Sentimental Rudolf

Rudolf Hess last week used his newly recovered memory to write for the press the story of his 1941 flight to Britain.

Early in the war, the Fuehrer had confided that he really wanted peace with England but the British would never make peace if it meant losing prestige.

Rudolf Hess decided that here was just the job for him. If he, the Fuehrer's friend and deputy, a Reichsminister, and an SA and SS Obergruppenfuehrer, personally flew to England, certainly Churchill could negotiate without losing face.

Mused Hess in his Nuernberg cell: "The decision . . . was without doubt the hardest I ever made. It was rendered easier, however, when I visualized the endless rows of children's coffins in both Germany and England, with mothers in dire distress following behind, and similar rows of mothers killed by bombs, with crying children following. I assume many people will interpret this as misplaced sentimentalism."

But SS Obergruppenfuehrer Hess could hardly assume that many people would consider him misplaced.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.