Robert Best (spy)
Encyclopedia
Robert Henry Best was an American broadcaster of Nazi propaganda
during World War II. He was convicted of treason in 1948 and sentenced to life imprisonment.
, South Carolina
, a son of Albert H. Best, a Methodist minister. After graduating from Wofford College
in 1917 he joined the Coast Artillery in October 1917. He was commissioned in 1918 and stayed in the U.S. Army until 1920. He then went to the School of Journalism at Columbia University
, graduating in 1922.
With the money from a $1,500 Pulitzer
Traveling Scholarship he then traveled extensively in Europe, arriving in Vienna
in 1923 where he settled and found work as a foreign freelance news correspondent for the United Press. He also contributed articles to the New York Times, Chicago Daily News
, Time
and Newsweek
. Best gradually fell under Nazi influence following the annexation of Austria
by Nazi Germany
, the Anschluss
, on March 12, 1938.
In July 1941, United Press fired him for ‘nonperformance’ putting him in financial difficulties. He then made an approach to German State Radio for employment, but with no immediate success.
. There he decided to withdraw from the group of exchangeable Americans and remain with his fiancée Erna Maurer, an Austrian reporter for the Associated Press
, whom he later married on September 2, 1942.
Best then received permission to travel to Berlin unaccompanied where he met Werner Plack, a member of the Radio Division of the Foreign Office, who recruited him as a commentator for German State Radio.
In April 1942 Best began as a news editor and commentator for the Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft
, German State Radio, working in the U.S.A. Zone. He broadcast talks to the U.S. under the pseudonym of ‘Mr. Guess Who’ presenting ‘B.B.B.’(Best’s Berlin Broadcasts). His primary propaganda targets were President Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, the Jews and the Soviet Union
.
Best was notable for continuously making suggestions to his superiors of ways to heighten the effectiveness of German propaganda warfare.
, Austria and handed over to the US Army.
He was then flown to the United States to stand trial, arriving in Massachusetts on December 14, 1946.
, Edward Delaney
, Constance Drexel
, Jane Anderson
, Max Otto Koischwitz
and Ezra Pound
was indicted in absentia
by a District of Columbia grand jury on charges of treason
.
Best was arraigned on January 20, 1947 and stood trial at the Boston Federal District Court on March 29, 1948. He acted as his own lawyer
before Judge Francis J. W. Ford.
The witnesses at his trial included Princess Sofia zur Lippe-Weissenfeld of Austria.
On April 16, 1948 he was convicted of 12 counts of treason, with the jury's special finding that he actually gave ‘aid and comfort to the enemy’. He had admitted in court the authorship of his broadcasts. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of $10,000.
He appealed his conviction in 1950 (Best v. United States., 184 F.2d 131 (1st Cir. 1950). Best again acted as his own lawyer. The appeal court affirmed the judgment of the District Court.
Best further appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court which refused to review the treason conviction on February 27, 1951.
in Danbury
, Connecticut
. On August 12, 1951, he was transferred to the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield
, Missouri
.
Best died there of a brain hemorrhage on December 16, 1952, and was buried at Spartanburg
, South Carolina
on December 21, 1952.
Nazi propaganda
Propaganda, the coordinated attempt to influence public opinion through the use of media, was skillfully used by the NSDAP in the years leading up to and during Adolf Hitler's leadership of Germany...
during World War II. He was convicted of treason in 1948 and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Biography
Best was born in SumterSumter
Sumter may refer to:* General Thomas Sumter, hero of the American RevolutionPlaces in the United States:* Fort Sumter, location of the first shots of the United States Civil War* Sumter, South Carolina* Sumter National Forest...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, a son of Albert H. Best, a Methodist minister. After graduating from Wofford College
Wofford College
Established in 1854 and related to the United Methodist Church, Wofford College is an independent, Phi Beta Kappa liberal arts college of 1,525 students located in downtown Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. The historic campus is recognized as a national arboretum and features “The...
in 1917 he joined the Coast Artillery in October 1917. He was commissioned in 1918 and stayed in the U.S. Army until 1920. He then went to the School of Journalism at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, graduating in 1922.
With the money from a $1,500 Pulitzer
Pulitzer
Pulitzer may refer to:* Pulitzer Prize, an annual U.S. journalism, literary, and music award* Pulitzer, Inc., a U.S. newspaper chain* Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, a non-profit organization for journalists- People :...
Traveling Scholarship he then traveled extensively in Europe, arriving in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1923 where he settled and found work as a foreign freelance news correspondent for the United Press. He also contributed articles to the New York Times, Chicago Daily News
Chicago Daily News
The Chicago Daily News was an afternoon daily newspaper published between 1876 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois.-History:The Daily News was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Dougherty in 1875 and began publishing early the next year...
, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
and Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
. Best gradually fell under Nazi influence following the annexation of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
, on March 12, 1938.
In July 1941, United Press fired him for ‘nonperformance’ putting him in financial difficulties. He then made an approach to German State Radio for employment, but with no immediate success.
Propaganda for Nazi Germany
When the United States declared war on Nazi Germany on December 11, 1941, Best was arrested along with other U.S. reporters and held for deportation at an internment camp in Bad NauheimBad Nauheim
Bad Nauheim is a town in the Wetteraukreis district of Hesse state of Germany. , Bad Nauheim has a population of 30,365. The town is located approximately 35 kilometers north of Frankfurt am Main, on the east edge of the Taunus mountain range. It is a world-famous resort, noted for its salt...
. There he decided to withdraw from the group of exchangeable Americans and remain with his fiancée Erna Maurer, an Austrian reporter for the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, whom he later married on September 2, 1942.
Best then received permission to travel to Berlin unaccompanied where he met Werner Plack, a member of the Radio Division of the Foreign Office, who recruited him as a commentator for German State Radio.
In April 1942 Best began as a news editor and commentator for the Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft
Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft
The Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft , which can be loosely translated as the State Broadcasting Company, was a national network of German regional public broadcasting companies active from 1925 until 1945...
, German State Radio, working in the U.S.A. Zone. He broadcast talks to the U.S. under the pseudonym of ‘Mr. Guess Who’ presenting ‘B.B.B.’(Best’s Berlin Broadcasts). His primary propaganda targets were President Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, the Jews and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Best was notable for continuously making suggestions to his superiors of ways to heighten the effectiveness of German propaganda warfare.
Arrest
Best was arrested on January 29, 1946 by British forces in CarinthiaCarinthia (state)
Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian state or Land. Situated within the Eastern Alps it is chiefly noted for its mountains and lakes.The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Austro-Bavarian group...
, Austria and handed over to the US Army.
He was then flown to the United States to stand trial, arriving in Massachusetts on December 14, 1946.
Trial
On July 26, 1943 Best along with Fred W. Kaltenbach, Douglas ChandlerDouglas Chandler
Douglas Chandler was an American broadcaster of Nazi propaganda during World War II. He was convicted of treason in 1947 and sentenced to life imprisonment.-Biography:Chandler was an officer in the U.S...
, Edward Delaney
Edward Leo Delaney
Edward Leo Delaney was an American broadcaster of Nazi propaganda during World War II...
, Constance Drexel
Constance Drexel
Constance Drexel , a naturalized United States citizen, and groundbreaking feature writer for U.S. newspapers, was indicted for treason in World War II for radio broadcasts from Berlin that extolled Nazi virtues...
, Jane Anderson
Jane Anderson – The Georgia Peach
Jane Anderson was an American broadcaster of Nazi propaganda during World War II. She was indicted on charges of treason in 1943 but after the war the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence.-Biography:...
, Max Otto Koischwitz
Max Otto Koischwitz
Max Oscar Otto Koischwitz was a naturalized American of German origin who directed and broadcast Nazi propaganda during World War II.-Biography:...
and Ezra Pound
Ezra Pound
Ezra Weston Loomis Pound was an American expatriate poet and critic and a major figure in the early modernist movement in poetry...
was indicted in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
by a District of Columbia grand jury on charges of treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
.
Best was arraigned on January 20, 1947 and stood trial at the Boston Federal District Court on March 29, 1948. He acted as his own lawyer
Pro se legal representation in the United States
Pro se legal representation means advocating on one's own behalf before a court, rather than being represented by a lawyer. This may occur in any court proceeding, whether one is the defendant or plaintiff in civil cases, and when one is a defendant in criminal cases. Pro se is a Latin phrase...
before Judge Francis J. W. Ford.
The witnesses at his trial included Princess Sofia zur Lippe-Weissenfeld of Austria.
On April 16, 1948 he was convicted of 12 counts of treason, with the jury's special finding that he actually gave ‘aid and comfort to the enemy’. He had admitted in court the authorship of his broadcasts. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of $10,000.
He appealed his conviction in 1950 (Best v. United States., 184 F.2d 131 (1st Cir. 1950). Best again acted as his own lawyer. The appeal court affirmed the judgment of the District Court.
Best further appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court which refused to review the treason conviction on February 27, 1951.
Death
He served his sentence at the federal prisonFederal prison
Federal prisons are run by national governments in countries where subdivisions of the country also operate prisons.In the United States federal prisons are operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. In Canada the Correctional Service of Canada operates federal prisons. Prison sentences in these...
in Danbury
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. On August 12, 1951, he was transferred to the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
.
Best died there of a brain hemorrhage on December 16, 1952, and was buried at Spartanburg
Spartanburg, South Carolina
thgSpartanburg is the largest city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest city of the three primary cities in the Upstate region of South Carolina, and is located northwest of Columbia, west of Charlotte, and about northeast of...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
on December 21, 1952.