Karl Haushofer's life was equal parts mysterious and tragic. If only for this reason, it was surrounded by a huge number of myths. The Bavarian career officer actually created a new scientific discipline - geopolitics. It is now being studied in many Russian universities, although until recently it was considered “a reactionary concept that uses perversely interpreted data from physical and economic geography to justify and promote the aggressive policies of imperialist states.” The life of Karl Haushofer occurred at a turning point in eras - he witnessed the death and transformation of many states. A principled supporter of continental policy, he advocated a tactical alliance between Germany, Russia and Japan. However, in the West they preferred to proclaim him “Hitler’s teacher,” although Haushofer was not a Nazi and only met the Fuhrer a few times. Paradoxical conclusions made in scientific works, bold geopolitical projects and tragic death - all force us to fill in the gaps in Haushofer's biography with speculation and speculation. The book by historian Andrei Vasilchenko provides not only the first Russian biography of the creator of geopolitics, but also correspondence between Haushofer and Rudolf Hess, the deputy Fuhrer in the party, never published before in Russian.