Sinner's documented research shows that between 1915 and 1949 approximately one million ethnic Germans died in Russia and the Soviet Union. During each of these decades, the Soviet authorities murdered about one-fourth to one-third of the entire ethnic-German population. The Letters from Hell publication includes a discussion about the period, including what was known outside of the Soviet Union about the genocide, how the non-communist world overlooked what was occurring, and how this horrible nightmare became a forgotten past. The complete discussion is found in the Letters from Hell document which can be purchased from the AHSGR.
The index, with a preface by Eric J. Schmaltz of the Department of History, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, includes references to 32 letters from Huck, for the period of 24 February 1921 to 4 May 1933. After the 1930s, the North American relatives of these victims typically never heard from them again.
The well documented preface by Schmaltz and the introduction by Sinner captivate the reader with the chilling descriptions of genocide, repression, efforts to provide help by groups such as the Volga German Relief Society, and the political environment which resulted in the "death scream" being silenced. This publication should be on the book shelf of everyone.
The following letters have been translated by the volunteer efforts of Hugh Lichtenwald, Ann Zitterkopf, Burkhard Fehsenfeld, Dan Neu and Pam Wurst.