The Kersten Memoirs, 1940-1945 (Classics of World War II).

Alexandria, Virginia:: Time-Life Books, 1992.. Reprint Edition.. Hardbound . BINDING/CONDITION: from a uniformly bound series: tan marbled boards with half black imitation leather (corners and spine), all edges gilt, ribbon place marker, Very Good condition.. 8vo (8.5 inches tall) . Appendix, index. Printed endpapers. Description: Originally published in 1956, this reprint edition is part of the Time-Life World War II Classics series, The Secret War. ''A renowned healer before the war, Felix Kersten bore the uneasy distinction of becoming indispensable to Heinrich Himmler, Hitler's ruthless right-hand man. Himmler suffered debilitating stomach cramps, which -- since they belied the propaganda celebrating robust Nazi manhood-- he tried to keep secret. In 1939 Himmler decided that only Felix Kersten, who practiced a massage system could allay his agonizing pains. From then until the war's end, Kersten enjoyed Himmler's utmost confidence and absolute protection. Estonian-born and a citizen of Finland, Kersten never joined the Nazi party, and as a foreigner and a humanist. he aroused suspicion and enmity among the Nazi hierarchy. In his memoirs, culled from his secret journals of the war years, Kersten recounts how he used Himmler's utter dependence on him to save the lives of tens of thousands of the victims of the Nazi rampage. He was not only Himmler's doctor, but in essence his confessor, privy to many of Himmler's thoughts, and some of the Reich's most secret documents.'' Introduction by H R Trevor-Roper. This copy includes the publisher's insert.