Hitler's 'nephew and only descendant' begged to join US military to fight Nazis

New York, August 3 (ANI): Adolf Hitler's nephew, whom the leader referred to as "my loathsome nephew", joined the U.S. Navy in 1944 after imploring then President Franklin D. Roosevelt to allow him to help fight the "devilish and pagan" Nazi regime led by his uncle, a letter has revealed.

In the letter, which was written in 1942, William Patrick Hitler begs President Roosevelt to reconsider an earlier denial to join the U.S. Forces, saying "All my relatives and friends soon will be marching for freedom and decency under the Stars and Stripes ... I am respectfully submitting this petition to you to enquire as to whether I may be allowed to join them in their struggle against tyranny and oppression?"

William Hitler fled Nazi German in 1939, first arriving in Britain.

In 1940, the same year his uncle established the Auschwitz concentration camp and invaded France, he moved to New York City and began his campaign to join the Allied forces.

Describing his "difficult and singular situation" as the "nephew and only descendant" of the German leader, William told Roosevelt "I am one of many, but I can render service to this great cause."

He also outlined his previous attempts to thwart his uncle's despotic aims.

"As a fugitive from the Gestapo I warned France through the press that Hitler would invade her that year. The people of England I warned by the same means that the so-called "solution" of Munich was a myth that would bring terrible consequences," the New York Daily News quoted the letter as saying.

So determined was William to join an Allied army, he also told FDR he attempted to join the British armed forces and was considering an attempt to join Canada's military.

He described his uncle as a "Frankenstein" seeking to enslave the world under "a devilish and pagan regime."

William was the son of Adolf's half-brother, Alois, but Uncle Adolf referred to William as "my loathsome nephew."

Apparently persuaded by William's letter, FDR passed on the letter to FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, who eventually cleared him for service.

William Hitler joined the U.S. Navy in 1944 and was discharged three years later after being injured in service.

After returning to the U.S., he changed his last name to Stuart-Houston. He married, had four children, and died in Patchogue, N.Y., in 1987. (ANI)