Alice and the Money Tree: John Weston Briggs - 24th July 2025

I am very grateful to John Briggs for taking the time to speak to me about his book, Alice and the Money Tree, about how the money system (doesn't) work and what he thinks should be done to change things for the better.
His book is available at Waterstones for just under £10.
Alice and the Money Tree
https://www.waterstones.com/book/alice-and-the-money-tree/j-m-weston-briggs/9781999848507

"The Bradbury pound was introduced in 1914 at the outbreak of the First World War. The Government at the time needed to preserve its stock of bullion so asked the Bank of England to cease paying out gold for its notes. Instead the Treasury printed and issued 10 shilling and £1 notes (so called Bradbury pounds). The gold standard was then partially restored in 1925 and the Bank of England was again obliged to exchange its notes for gold, but only in multiples of 400 ounces or more. Britain left the gold standard in 1931 and the note issue became entirely fiduciary, that is wholly backed by securities instead of gold."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bradbury,_1st_Baron_Bradbury

https://www.spreaker.com/episode/justin-walker-the-bradbury-pound-and-fraudulent-banking--58876194

The Money War: Cotton, Greenbacks and Gold
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG6uqRM43D4

“Running the ‘Machine’”: How Greenbacks Funded the Union and Nationalized Its Currency
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/775_Joseph%20Wang.pdf

NB Read the first btl comment under the article below for a different perspective:
"The secret fight for the Federal Reserve and the control of the money supply (Part 2 JFK)
...Most importantly, he felt that the government should control the supply of a national currency and be backed by silver. Executive Order 11110 was an executive order issued by President John F. Kennedy (JFK) on June 4, 1963. This order granted the Treasury Department the authority to issue silver certificates, an alternative to the traditional paper currency issued by the Federal Reserve System.
This order caused a stir in the political world, as it was seen as an attempt to bypass the Federal Reserve and create a new, separate monetary system..."
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/secret-fight-federal-reserve-control-money-supply-part-daniel-duffy