IG Farben

by Richard Sasuly

Hitchcock mentioned IG FARBEN in his latest spy movie “Notorious”, and a shiver of apprehension ran through audiences throughout the country. For IF has become a synonum for “war maker” and “international spy”.
How much of this reputation is deserved? How much of its influence remains? Is IG FARBEN still a threat to the peace of the World?
These are some of the questions Sasuly answer in his exciting account of how, when, and where IG exercised its power, and what is happening to that power now.
As Russ Nixon states it: “Richard Sasuly has taken the king-pin of them all – IG Farben of Germany – and written a true mistery thriller, exposing the international intrigue which brought the greatest war in history”.
IG FARBEN controlled more than 380 other firms scattered over Germany, along with over 500 firms in foreign countries. It manufactured 43 major products and distributed them throughout the world. Its economic influence was unrivaled and the story of its purely business machinations is fascinating reading. IG FARBEN was party to at least 2,000 cartel agreements. As the world’s most powerful cartel, it exercised a political influence greater than that of any other business firm in the world – not excepting the enormous American, British and Dutch oil combines.
Richard Sasuly’s book is not an international spy story, though much of what is disclosed reads like one. It is a thoroughly documented account which every businessman should read, for in it is disclosed how IG reached out into Europe, South America and the United States to ruin or gain control oh whole areas of business. It is a story every veteran should read, for it tells how IG used its power in ways that led inevitably to two wars in which we had to fight. It is a story every young woman should read, for the author places his finger on the events which may lead to a third world war into which her children would be drawn.

Genres: Science, History

312 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1947

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best books of WWII history I've read. I find near history (historical accounts written shortly after the event) to have cutting insight into the events reported. IG Farben does not disappoint. Richard Sasuly's account of the economic warfare waged by German big business years, decades before the first shots were fired is unique in WWII history. Examining the actions of IG Farben and their cartels Sasuly documents how Germany guaranteed it's petrol survivability in the next war (WWII) with the patents and formulas for synthetic gasoline while holding New Jersey Standard Oil hostage internationally, hindered its State enemies by limiting production of synthetic rubber, aluminum and magnesium alloys leading to critical shortages in these countries during the early part of the war, and Germany's infiltration of Latin America's business world to keep the USA at bay. This is a fascinating documentation of the strategic machinations of big business in cahoots with a corrupt government for world domination. German business really had no peers in the West. An interesting fact is the book is not written as a history, but as a warning to the West that because of the Allies reluctance (except for the Soviets) to follow the Potsdam Agreement Germany is only a few years away from mobilizing its industry for another war. With hindsight it was with the intention of keeping the Soviet State at bay the West allowed Germany's industry to regain dominance yet again in Europe.

[Conrad · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the major sources for Gravity's Rainbow, IG Farben is a nifty early work of corporate history that uncovers the nastiness that Farben was up to well before WWII. Most notably, they waited for occurrences of blood poisoning to peak after WWI and sold off the patent for a cure while demand was highest, allowing millions to die in the meantime so that they could maximize their profits. By the time World War Two came around, they were even worse.

Pretty terrifying, and worth reading even if you have no intention of tackling Gravity's Rainbow.

[Matěj · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is an interesting look into what was once an empire of commerce which cut every corner it could in order to maximize profits and was heavily involved with Adolf Hitler and the whole Third Reich machinery. I am not sure if Sasuly accented the efforts of the Soviets in disassembling IG or if the translator made that up, along with adding some other things, like the critique of capitalism. I have a Czech translation from the late 1940s or early 50s and the marxist-leninist leaning in the text is obvious.

[Max Nemtsov · Rating 2 out of 5]

A censored Russian translation of the original, but the speed of the Soviet publication is amazing (the original - 1947, this edition - 1948). To the best of my knowledge, it has never been re-printed.