Evening star., 1941-05-13
Hess Followed Hitler in Blind Devotion;
Acted for Fuehrer in All Party Matters

ing for an everlasting and beautiful
Germany and grant that we be
worthy of Your blessing"
There was similar religious flavor
to the message he broadcast from a
German destroyer the Christmas
Eve after the war started:
This German nation" he said,
feels that God sent us a man to
right nameless wrongs which once
afflicted us, to guarantee our free
dom, to bring at least eternal peace
to a tortured world. And this is our
prayer: God, You gave our nation
Your blessing. We, God, will win
Your blessing in this coming year.
We will earn Your blessing in battle,
in the battle for our country, for
the man whom You gave us"
Hess regularly addressed annual
meetings of Germans Living Abroad,
an organization charged with
spreading the Nazi philosophy. In
1888 he told one of these meetings,
to which there were delegates from
81 countries, including the United
States: Your organizations may
be suppressed and your insignia for
bidden, but not your National So
cialist spirit and hearts"
Defended Persecution.
Hess defended persecution of the
Jews. In one speech he said the
English had expelled them in the
18th century. He even misquoted
Benjamin Franklin In an effort to
show that the early American
statesman condoned intolerance of
Jews
Hess was credited with taking
down in longhand at least part of
'Mein Kampf" while he and Hitler
were prison mates after the beer
cellar putsch. 1t was said also that
Hess edited the manuscript before 1t
was published.
In the years Immediately preced-
ing the war, Hess, in his speeches,
insisted Germany wanted peace, but
was ready to fight if need be-
Ever since 1884, Hess had been
recognized as the man who saw that
Hitlers DEGREES were carried out and
there was harmony, in and out of
the Nazi party. Hess sent agitators
or secret foes off to concentration
camps-or worse-and he blamed
spies" for some of the atrocity
stories that got out of Germany.
Early in the Hitler regime, Hess
decreed protection of foreign visit
ors, some of whom hsd been roughly
handled by Nazi zealots for such
offenses as failing to salute.
Loyalty Never Questioned.
In the blood purge" of June, 1884,
when several Nazi leaders were de-
posed, some executed, Hess loyalty
and devotion to Hitler and the state
never were questioned. In fact, he
acted as Hitler's personal represent
ative at the court-martial proceed
ings.
Ofhcially, Hess was a minister
without portfolio. AS one of the six
members of Hitler's secret war cabi-
net, he had an important voice in
the conduct of the war. He was with
Hitler in the railway car in Com
piegne Forest in June, 1910, when
the French were given the Fuehrer's
armistice terms.
Only nine days ago Hitler and
Hess sat side by side at meeting
of the Reichstag.
On April 20, when Hitler observed
his SD birthday anniversary at
headquarters on the Balkan front,
Hess was there and greeted the
leader with the assurance: Your
spirit and your will brought new
people and a new soldier to protect
them"
~ Hess had one nickname in Ger
many which associates we're afraid
to use to his face. This was FRAU
lein.' title given nursemaids and
governesses. His comrades said he
acted as nursemaid. to the Fuehrer.
Hess was known as an austere
man. He rarely smiled in public,
and the many photographs of him
taken at public functions invariably
show him with a grave, set express
sion.