Rudolf Hess walking in prison yard, Spandau, Germany

Jan. 1, 1970 - Franz Josef Strauss intervened for Rudolf Hess: Officially intervening for Rudolf Hess, Franz Josef Strauss, the chairman of the Christian Socialist Union of West Germany, asked in a letter to the American President Jimmy Carter, the French President Giscard d'Estaing and the British Prime Minister James Callaghan, the three Western Powers to make possible a human old age for Rudolf Hess, now 82 years old, either by mitigation of detention or by release. As till now every attempt to mitigate detention or to release Hess has failed because of the veto of the USSR government, Strauss proposed that at least the Western Powers should grant mitigation of detention for Hess during the time of their responsibility. Hitler's substitute has been in detention for 36 years now, for about 10 years he has been the only prisoner in Spandau. Photo shows Rudolf Hess (middle) at a walk in the prison yard of Spandau (right to him Walter Funk)

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Asked Callaghan Destaing Detention Either Estaing Failed Giscard Hess Intervened Intervening Least Mitigation Officially Possible Proposed Responsibility Spandau Strauss Substitute Till Veto

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