Germany, NSDAP. Correspondence Of Widow Of Executed Seyß-Inquart, And Propaganda Photo

The collection consists of a wartime studio portrait of Reich Commissioner of the Netherlands, Arthur Seyß-Inquart, as well as two letters from his wife to the authorities after his execution. The first letter is dated to November 12, 1946. It is addressed to a Major Teich of the US Army, part of the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg. This letter was machine-written in English. Seyß-Inquart’s widow, Gertrud, is inquiring about her late husband’s belongings. She signed the letter in black ink. The second letter was sent by Gertrud Seyß-Inquart to a Dr. Steinbauer at a judicial building in Nuremberg. It is dated to December 2, 1946. She asks him to retrieve her late husband’s belongings on her behalf. The letters measure 176 mm (w) x 228 mm (h) and 175 mm (w) x 121 mm (h), respectively. They both come with their original envelopes. The letter remain in very fine condition with light scuffing and creasing, with the envelopes in similar or slightly worse condition. The photo measures 92 mm (w) x 141 mm (h), remaining extremely fine with minimal scuffing.

Footnote: Arthur Seyß-Inquart was born on July 22, 1892 in Stannern (present-day Stonařov, southern Czech Republic). He was a citizen of Austria. At the age of 15, he and his family moved to Vienna. Here, he studied law and became an attorney. During the First War, Seyß-Inquart served in the Austro-Hungarian army. Since shortly after the war, he joined several right wing parties and organisations. He joined the NSDAP in 1938 and became Austrian Minister of the Interior in February. During the annexation of Austria by Germany in March of 1938, Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg stepped down, and Seyß-Inquart was chosen as his successor for less than two days, until the Anschluss was completed. Seyß-Inquart signed the documents that legalised the taking over of Austria by the German state. After his office had ceased to exist, he was named Reichsstatthalter (Reich Governor) of Austria instead. During this time, Seyß-Inquart also became a member of the SS.

After the attack on Poland at the beginning of the Second War, he was named deputy to Hans Frank, the General Governor of occupied Poland. In May of 1940, A.H. named Seyß-Inquart Reich Commissioner of the Netherlands. Seyß-Inquart was responsible, among other things, for the deportation of 100,000 Jews into concentration camps. He served in this position until the end of the war, and was then arrested by Allied forces. Seyß-Inquart was one of the 24 defendants during the Nuremberg trials against the major war criminals. He was found guilty in three out of four charges and executed by hanging on October 16, 1946.