The Mission

The solo flight of deputy fuhrer Rudolph Hess into Scotland in May, 1941, was one of the more bizarre events of WW II. Was Hess acting on his own or at Hitler's behest? Tuccille ( Wall Street Blues ) and first-time author Jacobs here speculate that Hess has been deputized by the fuhrer, sent on a mission to convince England to cease hostilities in Europe so that Germany can concentrate its forces against the mutually despised Stalinist Russia. The proposal is presented to Winston Churchill, who, of course, has an agenda of his own. The plot draws in Scottish journalist Philip Renfield, who suspects the British government is concealing a great deal in the Hess affair and who comes perilously close to uncovering the full story. Unfortunately, the authors accord this fertile episode only a superficial treatment, failing to provide even a rudimentary political or military context. Historical characters spout mere rhetoric, and the work remains shallow and unsatisfying. (Feb.)