German Nazi leader
On 10 May 1941, flew to Scotland in an effort to persuade the British to sue for peace. The British held him incommunicado for the rest of the war.
At Nuremberg, he was the highest-level Nazi official acquitted of war crimes and crimes against humanity, thus avoiding the death penalty. He was convicted of three counts of conspiracy and of crimes against the peace on 1 October 1946 and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Served out his sentence at Spandau Prison in West Berlin, which was set aside to house Nazi war criminals. He became the only inmate in 1966, following the release of Albert Speer. During their months on guard duty the Soviet guards were as interested in watching the nearby British Army barracks as they were the prison.
Found with an electrical cord wrapped around his neck, his death was ruled a suicide. However, his family claims that Hess was in fact murdered. The warden that Hess befriended, Eugene K. Bird, also voiced concern that Hess was murdered.
