Arthur Donaldson

Arthur William Donaldson (13 December 1901 – 18 January 1993) was a Scottish journalist and Scottish National Party (SNP) politician. He was leader of the Scottish National Party from 1960 to 1969.

Early years

Donaldson was born in Dundee, the son of George Donaldson, a yarn dresser. He was educated at Harris Academy, leaving in 1917 with five Higher leaving certificate passes. After working as an assistant registrar of births, deaths and marriages in Dundee from 1918-20, he began a career in journalism as a reporter with The Courier, a Dundee newspaper. In 1923, he decided to emigrate to the United States to try his hand as a journalist there. Donaldson did not find work as a journalist and instead found employment in Detroit, MI as secretary to the head of an engineering department in the automotive industry, then attended the Detroit Institute of Technology to study engineering. He was held for six weeks. An MI5 file, published in 2005, outlined how Donaldson had revealed to a close confidant - who was also a British agent - that a network of Nazi sympathisers was planning to undermine the war effort. His United Scotland Movement was said to be contemplating "spreading confusion by false reports and minor acts of sabotage, and is in fact now endeavouring to start a whispering campaign to spread rumours, particularly of shipping losses". Donaldson was also recorded as saying that he believed a German invasion would be successful and that "The movement in Scotland must then be able to show the German government that it is organised and has a clear-cut policy, that it is not with England in the war."

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