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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rare and valuable historical piece,
By RICHARD A DINSMORE (Chula Vista, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Loneliest Man in the World: Inside Story of the Thirty Year Imprisonment of Rudolf Hess (Hardcover)
To the readers of Speers magnificent Spandau Diaries this authoritative book fills in many intriguing gaps, and illuminates many mysteries abour Hess' true state of mind. A valuable and wonderful book.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
RUDOLF HESS-THE LONELIEST MAN IN THE WORLD,
By Louise (England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Loneliest Man in the World: Inside Story of the Thirty Year Imprisonment of Rudolf Hess (Hardcover)
I highly recommend this fascinating, interesting and revealing book written by one-time Director of Spandau Prison in Berlin Col Eugene Bird. However, before I continue with my review I think it is appropriate for me to quote what Rudolf Hess's son Wolf Rudiger Hess thought of the book. He says in his book 'My Father Rudolf Hess' written in the 1980's the following comments regarding the book: Bird was U.S Director at Spandau and maintains that he won my father's confidence over the period. My father allegedly gave him permission to use his Nuremberg notes in a publication. Although Bird's description sounds quite credible in many respects, as a source I consider the book to be of only limited reliability until such time as it's content is confirmed by Rudolf Hess. With the above in mind, I do not know if the book was ever confirmed as completely reliable by Rudolf Hess (probably not) but Bird's account of things certainly tie in with many facts concerning the 'Third Reich's' most tragic figure. It is written from the point of view of a humanitarian who wanted to really get to know Rudolf Hess and find out what he was really like. I believe that because of Eugene Bird's kind and compassionate manner, Hess felt able to talk to him and reveal a lot about himself and subjects and events that he had not had the chance to talk about to anyone eles in years of captivity. Eugene Bird states in the book that he believes he was the first person to get close to Hess since Hess's captivity in 1941 which is very probably the truth. Hence you have a very moving and at times very sad glimpse into the life and emotions of Rudolf Hess which would not have been revealed in such detail by other people in Spandau. The book features Hess's Nuremburg diary entries which make fascinating reading indeed. Also the book features the lives of the other Spandau prisoners up until their various release dates when only Rudolf Hess remained. Eugene Bird is able to tell us the reaction of Hess at that momentous time when he found himself completely alone without Albert Speer and Baldur Von-Shirach. The book covers Rudolf Hess's illness with a serious stomach ulcer which required hospital treatment. It was after this illness that Bird was able to persuade Rudolf Hess to receive a visit from his wife Ilse and son Wolf who he had not seen since he was 3 years old. The sensitive way in which Bird gently persuaded him to see his family after 28 years is a credit to his sensitivity as a Director and as a man. The book goes on to explain and detail that very first meeting and also later meetings between Hess and his family. Eugene Bird got to know Rudolf Hess in a very real way and he discovered that Hess was a sensitive, humourous and warm human being who had a sharp intellect and keen interest in things. A truly fascinating part of the book is devoted to the letters which pointed to the peace mission to Great Britain of Rudolf Hess in which he made an attempt to stop the war. Hess explains to Eugene Bird how he was trying to achieve peace in 1941. The book has an unexpected 'twist' at the end. As a result of Bird's liaison with Rudolf Hess to write the book, Bird is questioned and put under house arrest for a time and asked to resign his post as Spandau Director. These events came as a complete shock and surprise to Eugene Bird and he writes about it as an epiloge in the book. He ends the book by saying he hoped that Rudolf Hess would be released from Spandau one day and that only time would tell. Sadly, it never happened. Louise
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rare and valuable addition to history,
By RICHARD A DINSMORE (Chula Vista, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Loneliest Man in the World: Inside Story of the Thirty Year Imprisonment of Rudolf Hess (Hardcover)
If you have read Speer's magnificent Spandau diaries, this book will fill in a lot of very interesting gaps. Authoritative, the author gives the rarest of insights into Hess' actual state during his imprisonment.
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