'Back-Bending Diplomacy' was the title of an Op-Ed that Jens Soering had published in the University of Virginia student newspaper The Cavalier Daily.
Soering wrote: "See, it's like this. My father is a West German diplomat, so I'm sort of German, too. At least that's what my passport says. I've not lived there much myself. That's because my father is a German diplomat, see?
Anyway, when you are a diplomat, wherever you are, you are always representing your country. So you've got to watch out what you do.
What you do when you are German is be quiet, unobtrusive. Because if you do anything wrong, everyone says "See, he's being a Nazi again." And if everyone thinks you are a Nazi, they won't buy German cars, and if they don't buy Volkswagens, West Germany's economy will collapse, and if West Germany's economy collapses, NATO breaks up, and if NATO breaks up, the Russians will take over. All because you, a German diplomat, misbehaved. At least that's the way my dad explains it, and he went to diplomat's school.
Naturally, it follows that if a diplomat represents his country at all times. so does his family. (I don't understand this either, but my dad says so.) That means I've got to be unobtrusive, too. My dad interprets this to mean, among other things, that I should not write editorials because editorials express opinions, and if someone has an opinion, someone else will surely differ. If I, as a German, differ with someone about Germany, it's because I'm a Nazi. We are back at the no-Volkswagen-sales equals World War III equation.
So I am going to write an editorial without expressing opinions. Just facts and then some questions, okay? No one gets upset, and please buy German cars.
# There was recently reported theft of a "priceless" Nazi swastika flag from Culbreth Theatre. The U.S. is by far the largest market for Nazi memorabilia. If the Nazis are the bad guys, why is the demand for their flags so high that they are considered priceless? Are there people who collect trinkets and artifacts from murderers in jail?
# A few weeks ago, a local news article appeared recounting some of the arguments heard at a panel debate about abortion. As usual, the pro-lifers compared abortion clinics "to concentration camps in Nazi Germany." If an abortion clinic is like a concentration camp, does that mean that all women who have had abortions are war criminals? Does the government that legalized abortions consist of Nazis? Did females and senators possibly steal the flag from Culbreth?
#President Reagan will shortly make a trip to West Germany. There he will visit a cemetery for "Nazi soldiers." Many people are upset because they see this as a tribute to Nazism. They feel that Reagan should visit a concentration camp instead. The soldiers in the cemetery loved their country, fought a war and lost it. Some committed atrocities. Others did not. If the President should not visit their cemetery, should he be forbidden to pay his respects at the Vietnam memorial, too? For that matter, should he be allowed at any war memorial? Finally, why must heads-of-state visit cemeteries and concentration camps all the time? Why not go to a nice castle, have some wine and take a new Porsche for a ceremonial test-drive once in a while? Or is murder so fascinating that we steal the flags of people who perfected it and refer to these same people inappropriately at abortion discussions?"
This editorial was published in early April,1985, before the end of the spring semester.
It was published AFTER Jens Soering had murdered Derek and Nancy Haysom!
When was it written? I don't know. But I find it chilling. There is a facade of civility and charm here which is pure deception. There is no trace of remorse here, as if the writer does not understand ordinary human emotions. It is sociopathic and it is also sophomoric. I have been to Oradour sur Glane and there were members of the 'Das Reich' division, the perpetrators, buried at Bitberg. There is no equivalence between the millions dead in the Bloodlands of .the East and Vietnam.
Or, to put it another way--I will ask the reader. Why do you think Jens Soering wrote this editorial?
And why, when he was commended on the article did he respond with a short laugh and a grin, and say: "I am a Nazi."
He actually did that.
I was told that he made this remark by at least two persons. One source was Jim Farmer and another was Soering's roommate. They were startled by it and shocked. They remembered it and it will be remembered to this day by quite a few people.
Another thing that students said about him. He was very interested in power.
I think Jens Soering has a personality disorder. I think he is a scofflaw. I, personally, saw him at MCC when I was visiting a man on Death Row. He was agreeable, telling me how to work the coke machine. He sat at a small table holding the hand of an older woman the entire time, from the Liberty Baptist Church prison outreach program, I assume. It was as if they were communing. They sat very close together. Frankly, I thought that was a little bit odd and I could not have done that, particularly for that length of time. If I were ever around him I would stay very alert. I know that Scotland Yard detectives have debated whether or not he is a psychopath.
I think Germany has a little problem with this guy. He could get into politics.
Thanks. once again, for your incredibly revealing and interesting comments. If I weren't busy right now preparing myself for lawsuits -- yes, plural -- from Team Söring, I would engage more. But right now, I'm talking with lawyers all the time.
Hi Francis or Frank? You are writing a lot which comes to your mind. Fine, but could you please quote the original article sources, to avoid that people might think your're just talking opinion or hearsay or phantasy - Thank you!
Frank has been following the case for decades, and has plenty of his own memories and recollections about it, which I very much enjoy reading. This is a blog, not an court hearing or an academic treatise, so no, he doesn't have to provide formal citations. Loosen up, Bruno, it's a free country!
Cool, it is our old buddy "Frank McColloumn". He was also present at Jens' trial. One of his very best insider information was, that Haysom and Farmer had been together on a party on the murder night. So Andrew, how will you judge that piece of information. Hearsay, satire or phantasy. Now I can understand your blog much better 😉
Bruno K-- No, that is not what I said! The suspicion on the UVA grounds, as they call the campus, really began to grow when Elizabeth lied and said that she had been at the party. She was in an internal state of panic. Her writings reveal her state of mind. And then there is the matter of the DNA. Jim Farmer was a Jefferson scholar and a very good guy. He was a leader who stepped forward and warned his set that something incredible had happened. There were killers among them.
Bruno K--The message from Elizabeth to Jens came from the evidence of the Soering trial, as I indicated at the end of my presentation of her 'time-table of Bismark' notes in a previous thread. Judge Sweeney very graciously allowed me into the evidence. Perhaps I should have made that more clear.
No, I cannot, at least not at this moment. These little notes making up the one message seem to me to be a kind of sleeper. I know they had to be in the evidence, since the way one gets a copy is to choose what one wants and give it to a clerk, who then copies it and returns it when one pays the fees involved at the end of the session in the evidence. So it had to have gone into the jury room, and I do have the 2 copies of all the items introduced as evidence into the record of the case, first from Mrs. Black's lists, and then the formal typed copy, and these separate three or four slips of paper are noted and numbered, though what was said in the note, of course. was not the clerk's job. But I do not recall that Updike did anything with this evidence except add it to the rest. I have to go back into this at some point. I am curious. The prosecution was pressed for time near the end of the trial, which resulted apparently in Elizabeth's room-mate not testifying, though she gave a sworn statement. I really wanted to hear her. I have translated it myself and I understand in my guts what Elizabeth is talking about and it is all very much like her including the flame-thrower bit. (Which I got a few times by mail. In person, she was quite charming and polite at least at the beginning.) Jens was her creature at that point, probably February. But by July he was in charge. Students who lived with them noticed this.
Of course, it ought to be said: that message is one reason why Elizabeth pled guilty.
Bruno K--I did cite the source of the Soering Op-Ed! It was from the University of Virginia Cavalier Daily, early April 1985. You don't think Jens Soering didn't write that article? And it WAS published after the murders. I took the trouble to type it out from a photocopy of the newspaper I had to dig up from archives. I cited two sources for Jens' comment: "I am a Nazi." There were others who have gone on to build brilliant careers who want nothing to do with this matter. There was a window of opportunity that I stumbled through in those years when Jefferson Scholars agreed among themselves to talk to the media. Then that window closed.
I think that there was a ghastly element of irony in Jens' remark. It was all about obedience. Jens had been obedient. In his Christmas letter to Elizabeth he writes about the problem of turning into an obedient follower of Hitler. Years later, he talks in his writing about his obedience to certain women, not only Elizabeth. There was, of course, his mother. And there was the young woman, mother of an Olympic champion, who taught him fencing at Bonn. He was very loyal and obedient to her. I have the news article in which he remarks about this character flaw, unquestioning obedience. And Jens knew about edged instruments. If you listen to Jens--he will tell you.
J.S. erhoffte sich sicherlich, dass Sie, auf Grund eines nicht sicheren Ausgangs der Verhandlung,das Handtuch werfen.Ich schätze,dass es mehr bedarf,einen Mann wie Herrn Hammel,zum Schweigen zu bringen.Ich vertraue auf unser Rechtssystem,um auch diese Machenschaften von J.S. ,zu beenden.
'Back-Bending Diplomacy' was the title of an Op-Ed that Jens Soering had published in the University of Virginia student newspaper The Cavalier Daily.
Soering wrote: "See, it's like this. My father is a West German diplomat, so I'm sort of German, too. At least that's what my passport says. I've not lived there much myself. That's because my father is a German diplomat, see?
Anyway, when you are a diplomat, wherever you are, you are always representing your country. So you've got to watch out what you do.
What you do when you are German is be quiet, unobtrusive. Because if you do anything wrong, everyone says "See, he's being a Nazi again." And if everyone thinks you are a Nazi, they won't buy German cars, and if they don't buy Volkswagens, West Germany's economy will collapse, and if West Germany's economy collapses, NATO breaks up, and if NATO breaks up, the Russians will take over. All because you, a German diplomat, misbehaved. At least that's the way my dad explains it, and he went to diplomat's school.
Naturally, it follows that if a diplomat represents his country at all times. so does his family. (I don't understand this either, but my dad says so.) That means I've got to be unobtrusive, too. My dad interprets this to mean, among other things, that I should not write editorials because editorials express opinions, and if someone has an opinion, someone else will surely differ. If I, as a German, differ with someone about Germany, it's because I'm a Nazi. We are back at the no-Volkswagen-sales equals World War III equation.
So I am going to write an editorial without expressing opinions. Just facts and then some questions, okay? No one gets upset, and please buy German cars.
# There was recently reported theft of a "priceless" Nazi swastika flag from Culbreth Theatre. The U.S. is by far the largest market for Nazi memorabilia. If the Nazis are the bad guys, why is the demand for their flags so high that they are considered priceless? Are there people who collect trinkets and artifacts from murderers in jail?
# A few weeks ago, a local news article appeared recounting some of the arguments heard at a panel debate about abortion. As usual, the pro-lifers compared abortion clinics "to concentration camps in Nazi Germany." If an abortion clinic is like a concentration camp, does that mean that all women who have had abortions are war criminals? Does the government that legalized abortions consist of Nazis? Did females and senators possibly steal the flag from Culbreth?
#President Reagan will shortly make a trip to West Germany. There he will visit a cemetery for "Nazi soldiers." Many people are upset because they see this as a tribute to Nazism. They feel that Reagan should visit a concentration camp instead. The soldiers in the cemetery loved their country, fought a war and lost it. Some committed atrocities. Others did not. If the President should not visit their cemetery, should he be forbidden to pay his respects at the Vietnam memorial, too? For that matter, should he be allowed at any war memorial? Finally, why must heads-of-state visit cemeteries and concentration camps all the time? Why not go to a nice castle, have some wine and take a new Porsche for a ceremonial test-drive once in a while? Or is murder so fascinating that we steal the flags of people who perfected it and refer to these same people inappropriately at abortion discussions?"
This editorial was published in early April,1985, before the end of the spring semester.
It was published AFTER Jens Soering had murdered Derek and Nancy Haysom!
When was it written? I don't know. But I find it chilling. There is a facade of civility and charm here which is pure deception. There is no trace of remorse here, as if the writer does not understand ordinary human emotions. It is sociopathic and it is also sophomoric. I have been to Oradour sur Glane and there were members of the 'Das Reich' division, the perpetrators, buried at Bitberg. There is no equivalence between the millions dead in the Bloodlands of .the East and Vietnam.
Or, to put it another way--I will ask the reader. Why do you think Jens Soering wrote this editorial?
And why, when he was commended on the article did he respond with a short laugh and a grin, and say: "I am a Nazi."
He actually did that.
I was told that he made this remark by at least two persons. One source was Jim Farmer and another was Soering's roommate. They were startled by it and shocked. They remembered it and it will be remembered to this day by quite a few people.
Another thing that students said about him. He was very interested in power.
I think Jens Soering has a personality disorder. I think he is a scofflaw. I, personally, saw him at MCC when I was visiting a man on Death Row. He was agreeable, telling me how to work the coke machine. He sat at a small table holding the hand of an older woman the entire time, from the Liberty Baptist Church prison outreach program, I assume. It was as if they were communing. They sat very close together. Frankly, I thought that was a little bit odd and I could not have done that, particularly for that length of time. If I were ever around him I would stay very alert. I know that Scotland Yard detectives have debated whether or not he is a psychopath.
I think Germany has a little problem with this guy. He could get into politics.
Thanks. once again, for your incredibly revealing and interesting comments. If I weren't busy right now preparing myself for lawsuits -- yes, plural -- from Team Söring, I would engage more. But right now, I'm talking with lawyers all the time.
Hi Francis or Frank? You are writing a lot which comes to your mind. Fine, but could you please quote the original article sources, to avoid that people might think your're just talking opinion or hearsay or phantasy - Thank you!
Frank has been following the case for decades, and has plenty of his own memories and recollections about it, which I very much enjoy reading. This is a blog, not an court hearing or an academic treatise, so no, he doesn't have to provide formal citations. Loosen up, Bruno, it's a free country!
Cool, it is our old buddy "Frank McColloumn". He was also present at Jens' trial. One of his very best insider information was, that Haysom and Farmer had been together on a party on the murder night. So Andrew, how will you judge that piece of information. Hearsay, satire or phantasy. Now I can understand your blog much better 😉
Bruno K-- No, that is not what I said! The suspicion on the UVA grounds, as they call the campus, really began to grow when Elizabeth lied and said that she had been at the party. She was in an internal state of panic. Her writings reveal her state of mind. And then there is the matter of the DNA. Jim Farmer was a Jefferson scholar and a very good guy. He was a leader who stepped forward and warned his set that something incredible had happened. There were killers among them.
Dig it if you can...
Bruno K--The message from Elizabeth to Jens came from the evidence of the Soering trial, as I indicated at the end of my presentation of her 'time-table of Bismark' notes in a previous thread. Judge Sweeney very graciously allowed me into the evidence. Perhaps I should have made that more clear.
Hi Frank, could you please give us the trial day for recollect that from the trial transscript. Thank you.
No, I cannot, at least not at this moment. These little notes making up the one message seem to me to be a kind of sleeper. I know they had to be in the evidence, since the way one gets a copy is to choose what one wants and give it to a clerk, who then copies it and returns it when one pays the fees involved at the end of the session in the evidence. So it had to have gone into the jury room, and I do have the 2 copies of all the items introduced as evidence into the record of the case, first from Mrs. Black's lists, and then the formal typed copy, and these separate three or four slips of paper are noted and numbered, though what was said in the note, of course. was not the clerk's job. But I do not recall that Updike did anything with this evidence except add it to the rest. I have to go back into this at some point. I am curious. The prosecution was pressed for time near the end of the trial, which resulted apparently in Elizabeth's room-mate not testifying, though she gave a sworn statement. I really wanted to hear her. I have translated it myself and I understand in my guts what Elizabeth is talking about and it is all very much like her including the flame-thrower bit. (Which I got a few times by mail. In person, she was quite charming and polite at least at the beginning.) Jens was her creature at that point, probably February. But by July he was in charge. Students who lived with them noticed this.
Of course, it ought to be said: that message is one reason why Elizabeth pled guilty.
Bruno K--I did cite the source of the Soering Op-Ed! It was from the University of Virginia Cavalier Daily, early April 1985. You don't think Jens Soering didn't write that article? And it WAS published after the murders. I took the trouble to type it out from a photocopy of the newspaper I had to dig up from archives. I cited two sources for Jens' comment: "I am a Nazi." There were others who have gone on to build brilliant careers who want nothing to do with this matter. There was a window of opportunity that I stumbled through in those years when Jefferson Scholars agreed among themselves to talk to the media. Then that window closed.
I think that there was a ghastly element of irony in Jens' remark. It was all about obedience. Jens had been obedient. In his Christmas letter to Elizabeth he writes about the problem of turning into an obedient follower of Hitler. Years later, he talks in his writing about his obedience to certain women, not only Elizabeth. There was, of course, his mother. And there was the young woman, mother of an Olympic champion, who taught him fencing at Bonn. He was very loyal and obedient to her. I have the news article in which he remarks about this character flaw, unquestioning obedience. And Jens knew about edged instruments. If you listen to Jens--he will tell you.
Bruno--Actually it was April 22! Soering wrote it after the murders!
J.S. erhoffte sich sicherlich, dass Sie, auf Grund eines nicht sicheren Ausgangs der Verhandlung,das Handtuch werfen.Ich schätze,dass es mehr bedarf,einen Mann wie Herrn Hammel,zum Schweigen zu bringen.Ich vertraue auf unser Rechtssystem,um auch diese Machenschaften von J.S. ,zu beenden.
Oh I’d like to go! Just not in the area that day. Any chance it’s accessible virtually?
None, unfortunately. German trials cannot be recorded or televised.