Description:

WILHELM CANARIS
(1887 - 1945) German admiral and head of the German intelligence agency Abwehr. Implicated in the July 20 bomb plot, Canaris was condemned to death and was walked naked and barefoot to the gallows at Flossenburg. Rare, fine content and association A.L.S. "Canaris", 1p. 4to., Wilhelmshaven, June 27, 1933 to HEINRICH HIMMLER, who has docketed and initialed the letter "H H" at top. Canaris, acting as Hitler's secret service chief, submits a cryptic report to the head of the SS. In part: "...The affair E. went constantly through my my thoughts because I had written you about it. Then I realized I could not have foreseen the results of bringing E's request to your attention. Now I am really happy to see the change. Meanwhile, I wrote to Berchtold [?] v. Alexich. It would be really fine if we could talk about that and other things. Please give my regards to Chief of Staff, Mr. [Ernst] Rohm...". Research indicates the "Berchtold" was likely JOSEPH BERCHTOLD (1897-1962), who succeeded Julius Schreck as Reichsführer SS in 1926. He had also been an SA leader in Austria a few years earlier. GEORGE VON ALEXICH was an outspoken opponent of any annexation by Germany, and fled to the U.S. in 1940 to avoid arrest. Himmler and Canaris may have been feeling out Austrian political sentiment as within month, civil war broke out between socialists and nationalists, and within a year Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss would be assassinated by the Nazis. Of course, Himmler, Rohm...and Canaris would also meet untimely ends. Four file holes in left margin affect a few letters of text, else fine.

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February 18, 2014 11:00 AM EST
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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