Martha Dodd

Martha Dodd was an American writer and the daughter of William E. Dodd, United States ambassador to Germany during the early Nazi period. Living in Berlin, she moved through diplomatic, social and political circles and initially viewed the new regime with curiosity rather than alarm.

Martha moved to Berlin in 1933 when her father William E. Dodd became United States ambassador to Germany. She initially responded enthusiastically to aspects of the new regime but became increasingly hostile to Nazism as persecution and political violence became unmistakable. Her social circle included diplomats, journalists and officials, and her later political commitments brought her into contact with Soviet intelligence; after the war she lived for long periods outside the United States.

In Erik Larson’s In the Garden of Beasts, in 1933, historian William E. Dodd becomes United States ambassador to Germany and moves to Berlin with his wife, son and daughter Martha. Dodd expects conventional diplomacy but encounters a regime rapidly dismantling civil liberties, persecuting Jewish citizens and replacing law with intimidation. Martha is initially captivated by the energy and social glamour of the new Germany, forming relationships with figures including Rudolf Diels while meeting Nazi leaders whose charm and theatricality disguise the violence supporting their power.