LORD ROTHERMERE'S CLASH WITH STANLEY BALDWIN

Rothermere and Beaverbrook were worried about communism and the rise of the Labour Party.

October 25th 1924 - Daily Mail ran the headline "Civil War Plot by Socialists".

The article exposed the telegram supposedly sent by Grigory Zinoviev, leader of the Communist Party in GB which praised the labour policy of reorganising Soviet Russia. 

Despite the fact the Daily Mail had known of the letter since 15th September - the letter was published just four days before the general election so it would have maximum impact on Labour support.

The telegram was exposed as fake in 1928 (written by White Russian enemies of. communism).

Following a landslide Conservative victory in the 1924 election - Beaverbrook sent a telegram to Rothermere congratulating him with "You have made the new Baldwin ministry. Now control it if you can".

Rotheremere tried this as seen in a 1929 letter to a conservative MP , "I will not support Baldwin unless I know what his policy is going to be". 

Baldwin read the letter out at a Conservative meeting June 1930 and called it an insolent demand. 

Neither Rothermere or Beaverbrook were able to control Baldwin, despite the flow of unfavourable press directed towards him. 

They grew to despise the conservative party leader and blamed his lacklustre "Safety Campaign" for losing to labour in 1929.

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