Biographer Robert Tate went further in his examination. During his research, he contacted Professor Rafael Scheck, Head of History at Colby College. Scheck published "Hitler's African Victims: The German Army Massacres of Black French Soldiers in 1940" and is an acknowledged expert on racial theory and in Nazi Germany. Without being familiar with Marseille, Scheck identified his friendship with Corporal Mathew P. Letuku was in direct contradiction to the Nazi mandate. Letuku, alias Mathias to everyone in JG 27, was a black South African soldier taken prisoner of war by German troops on the morning of 21 June 1941 at fortress Tobruk. Mathias initially worked as a volunteer driver with 3. "Staffel" then befriended Marseille and became his domestic helper in Africa. Sheck doubted that Marseille's "acquisition" of Matthais and his role as Marseille's "batman" was done out of disrespect. Sheck said, "I know of the camp commandant of the concentration camp of Mauthausen, who held a black man as his personal servant. This was done out of disrespect, however. I do not think that aspect was relevant for Marseille." When questioned on Marseille's behaviour, Sheck said, "I do not find it odd because I am accustomed to seeing many nuances among the Germans of the Third Reich. But his behaviour would probably be startling for many other researchers." Tate also noted Marseille's penchant for Cuban rumba by Ernesto Lecuona, jazz and swing, which he believes was another way Marsaille resisted Nazi ideals.