Talk:Robert Maxwell

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[edit] Conspiracy theory?

needs to be de-conspiracy theoried Philip 18:46, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)

now it doesnt

[edit] Poor article

This is a very poor article which needs complete rewriting. Adam 10:26, 19 Feb 2005 (UTC)

I agree. Very poorly done. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.127.7.58 (talk) 13:06, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Better terminolgy

I have tried to create a more NPOV balance in the article. See my changes [1] (Edit summary: "His sons were ACQUITTED, The official report describes them as acting "inexcusably." Thus: Copy edits for real NPOV, remove negative judgmental comments with more frequently used business terms".) IZAK 07:25, 13 Apr 2005 (UTC)

[edit] POV and fact

That Maxwell was a corporate crook is a legally proved and universally acknowledged fact, not a "POV." I have reinstated my original wording. Adam 09:00, 13 Apr 2005 (UTC)

It's almost certain to my mind that he was all these things, but reading the article it struck me that it wasn't NPOV to say so, only to report that substantial evidence was uncovered to make it highly probable. I mean, the man was never tried much less convicted, surely there is a more neutral way to present the facts. --AladdinSE 04:19, Apr 14, 2005 (UTC)

Nor was Hitler, and for the same reason. Maxwell's crimes were clearly established after his death, and they can and should be stated as fact. Adam 04:25, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I wonder whether that's true: that his crimes were clearly established. Was the use of the pension funds illegal at the time? I know it is now, but I got the impression the law was tightened after the Maxwell case. Chances are that Maxwell intended the move to be very temporary, but then died; and whether he could have done anything to save the situation is, I know, debatable, because he was in such debt. But I think Aladdin has a point: a criminal is someone with a criminal record. We could let the facts speak for themselves rather than label him. SlimVirgin (talk) 07:29, Apr 14, 2005 (UTC)
I think that's correct. Rich Farmbrough 12:58 16 May 2006 (UTC).
Some of Maxwell's plundering of the pension fund was legal, and some of his misuse of funds could be said to occupy a grey area, since he had blurred the distinction between his own money and other peoples, and the interests of his own companies, and those that he was in control of but didn't own outright - he repeatedly transferred money back and forth between his own private companies and others as an elaborate "shell game". But eventually this wasn't enough, and he resorted to actual criminal fraud. He eventually raised money by mortgaging assets that he didn't actually own, and misrepresenting their ownership. That was actual criminal fraud. ErkDemon 01:34, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

It was very common at the time for companies to use pension fund money to bridge company finances. The comparison to Hitler is outrageous. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.127.7.58 (talk) 13:08, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Hardly Factual.

Much regarding the Mossad-and Israeli spy references are purely nonsensical speculation and invention, produced by some crappeddlers.

I am a member of the crooks family, and I must say that it highly amuses us that some people even entertain such thoughts as these. Mossad spy? Maybe in someones dreams...but surely not in reality.

I believe that evidence should be presented as such, and invention and speculation as what it is: a vapid thought of an idle mind. -- User:Partybuddha

There appears to be a semi-reputable source for it: [2]. (Oh, and please sign your additions, by using four tildes (~~~~ - I've done it for you this time). --bodnotbod 21:59, 13 October 2005 (UTC)

There is a book called 'Robert Maxwell: Israel's Superspy' [3] by Gordon Thomas, some of it is based on interviews with Mossad agent Rafi Eitan and is reliable. Though most of the book is speculation, the Israel connection is to do with Iran Contra and arms dealing in the early 1980s, (for the Iran/Iraq war) and cannot now be denied. What the Dickens was arms dealer Nick Davies, who was on the Mossad payroll and a business partner of Ari Ben-Menashe doing as the Mirror's Foreign Editor you may ask. Lucrative and strategically important to Israel- only Captain Bob had the right contacts to move arms, spare parts and cash between Israel, US and the mullas of Iran via bank accounts in the then Communist Block. Information regarding this is usually deleted by zionist administrator Slimvirgin who monitors anything about Maxwell and then purges the bits that can be harmful to Israel. However most of this is now old history and admitted to by the Israelis themselves so I think the zealots at Wikipedia are being too censorious when there is no need. I heard that the Maxwell family did try to claim the assassination related life insurance policy but due to the fact that Maxwell's corpse had been tampered with (the brain, lungs, liver and other organs removed in the Canary Islands) it was impossible to obtain the right kind of pathologist's report. Take together with Malcolm Rifkind's refusal to allow the body into the UK, surely this was indicative of some kind of foul play. --Rolec Dubbing (talk) 14:04, 29 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Poor german-speaking jewish family

i assume this means they were german-speaking jews who weren't very well off. right now it sounds like they just had a poor grasp of the german language. Amo 19:39, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

I doubt that German-speaking part altogether. In old Czech newspaper article he claimed to be from Czech-speaking family (not even Slovak), which is logical given the number of Czechs settled in Ruthenia and the fact he was in Czech-speaking army units in UK during WWII. Ross.Hedvicek 23:46, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Lady Ghislaine

For general interest, here's a link to a photo of Lady Ghislaine, Maxwell's yacht at the time, now renamed Lady Mona K. Not sure if it should appear on Maxwell's page. Lady Mona K

It would be intersesting to have an arrow pinpointing where the arthritic 22 stone Maxwell was standing when he 'fell' into the sea. If the railings were neck or chest high he would have had to be as fit as Tarzan to hurl himself over.
--Rolec Dubbing (talk) 15:33, 30 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Oooh

Ooh, nice yacht. Why rename it from Ghislaine to Mona K though? Was Maxwell an idiot as well as a crook?

[edit] Other names

Abraham Lalji Hoch and Labji Hoch are two other names Maxwell might have used.

[edit] As a character in a James Bond film

I have removed the following on two occasions as it is unsubstantiated and not particularly significant:

The Johnathan Pryce chacter [sic] Elliot Carver in the James Bond move [sic] Tommorow Never Dies is based on Maxwell, William Randolf Hearst and Ruppurt Murdoch.

The article on the movie does suggest Maxwell though, and adds Bill Gates in to the mix for good measure, but as part of the article it does seem to be unnecessary clutter. The plot summary (in the character profile) does suggest that Maxwell was a somewhat minor inspiration over the others. Philip Cross 21:37, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Place of birth

Please don't keep putting back wrong information

Someone keeps deleting my edits on Maxwell and it's getting very annoying. You should know what you are doing or not do it at all. Two of you, one person is is a high school student named Jorge, keep reinserting the notion that Maxwell was born in Slovakia. Please study your geography before you play with these things. As I tried to put in the correction, Maxwell's home town is in Zakarpattiya, a province which I know extensively from personal travel and my work at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine. It was NEVER part of Slovakia and is 160 KM SE of the closest point on the Slovak border. The correct notation for the province is Subcarpathian Ruthenia or Ruthenia to refer to the 1920-1938 province of Czechoslovakia. Please read your history books or the Wikipedia article on the subject. Don't make your readers think that the people who contribute these articles are a bunch of know-nothings.

One of the people you complain about is myself. All I can do is apologize for an unjustified revert. Philip Cross
Slatinské Doly was the official name in the 1930s and the village is now part of Solotvino (together with Selo Slatina, a former name was also Akna Slatina). Cf. http://encyklopedie.seznam.cz/heslo/435106-slatinske-doly for example. --murli 18:45, 19 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] My edit

I added that he was an MP in the opening as he is probably the only MP we have an article for and this isnt in the opening, and also that he was Czechoslovakian in the opening, unquestionably true where just to call him British is inaccurate POV, SqueakBox 21:28, 24 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Twat head Maxwell?

I am loathe to edit an article I know so little about, but is this phrase correct? cojoco 02:37, 1 November 2007 (UTC)

Nevertheless, writs were swiftly issued by Mirror Group Solicitors on instruction from twat head Maxwell,