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The German Embassy made a formal announcement: "The commander of the glorious battleship Admiral Graf Spee sacrificed his own life last night for the Fatherland, eliminating himself voluntarily. . . . From the first moment he made up his mind to share the fate of his magnificent ship. . . ." In Berlin, the German Admiralty explained: ". . . After bringing his crew to safety, he viewed his work as finished and followed his ship. The Admiralty understands and honors this step. Captain Langsdorff as a fighter fulfilled the expectations put upon him by his Führer, the German people and his Navy."
But only his own letters could reveal whether Hans Langsdorff understood and honored the end which Adolf Hitler decreed for his ship, and thus for him. And last Week those letters were not made public.