088423
London
1980
10,5×18
meki
285
engleski
Cijena: 15,00 EUR
This is a 1974 historical-biographical book written by Eugene K. Bird, the former American commander of the infamous Spandau prison in West Berlin. It provides a detailed insight into the fate of Rudolf Hess, Adolf Hitler's former deputy. Hess spent a total of 46 years in captivity, and from 1966 until his death in 1987, he was the only remaining prisoner in the vast complex built for 600 people, which is why he was nicknamed "the loneliest man in the world." The author used his years as commander to gain Hess's trust and conduct daily, previously unpublished conversations with him. Hess's mysterious and controversial parachute flight to Scotland in May 1941 is analyzed in detail. The book explores whether he flew with Hitler's knowledge and whether he was really trying to negotiate a secret peace treaty with Great Britain. Bird provides a direct look at Hess's mental health, concluding that the former Nazi strongman was not the madman he had been portrayed by many in the public eye. It shows how the fate of a prisoner became a hostage to geopolitical games. Four Allied powers (the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union) rotated in custody of Hess, and the Soviet Union persistently blocked any attempt to release him early. Writing this book was strictly forbidden by military regulations. When Bird's superiors discovered that he was secretly taking notes and collaborating with Hess on a manuscript, they immediately removed him from his command and forced him to retire from the army. Despite this, Bird managed to get the book published in London. After its publication, Bird became a vocal advocate for Hess's release on humanitarian grounds, considering life in solitary confinement in an empty prison a cruel punishment. When the 83-year-old Hess was found hanged in 1987, Bird publicly expressed doubt about the official version of suicide, claiming that the old man was physically unable to take his ow
