George Sergius de Mohrenschildt (April 17, 1911 – March 29, 1977) was an American petroleum geologist , anti-communist political refugee , professor, and occasional CIA field agent . De Mohrenschildt, who moved to the Dallas area in October 1961, is best known for having befriended Lee Harvey Oswald in the summer of 1962.
150-588: Mohamed Abdel Moneim Al-Fayed ( / æ l ˈ f aɪ . ɛ d / ; 27 January 1929 – 30 August 2023) was an Egyptian businessman whose residence and primary business interests were in the United Kingdom from the mid-1960s. His business interests included ownership of the Hôtel Ritz Paris , Harrods department store and Fulham Football Club . At the time of his death in 2023, Forbes estimated his wealth at US$ 2 billion. Fayed
300-489: A sisal plantation, a derelict operation they never went near." In a 1976 CIA internal memo regarding de Mohrenschildt, Director George H. W. Bush stated: "At one time he had/or spent plenty of money." On April 1, 1977, Jeanne de Mohrenschildt gave the House Select Committee on Assassinations a print of a photograph showing Lee Harvey Oswald standing in his Dallas backyard holding two newspapers and
450-620: A "crucial witness". That afternoon, de Mohrenschildt was found dead from a shotgun wound to the head in a house at which he was staying in Manalapan , Florida . The coroner's verdict was suicide. In the book Killing Kennedy (2012), television personality Bill O'Reilly claimed he had been knocking on de Mohrenschildt's front door when he heard a shotgun blast that marked the suicide. However, this claim has since been proven false. A contemporaneous phone call recording between O'Reilly and Fonzi confirmed that O'Reilly had been investigating
600-526: A "landmark transaction". A spokesman for Mohamed Al-Fayed said "in reaching the decision to retire, [Fayed] wished to ensure that the legacy and traditions that he has built up in Harrods would be continued." Al-Fayed later revealed in an interview that he decided to sell Harrods following the difficulty in getting his dividend approved by the trustees of the Harrods pension fund. Al-Fayed said "I'm here every day, I can't take my profit because I have to take
750-504: A "serious and famous Dutch clairvoyant" named Gerard Croiset had a vision of a conspirator who had manipulated Oswald; his description led Oltmans to de Mohrenschildt, and the two stayed in touch. In 1977, Oltmans went to Texas and brought de Mohrenschildt to the Netherlands. Oltmans claimed that he had rescued de Mohrenschildt from a mental institution to bring him to Croiset. According to Oltmans, Croiset agreed that de Mohrenschildt
900-652: A 30 percent stake for £138 million in the House of Fraser , a group that included the Knightsbridge department store Harrods , from Tiny Rowland, the head of Lonrho. Lonrho had been pursuing control of the House of Fraser since 1977, and had been prevented from acquiring the company by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in a 1981 ruling, although its purchase of The Observer was approved. After his purchase of
1050-435: A bird said to symbolise the "Holy Spirit". The sculpture was created by William Mitchell , a close friend of Al-Fayed and artistic design advisor to Harrods for 40 years. Al-Fayed said he wanted to keep the pair's "spirit alive" through the statue. 51°29′59″N 00°09′49″W / 51.49972°N 0.16361°W / 51.49972; -0.16361 George de Mohrenschildt De Mohrenschildt's testimony before
1200-598: A business at 228 Borough High Street in Southwark . He ran this business, variously listed as a draper, mercer, and a haberdasher, until at least 1831. During 1825, the business was listed as 'Harrod and Wicking, Linen Drapers, Retail', but this partnership was dissolved at the end of that year. His first grocery business appears to be as 'Harrod & Co. Grocers' at 163 Upper Whitecross Street , Clerkenwell, E.C.1., in 1832. In 1834, in London's East End , he established
1350-466: A change of name of Harrods Limousine Ltd, which had been registered at Companies House since 14 November 2007. The application went un-defended by the respondent and the adjudicator ordered on 16 January 2009 that Harrods Limousine Ltd must change their name within one month. Additionally the respondent was ordered not to cause or permit any steps to be taken to register another company with an offending name which could interfere, due to its similarity, with
1500-550: A closet. Jeanne told George that Oswald had a rifle, and George joked to Oswald, "Were you the one who took a pot-shot at General Walker?" (General Edwin Walker was a politician whom de Mohrenschildt "knew that Oswald disliked.") When asked by the Warren Commission about Oswald's reaction, de Mohrenschildt replied that Oswald "smiled at that". In an interview with Edward Jay Epstein, de Mohrenschildt claimed to have told
1650-576: A company owned by the family of Preston A. Hampton In 1947, he married Phyllis Washington, the step-daughter of a diplomat with the State Department , S. Walter Washington. They divorced in 1949. That same year, de Mohrenschildt became a naturalized U.S. citizen. In 1950, he launched an oil investment firm with his step-nephew Edward Hooker, with offices in New York City, Denver, and Abilene . In 1951, de Mohrenschildt's third marriage
SECTION 10
#17328020118951800-614: A declassified CIA document, obtained by the House Select Committee on Assassinations , de Mohrenschildt was in fact correct and J. Walton Moore was an agent of the CIA's Domestic Contacts Division in Dallas.) De Mohrenschildt asserted that, shortly after meeting Oswald, he had asked Moore and Fort Worth attorney Max E. Clark about Oswald to reassure himself that it was "safe" to assist Oswald. De Mohrenschildt testified that one of
1950-942: A dissertation on the economic influence of the U.S. on Latin America , he received a doctor of science degree in international commerce from the University of Liège in Belgium in 1938. George von Mohrenschildt emigrated to the United States in May 1938, after which he legally Gallicised the nobiliary particle in his name from the German "von" to the French "de". According to de Mohrenschildt, he gathered information about people involved in pro-Nazi activities, such as those bidding for US oil leases on behalf of Nazi Germany before
2100-435: A few years ago, and the current poor state of your wife's health. I was extremely sorry to hear of these circumstances. In your situation I can well imagine how the attentions you described in your letter affect both you and your wife. However, my staff has been unable to find any indication of interest in your activities on the part of Federal authorities in recent years. The flurry of interest that attended your testimony before
2250-473: A first-generation print of the backyard photo already known to the Warren Commission as "CE-133A" and which had probably been taken on March 31, 1963. Jeanne de Mohrenschildt also gave the HSCA a copy of a draft manuscript called I Am a Patsy! I Am a Patsy! , which George de Mohrenschildt had completed in the summer of 1976 about his relationship with his "dear, dead friend" Oswald. In the manuscript, he said that
2400-555: A formal partnership. Al-Fayed earned £1.5 million commission from the contract for British engineering company Costain to carry out the work to the port. Al-Fayed also assisted in securing finance for the Dubai World Trade Centre . The banker David Douglas-Home of Morgan Grenfell was responsible for managing the contract. By the mid-1970s Costain had gained over £280 million of contracts thanks to Al-Fayed and Tajir, and Al-Fayed bought 20.84% of Costain's shares. He
2550-776: A geological field survey for the U.S. State Department -sponsored International Cooperation Administration . While in Yugoslavia, de Mohrenschildt was accused by the secret police , or UDBA , of making drawings of military fortifications. After returning to the United States, de Mohrenschildt was debriefed by the CIA, both in Washington and in Dallas. Following his divorce in 1957, de Mohrenschildt married his fourth wife, former dancer, model, and fellow Russian-American Jeanne LeGon, in June 1959. LeGon (née Eugenia Fomenko)
2700-632: A group of MPs who put "their consciences, their constituents and their country at the heart of their politics, rather than their party" The People's Trust was dissolved in September 1998 after failing to file its accounts. After Vanity Fair published Maureen Orth 's article " Holy War at Harrods ", Al-Fayed sued the American magazine for libel in September 1995 but withdrew his suit in 1997. Al-Fayed invited Tom Bower to write his biography in 1996. Bower's biography, Fayed: The Unauthorized Biography
2850-528: A group that included the London store Harrods , from Rowland. In 1985, he and his brothers bought the remaining 70% of House of Fraser for £615m. Rowland claimed that the Fayed brothers lied about their background and wealth, and he put pressure on the government to investigate them. A Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) inquiry into the Fayeds was launched. The DTI's subsequent report was critical, but no action
3000-598: A mental institution in Texas for three months, and listed in a notarized affidavit four previous suicide attempts while he was in the Dallas area. In the affidavit, she stated that de Mohrenschildt suffered from depression, heard voices, saw visions, and believed that the CIA and the Jewish Mafia were persecuting him. However, he was released at the end of the year. According to the Dutch journalist Willem Oltmans , in 1967
3150-529: A new political organisation, The People's Trust, to promote a crusade against a "culture of violence". The establishment of The People's Trust followed Al-Fayed's support for anti-abortion candidates and the Christian Democrat, the newspaper of the Movement for Christian Democracy. The People's Trust planned to write to all candidates in the 1997 United Kingdom general election in order to identify
SECTION 20
#17328020118953300-415: A permission of those bloody idiots. I say is this right? Is this logic? Somebody like me? I run a business and I need to take the trustee's permission to take my profit." Al-Fayed was appointed honorary chairman of Harrods, a position he held for six months. The store occupies a 5-acre (20,000 m ) site and has over one million square feet ( 90,000 m ) of selling space in over 330 departments making it
3450-434: A personal shopping-assistance programme known as "By Appointment"; a watch repair service; a tailor; a dispensing pharmacy; a beauty spa and salon; a barbers shop; Ella Jade Bathroom Planning and Design Service; private events planning and catering; food delivery; a wine steward; bespoke picnic hampers and gift boxes; bespoke cakes; bespoke fragrance formulations; and Bespoke Arcades machines. Up to 300,000 customers visit
3600-582: A photograph taken during the trip shows him meeting the American ambassador to Costa Rica . Lee Harvey Oswald and his Russian-born wife Marina Oswald were introduced to de Mohrenschildt in the summer of 1962 in Fort Worth, Texas . De Mohrenschildt testified before the Warren Commission in 1964 that he met the Oswalds through a prominent member of Fort Worth's Russian-American community, oil accountant George Bouhe . When de Mohrenschildt asked whether it
3750-544: A private company prior to the group's relisting on the London Stock Exchange . Following denial that it was for sale, Harrods was sold to Qatar Holdings , the sovereign wealth fund of the State of Qatar in May 2010. A fortnight previously, chairman of Harrods since 1985, Mohamed Al-Fayed , had stated that "People approach us from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar. Fair enough. But I put two fingers up to them. It
3900-499: A record profit in the process. In short order, a new building was built on the same site, and soon Harrods extended credit for the first time to its best customers, among them Oscar Wilde , Lillie Langtry , Ellen Terry , Charlie Chaplin , Noël Coward , Gertrude Lawrence , Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh , Sigmund Freud , A. A. Milne , and many members of the British Royal Family . Beatrix Potter frequented
4050-506: A rifle, and with a pistol on his hip – a photograph taken by Oswald's wife Marina . While similar to other prints that had been found among Oswald's effects on November 23, 1963, the existence of this particular print was previously unknown. On the back was written "To my friend George from Lee Oswald" and the date "5/IV/63" (April 5, 1963), along with the words "Copyright Geo de M" and a Russian phrase translated as "'Hunter after fascists, ha-ha-ha!!!" Handwriting specialists later concluded that
4200-528: A secret bank account in Switzerland. The British Department of Trade and Industry began to investigate Lonrho in early 1976, and an alarmed Al-Fayed quit the company in May 1976. He sold his Lonrho shares to Kuwaiti investors and bought back his Costain shares for £11 million. Tajir's influence in Dubai was waning by 1977, and Al-Fayed was excluded from the commission process for a new aluminium smelter, and
4350-532: A similar contract with Al-Fayed, for fifty years. Al-Fayed also associated with the geologist George de Mohrenschildt . He terminated his stay in Haiti six months later when a sample of "crude oil" provided by Haitian associates proved to be low-grade molasses . Al-Fayed promised to use his connections in Dubai to help bring investment to the Caribbean island, if they allowed him to build an oil refinery, and develop
4500-426: A thriving retail operation selling medicines, perfumes, stationery, fruits and vegetables. Harrods rapidly expanded, acquired the adjoining buildings, and employed one hundred people by 1881. However, the store's booming fortunes were reversed in early December 1883, when it burnt to the ground. Remarkably, Charles Harrod fulfilled all of his commitments to his customers to make Christmas deliveries that year—and made
4650-498: A town in the north of Russia. De Mohrenschildt later testified before the Warren Commission that, while awaiting transport to Veliky Ustyug, his father became ill. Two doctors who treated him in jail advised him to stop eating so he would appear more sickly. The doctors then told the Soviet government that Sergey was too ill to survive the trip to Veliky Ustyug and he should be allowed to recover at home. The Soviet Government agreed, under
Mohamed Al-Fayed - Misplaced Pages Continue
4800-536: A wholesale grocery in Stepney at 4 Cable Street with a special interest in tea. Attempting to capitalise on trade during the Great Exhibition of 1851 in nearby Hyde Park , in 1849 Harrod took over a small shop in the district of Brompton , on the site of the current store. Beginning in a single room employing two assistants and a messenger boy, Harrod's son Charles Digby Harrod built the business into
4950-517: Is a British luxury department store located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London , England. It is owned by Harrods Ltd , a company currently owned by the state of Qatar via its sovereign wealth fund , the Qatar Investment Authority . The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies, including Harrods Estates , Harrods Aviation and Air Harrods . Recognised as one of
5100-439: Is a series of recollections about the brief time period between September 1962 and April 1963 when he and his wife were acquainted with the Oswalds. A secondary focus consists of a number of meditations on the corrosive effects the Oswalds had on the professional and personal lives of the de Mohrenschildts. "It must be acknowledged that our brief friendship with the Oswalds had strange and adverse effects on our lives." The manuscript
5250-423: Is involved in this or they do not want to accept my complaints. We are driven to insanity by the situation. I have been behaving like a damn fool ever since my daughter Nadya died from [cystic fibrosis] over three years ago. I tried to write, stupidly and unsuccessfully, about Lee H Oswald and must have angered a lot of people — I do not know. But to punish an elderly man like myself and my highly nervous and sick wife
5400-416: Is less concerned with Oswald's guilt or innocence than with suggesting who the real criminals might be. Stating that Oswald was a "patsy not involved in any revenge", and referencing articles describing "organized murder for profit", de Mohrenschildt challenges readers to make up their own minds. De Mohrenschildt's manuscript was edited and annotated as Lee Harvey Oswald as I Knew Him by Michael A. Rinella. It
5550-642: Is not for sale. This is not Marks and Spencer or Sainsbury's . It is a special place that gives people pleasure. There is only one Mecca." The sale was concluded in the early hours of 8 May, when Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani came to London to finalise the deal, saying that the acquisition of Harrods would add "much value" to the investment portfolio of Qatar Holdings while his deputy, Hussain Ali Al-Abdulla, called it
5700-439: Is really too much. Could you do something to remove the net around us? This will be my last request for help and I will not annoy you any more. Good luck in your important job. Thank you so much. George H. W. Bush responded: Let me say first that I know it must have been difficult for you to seek my help in the situation outlined in your letter. I believe I can appreciate your state of mind in view of your daughter's tragic death
5850-682: The Cold War , one of the founders of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty . While in New York, de Mohrenschildt became acquainted with the Bouvier family , including future First Lady of the United States Jacqueline Bouvier . Jacqueline grew up calling de Mohrenschildt "Uncle George" and would often sit on his knee. He became a close friend of Jacqueline's aunt Edith Bouvier Beale . De Mohrenschildt dabbled in
6000-763: The Dallas Petroleum Club , was a member of the Dallas Council on World Affairs , and taught at a local college. One of his longtime friends, offshore oil engineer George Kitchel, told the FBI that de Mohrenschildt counted among his good friends oil barons Clint Murchison , H.L. Hunt , John W. Mecom Sr. , and Sid Richardson . De Mohrenschildt also joined the right-wing Texas Crusade for Freedom , whose members included Earle Cabell , Everette DeGolyer , David Harold Byrd and Ted Dealey . In 1957, de Mohrenschildt went to Communist Yugoslavia to conduct
6150-607: The Polish resistance , by making a documentary film about resistance fighters in Occupied Poland. In 1942, de Mohrenschildt married an American teenager named Dorothy Pierson. They had a daughter, Alexandra (known as Alexis) and divorced in early 1944. In 1945, de Mohrenschildt received a master's degree in petroleum geology from the University of Texas . After the end of World War II , de Mohrenschildt moved to Venezuela , where he worked for Hampton Industries Oil ,
Mohamed Al-Fayed - Misplaced Pages Continue
6300-673: The Seasonal Christmas department, jewellery departments and the Food Halls , are well known. Harrods was also a founder of the International Association of Department Stores in 1928, which is still active today, and remained a member until 1935. Franck Chitham, Harrods' president at the time, was president of the Association in 1930. In 1824, at the age of 25, Charles Henry Harrod established
6450-731: The UVW union , which claimed that 483 affected employees were losing up to £5,000 each in tips every year. A surprise protest and roadblock organised by the union outside Harrods during the January sales of 2017 was followed by an announcement that "an improved tronc system" would give 100% of service charges to staff. Twenty female former staff members alleged that during Al Fayed’s ownership, Harrods not only failed to intervene, but helped cover up his sexual abuse of young staff members, including multiple rapes or attempted rapes. The first report of abuse arose in 1985 soon after Al Fayed took ownership of
6600-638: The Warren Commission in April 1964. According to Colonel L. Fletcher Prouty , then chief Pentagon-to-CIA liaison officer, de Mohrenschildt also had several private lunches with former CIA director and Warren Commission member Allen Dulles while testifying. In November 1966, de Mohrenschildt left Haiti and returned to Dallas. During 1967, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jim Garrison interviewed de Mohrenschildt and his wife as part of Garrison's prosecution of Clay Shaw . Garrison said that both of
6750-494: The Warren Commission investigating the assassination was one of the longest of any witness. Since his testimony and subsequent death years later, de Mohrenschildt has been a popular figure in conspiracy theories regarding the assassination of John F. Kennedy . For example, those who believe that the United States Government was responsible have accused de Mohrenschildt of being Oswald's CIA handler . On
6900-485: The goodwill of the applicant. Finally, Harrods Limousine Ltd was ordered to pay Harrods' costs for the litigation. Following the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales , and Dodi Fayed , Mohamed Al-Fayed's son, two memorials to the couple commissioned by Al-Fayed were erected inside Harrods. The first, located at the base of the Egyptian Escalator, was unveiled on 12 April 1998, consisting of photographs of
7050-472: The 1988 DTI report into Al-Fayed's background stated "we have no doubt at all that Mohamed Fayed perpetrated a substantial deceit on the government and people of Haiti in 1964 ... he deprived the harbour authority of over US $ 100,000 of money it could ill-afford to lose" Fayed then moved to England, where he lived in central London. Ingratiating himself in London's Arab expatriate community, Al-Fayed met an Iraqi businessman, Salim Abu Alwan, and through Alwan
7200-530: The 2016 television adaptation 11.22.63 , played by Jonny Coyne . His Haitian experience is depicted in Hans Christoph Buch's novel Haïti Chérie ( Suhrkamp , 1990). De Mohrenschildt was discussed at length in the TruTV series Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura . The episode claims that de Mohrenschildt was in fact a CIA handler for Oswald. In 1997, Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh released
7350-561: The Al-Fayed and his family. Al-Fayed was concerned by the loyalty of his staff, and employed two young Greek women as spies, to report on their fellow employees. The telephones of the shop workers' trade union, USDAW were bugged. Employees were signed to three-month contracts, and were often fired without agreed compensation, and forced to go to an industrial tribunal. Al-Fayed also listened to his employees, and secretly recorded conversations about their sex lives. Harrods Harrods
7500-468: The Al-Fayeds claimed as their own was apparently used as collateral in order to guarantee a loan of more than £400 million to buy House of Fraser. Al-Fayed told Maureen Orth in an interview that "If you have a company with tremendous assets like Harrods...you have no problem. You don't need to use cash." The first loan, from a Swiss bank, was replaced with another loan secured by House of Fraser shares,
7650-570: The Al-Fayeds had acquired the House of Fraser with none of their own money used to purchase it. The Al-Fayeds ownership of Harrods was complete when the British government issued a press release announcing that it would not refer the Al-Fayeds' bid to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission . During the final stages of the Al-Fayeds purchase of Harrods, Tiny Rowland wrote to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry , Norman Tebbit , repudiating
SECTION 50
#17328020118957800-462: The Al-Fayeds outside of the Observer was virtually stopped. From 1985 until 1987 Rowland led a worldwide investigation into Al-Fayed and his acquisition of Harrods. He employed accountants and solicitors, private detectives and freelance journalists in an operation, said to cost many millions of pounds, that was beyond the scope of any newspaper inquiry. Illicit bugging devices were used and some of
7950-418: The Al-Fayeds story of the origin of their families wealth. Rowland also enlisted the help of Ashraf Marwan , to aid him in his exposing of the Al-Fayeds. The Observer newspaper, owned by Rowland, was used to attack the Al-Fayeds. Al-Fayed issued a libel suit against The Observer , and other newspapers critical of the Al-Fayeds were routinely threatened or issued with similar writs. All critical reporting of
8100-547: The British Government, which had accused them of misrepresentation in the DTI report. They contended that the report had ruined their reputation and was not subject to appeal. Harrods had entered a steady decline under Hugh Fraser, yet still accounted for half of the House of Fraser group's profits. Determined to restore Harrods' fortunes, Al-Fayed hired Brian Walsh as manager of House of Fraser. Walsh created divisions in
8250-479: The British government about the sources of his wealth, and that the government had failed to investigate Al-Fayed's credentials and had approved the sale without a reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission (while Lonrho had faced three inquiries under the commission), and that the new trade secretary, Norman Tebbit , had prevented Lonrho from bidding while Al-Fayed's deal went through. To take control of
8400-528: The Bush family; George H.W. Bush had roomed with de Mohrenschildt's nephew, Edward G. Hooker, at Phillips Academy in Andover , Massachusetts . The letter said: You will excuse this hand-written letter. Maybe you will be able to bring a solution to the hopeless situation I find myself in. My wife and I find ourselves surrounded by some vigilantes; our phone bugged; and we are being followed everywhere. Either FBI
8550-406: The CIA after traveling to communist countries such as Yugoslavia, as de Mohrenschildt was.) After returning home from a weekend trip to Houston, de Mohrenschildt became aware that someone had broken into his home and copied his personal papers and other documents. At the time, he also had a manuscript that Oswald had given him to read, and realized that the document might also have been photocopied in
8700-424: The CIA that he believed Oswald had attempted to murder General Walker. "I spoke to the CIA both before and afterwards. It was what ruined me." The Warren Commission concluded that on April 10, 1963, Oswald had attempted to murder General Edwin Walker. In June 1963, de Mohrenschildt moved to Haiti . He never saw Oswald again. After Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, de Mohrenschildt testified before
8850-402: The Dallas photographic firm of Jaggars-Chiles-Stovall. De Mohrenschildt's wife and daughter would later say that it had been he who had secured the job at Jaggars-Chiles-Stovall for Oswald. On April 14, 1963, de Mohrenschildt and his wife Jeanne visited the Oswalds' Dallas apartment. As Marina was showing Jeanne around the apartment, they discovered Oswald's rifle leaning against the wall inside
9000-722: The Egyptian Escalators, which replaced the store's central lifts. Mitchell also designed memorials for Dodi Fayed and Diana, Princess of Wales at Harrods. Al-Fayed claimed to have invested more than £400 million restoring Harrods, with £20 million being spent on the Egyptian escalator. In 1991 the House of Commons Trade and Industry Committee told the Governor of the Bank of England , Robin Leigh-Pemberton to order
9150-466: The Fayeds to transfer control of the Harrods Bank to trustees, after they found that the Fayeds were not "fit and proper" to run the bank. Al-Fayed bought his brother, Saleh, out of his interest in Harrods for £100 million in 1994. In 1994, before House of Fraser plc was relisted on the London Stock Exchange , Harrods was moved out of the group so that it could remain under the private ownership of
SECTION 60
#17328020118959300-595: The HSCA that he and de Mohrenschildt were associated with a woman named Jacqueline Lancelot. Dryer's relationship with Lancelot included passing messages for her to people in the United States whom Dryer assumed were connected in some way to the CIA. Dryer said that Lancelot had told him shortly after the assassination that a "substantial" sum of money, $ 200,000 or $ 250,000, had been deposited in de Mohrenschildt's account. Dryer said that de Mohrenschildt had claimed that he had come to Haiti to scout for oil, but Dryer stated that "I could never figure out what he did." Dryer expressed
9450-430: The House of Fraser group, the Al-Fayed brothers had to convince the British government that they possessed sufficient assets to securely purchase the group. The Al-Fayeds invented a spurious family history of old money for themselves. Represented by the investment bankers Kleinwort Benson and the law firm Herbert Smith , the Al-Fayeds' bankers submitted to the government a one and a half page summary of their assets, which
9600-545: The House of Fraser purchase, and an inquiry by inspectors from the Department of Trade and Industry was delivered in July 1988, but the DTI declined to publish it. Rowland obtained a copy in 1989, and the report was published in a special free sixteen page edition of The Observer on a Thursday morning. Publishing the report helped put the DTI inspectors' findings into the public arena, helping The Observer s libel defence, with
9750-446: The House of Fraser shares, Al-Fayed demanded that Rowland leave the board of House of Fraser, and courted the chairman of House of Fraser, Professor Roland Smith, who received a retroactive bonus once Al-Fayed had acquired the company. The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry , John Biffen , ruled that Lonrho must give an undertaking not to buy any more shares in the House of Fraser, a ruling that left Roland "incandescent". Following
9900-478: The Oswald he knew was rarely ever violent, and would not have been the sort of person to have killed Kennedy. In part, this judgment was based on de Mohrenschildt's estimation of Oswald's political views and Kennedy's liberal ideas. Until 2014 the memoir had never been published as a standalone book, but the entire typescript was published as an appendix in the HSCA report. The primary focus of de Mohrenschildt's text
10050-533: The Russian immigrant. However, O'Reilly learned of de Mohrenschildt's suicide from Fonzi and was not even in Florida at the time, but was in Dallas, Texas. On April 2, 1977, Willem Oltmans told the House Select Committee on Assassinations that de Mohrenschildt had implicated himself in the conspiracy to kill President Kennedy. And Pat S. Russell, who was de Mohrenschildt's attorney, said "I definitely feel there
10200-662: The Secretary of State, to the Office of Fair Trading, to the House of Fraser board and shareholders, and their own advisers' Rowland and the Lohnro group had previously been strongly criticised by a 1976 DTI report, and had been described by Prime Minister Edward Heath as "an unpleasant and unacceptable face of capitalism". In 1993 the European Court of Human Rights dismissed a case brought by Al-Fayed and his brothers against
10350-406: The U.S. Embassy in Haiti. "I would never have contacted Oswald in a million years if Moore had not sanctioned it", de Mohrenschildt said. "Too much was at stake." On the same day as the Epstein interview, de Mohrenschildt received a business card from Gaeton Fonzi , an investigator for the House Select Committee on Assassinations , telling him that he would like to see him. The HSCA considered him
10500-458: The US became involved in World War II . De Mohrenschildt testified that a further purpose of his data collection was to help French petroleum companies outbid the Germans. George de Mohrenschildt spent the summer of 1938 with his older brother Dimitri von Mohrenschildt on Long Island , New York. Like George, Dimitri von Mohrenschildt was a staunch anti-communist, who was also an anti-Nazi agent for General William J. Donovan 's OSS and, during
10650-559: The United States from his trip. His daughter talked with him at length and found him to be deeply disturbed about certain matters, reporting that he had expressed a desire to kill himself. On March 29, de Mohrenschildt gave an interview to author Edward Jay Epstein , during which he claimed that in 1962, Dallas CIA operative J. Walton Moore and one of Moore's associates had handed him the address of Oswald in nearby Fort Worth and then suggested that de Mohrenschildt might like to meet him. He suggested to Moore that he would appreciate some help from
10800-459: The Warren Commission (though he had noted in his manuscript that Oswald had a rifle in April 1963, and scoffed to Oswald that he had missed General Walker, remembering that Oswald had blanched at the joke). According to de Mohrenschildt, the photograph was not found among his stored papers until he and his wife found it in February 1967. When analyzed by the HSCA in 1977, this photo turned out to be
10950-477: The Warren Commission has long subsided. I can only speculate that you may have become "newsworthy" again in view of the renewed interest in the Kennedy assassination, and thus may be attracting the attention of people in the media. I hope this letter had been of some comfort to you, George, although I realize I am unable to answer your question completely. On November 9, 1976, Jeanne had de Mohrenschildt committed to
11100-476: The ability to sell back gold to Harrods in the future. Harrods used to provide paid "luggage room" services for storing luggage/ items; however, post COVID they stopped providing this service. Harrods and Mohamed Al-Fayed were criticised for selling real animal fur, provoking regular protests organised outside Harrods. Harrods is the only department store in Britain that has continued to sell fur. Harrods
11250-514: The admission of Mohamed to the sultan's confidence ... It is, however, a very powerful coincidence." Using a power of attorney, Al-Fayed bought the Dorchester Hotel for the sultan in 1985. Al-Fayed accompanied the sultan to 10 Downing Street to visit Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in January 1985, with sterling in decline and threatening the economy. The sultan, who had moved £5 billion ($ 5.6 billion) of assets out of pounds, moved
11400-405: The aim of pressuring the government into releasing the report. Lawyers from the DTI produced a court injunction and ordered all copies of The Observer s version of the report to be handed over or pulped. The report was officially published in 1990. The DTI report said that the Al-Fayed brothers had 'dishonestly represented their origins, their wealth, their business interests and their resources to
11550-527: The assets back into sterling. Al-Fayed took credit for this and for persuading the sultan to give half a billion pounds of contracts to British defence industries. Fayed briefly joined the board of the mining conglomerate Lonrho in 1975 but left after a disagreement. In 1979 he bought the Ritz hotel in Paris, France, for US$ 30 million. In 1984 Fayed and his brothers purchased a 30% stake in House of Fraser ,
11700-486: The basis for Winnie-the-Pooh . In December 1926, Agatha Christie , who visited Harrods as a girl, marvelled at the spectacle of the store's Christmas display . The store has also featured in fiction, for example Mr. Bean (played by Rowan Atkinson ) visited Harrods to buy Christmas decorations in the 1992 Mr. Bean episode " Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean ". A chance meeting in London with businessman, Edgar Cohen , eventually led to Charles Harrod selling his interest in
11850-436: The belief that de Mohrenschildt had "some intelligence connection." Congressional researcher Gaeton Fonzi noted that in late 1963 "several large deposits popped up in de Mohrenschildt's Haitian bank account including one for two hundred thousand dollars from a Bahamian bank." This occurred when de Mohrenschildt and Clemard Joseph Charles, an advisor to Haitian president Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier , "were 'supposedly' running
12000-1038: The biggest department store in Europe. The UK's second-biggest shop, Selfridges, Oxford Street , is a little over half the size with 540,000 square feet (50,000 m ) of selling space. By comparison Europe's second-largest department store the KaDeWe in Berlin has a retail space of 650,000 square feet (60,000 m ). The shop's 330 departments offer a wide range of products and services. Products on offer include clothing for women, men, children and infants, electronics, jewellery, sporting gear, bridal trousseau , pet accessories, toys (including Christmas and signature teddy bears), food and drink, health and beauty items, packaged gifts, stationery, housewares, home appliances, furniture, and much more. A representative sample of shop services includes 23 restaurants, serving everything from high tea to tapas to pub food to haute cuisine ;
12150-572: The charges were dropped. Sensitive documents were stolen, along with jewellery, rare stamps and a gold cigarette case, among other items. Fayed settled the dispute with a payment to Rowland's widow; he also sued the Metropolitan Police for false arrest in 2002, but lost the case. In 1994 House of Fraser went public, but Fayed retained ownership of Harrods. He unsuccessfully applied for British citizenship twice, in 1994 and 1999. It has been suggested that his feud with Rowland contributed to
12300-407: The code and barred from entry include pop star Kylie Minogue , Jason Donovan , Luke Goss , a Scout troop , a woman with a Mohican hair cut , and the entire first team from FC Shakhtar Donetsk who were wearing tracksuits. As of 2023, Harrods takes the following position: "We do not have a specific dress code for entry into the store, including any of our restaurants. However, we do reserve
12450-457: The company, and more than 200 buyers resigned in the next two years. Following arguments with Al-Fayed, Walsh was fired in October 1987. To calm staff, Al-Fayed distributed envelopes containing £2,000 in cash. Following Walsh's departure, Al-Fayed moved his offices onto the fifth floor of Harrods, and took a more hands-on role as chairman of the store. Walsh was replaced by Michael Ellis-Jones, who
12600-551: The condition that Sergey check in weekly until he was well enough to be sent to Veliky Ustyug. After his release, Sergey, his wife and the young de Mohrenschildt then fled to the Second Polish Republic in a hay wagon (de Mohrenschildt's older brother Dimitri, who was awaiting execution, was later repatriated to Poland as part of a prisoner exchange ). During their journey, de Mohrenschildt, his father and mother Alexandra contracted typhoid fever . Alexandra died of
12750-610: The confiscation of Egyptian property in 1961, Al-Fayed transferred ownership of his Middle Eastern Navigation Company to Genoa in Italy. On June 12, 1964, Al-Fayed arrived in Haiti , then under the control of François "Papa Doc" Duvalier . Al-Fayed entered the country on a Kuwaiti passport, and introduced himself as Sheikh Mohamed Fayed. Shortly after his arrival, Duvalier cancelled a ten year contract with an American company that gave them monopoly control over Haiti's oil industry, and signed
12900-542: The construction of Dubai's aluminium smelter, and Al-Fayed was targeted over his management contract of the Dubai World Trade Centre. Al-Fayed's contract to manage the centre was later terminated by the Maktoums, and Al-Fayed sued them for compensation estimated between £30 to 90 million. The case came to court in October 1994, and after trying to unsuccessfully settle the case with the Maktoums, Al-Fayed
13050-423: The de Mohrenschildts insisted that Oswald had been the scapegoat in the assassination. Garrison concluded from his conversation with them that George de Mohrenschildt had been one of Oswald's unwitting "baby-sitters ... assigned to protect or otherwise see to the general welfare of Oswald." George and Jeanne de Mohrenschildt obtained a divorce in Dallas, Texas on April 3, 1973, after nearly 14 years of marriage. It
13200-413: The development of Jebel Ali , putting Costain's future profits at risk. In 1993 Al-Fayed was visited at Harrods by Mohammed Alabbar , the director of Dubai's Department of Economic Development. Alabbar had been appointed by Sheikh Maktoum to eradicate the system of large commission payments from previous decades. Tajir was challenged in the British courts to repay his alleged excessive profits earned from
13350-401: The device was actually a woven leather conveyor belt-like unit with a mahogany and "silver plate-glass" balustrade. Nervous customers were offered brandy at the top to revive them after their 'ordeal'. The department store was acquired by House of Fraser in 1959, which in turn was purchased by the Fayed brothers in 1985. In 1994, Harrods was moved out of the House of Fraser Group to remain
13500-556: The disastrous effect that his deception had on the case that day. In the mid-1960s, he met the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum , who entrusted him with helping transform Dubai, where he set up IMS (International Marine Services) in 1968. Fayed introduced British companies like the Costain Group (of which he became a director and 30% shareholder ), Bernard Sunley & Sons , and Taylor Woodrow to
13650-606: The disease shortly after the family crossed into Poland. After the death of his wife, Sergey von Mohrenschildt and his sons made their way to Wilno , where the family owned a six-acre estate. George de Mohrenschildt graduated from the Wilno gymnasium in 1929 and later graduated from the Polish Army 's Cavalry Academy in 1931. He went on to earn a master's degree at the Institute of Higher Commercial Studies. Having completed
13800-509: The emirate to carry out construction work. Al-Fayed became a financial adviser to the then Sultan of Brunei Omar Ali Saifuddien III in 1966. Al-Fayed told Maureen Orth that he had known Hassanal Bolkiah , who succeeded Saifuddien on his abdication, since the sultan's childhood and that they had met during the building of a trade centre in Brunei. Tiny Rowland told DTI inspectors that Al-Fayed had told him that he negotiated an introduction to
13950-503: The film Willem Oltmans, De Eenmotorige Mug ( Willem Oltmans, the single-engined mosquito ). In the film, journalist Willem Oltmans makes claims about his contacts with de Mohrenschildt (and Oswald's mother, Marguerite Oswald ) until de Mohrenschildt's death in 1977. At 2315 hours, on 29 March 1977, this writer made contact with the victim's wife, MRS. JEANNE de MOHRENSCHILDT, in California ... and advised her of her husband's demise;
14100-641: The final scene of Unlawful Killing , a film funded by Al-Fayed and directed by Keith Allen . Asma al-Assad , the wife of the President of Syria , Bashar al-Assad , used an alias to shop at Harrods despite economic sanctions imposed by the European Union that froze funds belonging to her and her husband. Harrods has been criticised by Guardian journalist Sali Hughes as "deeply sexist" for making female employees wear six kinds of makeup at all times without requiring this of male employees. Harrods
14250-446: The first refusal. In 1996 Al-Fayed bought the rights to the historic British humorous magazine Punch , and it was relaunched later that year, at a cost of £3 million, under new editor Peter McKay. Punch had previously been published from 1841 to 1992. The relaunch was not successful, with Punch failing to match its satirical competitor, Private Eye . Punch folded for a second time in 2002. In January 1997 Al-Fayed established
14400-446: The first time, visiting France, Italy and Switzerland. Returning to Egypt, Al-Fayed confessed to his wife, Samira Kashoggi , Adnan Kashoggi's sister, that he had had an affair, and she demanded a divorce. Al-Fayed terminated his partnership with Adhan Kashoggi, and secretly withdrew £100,000 from Kashoggi's Al Nasr trading company. Kashoggi issued a writ against Al-Fayed for the return of the money, and later agreed with Al-Fayed to forgive
14550-524: The government accepted. The Al-Fayed brothers claimed they were from a family of wealthy cotton traders. Their wealth was estimated by their bankers, Kleinwort Benson, to be worth "several billion dollars". A press release by Kleinwort Benson stated that the Al-Fayeds were an "old established Egyptian family who for more than 100 years were ship owners, land owners and industrialists in Egypt." The report said that they were raised in Britain and fled Egypt following
14700-525: The government in disgrace, and a Committee on Standards in Public Life established to prevent such corruption occurring again. Fayed also revealed that cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken stayed for free at the Ritz Hotel in Paris at the same time as a group of Saudi arms dealers, leading to Aitken's unsuccessful libel case and later imprisonment for perjury . During this period, Al-Fayed's spokesman
14850-405: The horse show was terminated after Prime Minister John Major had urged the chairman of the show to find a new sponsor to save Queen Elizabeth II from association with Al-Fayed. The artist and designer, William Mitchell, was hired by Al-Fayed to create an 'entertaining retail environment'; this resulted in the creation of an Egyptian Hall on the ground floor of Harrods and, following its success,
15000-417: The hundreds. A timeline of sexual abuse allegations by current and former staff now exists while investigations continue. In 1986, the town of Ōtorohanga , New Zealand, briefly changed its name to "Harrodsville". This was a protest in support of a restaurateur, Henry Harrod of Palmerston North , who was being forced to change the name of his restaurant following the threat of lawsuits from Mohamed Al Fayed,
15150-526: The insurance business from 1939 to 1941, but failed his broker's examination. In 1941, he became associated with Film Facts in New York, a production company owned by his cousin, Berend Maydell, also known as Baron Maydell (or Count Maydell) who allegedly had pro-Nazi sympathies. According to a memo by former CIA director Richard Helms , de Mohrenschildt "was alleged to be a Nazi espionage agent." George de Mohrenschildt denied ever having Nazi sympathies and claimed instead to have helped raise money in America for
15300-632: The legal action and Harrodsville and its shops reverted to their former names. The town's response raised widespread media interest around the world, with the BBC World Service and newspapers in Greece, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Canada covering the story. On 27 October 2008, in the case of Harrods Ltd v. Harrods Limousine Ltd , the Harrods store applied to the Company Names Tribunal under s.69(1)(b) Companies Act 2006 for
15450-430: The liner trade' they only owned two roll-on roll-off 1600 ton cargo ferries; if all these facts had been known people would have been less disposed to believe that the Al-Fayeds really owned the money they were using to buy HOF (House of Fraser) 1988 DTI report into the background of the Fayed brothers In March 1985 the Al-Fayeds announced a formal cash offer for House of Fraser of £615 million, which Kleinwort claimed
15600-486: The money and other loans and debts in return for Samira's freedom to remarry and return to Egypt. Following Egyptian President Nassar 's threats to expropropriate foreign businesses, Al-Fayed was able to take control of a small shipping company, owned by Leon Carasso, who wished to emigrate. Carasso later claimed that Al-Fayed had defaulted on the agreed payment for his business. Fayed also acquired interests in other transport companies at favourable prices. After Nasser ordered
15750-460: The money went in bribes to officials to unearth incriminating documents in Egypt, Haiti, Dubai, Brunei, France and Switzerland, allegedly proving fraudulent dealings by Al-Fayed and showing his humble origins and limited net worth. The results of Rowland's investigations into the Al-Fayeds were given to the Sunday newspaper The Observer , owned by Lonrho. The Observer campaigned for an inquiry into
15900-696: The next twenty years, with legal repercussions continuing into the late 1990s. Rowland persuaded Al-Fayed to exchange his shares in Costain for 5.5 million shares in Lonrho in March 1975, and Al-Fayed used the profit from the deal to buy another 3 million shares in Lonrho and become a director of the company. Al-Fayed soon became alarmed at Rowland's use of Lonrho's money to fund his lifestyle and to pay large bribes in Africa, as well as his syphoning of company profits into
16050-584: The other hand, Ion Mihai Pacepa , a high level defector from Communist Romania and occasional CIA asset, has alleged that de Mohrenschildt, despite his claims to be a descendant of the Russian nobility and an anti-communist political refugee from the Red Terror , was in reality a KGB First Chief Directorate illegal field agent , who focused on collecting military intelligence and who acted as Oswald's Soviet intelligence handler. De Mohrenschildt
16200-497: The persons with whom he had discussed Oswald told him that Oswald "seems to be OK," and that "he is a harmless lunatic." However, he was no longer sure who had told him that. (When interviewed in 1978 by the House Select Committee on Assassinations , J. Walton Moore said that while he "had 'periodic' contact with de Mohrenschildt", he had no recollection of any conversation with him concerning Oswald. During this period, tens of thousands of American citizens were routinely debriefed by
16350-440: The right to refuse entry to anyone who is not deemed to be appropriately dressed. Sportswear, including trainers, shorts, and tracksuits, are permitted across all areas of the store and restaurants." Harrods was the holder of royal warrants from: In August 2010, in a letter to The Daily Telegraph , chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed revealed that he had burnt Harrods royal warrants , after taking them down in 2000. Harrods had held
16500-536: The rise to power of Gamal Abdel Nasser . The DTI report came to very different conclusions about the scale of their wealth, stating that; If people had known, for instance, that they only owned one luxury hotel; that their interests in oil exploration consortia were of no current value; that their banking interests consisted of less than 5 percent of the issued share capital of a bank and were worth less than $ 10 million; that they had no current interests in construction projects: that far from being 'leading shipowners in
16650-462: The royal warrants since 1910. Describing the warrants as a "curse", Al-Fayed claimed that business had tripled since their removal. Prince Philip removed his warrant in January 2000, and the other warrants were removed from Harrods by Al-Fayed in December, pending their five-yearly review. Prince Philip had been banned from Harrods by Al-Fayed. Film of the burning of the warrants in 2009 was shown in
16800-482: The ruler of Sharjah, and accused Bettermann of stealing large sums of money. Bettermann was cleared by three courts in which Fayed had pressed charges. Al-Fayed delighted in retail theatre, and during his 25 years at Harrods dressed as a Harrods doorman, a boy scout and Father Christmas over the years. Celebrities were also hired to open the annual Harrods sale, and Harrods sponsored the annual Royal Windsor Horse Show as it done since 1982. In 1997 Harrods' sponsorship of
16950-477: The ruling Rowland began to sell shares to Al-Fayed, whom he had met while Al-Fayed was briefly a director of Lonrho. Rowland later said that "I knew that Tootsie (as Rowland called Al-Fayed) could never afford to purchase the whole of House of Fraser." Al-Fayed bought the remaining 70 percent of the House of Fraser in early 1985 for £615 million, sparking a bitter feud between him and Rowland. The former editor of The Observer , Donald Trelford , believes that Rowland
17100-410: The search. His primary concern was that the CIA was behind the break-in. According to de Mohrenschildt, Moore flatly denied when confronted that the CIA was involved in any way. In October 1962, Oswald informed de Mohrenschildt that he had lost his job in nearby Fort Worth. In response, de Mohrenschildt advised Oswald that he would have a better chance of finding work in Dallas. Oswald was soon hired by
17250-474: The shop on peak days, comprising the highest proportion of customers from non-English speaking countries of any department store in London. More than five thousand staff from over fifty different countries work at Harrods. In October 2009, Harrods Bank started selling gold bars and coins that customers could buy "off the shelf". The gold products ranged from 1 g to 12.5 kg , and could be purchased within Harrods Bank. They also offered storage services, as well as
17400-594: The store for £120,000 (equivalent to £16,753,448 in 2023) via a stock market flotation in 1889. The new company was called Harrod's Stores Limited. Sir Alfred James Newton became chairman and Richard Burbidge managing director. Financier William Mendel was appointed to the board in 1891 and he raised funding for many of the business expansion plans. Richard Burbidge was succeeded in 1917 by his son Woodman Burbidge and he in turn by his son Richard in 1935. On 16 November 1898, Harrods debuted England's first "moving staircase" ( escalator ) in their Brompton Road stores;
17550-515: The store from the age of 17. First published in 1902, her children's book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit , was soon on sale in Harrods, accompanied by the world's first licensed character , a Peter Rabbit soft toy (Peter and toys of other Potter characters appeared in Harrods catalogues from 1910). In 1921, Milne bought the 18-inch Alpha Farnell teddy bear from the store for his son Christopher Robin Milne who would name it Edward, then Winnie, becoming
17700-463: The store, when a 15-year-old girl alleged she had been inappropriately touched by him. This was dismissed by the Crown prosecution service when Al fayed denied the claim. Further female staff and ex-staff members have subsequently come forward to add their names to the growing list of workers reportedly abused by Al Fayed and his brother Salah, now being accused of similar activity, with allegations now in
17850-466: The streets of Alexandria, and sold Singer sewing machines at the age of twenty-one. In 1952 Al-Fayed was hired by a friend, Tousson El Barrawi, and the seventeen-year-old Adnan Khashoggi for their furniture import business. Al-Fayed excelled at the business and impressed Adhan's father, Mohamed Kashoggi, the personal physician of the King of Saudi Arabia . In the early 1950s Al-Fayed travelled to Europe for
18000-399: The sultan for $ 500,000 plus a percentage of any resulting business with an Indian holy man and alleged fraudster, Shri Chandra Swamiji Maharaj . Rowland later admitted this account was untrue. In mid-1984 Al-Fayed received several powers of attorney and written authorisations from the sultan to carry out tasks for him. These gave Al-Fayed access to large sums of the sultan's money. The sultan
18150-480: The then owner of Harrods department store. As a show of solidarity for Henry Harrod, and in anticipation of actions against other similar-sounding businesses, it was proposed that every business in Ōtorohanga change its name to "Harrods". With the support of the District Council, Ōtorohanga temporarily changed the town's name to Harrodsville. After being lampooned in the British tabloids, Al Fayed dropped
18300-401: The two behind a pyramid-shaped display that holds a wine glass smudged with lipstick from Diana's last dinner as well as what is described as an engagement ring Dodi purchased the day before they died. The second memorial, unveiled in 2005 and located by the escalator at door three is entitled Innocent Victims , a bronze statue of the two dancing on a beach beneath the wings of an albatross,
18450-477: The wharf at Port-au-Prince . Al-Fayed had exclusive control over the collection of fees for unloading and docking at Haiti's main port, and this caused resentment in the shipping industry. Al-Fayed was 'tapped' for $ 30,000 by Duvalier, and rather than pay, and fearful of the growing anger of the shipping agents, Al-Fayed left Haiti in December 1964. Fayed later claimed that the Haitian government owed him $ 2 million;
18600-430: The words "To my friend George ..." and Oswald's signature were written by Lee Harvey Oswald, but could not determine whether the rest was the writing of Oswald, his wife, or de Mohrenschildt. De Mohrenschildt assumed that Marina had written it sarcastically. De Mohrenschildt wrote in his manuscript that he had missed Oswald's photograph in packing for the move to Haiti in May 1963, which was why he had not mentioned it to
18750-454: The world's leading department stores, it is visited by 15 million people per year. The store occupies a 5-acre (2 ha) site and has 330 departments covering 1.1 million sq ft (100,000 m ) of retail space. It is one of the largest and most famous department stores in the world. The Harrods motto is Omnia Omnibus Ubique , which is Latin for "all things for all people, everywhere". Several of its departments, including
18900-634: Was Michael Cole , a former BBC journalist. Hamilton lost a libel action against Al-Fayed in December 1999 and an appeal against the verdict in December 2000. The former MP has always denied that he was paid by Al-Fayed for asking questions in Parliament. Hamilton's libel action related to a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary broadcast on 16 January 1997 in which Al-Fayed stated that the MP had received up to £110,000 in cash and other gratuities for asking parliamentary questions. Hamilton's basis for his appeal
19050-484: Was "...certainly motivated in his vendetta against Al-Fayed by outrage at having been conned. But he was also convinced that his shareholders had been cheated." Rowland felt his shareholders had been cheated as he believed Al-Fayed had used a power of attorney that he held for the Sultan of Brunei , then the richest man in the world, to fund the purchase. Rowland's bitterness also came from his belief that Al-Fayed had lied to
19200-435: Was a conspiracy and that definitely was the opinion of George." Oltmans testified for three hours behind closed doors and told the committee that de Mohrenschildt had told him that he had discussed all aspects of the assassination with Oswald. "De Mohrenschildt told me that Oswald acted at his (de Mohrenschildt's) instructions and that he knew Oswald was going to kill Kennedy," Oltmans said. On July 6, 1978, Joseph Dryer told
19350-634: Was born as Jerzy Sergius von Mohrenschildt in Mozyr , in the Russian Empire , now in Belarus , on April 4 in the old-style Russian Julian calendar . He had an older brother, Dimitri [ ru ] . His aristocratic father, Sergey Alexandrovich von Mohrenschildt, was of Baltic German , Swedish , and Russian descent. De Mohrenschildt's mother, Alexandra, was of aristocratic Polish , Russian, and Hungarian descent. Sergey von Mohrenschildt
19500-519: Was born on 27 January 1929 in the Roshdy neighbourhood of Alexandria , in the Kingdom of Egypt , the eldest son of an Egyptian primary school teacher from Asyut . His year of birth has been disputed. The Department of Trade in 1988 found his date of birth was 27 January 1929. His brothers Ali and Salah were his business colleagues. At the age of nineteen Al-Fayed was selling bottles of Coca-Cola on
19650-574: Was criticised by members of the Black community after the Daily Telegraph reported that Harrods staff told a black woman that she would not be employed unless she chemically straightened her hair, stating that her natural hair style was "unprofessional". Harrods' restaurants and cafes included a 12.5% discretionary service charge on customers' bills, but failed to share the full proceeds with kitchen and service staff. Several employees joined
19800-735: Was described by his son as the Marshal of Nobility of the Minsk Governorate from 1913-1917, and a civil rank of Actual Civil Councilor corresponding to Major General . In 1920, during the Red Terror and the Russian Civil War , Sergey von Mohrenschildt was arrested by the Bolshevik secret police , or CHEKA , for alleged anti-Soviet agitation . He was sentenced to internal exile for life in Veliky Ustyug ,
19950-406: Was due to testify on 17 October. Al-Fayed's lawyer informed the court that morning that he had been taken seriously ill with neck and back complications, and could not fly to Dubai as a result. Alabbar had secretly taped Al-Fayed on his way to Harrods that morning, and the tapes were shown to the court the next day. Al-Fayed's lack of ill health was evident, and Al-Fayed was informed by his lawyer of
20100-738: Was fired after eight weeks. Christoph Bettermann became the deputy chairman of Harrods in 1990, after having worked for Al-Fayed in Dubai since 1984. Bettermann was approached to work in the Emirate of Sharjah , in April 1991, and in June, Bettermann told Maureen Orth , Al-Fayed "showed me a written transcript of a phone conversation between the headhunter and me. He accused me of breaking our trust by talking to these people. I told him, 'If you don't trust me, I resign. I cannot trust you if you bugged my phone.'" Bettermann quit his job at Harrods and went to work for an oil company in Sharjah. Al-Fayed wrote to
20250-689: Was introduced to Mahdi Al Tajir . Tajir was then an adviser to Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum of the United Arab Emirates. Rashid was the Emir of Dubai , and oil was soon to be discovered in Dubai, which would transform the wealth of the emirate. Tajir informed Al-Fayed that Dubai was penniless and needed to borrow £1 million to build modern harbour facilities. Al-Fayed secured a loan of £9 million from Imre Rochlitz, an American lawyer. Rochlitz's Jewish ancestry caused embarrassment to Tajir, and later caused Rochlitz to reject Al-Fayed's offer of
20400-696: Was later appointed a company director. With his earnings from commissions on various projects in Dubai, Al-Fayed bought a Rolls-Royce, a large chalet in Gstaad , and the remaining apartments of 60 Park Lane in Mayfair , where he had been living for the past few years. In 1974 Al-Fayed met Roland 'Tiny' Rowland , a British businessman with extensive interests in Southern Africa, and the chairman of international conglomerate Lonrho . Fayed's complex professional relationship with Rowland dominated his life for
20550-533: Was married to Samira Khashoggi from 1954 to 1956. They had a son, Dodi , who was in a romantic relationship with Diana, Princess of Wales , when they both died in a car crash in Paris in 1997. Fayed falsely claimed that the crash was a result of a conspiracy , including that the crash was orchestrated by MI6 on the instructions of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh . In 2011, Fayed financially supported an unreleased documentary film Unlawful Killing , that presented his version of events. From 1995 onwards, Fayed
20700-477: Was not reported in the local newspapers, and the couple continued to present themselves as husband and wife. On September 17, 1976, the CIA requested that the FBI locate de Mohrenschildt, because he had "attempted to get in touch with the CIA Director." On September 5, 1976, de Mohrenschildt had written a letter to the director of the CIA, George H. W. Bush , asking for his assistance. He was acquainted with
20850-554: Was published in 1998. Al-Fayed announced his intention to sue, but withdrew his suit. Orth and Bower were both attempted victims of entrapment by Al-Fayed, with Al-Fayed's staff offering allegedly stolen documents to the writers. In 1994, in what became known as the cash-for-questions affair , Fayed revealed the names of MPs he had paid to ask questions in Parliament on his behalf, but who had failed to declare their fees. It saw Conservative MPs Neil Hamilton and Tim Smith leave
21000-608: Was released in November 2014 by the University Press of Kansas. De Mohrenschildt was played by Willem Oltmans , the Dutch journalist who befriended him in the late 1960s, in the 1991 film JFK , and by Bill Bolender in the 1993 TV movie Fatal Deception: Mrs. Lee Harvey Oswald . He is also mentioned at length in the Stephen King novel 11/22/63 , a time-travel novel about the assassination, and appears in
21150-469: Was safe to help Oswald, Bouhe said that he had checked with the FBI . De Mohrenschildt also believed that he had discussed Oswald with Max Clark, whom he believed worked for the FBI, and with J. Walton Moore, whom de Mohrenschildt described as "a Government man — either FBI or Central Intelligence", and who had debriefed de Mohrenschildt several times following his travels abroad, starting in 1957. (According to
21300-670: Was sharply criticised in 2004 by the Hindu community for marketing a line of feminine underwear (designed by Roberto Cavalli ) which featured the images of Indian goddesses. The line was eventually withdrawn and formal apologies were made. In 1989, Harrods introduced a dress code for customers. The store turned away people whose dress is not in compliance with the code. Forbidden items include cycling shorts; high-cut shorts, Bermuda or beach shorts; swimwear; athletic singlets; flip flops or thong sandals; bare feet; bare midriff; or wearing dirty or unkempt clothing. Patrons found not in compliance with
21450-444: Was taken against the Fayeds, and while many believed the contents of the report, others felt it was politically motivated. Rowland described his relationship with the Fayed family in his book A Hero from Zero . In 1998 Rowland, who died that year, accused Fayed of stealing papers and jewels from his Harrods safe deposit box . Fayed was arrested, along with the director of Harrods security, John MacNamara, and four other employees, but
21600-651: Was that the original verdict was invalid because Al-Fayed had paid £10,000 for documents stolen from the dustbins of Hamilton's legal representatives by Benjamin Pell . In 2003 Fayed moved from Surrey to Switzerland, alleging a breach in an agreement with the British tax authority . In 2005, he moved back to Britain, saying that he "regards Britain as home". He moored a yacht called the Sokar in Monaco prior to selling it in 2014. In 1984, Al-Fayed and his brother Ali, purchased
21750-505: Was the daughter of a director of the Chinese Far East Railway who was later killed by communists. From late 1960 and into 1961, he and his wife toured Central America and the Caribbean. His "walking trip" through Central America was made to recover from the grief of losing his only son in 1960 to cystic fibrosis. However, de Mohrenschildt also submitted a written report of his trip to the U.S. State Department , and
21900-653: Was the man whom he had seen in his vision. Oltmans says that after de Mohrenschildt arrived in the Netherlands, he invited him out with some Russian friends. They went to Brussels and had plans to go to Liège , a city in the French-speaking part of Belgium. Oltmans owned a house in the countryside not far from Liège. Upon returning to Brussels, de Mohrenschildt went for a short walk from which he failed to return. He had earlier agreed to meet Oltmans and his friends for lunch. Oltmans waited for him but he did not come back. On March 16, 1977, de Mohrenschildt returned to
22050-539: Was the subject of media scrutiny and investigations into allegations of sexual harassment and assault . Early media scrutiny of sexual misconduct allegations against Al-Fayed was curtailed by his frequent threats of litigation. He developed a reputation for spending large sums on litigation against media outlets reporting on sexual assault allegations against him. In 2024 he became the subject of multiple posthumous accusations of rape , with over 200 women making complaints of illegal activity by September of that year. Fayed
22200-534: Was then the richest man in the world. During this period, the bank of the three Fayed brothers, the Royal Bank of Scotland , received a transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars from Switzerland into their accounts. RBS assumed that the money belonged to the sultan, but Al-Fayed told the bank that his portfolio was separate from the sultan's. The DTI report noted that "It may be no more than coincidence that this vast increase in disposable wealth followed quickly on
22350-532: Was to the physician Wynne "Didi" Sharples. The following year, the couple settled in Dallas , Texas , where de Mohrenschildt took a job with oilman Clint Murchison as a petroleum geologist . De Mohrenschildt and his third wife had two children, a son and a daughter, both of whom were born with cystic fibrosis (the couple's son died of the disease in 1960, as did their daughter in 1973). De Mohrenschildt and Sharples were divorced in 1957. De Mohrenschildt joined
22500-480: Was untethered by any borrowings. There has not yet been a comprehensive account of Al-Fayeds finances in 1985, but the DTI report claimed that by October 1984 the Al-Fayeds had at least $ 600 million in the Royal Bank of Scotland and in a Swiss bank at their disposal. "We were not told the source of any of these funds or given a credible story as to how and where they were obtained", said the DTI inspectors. The money
#894105