Spandau: The Secret Diaries

This is an excellent book which gives a brilliant account of the day to day life of the Nuremburg men at Spandau. While Albert Speer's thoughts on the 'Third Reich' are interesting, I much prefer his diary entries which incidentally cover his time spent at Nuremburg too. Some entries are only one or two lines long but they make a very sensitive and moving account of himself. I loved reading about the various dreams he had in Spandau (some of which were very vivid) the attitude to him of the other prisoners are interesting too. Referrences to Rudolf Hess make fascinating reading but for a full picture of Hess I suggest that reliable back up information of a sympathetic nature be read as well such as the book by one time Spandau Director Colonel Eugene Bird (The Lonliest Man In The World) now sadly out of print but worth seeking second hand through the internet. Albert Speer could not have known that Rudolf Hess was genuinely ill with an undetected stomach ulcer when he wrote how Hess complained so much of being in pain. The reality of Hess's very real illness was only discovered after Speer had been released from Spandau. The book also highlights the sometimes harsh treatment meted out to Rudolf Hess. The diary entries show a sensitive and intelligent man who wondered how he was going to get through his 20 year sentence. It is an extremely human and moving account and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the Third Reich and in particular anyone who is seeking to know what the men at Spandau were really like and who are willing to put any pre-conceived prejudices they may have or have heard about Nazi's aside.A brilliant read!Louise Brown

Alfred Speer account of his 20 years detention in the jail of Spandau is surprisingly captivating. One of the reason for that is that not only Speer shows himself to be a talented writer but the interaction between all the ex-nazi leaders detained in Spandau is fascinating. What struck me however as the most interesting part of this great book is how perfectly it demonstrate the damage that long term detention can do to the human mind. All the prisonners remaining after the first few years demonstrate various signs of mental deterioration, which Speer as managed to describe with surprising accuracy (Speer himself start showing these signs as the story unfold). Granted, some of these men were already psychically destroyed at the time of their incarceration but still the effect of time cannot be ignored... Other highlights of the book include a close look at the enigmatic Rudolf Hess as seen through the eye of Speer ( Funny at time, ... often, surprisingly lucid on occasion, the man is still as incomprehensible to me as ever...). We also get to see a darker side of the admiral Doenitz, the man Hitler had named to be his successor (but Speer might not be totally impartial on the question...). All these themes an much more are told in a masterfull way by Speer who recorded the events as they unfolded on anykind of papers he could get his hand on in the jail, he then managed to sneak his writings out to his family through some friendly guards...Ok enough compliments, now the little warning: Speer however repentent he might have been and however talented he was, was sentenced to 20 years at Nuremberg for a good reason (one could argue he was actually lucky not to get the death sentence others got for less then he did). My point is that Speer is a very charismatic man who has always had a talent (even in his writings) to make himsfelf look like a good guy in comparison to his fellow high ranking Nazi. He does it mainly by accepting a general responsability (for Nazi crime) which make him seems like an honest man in comparison to others, yet never confessing to any concrete responsability on his part to really important crimes he did or by trying to diminish his responsability in those crimes (his responsability in germany using slave labor for example). So read this book with caution and do not forget the intelligent yet unscrupulous man who wrote it.

Albert Speer , Hitler's brilliant architect and later minister for war production was sentenced to 20 years at Nuremberg .This gripping account was cobbled togather from the notes(scribbled on pieces of toilet paper) Mr.Speer managed to smuggled out of the prison .This book is one rivetting read ! It personifies the triumph of intelligence and WILL over despair , tedium and all the petty abuses that a prisoner has to put up with.It will be on my "desert island" list .Very highly recommended.