SIR BASIL ZAHAROFF: AGENT OF DEATH

An investigation of the roots of the modern-day arms trade in the early 20th century, through the extraordinary story of Sir Basil Zaharoff, a most notorious and enigmatic arms dealer. Born poor in Constantinople in 1849, Zaharoff moved to London and Paris and became one of the richest men on earth by arming most of the world. He influenced statesmen and government policies. He later developed extensive interests in oil, while he was also a banker, newspaper owner and ran a personal espionage network. To this day, the “system” he founded, known as the “Zaharoff system”, is the common rule in arms trading. It is based on espionage, propaganda and corruption interacting with politics. By the time of his death in 1936, he had received 298 medals from 31 different states, among which the Grand Croix de la Legion d’honneur and the Grand Cross of the Order of Bath. He was the subject of a United States Senate investigation into the munitions trade in 1934.