Has carried two letters signed by Adolf Hitler urging peace the first letter was taken by Churchill and it was supposed to be given to the king of England but it was destroyed the second letter has never been found
LTC Bird was found guilty of writing a book about and photographing Hess, things that were strictly forbidden. He was relieved of his position as Commandant and forced to retire from the Army.
While you are correct, Bird did take pictures of Hess and he collaborated with Hess to write his book in violation of Army regulations, he was not "convicted" of anything that I have found evidence of in my research. I've seen no record of courts martial proceedings about the incidents. Bird claimed he submitted pages of the manuscript to various officials long before the records indicated he had officially been found writing his book in 1971. He says they also encouraged him to write the book. Hess was supposedly reading and initialing each page of the manuscript. Part of Bird's job was to have knowledge of his prisoner. Speer told me few knew Hess better than Bird. Speer and Bird remained in contact with one another until Speer's death, shortly after we interviewed him in Heidelberg. In 1971, Bird was relieved of his position as the American Commandant of Spandau Prison and placed under house arrest. Officials were reportedly concerned about the allied response to the revelation, since Spandau remained one of those back-channel lines of communication between the Americans and the Russians at the height of the Cold War. Bird's house arrest was the death knell of his military career. In full disclosure, this TV program was also produced in technical violation of the military public affairs sensitivities in place at the time. Hess was one of those sensitive topics we were to avoid talking about on the air. The program was not produced in secret. Officials up the chain of command did keep quiet about the production to U.S. Mission approving authorities, who would have likely quashed the production and travel orders necessary to finish it. The week it was completed and while promos for the Friday night premier were being aired, the AFN-Berlin Officer in Charge took a copy of the production to the American Commandant of Berlin for his review alongside his Public Affairs officer. Neither had known of the production before seeing the promos. The comments from the U.S. Minister in the program were "off-handedly" asked of him during an unrelated interview. I handed the questions to another reporter literally going out the door to interview him one day and we held the comments for later use. Otherwise, we would have never obtained his comments since previous efforts to obtain them had been nixed. While the General said he felt we gave Bird a bit too much air time, he approved it, and said we could air the program.
He was meeting the Duke of Argyle for a prearranged secret operation. He had met the Duke & his wife 3 times in the 30s, That's why he headed towards Scotland and not to England, which was the shortest route.
It was The Duke of Hamilton who Hess flew to Scotland and who he wanted to negotiate peace terms with, unless Argyle and Hamilton are one of the same people?
@StanStacks I interacted with Albert Speer about three or four times on the phone before I met him to conduct the interview with him on a hillside in Heidelberg just a few months before he died in 1981. So, anything said here is based on some very old memories developed by a naïve, 20-something who hardly had enough life experience to know how to walk and chew gum at the same time. I remember sitting there talking to a man that was part of the nightmare my father lived as he fought his was across Europe from Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge where he was severely wounded. I wondered how Dad might have reacted had he known I was there having a friendly discussion with his former enemy. Speer was an impressive man who came across as very intelligent and sincere. He was apologetic for his actions 40 years prior. I think there are many lessons to be learned from his book. For example, he wrote "I was not choosing the NSDAP [Nazi Party], but becoming a follower of Hitler, whose magnetic force had reached out to me the first time I saw him and had not, thereafter, released me." Many politicians then and now have exhibited that emotional allure that blinds their followers. Speer admitted seeing that in hindsight. He seemed in his book and during our interview to feel the weight of his actions, admitting his responsibility for participating in the deaths of millions on the battlefield and in concentration camps.
So you were part of AFN ( either Army or Air Force) back in the early 80's? That's impressive, as I always felt that it was a decent channel for those of us that were there.
Yes @zingwilder9989, I was there from 1979 to 1981. It was a wonderful experience and I truly enjoyed serving the Berlin community. I made many lasting friendships while there. We lived out in the Düppel housing area. In, December 2015, we went back for a visit to the city and goodness has it changed from those days! It was a moving experience to walk through the Brandenburg Gate.
@@nealbuddyvickers7582 That's wonderful, Mr. Vickers, that you had the opportunity to go back. I'm certain that it was a shock to see the changes. I was at an Army Kaserne in Neu Ulm, between 1982 and 1984. To my knowledge, it closed back in 1991.
@@zingwilder9989 I lived above a gasthaus in Bruchmühlbach-Miesau from 1991-1994 while stationed at Ramstein. That was when they closed the Army Kaserne in Neu-Ulm. I saw many U.S. military installations in Europe close and draw down) during that assignment. (Hahn, Torrejon, Bitburg) I loved it over there and still have many friends we go back to visit occasionally. And I still enjoy Bitburger Beer that I can often find at the local Class VI store. Great memories! 🙂
@@nealbuddyvickers7582 Oh my gosh, you have a remarkable memory, sir! I also take it that you were a career man. Congratulations to you, as 4-years was enough for me. Actually, there were two Kasernes in Neu-Ulm: Wiley (1/81 FA-Pershing) and Nelson (Infantry). I'm certain that they closed together. I believe that our AFN Station used to come out of Ramstein? I also remember a very sad day in 1982 or 1983, when a young airman broadcaster was killed in a Chinook crash that took the lives of around 50 people. Forgive me, as I don't recall his name, but I know that it was horrible.
I looked up that air disaster. It happened on 9/11/1982, in Mannheim. All 46 on board lost their lives. There were two AFN personnel killed: Michael A. Sutton, 26, an Air Force E-4, who was a broadcaster and Army E-2, Bruce Scott, 21, performing the role of cameraman. It was a terrible ordeal.
Certainly would not want to disrespect this young Zoomy. But don't believe for 1 second that the Russians had the biggest interest in keeping Hess locked up until his death. Hess did not fly into Russia with names and addresses, looking to make a deal. As France did.
You arrived during my last year in Berlin. That had to be some of the most boring guard duty ever! :-) I assume you were assigned to McNair Barracks and did training in Doughboy City. We went back in 2015 for a visit. The place was really strange. The old military family housing near the BX and out in Duppel still stands and I was told is low income immigrant housing. We drove through just for giggles. Here's a video of the trip. th-cam.com/video/dk1N7w1F06k/w-d-xo.html
My dad guarded him in 84-85. We stayed in Berlin for one year. I remember at night you could hear gunfire at the Berlin war by the guards who were practicing shooting.
@@giannagiavelli5098 Absolutely I always thought that he wanted order to life and for this was painted as a crank. His files are still locked to this day just shows even then there was much conniving going on. Imagine a Vice President or high level government leader trying such a stunt in today’s greedy materialistic world. Breaks my heart when I think of the time he served, honour loyalty and no betrayal are a hard master to serve when you are a prisoner.Good on you for noticing this Herr Hess and I’m sure where ever his soul has gone universal balance will be kind to him. Irish ☘️♟
Some say prisoner Hess was actually a body double. It is a known fact that the plane he took off in was not the plane captured by the allies. The tail numbers were different. There is still a lot of speculation about who was in prison and why the Russians refused to let him out. I think it was the Americans, French and British that didn't want him out because the truth of his identity might be revealed and the Russians were compensated for refusing to release him.
You are correct, there are those that say many different things, often with any basis in fact.
For your conspiracy scenario to be accurate, not only would the allies have had to be complicit in the scheme, so would have the fellow prisoners, Baldur von Schirach, Karl Dönitz, Konstantin von Neurath, Erich Raeder, Albert Speer, & Walther Funk, all who knew Hess before the would have all had to have played along with the ruse. All could have spoken up after their release from Spandau where they had daily interaction with Hess. Speer told me it was Hess he served time with. Also required to have played along would have been Hess’s wife, Ilse and his son, Wolf Rüdiger Hess, who routinely visited Rudolf Hess in prison. The son was no fan of the allies holding his Dad. And after is death he claimed his father did not die of suicide, but had been murdered by the British to prevent Hess from revealing information about British misconduct during the war. Further, DNA tests in 2019 concluded it was Hess who died in Spandau. The "body double" conspiracy was just one of many surrounding the efforts of Hess. Some also posited the Duke of Hamilton was somehow associated with Hess and his flight. Other’s suggested British military intelligence encouraged Hess to make his flight. There’s also the unfounded theory that Hess made the flight with Hitler’s knowledge and was his emissary. Some claim Hess could not have flown over German territory without authorization. There’s a conspiracy theory that Hess made an intermediate landing in Amsterdam, while others say Hess took off from Calais and not Augsburg. There’s other suggestions that Hess was escorted for part of his flight across Germany by Reinhard Heydrich, RAF defenses were ordered not to attack Hess’s Messerschmitt and that the Luftwaffe’s attack on London was a diversion for Hess’s flight. Bottom line is this, just because someone can imagine something does not make it true or even possible.
Can you explain why the tail numbers on the captured plane were different than those on the plane Hess was flying when he left.@@nealbuddyvickers7582Thank you Mr. Vickers
You know nothing nothing whatsoever you are a brainwashed buffoon imbecile idiot pathetic moron who knows absolutely nothing about the reality of this situation it was Churchill who was the warmonger not the Germans
I was in 2/6 infantry and did changing of guard with russians in 1980 or 79 still got the pictures of change over place was a shithole guard towers and place was spooky. Cockroach infested where cooking was done. No thanks oreos will do. Saw a oldman once dont know if it was Hess
The ideology you speak of was to remove the infiltrators and Communists who had already almost destroyed Germany and had destroyed many countries already no one knew how far the Communists would get but the Germans were opposed to it you say that he should renounce being opposed to communism I say you should move to the Soviet Union no make that North Korea
@user-wj6dt5bq3w yeah well actually it goes even further than that. I'm quite sure the Russians constructed some secret tunnels from spandau prison while it was their 3 month period to ( gaurd ) Hess. Don't qoute me but i think its accurate.
@@giannagiavelli5098 im sure i don't need to tell you that you are in a very very small minority. And it goes without saying that you are a coward and keep your love of Nazi ideology well hidden. And i do Not advocate communism. I can't say what i really want to because TH-cam protects scum like you.
Fascinating video.
39:15 - I'd like to see that file labeled "Rudolph Hess: not to be opened until 2017". Anyone know where I can find it?
www.ljmu.ac.uk/about-us/news/articles/2021/5/7/80-years-on-the-mysterious-flight-of-rudolf-hess#:~:text=Although%20many%20assumed%20that%20this,opens%20in%20a%20new%20tab).
Has carried two letters signed by Adolf Hitler urging peace the first letter was taken by Churchill and it was supposed to be given to the king of England but it was destroyed the second letter has never been found
I didn't see that Simon Weisenthal interview in Playboy Magazine, I only look at the pictures.
LTC Bird was found guilty of writing a book about and photographing Hess, things that were strictly forbidden. He was relieved of his position as Commandant and forced to retire from the Army.
While you are correct, Bird did take pictures of Hess and he collaborated with Hess to write his book in violation of Army regulations, he was not "convicted" of anything that I have found evidence of in my research. I've seen no record of courts martial proceedings about the incidents.
Bird claimed he submitted pages of the manuscript to various officials long before the records indicated he had officially been found writing his book in 1971. He says they also encouraged him to write the book. Hess was supposedly reading and initialing each page of the manuscript.
Part of Bird's job was to have knowledge of his prisoner. Speer told me few knew Hess better than Bird. Speer and Bird remained in contact with one another until Speer's death, shortly after we interviewed him in Heidelberg.
In 1971, Bird was relieved of his position as the American Commandant of Spandau Prison and placed under house arrest. Officials were reportedly concerned about the allied response to the revelation, since Spandau remained one of those back-channel lines of communication between the Americans and the Russians at the height of the Cold War.
Bird's house arrest was the death knell of his military career.
In full disclosure, this TV program was also produced in technical violation of the military public affairs sensitivities in place at the time. Hess was one of those sensitive topics we were to avoid talking about on the air.
The program was not produced in secret. Officials up the chain of command did keep quiet about the production to U.S. Mission approving authorities, who would have likely quashed the production and travel orders necessary to finish it.
The week it was completed and while promos for the Friday night premier were being aired, the AFN-Berlin Officer in Charge took a copy of the production to the American Commandant of Berlin for his review alongside his Public Affairs officer. Neither had known of the production before seeing the promos.
The comments from the U.S. Minister in the program were "off-handedly" asked of him during an unrelated interview. I handed the questions to another reporter literally going out the door to interview him one day and we held the comments for later use. Otherwise, we would have never obtained his comments since previous efforts to obtain them had been nixed.
While the General said he felt we gave Bird a bit too much air time, he approved it, and said we could air the program.
@@nealbuddyvickers7582 May I have your opinion on whether Hess died at his own hands or the hands of others?
He was meeting the Duke of Argyle for a prearranged secret operation. He had met the Duke & his wife 3 times in the 30s, That's why he headed towards Scotland and not to England, which was the shortest route.
It was The Duke of Hamilton who Hess flew to Scotland and who he wanted to negotiate peace terms with, unless Argyle and Hamilton are one of the same people?
Can I ask you if your opinion of Speer and his book on his time in Spandau?
@StanStacks
I interacted with Albert Speer about three or four times on the phone before I met him to conduct the interview with him on a hillside in Heidelberg just a few months before he died in 1981.
So, anything said here is based on some very old memories developed by a naïve, 20-something who hardly had enough life experience to know how to walk and chew gum at the same time.
I remember sitting there talking to a man that was part of the nightmare my father lived as he fought his was across Europe from Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge where he was severely wounded. I wondered how Dad might have reacted had he known I was there having a friendly discussion with his former enemy.
Speer was an impressive man who came across as very intelligent and sincere. He was apologetic for his actions 40 years prior.
I think there are many lessons to be learned from his book. For example, he wrote "I was not choosing the NSDAP [Nazi Party], but becoming a follower of Hitler, whose magnetic force had reached out to me the first time I saw him and had not, thereafter, released me."
Many politicians then and now have exhibited that emotional allure that blinds their followers. Speer admitted seeing that in hindsight.
He seemed in his book and during our interview to feel the weight of his actions, admitting his responsibility for participating in the deaths of millions on the battlefield and in concentration camps.
@@nealbuddyvickers7582 what an amazing and thorough response. I cannot thank you enough!
How many safety public service announcement were played during the airing of this story? ?P
I don't recall any ... but that was a long time ago! :-)
You should ask why is this story so sensitive that Google immediately bends any posting of the truth here
So you were part of AFN ( either Army or Air Force) back in the early 80's? That's impressive, as I always felt that it was a decent channel for those of us that were there.
Yes @zingwilder9989, I was there from 1979 to 1981. It was a wonderful experience and I truly enjoyed serving the Berlin community. I made many lasting friendships while there. We lived out in the Düppel housing area. In, December 2015, we went back for a visit to the city and goodness has it changed from those days! It was a moving experience to walk through the Brandenburg Gate.
@@nealbuddyvickers7582 That's wonderful, Mr. Vickers, that you had the opportunity to go back. I'm certain that it was a shock to see the changes. I was at an Army Kaserne in Neu Ulm, between 1982 and 1984. To my knowledge, it closed back in 1991.
@@zingwilder9989 I lived above a gasthaus in Bruchmühlbach-Miesau from 1991-1994 while stationed at Ramstein. That was when they closed the Army Kaserne in Neu-Ulm. I saw many U.S. military installations in Europe close and draw down) during that assignment. (Hahn, Torrejon, Bitburg) I loved it over there and still have many friends we go back to visit occasionally. And I still enjoy Bitburger Beer that I can often find at the local Class VI store. Great memories! 🙂
@@nealbuddyvickers7582 Oh my gosh, you have a remarkable memory, sir! I also take it that you were a career man. Congratulations to you, as 4-years was enough for me. Actually, there were two Kasernes in Neu-Ulm: Wiley (1/81 FA-Pershing) and Nelson (Infantry). I'm certain that they closed together. I believe that our AFN Station used to come out of Ramstein? I also remember a very sad day in 1982 or 1983, when a young airman broadcaster was killed in a Chinook crash that took the lives of around 50 people. Forgive me, as I don't recall his name, but I know that it was horrible.
I looked up that air disaster. It happened on 9/11/1982, in Mannheim. All 46 on board lost their lives. There were two AFN personnel killed: Michael A. Sutton, 26, an Air Force E-4, who was a broadcaster and Army E-2, Bruce Scott, 21, performing the role of cameraman. It was a terrible ordeal.
Certainly would not want to disrespect this young Zoomy. But don't believe for 1 second that the Russians had the biggest interest in keeping Hess locked up until his death. Hess did not fly into Russia with names and addresses, looking to make a deal. As France did.
I Guarded Hess twice..Aco.3rd Bn. 6th infantry.. 80-83.. I only saw him once from a guard tower on his walk..
You arrived during my last year in Berlin. That had to be some of the most boring guard duty ever! :-)
I assume you were assigned to McNair Barracks and did training in Doughboy City. We went back in 2015 for a visit. The place was really strange. The old military family housing near the BX and out in Duppel still stands and I was told is low income immigrant housing. We drove through just for giggles. Here's a video of the trip.
th-cam.com/video/dk1N7w1F06k/w-d-xo.html
My dad guarded him in 84-85. We stayed in Berlin for one year. I remember at night you could hear gunfire at the Berlin war by the guards who were practicing shooting.
Hess fought for Peace!!!!!
Its so sad to see Hess beeing imprisoned for life and Speer just for 20 years.
I wonder what hess knew thats the Soviets didn't want out.
Has knew of the Russians rape and torture of everyone that came across and if their plans to dominate and destroy Europe
Puede este video ser traducido al español?
Lo siento, no. Hice este video hace más de 40 años para una audiencia estadounidense.
Hess should have received the Nobel peace prize for his actions.
Absolutely it's an amazing story of one man's fight for peace
@@giannagiavelli5098 Absolutely I always thought that he wanted order to life and for this was painted as a crank. His files are still locked to this day just shows even then there was much conniving going on. Imagine a Vice President or high level government leader trying such a stunt in today’s greedy materialistic world. Breaks my heart when I think of the time he served, honour loyalty and no betrayal are a hard master to serve when you are a prisoner.Good on you for noticing this Herr Hess and I’m sure where ever his soul has gone universal balance will be kind to him. Irish ☘️♟
Some say prisoner Hess was actually a body double. It is a known fact that the plane he took off in was not the plane captured by the allies. The tail numbers were different. There is still a lot of speculation about who was in prison and why the Russians refused to let him out. I think it was the Americans, French and British that didn't want him out because the truth of his identity might be revealed and the Russians were compensated for refusing to release him.
You are correct, there are those that say many different things, often with any basis in fact.
For your conspiracy scenario to be accurate, not only would the allies have had to be complicit in the scheme, so would have the fellow prisoners, Baldur von Schirach, Karl Dönitz, Konstantin von Neurath, Erich Raeder, Albert Speer, & Walther Funk, all who knew Hess before the would have all had to have played along with the ruse. All could have spoken up after their release from Spandau where they had daily interaction with Hess. Speer told me it was Hess he served time with.
Also required to have played along would have been Hess’s wife, Ilse and his son, Wolf Rüdiger Hess, who routinely visited Rudolf Hess in prison. The son was no fan of the allies holding his Dad. And after is death he claimed his father did not die of suicide, but had been murdered by the British to prevent Hess from revealing information about British misconduct during the war.
Further, DNA tests in 2019 concluded it was Hess who died in Spandau.
The "body double" conspiracy was just one of many surrounding the efforts of Hess.
Some also posited the Duke of Hamilton was somehow associated with Hess and his flight.
Other’s suggested British military intelligence encouraged Hess to make his flight.
There’s also the unfounded theory that Hess made the flight with Hitler’s knowledge and was his emissary.
Some claim Hess could not have flown over German territory without authorization.
There’s a conspiracy theory that Hess made an intermediate landing in Amsterdam, while others say Hess took off from Calais and not Augsburg.
There’s other suggestions that Hess was escorted for part of his flight across Germany by Reinhard Heydrich, RAF defenses were ordered not to attack Hess’s Messerschmitt and that the Luftwaffe’s attack on London was a diversion for Hess’s flight.
Bottom line is this, just because someone can imagine something does not make it true or even possible.
Can you explain why the tail numbers on the captured plane were different than those on the plane Hess was flying when he left.@@nealbuddyvickers7582Thank you Mr. Vickers
Wow this guy has an amazing radio voice. Lol
Thank you for the kind words ... that was 40+ years ago. :-)
Here's a more recent work
th-cam.com/video/xFzeu_Rbv5g/w-d-xo.html
@@nealbuddyvickers7582 omg so that was you! lol great work!!
@@TheFilipinaWifeLife ... thank you. You are very kind.
If he didn’t want to serve a life sentence he shouldn’t have thrown his lot in with Hitler.
You know nothing nothing whatsoever you are a brainwashed buffoon imbecile idiot pathetic moron who knows absolutely nothing about the reality of this situation it was Churchill who was the warmonger not the Germans
I was in 2/6 infantry and did changing of guard with russians in 1980 or 79 still got the pictures of change over place was a shithole guard towers and place was spooky. Cockroach infested where cooking was done. No thanks oreos will do. Saw a oldman once dont know if it was Hess
Never understood why he got life, he got out of Hilters hands when he left Germany.
A lot of minor factual errors here.
Märtyrer des Friedens!
Julian Assange is treated worse.
R.I.P. Hess
I have a difficult time having sympathy for Hess. All he would have had to do to get the Soviets OK for release is to condemn Nazi ideology.
You’re right. He remained a committed Nazi to the end
The ideology you speak of was to remove the infiltrators and Communists who had already almost destroyed Germany and had destroyed many countries already no one knew how far the Communists would get but the Germans were opposed to it you say that he should renounce being opposed to communism I say you should move to the Soviet Union no make that North Korea
@user-wj6dt5bq3w yeah well actually it goes even further than that. I'm quite sure the Russians constructed some secret tunnels from spandau prison while it was their 3 month period to ( gaurd ) Hess. Don't qoute me but i think its accurate.
@@giannagiavelli5098 you are a SICK PUPPY
@@giannagiavelli5098 im sure i don't need to tell you that you are in a very very small minority. And it goes without saying that you are a coward and keep your love of Nazi ideology well hidden. And i do Not advocate communism. I can't say what i really want to because TH-cam protects scum like you.
Neal Buddy do you think that Hess committed suicide or that he was killed??
Anyway good documentary
Has could not lift his arms at the time so how did he tie a noose above his head