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the decisive encounter with Adolf Hitler. Together, the two men rose through the ranks of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. After the failed Beer Hall Putsch in 1923, they were incarcerated in Landsberg Prison, Bavaria. For eight long months, Hitler dictated to him what was to become the foundation of the new world order, Mein Kampf . The Nazis’ hour of glory lay on the horizon. Rudolf Hess’s had already passed.
    The sound of a key turning in the lock brought him back to the present. The cell door opened. Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, the fourteenth duke of Hamilton, ducked his head to enter the room. The architects of the Tower of London had not designed the building for lanky aristocrats. The prisoner examined his visitor. Six feet six inches tall, slim and perfectly nondescript. In his tweed suit, he looked like a giant green bean. To Rudolf, he was the caricature of a British lord: crooked teeth, hair flopping over his forehead, long nose. In short, the duke was the epitome of ugliness.
    Once he was through the door, Hamilton straightened up, thrust his hand out and pumped the prisoner’s hand. He glanced around and found the room on the comfortable side. A cozy bed next to a chair and a desk covered with newspapers. Multicolored vials were lined up on the window ledge. Very German. “My dear Rudolf, I’m very pleased to see you being so well treated. Forgive the amateur dramatics, but in the present circumstances it’s important to make people think you’re being incarcerated.”
    Standing up with some pain, the Nazi pulled over the chair and sat down. “My lord, it’s a pleasure for me, as well. MI6 explained the necessity of this masquerade. It suits me perfectly. I won’t be a difficult guest. Once our agreement is finalized, and I have been released, I’ll take advantage of my stay in your fine country to visit Oxford. My father wanted me to study there.”
    Hamilton let out a stiff chuckle, which he concealed behind an awkward cough. “I shall be your guide. I spent lovely years there. How are you? Our last meeting dates back to the Olympic Games, I believe.”
    “True. We shared breakfast in your hotel in central Berlin. I won’t lie. I’m impatient to return home. My ankle is on the mend. Other than that, I’m as well as can be.”
    The Scotsman admired the German’s flawless diction with no trace of accent. But the duke had more important things on his mind than the Nazi leader’s diction. At the duke’s request, a guard discreetly brought in a second chair. His task accomplished, the man left, locking the door behind him. “Herr Hess, now that we are alone, let’s get down to business, shall we?”
    “With pleasure. Peace between our two nations is a pressing issue. Thanks to the prospect of our forthcoming treaty, an invasion of the Russian front is imminent. Our army is massing its troops to attack the Bolsheviks, to the delight, I should imagine, of the Americans and Mr. Churchill.”
    “Excellent news! We have no wish to see Stalin become a major player on the world stage.”
    “We’ll ensure he doesn’t. Have faith in the führer’s strategic genius. In a few weeks, the support of your air force will guarantee us a crushing victory. We shall celebrate Christmas in Moscow.” In his excitement, Rudolf pummeled his good knee with his fist.
    “God willing,” Hamilton replied with a wolfish grin.
    “And as good things always come in pairs, I should tell you that one of our scientists has obtained some very promising results.”
    The duke’s eyes opened so wide, they threatened to pop out of their sockets. His face was a picture of pure covetousness.
    “His latest experiments seem to confirm every hypothesis,” Rudolf Hess continued smugly. “Ours and yours. There is, of course, still work to be done, but we’re on the right track.”
    The duke nibbled his lower lip. He could hardly conceal his eagerness, but his upbringing reasserted itself, and he restrained