Add MS 89481/1/1

The letters covering the period 16 Jun 1945 (19 days after the Joyces were captured) to 3 Jan 1946 (the day of Joyce's execution) range over a wide variety of subjects: philosophy, psychology, religion, and theology; English literature, metre and prosody; etymology and linguistics, and in particular the translation of certain words and phrases from German to English and vice-versa; the political situation in Britain; the state of Germany; the world situation (especially Russia’s intentions and the atomic bomb); the good quality of his treatment and prison staff; concerns for Margaret’s health; his continually positive frame of mind and confidence in the outcome of his case; the extent of support based on the letters he and his team receive; the delivery of, and delays to, each other’s letters; derogatory and offensive comments on Jewish individuals and Judaism in general; his concern that Margaret does not become downhearted, depressed, or worried; discussion of family and friends, and reminiscences of their time in Berlin; concerns about the whereabouts, and possible looting, of their belongings in Germany; rumours and false stories in the press about him, his treatment in prison, and his trial; passing comments on senior Nazis (not all of them complimentary) and war crimes trials; comments on aspects his trial and appeals, and those of others charged with similar crimes (particularly sentences passed which he deemed lenient when compared with his); his defiance and insistence that he was right. There is a noticeable change in tone in the letters following the rejection of his final appeal to the House of Lords (18 Dec 1945). He reminisces even more and concentrates his thoughts on Margaret’s fate after his impending execution, particularly in relation to her financial situation, friends and family rallying round her, and her future happiness. Some fleeting references to his defence perhaps not being quite good enough at the Lords also creep in. He is sustained by his belief that they will be reunited in the hereafter although he appears concerned at how posterity will view him and devotes a whole letter to sources for a biography, should it come to be written by Margaret. He remains defiant and unrepentant to the end, certain that he was in the right.