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Summary: Wonder Boy of the 3rd Reich
Review: First hand accounts of the workings of the German High Command and the interactions between the parties, including Adolph Hitler, are rare and becoming rarer. Many of those involve left memoirs, but those are becoming difficult to find, as most are now out of print. Speer's Spandau writings are among the endangered species. Anyone who wishes to understand the minds of the men who made the Reich work and particularly the mind of Adolph Hitler can do so by the evidence of their deeds at one level. However, the records of their thoughts, conversations, behavior and rationalizations while they did so is certainly a facet of understanding. The writings of Von Manstein, Doenitz, Rommel, Guderian, and the diaries of Joseph Goebbels are each worth the reading in this sense. As is Albert Speer. Speer was imprisoned longer than any of the other members of Hitler's inner circle. He had many years of solitude to contemplate his deeds and reflect on how and why he came to be imprisoned in Spandau. Maybe these musings qualify as revisionist history. Maybe they're merely self-serving rationalizations. But his anecdotes will definitely add to your understanding of the 3rd Reich. You don't have to believe everything he says, but it's worth reading it and making the choice for yourself. Speer thought of himself as a 'nice guy'. You can't make an informed decision as to whether it was true without reading what he had to say. In the end most of us believe we are 'nice people' and are justified in whatever horrendous deeds we pursue.
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Summary: Introspection on the inside of Spandau
Review: Speer is an intriguing personage in the Nazi hierarchy: was he really the only "good Nazi", as he was called, or merely a master manipulator? I read his "Inside the Third Reich" many years ago and found him to be unafraid of his history in Hitler's cabinet. Although "Inside" was published before "Spandau", the diaries had to be written before he could write "Inside". Speer struggles mightily trying to comprehend his role in Hitler's agenda and subsequent responsibility for its actions. This alone is interest enough, however, Speer's anecdotes about life with his fellow inmates, first at Nuremburg, then at Spandau, give a different view of such historical figures as Goring and Donitz. Speer even manages to humanize the odd and remote Rudolph Hess. Alone of the men convicted at Nuremburg, Speer sought and accepted personal accountability. His writing provides a deeply introspective view of how ordinary men are caught up in extraordinary circumstances. That he sought to understand this in himself was his redemption. The casual reader will enjoy the book for its human insights, however, some passing familiarity with WWII, Hitler, and European politics will add depth to the reader's experience. Speer may have longed for an abiding fame as an architect, but I believe he has built something much more lasting and significant with this work than he could have imagined.
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Summary: ALBERT SPEER'S SPANDAU DIARIES
Review: 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
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Summary: Prison Diary of Hitler's Pet Boy-Genius Architect
Review: This is the prison diary of Hitler's pet boy-genius architect Albert Speer - the one person whom Der Fuehrer looked up to and regarded as the closest friend he ever had. A supremely talented controversial figure (the world is still undecided whether he was a sole Good Nazi or whether he survived because he was a consumate actor who managed to swindle the International Tribunal in Nuremberg!) who served an even more controversial figure (Hitler), secretly wrote these diaries when he was serving out his 20 yrs jail term. Many curious and personal observations about the life of Third Reich's Best in prison routine, including Fuehrer No. Two, Adm Doenitz, Deputy Fuehrer Rudolf Hess, Reichbank chief Funk, Hitler Youth Supreme Leader Baldur von Schirach etc. Many many unique 'first person view' accounts of life at the pinnacle of the infamous Third Reich, as Hitler's favourite courtier. An invaluable historical document and a Must Read for the serious historian. At a personal level, this counts as one of history's foremost prison diary. Speer shines with his deeply insightful observation and analysis of the characters imprisoned in Spandau with him, and touches the reader with his effort at maintaining his dignity and sanity confronted with the dehumanising reality of a 20-year imprisonment. Speer was in turn analytical, psychological, poetical and soulful. One finishes reading this book greatly puzzled how such a magnificently talented man with such a beautiful soul could have collaborated with Hitler. This adds to the paradoxical mystery of Hitler as - in turn - maniacal dictator and art patron. You draw your own conclusions whether Albert outsmarted everyone of the Nuremberg judges (save the Soviet one). I myself found it superbly entertaining, highly illuminating and deeply moving from one who not only was THERE, but there at the very TOP. A unique historical First person account.
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