Einzig, Paul (1897–1973)

Abstract

Einzig was born in Brasov, Transylvania (Austria-Hungary). He was both a prolific, widely read author on international monetary topics and a renowned journalist. Educated in Hungary and France, he received his PhD from the University of Paris. In 1919, Einzig settled in the UK. Soon he became the Paris correspondent of the Financial News and was appointed its political editor in 1929. When the Financial News was bought by the Financial Times, Einzig became the political editor of the latter newspaper. Also he wrote the daily ‘Lombard Street Column’ during the mid- and late 1930s and many feature articles on currency questions. One of his top ‘scoops’ as a journalist was the revelation in 1943 of how the Swiss National Bank was buying looted gold from the Reichsbank on a huge scale. Already in 1939, Einzig’s book The Bloodless Invasion had provided an original account of how Nazi Germany in its exchange rate policies exploited South-East Europe.