Martin Bormann was the private secretary of Adolf Hitler and head of the Nazi Party Chancellery. Due to his proximity to Hitler, he enjoyed immense power and influence, so much so that, by the end of Second World War he was the second most important Nazi leader. He joined the Nazi party in 1927 and with his shrewd business acumen, made his way to the inner circle of Hitler. For close to a decade, he served as chief of staff in the office of Deputy Führer, Rudolf Hess. However, in this period, he also caught the Führer’s attention and became his personal favourite in matters of flow of information and management of finance. He began to accompany Hitler everywhere Hitler went and eventually got accepted into the party’s decision making committee, finalising appointments and promotions of officers. Racist and anti-Christian, he lobbied for measures to suppress the Jews and Slavic people, and curbed the power of the Church. He signed the notorious decree of the permanent ‘Final Solution’ for Greater Germany which recommended the ruthless extermination of Jews in Nazi death camps. He remained loyal to Hitler till the end and died under mysterious circumstances, trying to flee the Soviet encirclement. At the time of death, he was carrying a copy of Hitler's last will and testament.