Spandau Allied Prison Envelope from R. Hess

[Vet44]

Hi Friends

For review a envelope without letter from the Spandau Prison,
addressed to the wife of Rudolf Hess.
Could the address be written by Rudolf Hess ?.
Opinions welcome

Cheers Andi

[Br. James]

Hi Andi,

The short answer to your question is 'Yes,' this envelope was probably written by Rudolf Hess as he conducted regular correspondence with his wife over the years of his imprisonment. Unfortunately I cannot make out the postmark date, but the address was that of his wife, Ilse. As you probably know, Frau Hess found a ready market for the envelopes which brought her husband's correspondence from Spandau, and she sold them in order to supplement her income. I have a typed note from her in my collection dated February 19, 1979 on her personal letterhead displaying her address as Gailenberg 22, 8973 Hindelang, Allgäu. Frau Hess was writing to a recent correspondent, explaining her delay in response and stating that, “Should you be the person requesting an envelope from Spandau, then I let you know that you will have to send DM 125.– by money order to my above address." Your envelope appears to be of the standard stationery provided to Rudolf Hess at Spandau, though I do not have an example of such envelopes in order to compare with yours directly.

Hope this is helpful,

Br. James

[tgn]

Although no one showed any interest in this when I first posted it, here is a photo signed by Hess while he was in prison.

BTW, where can one get one of these envelopes???

Tom

[Vet44]

Hi Andi,

The short answer to your question is 'Yes,' this envelope was probably written by Rudolf Hess as he conducted regular correspondence with his wife over the years of his imprisonment. Unfortunately I cannot make out the postmark date, but the address was that of his wife, Ilse. As you probably know, Frau Hess found a ready market for the envelopes which brought her husband's correspondence from Spandau, and she sold them in order to supplement her income. I have a typed note from her in my collection dated February 19, 1979 on her personal letterhead displaying her address as Gailenberg 22, 8973 Hindelang, Allgäu. Frau Hess was writing to a recent correspondent, explaining her delay in response and stating that, “Should you be the person requesting an envelope from Spandau, then I let you know that you will have to send DM 125.– by money order to my above address." Your envelope appears to be of the standard stationery provided to Rudolf Hess at Spandau, though I do not have an example of such envelopes in order to compare with yours directly.

Hope this is helpful,

Br. James

Thank you for the significant information.
I have found a similar exemplar here: http://www.google.de/imgres?imgurl=h...%3Disch&itbs=1

[Nidhøggr]

You can ask Abdallah Melaouhi. I guess he can tell you if it is Hess´ handwriting or not.
If you do not have his email address, let me know.

[randy@treadways]

Envelope yes, but I'm not so sure about the photo.

Didn't the authorities censor all his mail?.... and is it likely they'd allow him to be autographing Nazi propaganda photos like that one? Maybe so, but I'm a bit skeptical.

[PANZER332]

Although no one showed any interest in this when I first posted it, here is a photo signed by Hess while he was in prison.

BTW, where can one get one of these envelopes???

Tom

As far as I know Hess never signed anything while he was in prison. Correct me if I wrong

[tgn]

As far as I know Hess never signed anything while he was in prison. Correct me if I wrong

Sure he did, and glad you asked. This photo was signed by Rudolf Hess in Spandau Prison for a former US Archives employee. I was obtained by Col. Eugene Bird for him and was specifically mentioned in his book Prisoner #7: Rudolf Hess, p. 228. The markings on the reverse are in Bird's handwriting.

I think Col Bird got in trouble for doing this.

I also heard that some of the guards would have him sign things and sneak them out.

Tom

[Br. James]

I'm a bit skeptical, too, as Randy stated it. While we know that the guards at the Palace of Justice managed to get the inmates to sign numerous slips of paper during the Nuremberg Trials, and a few bio cards have shown up -- having probably been "liberated" from the trial files -- I can't recall ever seeing an autographed war-time or earlier photo like this one of Hess having definitely been signed during that time. And has anyone ever seen photos signed by the other inmates at Spandau after sentencing, such as Speer or Dönitz or Schirach or anyone else? They had decades to do so, if they did...?

Br. James

[Tom B]

Albert Speer

I met Albert Speer several times in the 1970's. I asked him about Allied guards who asked for signed items. He said it DID happen, and that he signed some, although it was very infrequent. He also told me that it was something that would have been a violation of regulations if these guards were to be caught. As for other prisoners doing the same thing, he said "probably".

[Br. James]

Many thanks for your note, Tom, which shines a new light on such happenings. And I must apologize to "tgn," whose note I hadn't read before posting my last one. It was not my intention to call into question his testimony and experience.

Br. James

[Toronto_Matt]

Poor Hess, he may have had noble intentions but boy was he nuts!

[tgn]

Poor Hess, he may have had noble intentions but boy was he nuts!

Nuts? Hardly. Just a myth that the British propagated so as to not have to explain why he flew to England. That's why they blocked his release from Spandau the only time the Russians offered to do so. Funny, the files are still locked away after all these years and will be forever.

[Toronto_Matt]

tgn what are you basing this off? I have read every book available on Hess and have come to the conclusion he was mentally ill. It is a sad story.

Most recently I read camp z and it is a very sad book.

[max history]

There is some substance to what tgn is saying. It was the British who blocked the release of Hess, not the Russians and it was the British who promulgated the myth of Russian objections in the latter years of incarceration. The British certainly had something to hide regarding the Hess mission in May 1941 which they feared would become common knowledge had he been released. Parts of the files remain closed today and possibly could remain unaccessible for many years to come.
There are numerous unanswered questions over his death. Why would Hess commit suicide when the campaign for his release looked as if it was gaining so much international support that there was a realistic possibility of success? Who were the two unidentified men who appeared in the prison just before his death and mysteriously disappeared just after it? Why did the marks on his neck indicate throttling and not suspension? Why was the summerhouse furniture in disarray as if there had been a struggle? The light flex and attachment allegedly used in the suicide could not support the weight of a man. Why was this alleged method accepted so readily? Why was the scene of his death obliterated so drastically and quickly afterwards? Etc., etc.
Hess appeared to feign his mental state during the first years of capture and imprisonment. He was confronted with one of his former secretaries immediately after the war and pretended not to recognise her. He later remarked (I think to his son Wolf) that he felt so bad at pretending not to know her that it played on his mind for days.
I am no psychological, forensic or political expert, but I believe there remain so many unanswered questions regarding his capture, his mental state, his incarceration and his death that may only be resolved when the British archives release all their files on Hess, but don't hold your breath. British military intelligence is famous for "throwing away the key" and I suspect that the full story will never be revealed. There is one thing for certain. Don't believe everything you read in published books.
Max.