The Strange Case of Rudolf Hess

Southland Times, Issue 24445, 27 May 1941, Page 4

The Strange Case of Rudolf Hess

THE mystery of Rudolf Hess has been pushed into the background by spectacular events on land and sea, and it may be some time before the British Government authorizes a revealing statement. According to The Daily Telegraph, usually a well-informed newspaper, the prisoner is now “adopting a truculent attitude.” If this is the result of “a gradual realization that he is being treated strictly as a military prisoner” it will be easier to believe that certain Cabinet Ministers were right in their contention that the unexpected visitor should be treated with suspicion. It is well known, of course, that the Nazi chiefs are insufferably arrogant, and even a narrow escape from the Gestapo may have failed to quench the self-confidence of Hitler’s deputy. But if Hess went to England believing that no other country could provide him with a complete safety he should have no objection to the security of an honourable imprisonment. His conduct could have two explanations. One theory is that he fled to England because he believed that his personal influence, exerted on members of the ruling class, would lead to peace negotiations. If he took such a step on his own initiative he would not unnaturally be surprised and angered when he found that he was being prevented from carrying out his mission. The Nazi leaders have shown such a poor understanding of the British temperament that it would not be impossible for a worried idealist to make such a large miscalculation. But the realists, while ready to admit that Hess might be an idealist, have reminded the people of his dark record in Nazi Germany. They see nothing fantastic in the theory that the flight was stage-managed with Hitler’s approval, and that the motive was to exploit the desire for appeasement in influential circles. If this is correct the Nazis failed to realize that appeasement in England is extinct. The chief objection to the realists’ explanation is the shattering blow to Germany’s prestige caused by the alleged flight of the deputy Fuhrer. Only the highest stakes could justify such a loss of face, and the blundering attempt to reach the Duke of Hamilton (whose absence on active service could surely have been checked by Nazi agents) suggested, that the game was being played without the support of the Party. It is wise to be suspicious where Nazis are concerned, and the British authorities will continue to be on their guard against trickery. But so far no safe clue has been revealed in one of the most baffling of all political mysteries.