In the mid-1930s, the 58-year-old Swedish multimillionaire Axel Wenner-Gren was one of the wealthiest men in the world and oversaw a global business empire that included Electrolux vacuum cleaners, a Swedish arms company, and a Swedish aircraft manufacturer among others (see Blog, “Was Athenia’s Rescuer a Nazi Spy?” Aug. 1, 2014).

Well acquainted with the world’s elite businessmen, as well as politicians, celebrities, and royalty, he traveled in very exclusive circles. U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor hosted Wenner-Gren and his American-born wife, Marguerite, for a weekend at the White House in 1936. A few months later, Wenner-Gren met Hermann Gӧring, the number two man in the Nazi government. Wenner-Gren, who was educated in Germany, enjoyed business connections there that stretched back three decades, so it was not surprising that he might meet with Gӧring, particularly as both men had a keen interest in aviation. Nevertheless, within a few years Wenner-Gren’s German association would be seen by some in a more troubling light. Read More