Peter Runge

Sir Peter Runge (1909-1970) was vice-president of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and joint vice-chairman of Tate & Lyle Ltd.

The transcript of a (semi-secret) talk by Runge to the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Washington DC in the early 60s, states that Runge was there 'acting as an international financier' and to attend the meeting of the World Bank and IMF. Runge describes the FBI as consisting of 8,700 individual companies, 285 trade association with a staff of 250 and as a policy-making body : an intermediary for business to government and vice versa. Runge warns of impending Labour Government and nationalisation, fears an attack on profits and private incomes. Other focal points are the Common Market, GATT, the creation of the National Economic Development Council (described as tactically sectioning off the TUC from adherence to the Labour party, and forming Fiscal policy through Reginald Maudling (then Cllr of the Exchequer) and operating as PR). Questions at the end deal with Nuclear disarmament and the Labour party's position. The talk is from 1964, at the advent of the Labour government and before the civil unrest and smear campaign targetted against Wilson and the left in general.

Runge made a [1] similar speech, at the same time to The Empire Club of Canada.

'The FBI was founded in 1916 on the initiative of the Midlands industrialist, Dudley Docker. He obtained pledges of £1,000 from each of 124 firms to launch a new representative organisation for industry. The Federation shied away from involvement in such basic issues as labour relations and (at first) tariff reform, but overall it did prove a success. It absorbed other smaller organisations which strengthened its regional and overseas work, and in 1923 was incorporated by Royal Charter. It was easily the biggest of the CBI's predecessors, having a membership of over 9,000 individual firms and 272 trade associations by 1964. It merged with the British Employers' Confederation and the National Association of British Manufacturers to form the Confederation of British Industry in 1965.' [2]

Resources

• Runge, Sir Peter Francis (1909-1970) Knight Joint Vice Chairman Tate and Lyle GB/NNAF/P159719 (Former ISAAR ref: GB/NNAF/P24914) Scope 1963-65: papers as President of Fbi