283:(AGF), an organisation of leading political and business figures in the UK dedicated to the establishment of closer links with Germany. Tennant was appointed the first secretary of the new group. He was also a prominent financier of the AGF and following its formation he was recognised as the main driving force behind the group, which for a time enjoyed widespread influence in the higher echelons of British society. He was for a time close to
198:. He wrote again for the journal in January 1935, claiming in his article "Herr Hitler's Constructive Policy" that many of the stories of Nazi excesses that appeared in the British press were exaggerations and part of "a smoke-screen of anti-Hitler propaganda". In order to encourage links, he led a trade delegation to Germany on 9 May 1934. On 20 September 1934, he met
266:
in his stead, a decision that Hitler interpreted as a snub. Tennant was able to arrange another meeting between von
Ribbentrop and Baldwin in February 1935 but this was an altogether frostier affair, with Tennant condemning Baldwin roundly for what he considered the future Prime Minister's lack of
258:
in
November 1934. Accounts of the meeting vary, with Tennant claiming that Baldwin liked von Ribbentrop but Davidson suggesting the opposite. Tennant attempted to use the meeting as a basis for a Baldwin visit to Germany but, after some consideration, he declined the invitation and sent his
341:
Tennant was one of a number of leading pro-German
Britons sent to Germany clandestinely with the approval of the British government in 1939 in an attempt to avoid war by conversing with Nazis considered sympathetic to the UK. To this end he met von Ribbentrop at his castle near
168:, rising to the rank of captain. A merchant banker by profession, he was highly successful and developed extensive business interests in Germany. He was associated with various financial institutions, including what is now called the "
144:(5 May 1887 – 31 July 1962) was an English merchant banker and industrialist. An advocate of closer links between the UK and Germany, he was a prominent voice for co-operation between the countries in the years before the
302:
was a source of embarrassment to those in the UK advocating closer links to
Germany. He added that he intended not to listen to any specifically anti-Jewish speeches delivered at the rallies. Tennant also helped to facilitate
329:
when it was established in 1937, reasoning that the group was too pro-Nazi. Having grown very close to the historian Philip
Conwell-Evans - himself a leading AGF member - the two men became increasingly uneasy about
584:
298:, a virulent supporter of the Nazi movement, was also among those who travelled there. Tennant was not, however, a convinced Nazi and as early as 1935 had acknowledged that Nazi
279:
on 26 November 1934 at which they decided to organise the pro-German interests on a more formal basis. The plans came to fruition in
September 1935 with the establishment of the
315:
Tennant initially accepted the German justification for their activities in central Europe - that they were merely safeguarding German minority populations - and wrote to
381:
on 11 April 1912 and the couple had four children together before divorcing. On 15 February 1950 he remarried, this time to Irene
Adelaide Gage, the daughter of
287:, having met him through his father and brother, both of whom were merchant banking colleagues of Tennant. Meinertzhagen was also a founder member of the AGF.
831:
821:
846:
841:
307:'s visit to Germany the same year, with the former Prime Minister subsequently writing a favourable tribute to Hitler after the visit.
203:
180:
A frequent visitor to
Germany, Tennant hoped to encourage greater trade links with the UK. He was initially enthusiastic about
338:. By 1938, he had grown disillusioned with Hitler and privately began to characterise German actions as simply expansionism.
826:
263:
165:
789:
260:
434:, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003.p. 1502
347:
239:
and the two men became close friends, with
Tennant regularly staying at von Ribbentrop's home in the exclusive
485:
382:
252:
350:
as a provocative gesture to
Germany. At the meeting (which had the unofficial approval of Prime Minister
149:
141:
25:
399:
326:
129:
851:
354:) von Ribbentrop told Tennant that if the British wanted war with the Nazis then "Germany is ready".
836:
280:
185:
81:
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in 1936. He was still keen to stress however that he was not a Nazi, and rejected membership of
236:
284:
816:
811:
605:
8:
351:
304:
190:
398:
Camilla Tennant (born 22 January 1930); later wife of the Anglo-Australian politician
785:
248:
223:
219:
378:
358:
232:), one of four guests of honour at a banquet thrown by Hitler on 19 December 1934.
145:
91:
194:, a journal that was otherwise sceptical about the Nazis despite largely admiring
184:
and in 1933 his article "Herr Hitler and His Policy: March 1933" was published in
291:
255:
240:
215:
195:
161:
369:
Tennant was the son of William Augustus Tennant and Agnes Gairdner and lived at
374:
228:
211:
125:
63:
346:
in July, with the Nazi ambassador telling Tennant that he considered the UK's
805:
295:
610:
Hurrah For the Blackshirts: Fascists and Fascism in Britain Between the Wars
490:
Fellow Travellers of the Right: British Enthusiasts For Nazi Germany 1933-39
370:
331:
299:
199:
585:"Coffee With Hitler by Charles Spicer review – polite society v the Nazis"
276:
275:
Tennant dined with von Ribbentrop and several British businessmen at the
207:
169:
373:, a country house that was already in his family. He was a cousin of
335:
322:
317:
343:
251:, Tennant was able to arrange a meeting between von Ribbentrop and
474:
The Meinertzhagen Mystery: The Life and Legend of a Colossal Fraud
290:
Tennant was one of a group of prominent Britons who attended the
450:
Letting the Side Down: British Traitors of the Second World War
244:
181:
389:
Vanessa Fiaschi Dalrymple Tennant (23 August 1919 – 1995)
202:
as part of a further delegation to Germany, along with
395:
Julian William Fiaschi Tennant (1 August 1924 – 1995)
803:
357:Following the war Tennant was subpoenaed to the
235:During a trip to Germany in 1932, Tennant met
206:and other industrialists. He also accompanied
468:
466:
464:
462:
460:
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832:Officers of the Order of the British Empire
784:. Kelly's Directories. 1977. p. 1645.
724:
722:
526:
524:
432:Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage
117:William Augustus Tennant and Agnes Gairdner
270:
455:
444:
442:
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719:
576:
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426:
424:
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418:
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214:on trips to Germany and was, along with
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583:Larman, Alexander (4 September 2022).
582:
492:, Oxford University Press, 1983, p. 41
437:
822:British Army personnel of World War I
774:
413:
392:June Tennant (born 11 November 1921)
847:20th-century English businesspeople
175:
13:
103:Vanessa Fiaschi Dalrymple Tennant
14:
863:
842:People from Uttlesford (district)
361:to testify about von Ribbentrop.
321:in defence of the march into the
364:
148:. He was made an Officer of the
139:Ernest William Dalrymple Tennant
761:
748:
735:
706:
693:
680:
667:
654:
641:
628:
615:
599:
563:
452:, Sutton Publishing, 2006, p. 3
261:Parliamentary Private Secretary
769:Fellow Travellers of the Right
714:Fellow Travellers of the Right
701:Fellow Travellers of the Right
688:Fellow Travellers of the Right
675:Fellow Travellers of the Right
558:Fellow Travellers of the Right
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545:Fellow Travellers of the Right
537:
532:Fellow Travellers of the Right
516:Fellow Travellers of the Right
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503:Fellow Travellers of the Right
495:
479:
310:
155:
107:Julian William Fiaschi Tennant
1:
406:
383:Henry Gage, 5th Viscount Gage
334:, particularly following the
253:Lord President of the Council
476:, Potomac Books, 2007 p. 306
247:. Through a friendship with
7:
827:Intelligence Corps officers
150:Order of the British Empire
10:
868:
756:Hurrah For the Blackshirts
743:Hurrah For the Blackshirts
662:Hurrah For the Blackshirts
649:Hurrah For the Blackshirts
226:(foreign correspondent of
636:The Meinertzhagen Mystery
571:The Meinertzhagen Mystery
121:
113:
99:
87:
77:
69:
59:
47:
32:
20:
651:, Pimlico, 2006, p. 271
612:, Pimlico, 2006, p. 269
281:Anglo-German Fellowship
271:Anglo-German Fellowship
186:Douglas Francis Jerrold
82:Anglo-German Fellowship
782:Kelly's Handbook, 1977
430:Charles Mosley (ed.),
237:Joachim von Ribbentrop
160:Tennant served in the
730:Letting the Side Down
623:Letting the Side Down
385:. His children were:
285:Richard Meinertzhagen
352:Neville Chamberlain
95:Irene Adelaide Gage
305:David Lloyd George
191:The English Review
166:Intelligence Corps
486:Richard Griffiths
249:J. C. C. Davidson
224:George Ward Price
220:Esmond Harmsworth
204:Robert Vansittart
136:
135:
859:
852:English fascists
796:
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472:Brian Garfield,
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453:
446:
435:
428:
379:Eleonora Fiaschi
359:Nuremberg trials
348:Polish guarantee
176:Links to Germany
146:Second World War
92:Eleonora Tennant
54:
42:
40:
18:
17:
867:
866:
862:
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837:English bankers
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292:Nuremberg rally
273:
256:Stanley Baldwin
216:Lord Rothermere
196:Italian fascism
178:
162:First World War
158:
109:Camilla Tennant
108:
106:
104:
94:
73:Merchant banker
52:
38:
36:
28:
23:
12:
11:
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587:. The Observer
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411:
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375:Margot Asquith
366:
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312:
309:
272:
269:
264:Geoffrey Lloyd
229:The Daily Mail
212:Montagu Norman
177:
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157:
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134:
133:
126:Margot Asquith
123:
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55:(aged 75)
49:
45:
44:
34:
30:
29:
24:
22:Ernest Tennant
21:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
864:
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690:, pp. 191-192
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448:Sean Murphy,
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423:
421:
419:
417:
412:
401:
400:William Yates
397:
394:
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386:
384:
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377:. He married
376:
372:
365:Personal life
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360:
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349:
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339:
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328:
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296:Unity Mitford
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172:" in Israel.
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130:William Yates
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791:0610-00493-X
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589:. Retrieved
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510:
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473:
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371:Orford House
368:
356:
340:
332:Nazi Germany
316:
314:
300:antisemitism
289:
274:
243:district of
234:
227:
200:Adolf Hitler
189:
179:
159:
138:
137:
132:(son-in-law)
105:June Tennant
53:(1962-07-31)
51:31 July 1962
15:
817:1962 deaths
812:1887 births
767:Griffiths,
712:Griffiths,
699:Griffiths,
686:Griffiths,
673:Griffiths,
606:Martin Pugh
556:Griffiths,
543:Griffiths,
530:Griffiths,
514:Griffiths,
505:, pp. 77-78
501:Griffiths,
311:Towards war
277:Savoy Hotel
267:diplomacy.
208:Paul Rykens
156:Early years
60:Citizenship
806:Categories
634:Garfield,
569:Garfield,
407:References
170:Bank Leumi
128:(cousin),
70:Occupation
43:5 May 1887
39:1887-05-05
591:23 August
336:Anschluss
323:Rhineland
318:The Times
294:in 1935.
164:with the
152:in 1919.
122:Relatives
114:Parent(s)
88:Spouse(s)
771:, p. 182
758:, p. 283
745:, p. 282
728:Murphy,
716:, p. 301
703:, p. 277
677:, p. 222
664:, p. 272
638:, p. 305
621:Murphy,
573:, p. 181
547:, p. 118
534:, p. 117
518:, p. 123
344:Salzburg
327:the Link
100:Children
78:Movement
732:, p. 13
64:British
788:
754:Pugh,
741:Pugh,
660:Pugh,
647:Pugh,
625:, p. 4
245:Berlin
241:Dahlem
182:Nazism
786:ISBN
593:2023
222:and
210:and
48:Died
33:Born
188:'s
142:OBE
26:OBE
808::
721:^
608:,
523:^
488:,
457:^
439:^
415:^
218:,
794:.
595:.
402:.
41:)
37:(
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