I had no prior knowledge about Ambassador William Dodd (or his family) before starting this book but I have read fairly extensively about WWII and some on Hitler's rise to power. If you are looking for a lot of personal facts/information about Adolph Hitler, this book would come up short. If you let the book title be your guide, it's a completely accurate representation of the subject matter therein. It follows the path to Ambassadorship for Professor Dodd and then the disappointments, discoveries, and politics of his appointment and position in Berlin. The secondary focus of the book was on his daughter Martha Dodd. Very little information was relayed about the other two members of his family; his wife & son.
Not coming from a political family, the machinations behind the scene between other political appointees was fascinating and "mean girl-esque" even tho all the characters were men. Ambassador Dodd was a conservative, what I'd call "old school," intellectual from outside the Washington DC "system" and definitely outside of the titled, privileged world of "old money." Who would have thought those last things made him unfit for the job? Although I'm sure a diplomatic nature is beneficial to an Ambassador Post, it seemed like having the money to schmooze and throw social events ranked even higher. I felt like applauding him for wanting to live within his salary and not waste government money but he sure was condemned by his colleagues for it. No one can fault that he was uncannily accurate in his perception of Hitler's motives and the reality of what was really happening in Germany between 1933 and 1937, the years he served our government there. His perspective was especially acute because he could compare it with the days he spent in Germany during his college years. The change and underlying malaise was palpable thru the pages and definitely built over the chapters in the book. I would have wanted to leave before he did but it was mentioned several times that his diplomatic status afforded him protections most everyone else didn't have.
The pages are sprinkled with historic figures of the time, many entertained by the Dodds in their home or met by Martha in her nightly escapades. Several times during the book, there were places where Hitler could have been stopped and the atrocities of WWII prevented but the apathy of other countries (including the United States) about getting involved was staggering. It really brought home the price that "Isolationism" cost everyone. For keeping quiet, not even warning Americans or other tourists that Germany was increasing dangerous led to more and more horrendous acts and contributed to the license that the SS and Hitler felt they had to do & get away with anything. Sickening, really. Every time I read about Hitler or how he slowly got control of Germany and its people, it's a check on how easily it was accomplished with the right combination of factors. There is something so bizarre in how he and his high commanders were all social misfits but they were after this "perfect" Aryan nation. Maybe if President Hindenburg hadn't been old and in ill health, things would have been different. The "what if's"are the devil....
The side story of Ambassador Dodd's daughter Martha kept the book lighter than it could have been otherwise and were interspersed thru the chapters about Ambassador Dodd. She was portrayed as a highly desirable woman that could tilt her head, flutter her lashes and enthrall all manners of men. She certainly was ahead of her time and the sexual revolution ~ trysting with countless men all across Berlin and the surrounding countryside. I almost want to call her a "floozy!" She seemed self centered and completely unconcerned with the ramifications of her behaviors on her father's elevated position. I can't say I liked her all that much and those feelings intensified when I googled her & learned she was accused of spying for the Russians. The book makes mention of those accusations as well. It's pretty ironic that a daughter of a U.S. diplomat would live out her life & die in a foreign country out of necessity. It seemed the direct opposite of what her Father stood for but he never seemed to condemn her actions in the book so who I am to do so now??
This was the third book I've read by this author and I've enjoyed and learned a lot from every one of them. Mr. Larsons style makes the history of the particular moment come to life and is very readable by persons interested in history at any level.
