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LETTER SENT TO MR GARY THOMSON, SHELL INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

Because of the royaldutchshellplc.com domain name, we receive job applications, business proposals, pension enquiries, even threats meant for Shell (as supplied today). We deal with all such matters as agreed with Mr Brandjes, sometimes corresponding with the parties on behalf of Shell, occasionally passing on correspondence to him.  We have been offered oil wells and coalmines.

LETTER SENT TO MR GARY THOMSON, SHELL INTERNATIONAL LIMITED ON 30 May 2012: FROM ALFRED AND JOHN DONOVAN

Dear Mr Thomson

Data Protection Act 1998 – Subject Access Request (SAR)

Thank you for your letter dated 14 May 2012.

Please find enclosed completed application forms together with cheques based on a fee of £10 per applicant, if that is appropriate.

The application is made on an annual basis in joint names; the formula requested by your former colleague Mr Richard Wiseman and agreed to by us. Mr Wiseman informed us that after his retirement as Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer of Royal Dutch Shell Plc., the Company Secretary and General Counsel Corporate, Mr Michiel Brandjes, would be our designated contact with Shell. This has been the case since Mr Wiseman’s departure.

The categories of “Particular Personal Data” you have brought to our attention in the standard form supplied are not appropriate in relation to our application, because our relationship with Shell is unique.

As you are probably aware, we operate royaldutchshellplc.com – a website focussed on the activities of Royal Dutch Shell. We publish news and information about Shell. Internal information, some of it designated confidential, is supplied to us by Shell sources from around the world and has also been supplied to us directly by Shell in response to previous SAR applications.

It may therefore assist in your search of relevant information generated in the last year to remind you of some of the activity at Shell relating to us, which has occurred previously.

Because of the royaldutchshellplc.com domain name, we receive job applications, business proposals, pension enquiries, even threats meant for Shell (as supplied today). We deal with all such matters as agreed with Mr Brandjes, sometimes corresponding with the parties on behalf of Shell, occasionally passing on correspondence to him.  We have been offered oil wells and coalmines.

Internal reports appear to be generated when we visit the Shell Centre to distribute leaflets e.g. a report from May 2006 and another from 31 July 2007.  That suggests there is likely to be internal correspondence about my visit in April 2012 with a film crew from a TV broadcaster.

There seem to be regular “Focal Point” reports about us, updated every few months e.g. examples from 2006 and 2010.

There has been considerable internal correspondence about my past editing of Wikipedia articles and concern expressed about the possibility of Shell employees being caught covertly editing Wikipedia articles about the company, as they were on a number of occasions.

Shell set up an aggressive counter-measures team in 2007 to demonstrate “that we won’t tolerate the Donovans’ approach unchallenged any longer.” Days later Shell instigated a global spying operation trying to trace our insider sources.  In August 2007, further reference was made to “an issues team” engaging in “daily telecoms.” Reference was made in the same Shell Oil internal communication to Shell employees and a Shell attorney monitoring our website. It also contained confirmation that Shell employees had been ordered not to visit our website.

A Shell Oil internal email in September 2007 confirmed “our legal counsel continues to monitor the website for any potential updates/new articles that Donovan could post.” A Shell internal email from July 2009 confirmed that Shell Corporate Affairs Security (CAS) was engaged in an investigation directed against us. It involved the NCFTA – the National Cyber-Forensics’ & Training Alliance in Pittsburgh, a specialist organisation founded and partly funded and staffed by the FBI.

We are aware that Shell is regularly approached by media sources asking for comment about our activities. In 2007 a Shell internal email revealed Shell’s wish to “kill” a Sunday Times article about our involvement in the Sakhalin II project after a Sunday Times journalist had approached Shell for comment prior to planned publication. Within days the half page article was killed. We know that several media representatives have approached Shell in recent months unsuccessfully seeking comment about our activities.

When we made our last application a year ago, we were advised by Shell that there was no need to make a separate application covering Shell in the Netherlands as such information would automatically be included. We trust the same applies to other Shell companies around the world, including countries such as Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Russia, Nigeria and the USA, where contact with current and former Shell employees has resulted in articles published by us. As far as we know, the Irish Police are continuing to investigate alleged death threats made to our sources in Ireland after Shell allegedly commenced an internal investigation to uncover our Corrib gas sources.

Last summer we had an unconventional interaction with Mr Marvin Odum, President of Shell Oil Company. We wrote to him and eventually received his response via Mr Michiel Brandjes in The Hague.  We would like sight of all relevant related information.

In the interests of transparency and to allow you to access the Internet links provided, I have also posted this letter online.

Finally, I would suggest that as far as timing is concerned, you implement this SAR application so that all information up to and including 31 May 2012 is included.

Yours sincerely

John Donovan

For and on behalf of Alfred and John Donovan

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

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