick Lawton, and the file also contains /25: note written by him from the Hotel Kaiserhof in Berlin, dated June 1938.
Financial papers relating to the venture include /38: set of audited accounts for Radio Variety Ltd, a company set up to sell advertising and develop programmes for the radio stations. These provide financial statements for 1943, 1944 and 1945, signed by James Herd, and Peter Eckersley, the directors of the company. There is also correspondence dated 1945-1946 from James Herd, accountant, to Mosley, concerning the value of Air Time Ltd shares, the assets and cash position of the company and its affairs.
Undated material consists of a typescript written by Mosley giving an explanation of the financial situation of the B.U.F which led to the establishment of companies for radio advertising, and an undated letter to Mosley from B. Rayner concerning an unidentified business association. It is unclear whether this relates to Air Time Ltd or Radio Variety Ltd.
The file includes /30: letter from Maud Mosley to an unidentified recipient relating to negotiations with Robert Gordon-Canning concerning the purchase of shares in New Era Securities, dated 1939. It is unclear whether this company was connected to the radio advertising venture. |