Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss has recently published her memoir, which includes a quotation falsely attributed to Mayer Amschel Rothschild about controlling money.
In Ms Truss’ book, it reads: “If only the words attributed to Mayer Amschel Rothschild of the famous banking family had been heeded: ‘Permit me to issue and control the money of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws.’”
Regarding the statement, author Dorian Lynskey wrote in a post on X: “If you’re curious about the editorial rigour applied to Truss’ book, this quote was dubiously attributed to Rothschild in a 1935 by Gertrude Coogan, a Rothschild-obsessed antisemite who claimed ‘The World is ruled by the International Money Masters.’”
According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Making stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as a collective — such as the myth of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions,” is an example of antisemitism.
The association between Jews and money is an antisemitic trope which dates back to the Middle Ages. Nazi propaganda specifically used caricatures that depicted Jews as inherently greedy and money-driven.
It is understood that the false attribution comes from a book published by Gertrude Coogan, published over a hundred years after Mr Rothschild’s death.
A spokesperson for Ms Truss said: “Liz came across the quote and thought it was a useful way of illustrating a point about the Bank of England. Numerous online sources have stated that it was attributed to Rothschild, so she attributed it thus.”
