The Truth About Rudolf Hess

Rudolf Hess’s 1941 flight and its tangled network of motives, allies, and archival evidence unravel the episode’s mystery for readers seeking precise, contextual understanding of wartime intrigue.

Rudolf Hess' flight to Britain in May 1941 stands out as one of the most intriguing and bizarre episodes of the Second World War.

In The Truth About Rudolf Hess, Lord James Douglas-Hamilton explores many of the myths which still surround the affair. He traces the developments which persuaded Hess to undertake the flight without Hitlers knowledge and shows why he chose to approach the Duke of Hamilton. In the process he throws light on the importance of Albrect Haushofer, one-time envoy to Hitler and Ribbentrop and personal advisor to Hess, who was eventually executed by the SS for his involvement in the German Resistance movement.

Drawing on British War Cabinet papers and the authors unparalleled access to both the Hamilton papers and the Haushofer letters, this new and expanded edition of The Truth About Rudolf Hess takes the reader into the heart of the Third Reich, combining adventure and intrigue with a scholarly historical approach.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton read history at Balliol College, was a boxing blue and President of the Oxford Union. After a spell in the legal profession, he became the Member of Parliament for Edinburgh West. From 1999 to 2007 he was a member of the Scottish Parliament. He retired from Parliament in 2007 and now sits in the House of Lords.