John Harris

A moving and uplifting memoir charting the life of John Harris s autistic son and how music opened up the world to him one song at a time

In this gripping and controversial book, John Harris presents a deft and informed defense of human cloning. Offering a brave and lucid insight into this ethical minefield, John Harris at last shows that far from spelling the end of human life, cloning has the power to improve and heal it.

May 11th 1941 - Berchtesgaden. The day after Rudolf Hess took off from Augsburg and hadnt yet returned or sent any signal, Adolf Hitler had to say something to justify Hess so far unexplained disappearance. Not least for the benefit of the German nation and his then trading ally, Soviet Russia.Consequently he authorised a statement saying that Hess was suffering from a mental derangement and had succeeded in obtaining an aeroplane against the strict orders of the Fuhrer. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth, but an explanation had at least been proffered before British propaganda commenced. The unlikely explanation has however proven durable, some still believing it to be true 80 years later.In this, their eighth book on the affair, Harris and Wilbourn demonstrate that far from being a random act, the flight had been meticulously planned, using state of the art German radio technology. Using contemporary equipment, maps and charts they demonstrate the true nature and character of the flight and explain what went wrong, leading to the sensational and very public arrival of Rudolf Hess in Scotland at 23.09hrs on May 10th 1941.

The latest book from John Harris and Richard Wilbourn continues to build on their longstanding research into the Hess mystery over 25 years. Slowly, the fog that has descended over the Hess case is beginning to clear and Harris and Wilbourn expand here on the implications of their recent findings. There is now little doubt that MI6 were heavily involved in the Hess affair and this involvement is clearly described and explained. What is not so clear is whether MI6 was acting alone, outside of the incumbent Churchill government, in an attempt to be able to offer a viable peace between Nazi Germany and factions within Great Britain. These factions would much rather have preferred a negotiated settlement to a bloody invasion attempt in the summer of 1941.In order to enter into such negotiations MI6 recruited a Finnish Art historian, Tancred Borenius and sent him to Switzerland in January 1941. Additionally the role of the Polish government in exile is closely examined and in particular the role of Josef Retinger, the arch federalist. The evidence would now suggest that a separate peace was being negotiated, outside of governmental channels. That is why Hess flew to Scotland.

The Hess affair requires an understanding of a variety of disciplines and practices: Wartime aviation, political history and human psychology to name but three. Harris and Wilbourn have over an extended period tried to learn as much as possible about all relevant aspects of what is in concert a complicated subject, one that has not yet been satisfactorily explained even after more than 80 years. In the past there have been works that have concentrated on single aspects of the affair; usually in great detail, but in Conspiracy, Calamity and Cover-up the authors work on the individual components provides the best ever yet plausible explanation of the affair as a whole. Official secrecy on the grounds of National Security, obfuscation and downright lying have all played a part in preserving the truth behind the flight. Through dogged perseverance and endeavour Harris and Wilbourn now present what they believe is the ultimate truth behind the affair.

On 10 May 1941, on a whim, Hitlers deputy Rudolf Hess flew a Messerschmitt Bf 110 to Scotland in a bizarre effort to make peace with Britain; Goring sent fighters to stop him but he was long gone. Imprisoned and tried at Nuremberg, he would die by his own hand in 1987, aged 93.Thats the accepted explanation. Ever since, conspiracy theories have swirled around the famous mission. How strong were Hesss connections with the British establishment, including royalty? Was the death of the kings brother, the Duke of Kent, associated with the Hess overture for peace? In the many books written about Hess, one obvious line of enquiry has been overlooked, until now: an analysis of the flight itself the flight plan, equipment, data sheets, navigation system.Through their long investigation, authors John Harris and Richard Wilbourn have come to a startling conclusion: whilst the flight itself has been well recorded, the target destination has remained hidden. The implications are far reaching and lend credence to the theory that the British establishment has hidden the truth of the full extent of British/Nazi communications, in part to spare the reputations of senior members of the Royal Family. Using original photography, documentation and diagrams, Rudolf Hess sheds light on one of the most intriguing stories of the Second World War.