The following letter is circulating among our German cousins in conjunction with the discussion of Hess's relationship to Heinrich Himmler and the SS, particularly the Lebensborn Project. I know of no evidence that Hess and Himmler were close friends, although in the early days of the National Socialist movement Hess occasionally wore SA or SS uniforms while protecting rallies from Spartacist attackers. The state assistance to unwed mothers that Hess outlines in this letter became known as Mutterhilfe and was subsequently adopted by every advanced country.

Dear Frau H.,

I have read your letter with heartfelt sympathy. In it you write that your fiancé, the father of the child you are expecting, was killed in action before he could learn of the existence of this new life. You also write that you are concerned about the future for yourself and your child. I am very gratified that you have turned to me with such trust. I give you my word that I will do everything I can to insure that you and the child left to you by your husband, the man who was the dearest thing in the world to you and who gave his life for us all, will never suffer privation. I pledge that I am prepared to serve as godfather to your child. I do this in the realization that, in the child you are expecting, you and your betrothed are giving the most precious thing of all for the preservation of our Volk: young life. Furthermore, Frau H., you are making this gift this in addition to the sacrifice of your loved one. You and your child will be provided for in the same way as if your marriage had been formally completed.

Your personal loss is the occasion for the introduction of fundamental changes in laws that apply to every young mother in your situation. Our National Socialist Movement sees the heart and core of our Volk in the family, and we will no more depart from this basic principle than we will depart from any other of our sacred principles. The NSDAP has introduced a large number of critically important measures for the welfare, preservation and happiness of the family and it will continue to do so in future. This is a major part of our unalterable program.

Because the National Socialist Weltanschauung assigns to the family the indispensable national role that it deserves, we make exceptions to basic principles in times of national crisis, especially in times of war, which takes the lives of so many of our best men. In these times every new life is of special significance for our nation. Therefore, when genetically outstanding young men who go to war leave behind children to pass on their blood to coming generations - especially children of women who are likewise outstanding, with whom formal marriage was not possible for whatever reason - our nation makes provisions for these vital treasures. Social and cultural considerations that would be warranted in normal times must be put aside in times like these.

For children born to unwed mothers in wartime the notation "Kriegsvater" (Wartime Father) will be entered along with or in place of the name of the father in official birth records, in case a formal marriage has not taken place by the time these children are born. The mother will retain her maiden name but will be referred to as "Kriegsmutter." Regarding paternity, mother and child can honorably answer that he was a Kriegsvater. If the mother so desires, our Party will assign the children legal guardians who consider it their National Socialist duty to proffer aid and support. However, in most cases the grandparents of the Kriegskind will ask to assume guardianship of the child as their most exalted and sacred mission. Wherever material difficulties arise, the State will lend assistance.

How quickly our attitudes toward our traditional cultural heritage can change under the pressures of present events! How quickly these attitudes make way for more tolerant concepts! This is proven by the fact that today many parents of fallen soldiers have expressed a desire to raise a child born outside of wedlock in place of their sons who gave their lives for our nation. I have no doubt that in the near future my opinion will be shared by our entire nation. Our entire Volk will stand behind those mothers who, in paying the blood sacrifice of war, make sacrifices that go far beyond customary boundaries once considered indispensable. In the same way, our rural population has always shown a more tolerant attitude towards the problem of the illegitimate child.

You can be sure that it has not been easy for me, as for many others, to emancipate myself from traditions that always seemed normal and natural. As a National Socialist, however, I realize that in war as in peace, the highest good is the survival of our Volk. All other viewpoints, customs and laws must be subordinated to this supreme law. In times of war, our attitude towards taking human life must undergo fundamental change because the survival of our nation is at stake. The same fundamental changes must occur in future wars. In the same way, the prevailing popular attitude toward unmarried mothers and their children must change, again for the survival of our Volk and and Fatherland. What good would it do our Volk if we were victorious in war but then faltered because of the heavy losses that won the victory? I believe that every woman who shares the joys and cares of children with her beloved husband in the security of a happy marriage, will have sympathy and understanding for a mother who has to face life's challenges alone with her child.

Many outstanding individuals would be missing from our Volk as well as all mankind if there had been no children born out of wedlock. Imagine the consequences for our Volk if the father of Charlemagne had not come into the world - and consequently his son as well! One of the greatest leaders in all German history! Just think how much poorer the world would be if Leonardo da Vinci had never been born! How much poorer our world would be if his artistic and historical masterpieces had never been created!  Mankind has been amazed by them for centuries and will continue to be so amazed for generations to come. How much pleasure the world would have missed if our inimitable German humorist Wilhelm Busch had not been born, since his father was an illegitimate child and according to conventional views should not have been born. What would the Prussian Army have been without illegitimate General Yorck - indeed, what would Prussia's fate have been without this great man? Would our history have been the same if conventional arguments of social morality had prevailed? Without doubt it is a very good thing for Germany and the world that these great men were born and the question of whether they were born before or outside the institution of marriage is insignificant. Yes, it is obvious that these men enjoyed the blessings of God Almighty and it is my firm conviction that He will not deny His blessings to children who, in times of crisis and war emergency, are sent to their Volk outside the usual social conventions.

In any case, a woman who in today's unsettled wartime conditions consciously chooses to become or remain an unwed mother - a woman who desires and acknowledges her child - deserves nothing less than our highest esteem. Desirable age, genes and union with a man of equal qualities  - a man whom she so loves and so esteems that she would marry him if possible and would choose him as the father of her children - are the obvious requisites for honor and respect. Such a woman has chosen a difficult path since she knows that she and her child will lack the security of family and the protection of husband and father. However, she also knows that it is better to raise a child under difficult circumstances than not raise a child at all.

Today is assumed as a matter of course that a wife and mother who is widowed or divorced can remarry. In future it will likewise be assumed as a matter of course that an independent woman can enter into marriage with a man who is not the father of her child, a man who recognizes in the maternal nature of the woman a firm basis for marriage. The family is indeed the foundation of the National Socialist State, but no Volk can forego maintaining a wholesome gene pool to the highest possible extent, especially during wartime, when marriage might not be possible.The survival of the Volk is more vital than any ethical principles known to mankind, more vital than all our manners and conventions. These manners and conventions are expressions of acknowledged moral custom but they do not constitute morality itself. The survival of the Volk, thewelfare of the entire nationis more important than any preconceived notion or prejudice. Thus the highest duty a woman can perform for our Volk is to contribute to the propagation of our nation in the form of genetically wholesome children.

Dear Frau H., my advice is to be thankful for this new life and seek consolation in the fact that you are privileged to make this priceless contribution to our Fatherland. Be thankful that the husband whom you loved lives on in your child.

(Signed) Rudolf Hess

The translator is a Germanophilic Germanist who makes significant German materials available to fellow Germanophiles who do not read German

http://therebel.org/opinion/738478-rudolf-hess-s-letter-to-an-unwed-mother