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Hess, Rudolf (1894-1987) German Politician

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The following article was available only on paper in The National Archives' reading rooms. It was designed to act as a signpost to records of interest on a particular historical subject. It is not comprehensive, but may provide the basis for research among the records. It may have been compiled many years ago and could be out of date so feel free to edit this page to improve the information.

The National Register of Archives holds further information about manuscripts and historical records on
Hess, Rudolf (1894-1987) German Politician

1 Sources at The National Archives
2 External links and publications

[edit] Sources at The National Archives

[edit] Air Ministry

AIR 19/564	Medical reports and allegations on the role of Duke of Hamilton	1941
AIR 25/233	HQ 13 Group: "1 Me 110 crash landed near Glasgow at 2306 hrs not due to fighter action"	1941 May 10
AIR 28/40	RAF Station Ayr: Report of Hess's Me 110 at 2234 hrs as hostile raid 42J. Crashed near Eaglesham and the pilot was captured. He gave his name as 'Alfred Horn', a friend of the Duke of Hamilton. He was removed to a Home Guard HQ at Giffnock and later to Maryhill Barracks, Glasgow. He was later identified as Hess	1941 May 10
AIR 28/624	RAF Station Ouston: At 2208 raid 42 reported as travelling towards Holy Island. Reported as an Me 110. The aircraft crashed and was found to have been piloted by Rudolf Hess	1941 May 10
AIR 29/1019	63 Maintenance Unit. For 11th and 16th May 1941 references to salvage of Hess's aeroplane	1941 May

[edit] Cabinet Office

CAB 118/56	Correspondence concerning Hess	1941

[edit] Ministry of Defence

DEFE 1/134	Censorship of mail	1941

[edit] Foreign Office

FO 115/3544	British Embassy, Washington files: flight of Hess	1941
FO 181/969/12	Moscow Embassy: Correspondence concerning Hess. [Some pages subject to non-disclosure under statute]	1942
FO 371/26542	Nature and range of German peace feelers in early 1941 (C1687G, C1954, C2785G); formerly closed until 2017, opened in 2007	1941
FO 371/26565	Flight of Rudolph Hess to Scotland [C5188/5188/18 file]	1941
FO 371/26566	Flight of Rudolph Hess to Scotland [C5188/5188/18 file]	1941
FO 371/30920	Parliamentary statement on Rudolph Hess [C10193-C10798/61/18]	1942
FO 371/30941	Nazi explanation of the mission of Herr Hess [C1299/1299/18 file]	1942
FO 371/33036	Soviet criticisms of British policy towards Hess [N5272/5272/18 file]	1942
FO 371/34484	Rudolph Hess [C5311/5311/18 file]	1943
FO 371/50976	War Crimes: Note for the Cabinet meeting that Judge Jackson suggests that Hess might be testified as insane. His case is to be considered by the Attorney-General [U4199/16/73]	1945
FO 371/50986	Copy of a note on the scheme of the draft indictment on the trial of German war criminals [U662/16/73]	1945

[edit] Foreign and Commonwealth Office

FCO 90	Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Office of the Deputy Commandant, British Military Government, Berlin: Registered Files	1972-1978
FCO 90/2	Health of Rudolf Hess in Spandau Prison, Berlin	1972
FCO 90/3	Health of Rudolf Hess in Spandau Prison, Berlin	1972
FCO 90/4	Health of Rudolf Hess in Spandau Prison, Berlin	1972
FCO 90/9	Rudolf Hess and Spandau Prison, Berlin: Legal Department file	1972-1973
FCO 90/10	Rudolf Hess and Spandau Prison, Berlin	1973
FCO 90/11	Rudolf Hess and Spandau Prison, Berlin	1973
FCO 90/12	Rudolf Hess and Spandau Prison, Berlin	1973
FCO 90/13	Rudolf Hess and Spandau Prison, Berlin	1973
FCO 90/14	Rudolf Hess and Spandau Prison, Berlin	1973
FCO 90/16	Rudolf Hess and Spandau Prison, Berlin: Legal Department file. Contains minutes of the meetings of the Spandau Prison governors, in addition to correspondence with legal advisers for each of the Four-Power Authorities (UK, USA, France and the Soviet Union). Discussions in this file concentrate on the state of Hess’s health and the negotiations between the three western powers and the Soviet governor to allow Hess to receive medical treatment at the British Military Hospital in Berlin. Many items in this file relate to the campaign to release Hess in the build up to his eightieth birthday, including a letter from Airey Neave MP in support of Hess’s release to the US Embassy. Much of the correspondence also deals with the day-to-day administrative wrangling among the Four-Power Authority officials, demonstrated by a note from the British legal adviser warning the British governor at Spandau of the Americans’ displeasure at the smell of the pigs kept by British staff in the prison compound. Opened on 28 September 2007	1973 Aug 01 - 1974 May 30
FCO 90/17	Rudolf Hess and Spandau Prison, Berlin: Legal Department file. Covers the application to the European Commission of Human Rights made by Hess’s wife, Ilse, that the UK acted unlawfully in detaining Hess for life. The papers illustrating this case give a factual background to Hess’s Nazi career, his solo flight to the UK in 1941 and his subsequent arrest, his trial and imprisonment, in addition to draft government observations on Isle Hess’s application. Opened on 28 September 2007	1974 Jul 01 - 1974 Dec 23
FCO 90/18	Rudolf Hess and Spandau Prison, Berlin. Minutes of the governors’ meetings reveal disagreement between the western powers and the Soviet Union regarding the prisoner’s rights, with particular reference to levels of censorship. The Soviet governor argued that uncensored letters to his wife could be used to construct a propagandist essay. Correspondence about the ‘petty’ removal of personal photographs from the prisoner’s accommodation by Soviet guards, as well as reaction from the prisons’ administrators to the publication of a book on Hess’s imprisonment by a former American prison governor are also included. Opened on 28 September 2007	1974 Jan 04 - 1974 Apr 01
FCO 90/19	Rudolf Hess and Spandau Prison, Berlin.	1974 Apr 02 - 1974 May 05
FCO 90/20	Rudolf Hess and Spandau Prison, Berlin. Contains discussions about an altercation between Hess and a Soviet warder. The western governors raise issues of Soviet policy towards Hess, for example taking away Hess’s glasses before lights out, destroying his notebooks, increasing the strictness of censorship and blocking visits by Hess’s lawyer. Opened on 28 September 2007	1974 May 06 - 1974 Aug 06
FCO 90/21	Rudolf Hess and Spandau Prison, Berlin. Includes a letter from a British member of the public to Hess and minutes discussing Hess’s health. Opened on 28 September 2007	1974 Aug 12 - 1974 Nov 27
FCO 90/22	Rudolf Hess and Spandau Prison, Berlin. Contains copies of the prisoner’s daily schedule, divided into fifteen and thirty minute slots. The schedule outlines times for cleaning, exercise and searches by Hess’s warders. Also included are action plans in the event of Hess’s death. Opened on 28 September 2007	1974 Nov 21 - 1974 Dec 30

[edit] Home Office

HO 144/22492/863753	Rodolph Hess: public disquiet and rumours about his mission. Measures to prevent his appearance as a witness in the libel action brought by the Duke of Hamilton	1941-1942
HO 199/482	Messages about Hess's landing in Scotland	1941

[edit] Ministry of Information

INF 1/912	Public reporting of incident, including involvement of Duke of Hamilton, news cuttings etc	1941-1945

[edit] The Security Service

KV 2/34 KV 2/35 KV 2/36 KV 2/37 KV 2/38	Hess: Rudolf. Papers relating to Hess’s arrival in Britain in 1941 and his subsequent detention here during the Second World War	1941-1945.

[edit] Prime Minister’s Office

PREM 3/219/1	Hess: Effect in USA	1941 June
PREM 3/219/2	Hess: Medical report	1941 Aug
PREM 3/219/3	Duke of Hamilton's libel action	1941 Jun-Jul
PREM 3/219/4	Public statements	1941 May
PREM 3/219/5	Interview with Dr Guthrie	1941 June
PREM 3/219/6	Soviet attitude and report by Lord Privy Seal	1942 Oct-Nov
PREM 3/219/7	Various	1941-1945

[edit] Treasury Solictor's Department

TS 27/510	Question whether he can be subpoenaed to give evidence in the libel action brought by the Duke of Hamilton against Harry Pollitt	1941

[edit] War Office

WO 199/3288A	Scottish Command Report on Hess's capture	1941 May-Jul
WO 199/3288B	Scottish Command Report on Hess's capture	1941 May
WO 208/4471	MI 14 dossier on Hess	1941-1945
WO 219/1656A	Report on interview given by Hess to US secretary of state, Mr Sumner Wells on 3 March 1940. Text of proposed broadcast by General Dittmar and record of an interview with him by SHAEF Psychological Warfare Division Staff Officers	Apr-May 1945