Hitler inspecting one of Albert Speer's designs.

In the first third of Spandau: The Secret Diaries, Albert Speer presents the diaries of his time in prison as a criminal of war, which allow a glimpse into the troubled psyche of Hitler's Minister of Armament as he struggles with his guilt and responsibility of the Nazis' atrocities. The journals mark the time from his sentence in the Nuremberg trials to the end of his 20 year sentence. Speer writes as he's going through his struggle, and we see his attempt to cope with his responsibility for the Holocaust. In the Nuremberg trials, he told the court that even though he didn't even know about the killings, any official of a regime must take at least partial responsibility for all of the regime's actions. Speer reflects often on the personal qualities of Hitler, recounting in detail conversations of his with Hitler, which explain to some degree how so many people followed him. Speer struggles internally with this and frequently asks himself in his journal how he couldn't see the signs of Hitler's atrocities in the moment. Speer also tells of the daily occurrences of life in the jail. Although it is freezing and they are confined to their cells for 23 hours a day, the men don't complain excessively. The prisoners are allowed books, paper and pens, and magazines to keep themselves entertained. The author also reminds the reader on occasion that his family has it off much worse than he.When Christmas time, he gets no presents, other than pieces of cut paper from his children, and the other prisoners share with him from their packages. Speer concludes the section not much different than he began, still questioning his own guilt, pondering Hitler, and still being anxious about being moved to a Russian jail.

Speer, Albert, Clara Winston, and Richard Winston. Spandau, the Secret Diaries. London: Fontana, 1977. Print.