by John Preston
Maxwell Charitable Trust, 168
Maxwell Communications Corporation (MCC; formerly British Printing Corporation): RM takes over, 103; Pole hired by, 162; advert for, 165–7; RM tries to prop up share price, 167–9; Ian and Kevin made joint MDs, 175; financial problems, 194–6; RM steps down as Chairman, 206; RM further props up share price, 207–8; Walker resigns as Chairman because of potential inflation of profits, 210; Stoney made Commercial Director, 214–15; and missing MGN funds, 214–15, 217–18, 224–5; accelerating slump in share price, 223; Finance Director threatens to resign over missing money, 226; banks sell off shares, 232; Swiss Bank calls in loan, 234–5; collapse, 263–7
Maxwell House (formerly Strand House), 125, 126, 132, 211, 268, 269
Me and My Girl (musical), 155–6
Meynard, Elisabeth see Maxwell, Elisabeth
MGN see Daily Mirror and Mirror Group
MI6, 27, 31
Miller, Peter, 118
Mincemeat operation (1943), 254–5
Miranda, Bob, 88–9, 90–91
Mirror Group see Daily Mirror and Mirror Group
Molloy, Mike: appearance, 110; welcomes RM to Mirror, 110; RM talks to about past life, 16, 19; on eating with RM, 119; on Who Dares Wins prize presentation, 120; discusses RM with Pitt-Atkins, 123–4; on Mother Teresa, 126–7; on Maxwell House, 132; attends lavish RM party, 160; on Andrea Martin, 176; on RM’s background, 287–8
Mondale, Walter, 169
Monte Carlo, 39
Montgomery, Field-Marshal Bernard, 13
Moon, Anna, 205
Morgan, Sir John, 170, 172
Morrell family, 154
Mosley, Oswald, 65
Moss, Brian, 44, 46, 55
Mossad, 149, 219, 220–21, 276
Mother Teresa, 126–7
MTV, 195–6
Murdoch, Anna, 70–71, 288
Murdoch, Elisabeth, 70–71
Murdoch, James, 288
Murdoch, Sir Keith, 68
Murdoch, Rupert: background, 68; relationship with RM, xx–xxi; abandons partnership talks with RM, 63–4; wins battle against RM for ownership of News of the World, 64–74; wins battles against RM for ownership of Sun and Times, 102–3; influence in Conservative Party, 104; RM’s rivalry with, 104, 110–11, 113, 116, 142–6; on RM’s ego, 115; transfers production of papers to Wapping, 117–18; possible spy at Mirror, 119; wins battle against RM for ownership of Today, 142–4; quote about RM, 145; warned about RM’s increasingly irrational behaviour, 210; tribute to RM, 252–3; discusses RM with Black, 268; Archer novel about rivalry with RM, 273–4; on cause of RM’s death, 276–7; helps Betty publish book about her marriage, 281; see also Sun
Nabarro, Sir Gerald, 57
Netherlands, 11–13, 28–9
New Caxton Encyclopedia, 75
New York: Fu’s restaurant, xxvi
New York Daily News, xiii–xxviii, 201, 202, 213–14, 267
News (Adelaide), 68, 70
News International, 143
News of the World, 64–74
Noble, Kendrick, 166
novels, 273–4
O’Connor, Cardinal John, xvi, xx
Official Aviation Guide, 146
Olmert, Ehoud, 262
Oxford United, 103
Paarlo, 11–13
Panorama (TV programme), 223–4
Paris, 10, 13–15
Paris Match, 263–4
Parkinson, Michael, 5, 138–41
Parliament: RM’s speeches, 53–4, 56–7; House of Commons food, 58–9, 60–62; Westminster wine cellar, 61–2
Pearl, Alex, 6
Peat Marwick, 33
People, 171; see also Daily Mirror and Mirror Group
Perdoma, José Francisco, 241
Perera, Josef, 203–4
Peres, Shimon, 252, 261
Pergamon Australia, 63–4
Pergamon Press: established, 31; RM gains key contracts, 39–40; RM loses control, 75–81; DTI report into sale, 86; RM regains control, 86–92; publishes Betty’s Holocaust journal, 150; fortieth-anniversary party, 155–61; RM sells to Elsevier, 205–6
Pergamon Press Inc. (PPI), 88–91
Perpich, Rudy, 192, 197
Philip, Prince see Edinburgh, Prince Philip, Duke of
phone bugging, 162–4, 181, 265–6
Pirie, Bob, xxv–xxvi
Pisar, Sam, 245
Pitt-Atkins, Tom, 123–4
Plumb, Laura see Maxwell, Laura
Poland, 41–2
Pole, John, 162–4, 181–2, 231, 266
pork, 28–9
Powell, Charles, 196
Powell, Colin, 204, 213
PPI see Pergamon Press Inc.
Proops, Marje, 121
Public Relations and Information Services Control (PRISC), 23–4
Rankin, Gus, 233–40, 244, 247, 254, 278
Reagan, Nancy, 199–200
Reagan, Ronald, 156, 199–200, 269, 287
Reed International, 103–7, 109
Rhodes, 175–6
Richardson, Sir Michael, 157, 209–10
Ridley, Nicholas, 196
Robert Maxwell’s Code of Conduct for Direct Sellers, 75
Roberts, Virginia, 285
Rodriguez, Sergio, 237
Roemer, Benita de, 9
Romania, 216
Ronson, Gail, 200
Ronson, Gerald, 146, 147–50, 161, 200, 277
Rosenbaum, Dr Alfred, 226
Rosenbluth, Lou, 21–2
Rothschild, Jacob, 146
Rothschild’s bank, 146, 239
Rusbridger, James, 254–5
Russia see Soviet Union
Samson (biblical figure), 275
Sasakawa, Ryōichi, 105–6, 107–8, 121, 122
Sassie, Victor, 16
Savage, Pat, 35–6
Schörner, Field-Marshal Ferdinand, 21
Schwarzkopf, Norman, 204
Second World War (1939–45), 5–18
Shah, Eddie, 142, 143
Shamir, Yitzhak, 148–9, 197, 261
Sharon, Ariel, 261
Simpkin, Marshall, 31–2, 33–4
Sinatra, Frank, Jnr, 225
Smith, Liz, xxvii–xxviii
Snowdon, Antony Armstrong-Jones, Lord, 113
Solotvino, 1–4, 17, 150–51, 215–16
Somerfield, Stafford, 66–7, 68, 70, 71–2
Soviet Union: RM spies on Russians, 22, 41; RM sells periodicals to Russians, 32; RM woos key scientists for Pergamon, 40; RM warns Thatcher that it may collapse, 196; RM helps to improve relations with Israel, 197; end of, 217
Spencer, Ivor, 129
Spilsbury, Sir Bernard, 255
Spot-the-Ball competitions, 193–4, 224
Springer, Ferdinand, 24–6, 27
Springer, Julius, 24
Springer-Verlag, 24–7, 30, 31, 41
Sputnik, 40
Standard Literature Company, 76
Steel, David, 67
Steinberg, Saul, 76–81, 88–9, 91
Stonehouse, John, 255
Stoney, Michael, 214–15, 218
Stott, Richard: becomes Editor of Mirror, 222; on people’s behaviour round RM, 114; on Who Dares Wins prize presentation, 121; gives black-tie dinners for senior Mirror staff, 179; attends Gridiron Dinner, 202–4; interviews Davies about indiscretions and arms-dealing allegations, 222–3; on Guest, 225; helps with New York Daily News negotiations, xviii–xx; and collapse of RM empire, 263, 264; memoir about RM, 282–3; death, 282
Strand House see Maxwell House
Straubenzee, Sir William van, 58–9
Sun: Murdoch buys, 101–2; and Conservative Party, 104; RM plans for Mirror to overtake in popularity, 111; Bingo game, 113–14, 116; prints story about Jay, 128; Spot-the-Ball competition, 193; publishes stories about Davies, 221–2; tribute to RM, 253; on collapse of RM empire, 266
Sunday Mirror, 103–12; see also Daily Mirror and Mirror Group
Sunday People, 103–12; see also Daily Mirror and Mirror
Group
Sunday Times, 61–2, 78, 80
Susteren, 11
Sutton Coldfield, 8–9
Swadling, Samuel, 44, 47
Swiss Bank, 227, 232, 234–5, 236
Sylvia (RM’s mistress), 9
Telegraaf, Der, 24
Telegraph Group, 145
televisions, underwater, 171
Thatcher, Margaret: lunches at Mirror, 119; writes to congratulate RM on fortieth anniversary of Pergamon, 156; RM late for meeting because of Andrea Martin, 172–3; relationship with RM, 194; RM warns that Soviet Union may collapse, 196; photo in Betty’s Birthday Book, 199–200; phones and writes to Betty after RM’s death, 247, 252
Theodoracopulos, Taki, 215
Thompson, Mark, 223–4
Thomson, Lord, 79
Thornton, Clive, 101, 103, 104, 110, 116, 118
Times, The, 102–3
‘Tiny’ see Hinsey, Caroline
Today (newspaper), 142–4
Today (TV programme), 82–3
Tomorrow Never Dies (film), 274
Topchiev, Academician (Soviet Academy of Sciences), 40–41
Tower, John, xxvi
Tracy, Helen O’Connor, 227–8
Tracy, Tom, 227–8
Trade and Industry, Department of, 86, 272–3
trade unions: New York Daily News fight with, xv–xx; Sun negotiations, 102; RM’s relationship with at Mirror, 111, 117–18; Thornton negotiates with at Mirror Group, 116; Murdoch and Wapping, 117–18
Trevor-Roper, Hugh see Dacre, Hugh Trevor-Roper, Lord
Trollope, Anthony, vii
Trujillo, Arturo Hernandez, 237
Trump, Donald, xxvi–xxvii, 284
Ulanova, Galina, 36–7
Vaca, Captain Jesús Fernández, 241, 242–3
Vanunu, Mordechai, 220–21
Villers-Bocage, 9–10
Vloed Beek canal, 11
Vogel, Rabbi Feivish, 238
Walker, Peter, 206, 210
Wallenberg, Raoul, 18
Wallersteiner, Kurt, 28–30, 32, 33–4
Walters, Simon, 221–2
Wapping, 117–18
Watson, Major D. J., 11–13
Watson, Ian, xvii–xviii, 225, 286
West, Dr Iain, 250, 257–60, 278–80
Wheeler, George, 176–7, 226–7
Whipple, Babs, 41
Whipple, Fred, 41
Whitlock, Major John, 30
Who Dares Wins game, 113–16, 120–21
Wilde, Oscar, 154
Williams, Les, 162
Willse, Jim, xxi–xxii
Wilson, Charlie, xx, 253, 265
Wilson, Harold: important foreign policy speech delayed by one of RM’s, 54; keeps tally of number of RM’s Commons speeches, 57; and ‘I’m Backing Britain’, 60; guest at Headington Hill Hall, 78; calls 1970 General Election, 83; and Haines, 116; private chef, 136; speaks at one of RM’s parties, 157; tribute to Betty on her seventieth birthday, 200
Wilson, Mary, 200
yachts, 147–8, 227–8; see also Lady Ghislaine
Yeltsin, Boris, 217
York, Prince Andrew, Duke of, 149, 285
Yugoslavia, 6
Zhivkov, Todor, 179–81
Zhukov, Marshal Georgy, 22
Photo Section
Maxwell being presented with the Military Cross by Field Marshal Montgomery in March 1945. The day before, he had learned that his mother and one of his sisters had been murdered by the Nazis.
Maxwell and Betty shortly after their marriage.
Maxwell with Barry in post-war Berlin.
Clash of the titans: a rare photograph of Maxwell and Rupert Murdoch in the same room, together with the Japanese businessman Yosaji Kobayashi.
A genius for hobnobbing: Maxwell with Mrs Thatcher and Nelson Mandela.
‘That odious man’: Maxwell with Princess Diana.
When the going was good: Maxwell with Andrea Martin and Peter Jay.
Up above the clouds: Maxwell stretched out on his private jet.
Headington Hill Hall: ‘the best council house in the country’.
The Mirror pulls out all the stops to report Maxwell’s death.
About the Author
JOHN PRESTON is a former journalist and arts editor of the Sunday Telegraph. He is the bestselling author of six books, the most recent of which, A Very English Scandal, was made into a BAFTA- and Golden Globe Award–winning television series starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw. The film adaptation of his novel, The Dig, has just been released on Netflix starring Ralph Fiennes, Carey Mulligan, and Lily James.
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Copyright
FALL. Copyright © 2021 by John Preston. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Originally published as Fall: The Mystery of Robert Maxwell in Great Britain in 2021 by Viking.
FIRST U.S. EDITION
Cover design by Caroline Johnson
Cover photograph © Rick Maiman/Getty Images
Digital Edition FEBRUARY 2021 ISBN: 978-0-06-299751-7
Version 12282020
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-299749-4
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