Daniel Capelletti

Dear reader,

It is a painful morning for me, I stand up with a solid headache. Oppositely, Henry seems vaccinate against the bad consequences of any excess of alcohol!

For our last hour together we decide to walk outside a little – some fresh air may be helpful for my head. One of the nearest sites of Nuremberg is the Zeppelintribüne, the very wellknown place where Hitler held his speaches, a symbolic place of the Nazism, constructed by Albert Speer, filmed by Leni Riefenstahl… just the perfect link with our conversation of yesterday.

Henry is not absolutely sure about the original content of the last found suitcase. One single image is clear in his memory: Tulse and his father sharing some documents, including maps. Henry cannot give me more details about this exchange of papers.

The relationship between Henry and his sister seems especially tense. Usually garrulous and ready to speak about any subject Henry turns suddenly much more silent when I ask him about Daria. I understand that she is regarded as the black sheep of the family, squanding all her part of the heritage, gambling in casinos, nymphomaniac, addicted to drug, and more…

We go back to the hotel. Henry will prepare his next appointment – did I mention his job? Henry Knockavelli is the boss of a very high tech factory specialized in lenses and objectives used in space. And I leave Nuremberg with an increased knowledge and… a few more question marks.

Best regards,

Daniel Capelletti

Head of Research of the Global Connected Research Union
 

Dear reader,

Henry Knockavelli is a tall man, about 45 years old, very open, enthusiastic and inexhaustible, a perfect contact for a researcher. We meet at the bar of the hotel, called… the Henry’s Bar by an odd coincidence, and mister Knockavelli, helped by a few old whiskies, tell me this astonishing story:

”I remember very well Tulse Luper. When he came to visit us in Sark, it was always an enjoyment for me and my sister. He was an exceptional story-teller, and when he described us his adventures, generally after supper, we were hanging to his lips for hours! It was always a hard task for our parents to make him stop, for we didn’t want to go to sleep as long as Tulse was speaking!

My father and Tulse were the very best friends, and with the years I learned more and more of the events who marked out and reinforced this friendship. Among others it was this story about Joseph Duveen and Leni Riefenstahl. You know how much my father was involved in art and collections, and through his activities he developed an impressively large circle of contacts related to art, including Jo Duveen. By the way, it’s my father who organized the deal on the Ardabil Carpet between Jo and J. Paul Getty.

Jo Duveen was an old friend of Leni Riefenstahl, that he admired so much for her talent as a filmmaker. If I remember well, it is in November 1939 that Jo presented Leni to Tulse and my father. Leni was a very beautiful woman, with fathomless brown eyes, and before the end of the year she and Tulse turned lovers.

During the years of war my father and Jo, filled with indignation, revolted by the growing excesses of the ‘Gleichschaltung’, decided to react consequently. They engaged themselve actively in a form of economic resistance, bypassing and embezzling a lot of commercial deals initiated by the Nazis in their war effort. As you can imagine the incurred risks were very high, more especially as my father was travelling a lot in Germany, even during that period of trouble. In 1943, on September 16th, he was arrested in Bonn by the Gestapo, and kept for interrogation. During three days, “the longest days of my whole life” as he said after, he was harassed of questions regarding his position, his political opinion, his contacts, kins and so on. If my father was freed and came back from Germany this time, it was only thanks to Leni and Tulse, both using all their relations, cultural, politic and other. Even Albert Speer was involved in the discharge of my father.

Tulse and Leni came to the end of their affair, and a few months later Leni was marrying an officer called Peter Jacob.”

But it’s late now, the whiskeys were good and numerous, and we decide to finish our conversation tomorrow morning after the breakfast.

Best regards,

Daniel Capelletti

Head of Research of the Global Connected Research Union 

Dear reader,

I arrived yesterday evening in «Nürnberg» (German spelling). The Parkhotel, a very cosy, business-oriented place is one of the two local Ramada, situated in a urban park only a few minutes from the city centre.

Nuremberg is a vast city of half a million inhabitants and nearly one thousand years of history. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal, Nuremberg was intensively bombed between 1943 and 1945, and the historical centre of the city was almost totally destroyed. Nuremberg was completely reconstructed after the war, including some of its medieval buildings.

I don’t know if I will have time enough for visit the city, even a small percent of it, for my journey is very short – I’m leaving tomorrow morning, and it all depends of my meeting with Henry Knockavelli, also customer of this Parkhotel. We meet in less than an hour.

Best regards,

Daniel Capelletti

Head of Research of the Global Connected Research Union 

Isle of Sark – day 4 – 10 : 27 PM – weather : a foggy day – temperature : 9. 8°C

Dear reader,

During my stay in Sark I was looking at thousands of all imaginable types of publications, books, reviews, newspapers, letters, stencils, flyers, bills, dozens of handwritten documents and postcards. I explored each room, each single place of the Vieux Clos, systematically, from basement to roof.

I’m certain that my researches were as complete as can be. There is no one document related to Tulse Luper here at the Vieux Clos.

This morning I received a phone call from the G.C.R.U. Mr. Henry Knockavelli is coming to Europe for business next month, and he accept to meet me in Nuremberg on March 18th.

We hope that Mr. Knockavelli will know, or remember something about the original content of the suitcase.

The last news about Daria Knockavelli are a bit disturbing. Henry gave us an address and a phone number in Chaumont-sur-Loire, but there is still no reply to our letters, and nobody never answer at the phone…

I leave Sark tomorrow morning, and go back to Brussels, where I have to report officially to the G.C.R.U. about my last researches. I’ll keep you informed about the next steps of my quest.

Best regards,

Daniel Capelletti

Head of Research of the Global Connected Research Union

Isle of Sark – day 3 – 3 : 05 PM – weather : a lot of sun – temperature : 11.3°C

Dear reader,

Today I decided to suspend the researches for a while, and to bring this day in the streets of Sark. “Pathes” is more appropriated for describe the few small tracks cross-ruling the scenery. Sark is not accessible to cars, but they are other ways to experience this island – by horse drawn carriage, bicycle or on foot, as I do.

Sark is a self-governing Crown Dependency, neither part of the United Kingdom nor European Union. The Head of its Government is the Seigneur, a hereditary position dating back to 1565 when Sark was granted to Helier de Carteret by Queen Elizabeth I. The actual, and twenty-second Seigneur of Sark is John Michael Beaumont. The Chief Pleas is the parliament of Sark, and consists of the 40 Tenants, representing the parcels of the 40 families who colonised Sark, plus 12 Deputies of the People, elected by universal suffrage.

The 600 inhabitants of the island are living in charming, old-fashioned homes, dispersed all around the roads. On the main street of Sark, called the “Avenue”, are several shops carrying a wide variety of provisions. An old church, framed by two ancient graveyards, a recent school complex, with dozens of bikes at the entrance, and the grounds of La Seigneurie, official home of the Seigneur and his wife are the most remarkable edifices of Sark, not to mention the jailhouse where Tulse was kept as a prisoner.

Best regards,

Daniel Capelletti

Head of Research of the Global Connected Research Union

Isle of Sark – day 2 – 6 : 52 PM – weather : all four seasons in one day – temperature : 11°C

Dear reader,

Thanks to the effective organization of Pat Fields I have this unique opportunity to bring my journey in Sark at the Vieux Clos, which was for so many years the domicile of the Knockavelli’s.

It is a Georgian residence, build around 1860 on one of the highest points of the island, and is often referred to as the Doctor’s House, which indeed it was at the beginning. It is now the property of Sally and Peter Hutchins, and is regarded as one of the most comfortable guest houses of Sark.

The Vieux Clos is huge, with not less than six sleeping rooms, a charming dining-room, a large kitchen and a few other places, all of this distributed on two floors. The original character of the house is very well preserved, almost untouched, and I will not be very surprised if Tulse himself will suddenly enter the house.

Of course I have the permission to explore every corner of the house as much as I need, in order to find evidences related to Tulse, possibly the papers mentioned in Sophie’s will. This may bring some good results, since the Hutchins found the house filled with books, revues, newspapers and handwritten documents when they came here, all relinquished by the previous owners.

I started today with the attic, opening a lot of boxes stored here and containing hundreds of books and printed pages from the last century. But it’s dinner time, and the fragrance of a delicious meat pie - Sally is an authentic cordon bleu - is much more attractive than the dusty smell of old papers.

Best regards,

Daniel Capelletti

Head of Research of the Global Connected Research Union

Isle of Sark – day 1 – 22 : 17 PM – weather : cloudy, after a sunny day – temperature : 9°C

Dear reader,

A first flight from Brussels to London. A second one from London to Guernsey, where I have to stay for a few hours, waiting for the ferry who will bring me to Sark.

Saint Peter Port, capitale and main haven of Guernsey, is a lovely place with white houses terraced on the hills surrounding the harbour. A net of small and sinuous roads reveals a prosperous and amazingly animated city. Plenty of smart and various shops are concentrated downtown, under the more peaceful and residential quarters of the heights.

After an exquisite sea bass at the Nautique, served by a French waiter, I move to the pier where the spruce, blue painted Bon Marin de Serk is awaiting for the travellers to Sark.

The crossing takes about 45 minutes, and soon the abrupt coast of Sark appears in the sunset.
 At the quay, the Harbour Hill transport, a special tractor-drawn trailer bring me up to the village, and a few minutes later, after a short walk in the last glimmers of the day, I push the entrance door of the Vieux Clos, former Knockavelli’s family house!

Best regards,

Daniel Capelletti

Head of Research of the Global Connected Research Union 

Moab – day 4 – 09 :35 AM – weather : sunny – temperature : 25.7°F (-3°C)

Dear reader,

The testament of Sophie Knockavelli is an essential document, which proves a lot of things. It is first the indisputable evidence that confirm without any doubt our thesis about the content of suitcase 92. The mystery of the 16mm movie is largely explained. Other colleagues of the G.C.R.U. will search about the physical evidences of the film (origin of the pellicle, actors, …) in order to definitively authentify the document, but this is only the common procedure applied by our research center.

One phrase of the testament is very significant for the next steps of my quest :



Papers? Which kind of papers were stored in Luper’s suitcase? I expect to get an answer to this questions during my journey in Sark.

I’m leaving Moab tonight. Finally, the desert gave me one of the most important discovery of my career, and the red sandstones rocks will forever stay in my mind as the place of truth.

Best regards,

Daniel Capelletti

Head of Research of the Global Connected Research Union

Moab – day 3 – 08 :47 PM – weather : blue sky in the morning, more and more clouds in the afternoon – temperature : 29.1°F (-1.6°C)

Dear reader,

I went in the desert today, almost all the day long, hiking thru the Arches and the Canyonland National Parks, but when I came back I had tremendous news in my mailbox. Here it is, without any comments:

  Mail

Content of the link:
Excerpt page 1 (3)
Excerpt page 2 (4)

Excerpt page 3 (5)

Excerpt page 4 (6)

Excerpt page 5 (7)

Best regards,

Daniel Capelletti

Head of Research of the Global Connected Research Union 

Moab – day 2 – 11 :52 PM – weather : rain, wind and snow – temperature : 31°F (-1°C)

Dear reader,

The weather was suddenly changing, and I decided to postpose my trip to the desert.

The Grand County of Moab, 125 E Center Street, is one of the rare recently constructed buildings of the city, and about 3 minutes walking from my hotel.

I was first speaking to a few officers, asking about the possibility to visit the jail, and take some pictures, but this is not allowed. Anyway, this building is too recent – builded around 1990 – for house the jail where Tulse was kept as a prisoner. After a last, little and pleasant conversation about my quest with the sheriff of Moab, mister Jim Nyland, I decided to continue my researches at the museum of the city, just accross the street.

I met first Mrs. Kathy McGill, and after a few minutes of research this very conscientious lady, helped by Mr. Travis Schenck, Director of the Museum, found a few documents related to the jail’s history. The first jail of Moab was a very little and summary construction builded at the very end of the 19th century. The place still exists, and is used as a small restaurant called the Jailhouse Cafe. Next came the Grand County Courthouse, located Northeast corner of Center and 1st East. Ground breaking ceremonies for the construction of the native sandstone courthouse was in 1903, after passage of $10.000 bond issue. White sandstone with red sandstone trim made the building an outstanding example of local masonry. The building also housed the public library, but that beautiful courthouse doesn’t exist no more!

This is, I’m afraid, one more dead end in my quest about Tulse Luper and suitcase 92, and I dont really expect to find other helpful evidences concerning Tulse here in Moab. I need a period of reflexion.

Best regards,

Daniel Capelletti