Christopher J. Dodd

A collection of letters written by then-prosecutor Thomas J. Dodd from the Nuremberg war crimes trials of 1945-1946, which are edited by his son (and fellow Connecticut senator) Christopher J. Dodd. The most valuable parts of the book are the insights into the infighting going on in the prosecutorial team, with Dodd taking shots at the presiding US Judge (Attorney General Biddle) and some of his fellow prosecutors. Obviously, the letters are from his point of view, and show him in the best light. The piety of some of the letters can get to be a bit much at times, though it's probably genuine. An interesting book to read alongside Persico's account. (One side note of interest is the set of insights into Democratic party politics, and the wrangling that occurred in the leadup to the 1946 elections, which were not good for the Democrats either nationwide, or in Connecticut. Dodd may have been wise to step aside that year. The barbs at Sen. McMahon are interesting.)… (meer)

4409. Letters From Nuremberg My Father's Narrative of a Quest for Justice, by Senator Christopher J. Dodd (read 29 Jan 2008) This book is a compilation of the letters which Thomas J. Dodd wrote his wife while he was prosecuting the Nazi bigwigs in Nuremberg. One gets the idea that the success of the prosecution was largely Dodd's doing. He is quite critical of various persons involved in the trial, e.g., Francis Biddle, American judge, has no good word spoken of him by Dodd. There are interesting comments on Connecticut politics. Dodd is very critical of Chester Bowles and Brien MacMahon, prominent Connecticut Democrats.. In every letter Dodd tells his wife how much he loves her, which is fine but this does not make for fascinating reading for anyone except maybe their kids.… (meer)

Christopher Dodd, running for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 2008, decided to publish his father's letters home from Nuremberg. Christopher Dodd's father, Thomas, traveled to Germany to eventually act as one of the chief prosecutors for the United States in the trials of former German officials after World War II. During the course of his stay, which lasted over a year, Thomas Dodd wrote daily letters home to his wife Grace. Though the letters have been prepared for over 10 years, publication in 2007 gave Christopher Dodd a chance to briefly address some of his platform issues in his approximately eighty page introduction.

The bulk of the content of the book however consists of Thomas Dodd's letters. These letters provide a very personal account of not only the trials, but of the state of Europe after the closing chapters of World War II. As a study in the trials, it really should be placed behind a more factual oriented history, yet it could serve as good companion to a study of the trials as it addresses more of the politics behind the scenes both within the attorneys representing the U. S. as well as between the four nations participating in conducting the trials.

The real problem with this book is only in the amount of unrelated material that consumes a large portion of the letters. Much of the letters addressed Dodd's day to day affairs, his loneliness and general unhappiness at being separated from his family for such a long period of time. There is also a good deal of correspondence regarding the internals of the politics of the Connecticut state Democratic party in their preparation for Senate and Gubernatorial races in 1946. In terms of a story of human interest these things are important, so the safe choice is to publish the letters un-edited, but for someone interested only in the history of the trials it adds some unrelated bulk.

Aside from trial details and personal matters, Dodd's account of his stay is most enlightening regarding the state of Europe after the war. In fairly plain language that is free from hyperbole, Dodd's letters portray a Europe torn and devastated. Food and basic supply shortages, cities nearly leveled to the ground, and Russians plundering Eastern Germany while generally conducting affairs in a way not dissimilar from the Nazi men who were on trial. This along with Dodd's accounts of some of the atrocities the Germans committed during and immediately prior to the war do make you realize how far away from that we are as Americans. The encroachment we have seen on our civil liberties during the first decade of the 21st century are important and should be monitored vigilantly. Yet comparing them to what Europe saw during the 1930's and 1940's can make them seem trivial, regardless of how the chicken little crowd reacts to them. If for no other reason, this book was useful for providing that small check on reality.… (meer)