Through Embassy Eyes

by Martha Dodd

"Until we left for Virginia, two or three weeks after the appointment, we were deluged with telephone calls"

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

397 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1939

Reviews

[Lewis Weinstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got more than I expected from Martha Dodd's memoir. Specifically from Ch 11 - German Jews. Dodd's observations were published in 1939, but presumably were formed earlier. It seems reasonable that her views were shared with her father, the American Ambassador to Germany in the 1930s, and possible that her father shared these or similar views with FDR.

What Martha Dodd reveals is that Hitler's attitudes and intentions regarding Jews were clearly known, before 1939, at high levels in the US government. Here are some of her observations ...

... in 1935, Hitler said to Ambassador Dodd: "I will not be satisfied until there is not a Jew left in Germany"

... in 1938, Hitler, drunk with the power Chamberlain and Daladier handed to him in Munich, indulged in a maniacal and frenzied orgy of sadism and destruction against Jews (she is referring to Kristallknacht)

... it was a shock to me to learn that many wealthy German Jews had actually supported Hitler financially and otherwise … what could make them, with open eyes, commit their people's suicide … their fortunes meant more to them than their own lives and freedom

... Hitler does not intend his actions versus Jews to be limited to Germany … he expects other nations, far and near, to become acutely conscious of the Jewish problem as he sees it

... there is only one salvation for Jews … calling forth whatever courage and self-forgetfulness it takes … renounce defeatism … unite with other Jewish groups … join with gentile groups who see he racial and economic problems involved … do not isolate … fight together with every anti-Fascist organization

[MB · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with the other reviewers that this book is more factual than gossipy and drags a bit. I am now starting In the Garden of Beasts so will see how it differs. I got this to read because I first read Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini which is fiction but based on fact and has several real characters in it. The Martha Dodd character fascinated me and I learned of her book so I got that.

What amazes me is that she was able to get this book published! She is quite open and honest with her descriptions and opinions of Hitler, his men, and the situation. Obviously she returned to the US and it was published there, but I was still surprised she was able to be so honest in her criticisms. I'm sure it was probably banned in Germany.

I have been interested in this time period lately and hope to now find books on the Japanese perspective during this time, specifically our treatment of them in the US after Pearl Harbor. Anyone have suggestions?

[Susan]

Read this with In the Garden of Beasts since it's written by Ambassador Dodd's daughter who has a big part in Garden of Beasts. It dragged for me because Martha Dodd left out a lot of the gossipy stuff alluded to in Garden of Beasts but wrote in depth about the Berlin players she met in the 4 1/2 yrs she was there. A deep intellectual she isn't but I read it because the subject is fascinating to me.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, published in 1939, is by the daughter of US President Franklin Roosevelt's ambassador to Germany in the years leading up to World War II. She was featured in Erik Larson's award-winning best-seller https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9... and came across in Larson's book as young, loose, and a whole lot less serious than that time and place. Martha Dodd can also be found on Wikipedia and many websites that also discuss her spying for the Soviet Union and spending the last 50 years of her life in Moscow, Cuba and Prague: eg: http://thecore.uchicago.edu/Winter201... In most accounts she is either an American Mata Hari or hopelessly naive-- a dupe initially of the Nazis, then mostly of the KGB. That is why I found many of her own words surprisingly astute and prescient re Nazi horrors. The chapter about her month travelling all over Russia, Georgia, and Ukraine is a boosterish travelogue, but an interesting one given how rare 1st-hand American perspectives on USSR are from the pre-War period. Of course she avoids mentioning her KGB handler who she had hoped to marry. All-in-all a book worth at least a skim for the most interesting parts, esp. if you liked In the Garden of Beasts, of which a Tom Hanks movie is supposedly being made.

[Norma Terrigno · Rating 1 out of 5]

Have been wanting to read this book for a few years and it is hard to find. Available on Amazon.com for an expensive price. Finally found it for FREE via the INTERNET ARCHIVE.
What a disappointment! Martha Dodd did not offer any real insight into Nazi Germany.
Was curious after reading Erik Larson's IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS and sought to learn more regarding the Dodd family. What a letdown !!!!! The author Martha Dodd was NO SAINT and this story hides a great deal of information.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read if you enjoyed In the Garden of Beasts. There are not many books written by Americans who watched Germany transform into a Nazi state who lived in Germany at the time. Although over descriptive at times, Martha Dodd has true talent as a writer and scholar.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. I loved reading her perspective of Nazi Germany. It is all about her reflections on the political situation and nothing about her personal life. Great read in conjunction with "In the Garden of the Beasts"