[boppo1]

These kinds of articles always make me wish there were some sort of "financial history book" (or series) that tracked the flows of capital through history and endeavors. We see so much of how ideology and politics evolved, but history of capital flows in any specificity is (or, seems to me) so opaque.

I expect someone to point out that opacity is natural given the sensitive nature of the subject. Consider how much commonly known history is made up of once dire secrets.

Then again, perhaps it's all out there. I guess a good place to start would be US, UK and French treasury reports on actuals. Maybe with python that becomes a more manageable task.