Albert Speer was a German architect who became a close advisor to Adolph Hitler in the 1930s. During World War II Speer also served as the minister for armaments and war production. As minister he used millions of slave laborers to keep the war machine going. After Germany's defeat in May 1945, the International Military Tribunal (IMT) indicted Speer on war crimes charges associated with the use of slave labor. During the 1970s Speer became an international celebrity after publishing his memoirs.

Speer was born March 19, 1905 in Manheim, Germany. He studied architecture at several technical schools and became a licensed architect in 1927. In 1930 he attended a rally by Hitler and the Nazi Party and the next year joined the party. Hitler, who had been an artist in his youth, was attracted to the young architect and after he became chancellor in 1933 he name Speer his personal architect. Speer was...