Rent: Letters from Nuremberg: My Father's Narrative of a Quest for Justice
By Christopher Dodd, Lary Bloom
About Letters from Nuremberg: My Father's Narrative of a Quest for Justice - Book Description
For some sixty years, the Nuremberg trials have demonstrated the resolve of the United States and its fellow Allied victors of the Second World War to uphold the principles of dispassionate justice and the rule of law even when cries of vengeance threatened to carry the day. In the summer of 1945, soon after the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, Thomas J. Dodd, the father of U.S. Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, traveled to the devastated city of Nuremberg to serve as a staff lawyer in this unprecedented trial for crimes against humanity. Thanks to his agile legal mind and especially to his skills at interrogating the defendants—including such notorious figures as Hermann Göring, Alfred Rosenberg, Albert Speer, Joachim von Ribbentrop, and Rudolf Hess—he quickly rose to become the number two prosecutor in the U.S. contingent.
Over the course of fifteen months, Dodd described his efforts and his impressions of the proceedings in nightly letters to his wife, Grace. The letters remained in the Dodd family archives, unexamined, for decades. When Christopher Dodd, who followed his father’s path to the Senate, sat down to read the letters, he was overwhelmed by their intimacy, by the love story they unveil, by their power to paint vivid portraits of the accused war criminals, and by their insights into the historical importance of the trials.
Along with Christopher Dodd’s reflections on his father’s life and career, and on the inspiration that good people across the world have long taken from the event that unfolded in the courtroom at Nuremberg, where justice proved to be stronger than the most unspeakable evil, these letters give us a fresh, personal, and often unique perspective on a true turning point in the history of our time. In today’s world, with new global threats once again put-ting our ideals to the test, Letters from Nuremberg reminds us that fear and retribution are not the only bases for confrontation. As Christopher Dodd says here, “Now, as in the era of Nuremberg, this nation should never tailor its eternal principles to the conflict of the moment, for if we do so, we will be shadowing those we seek to overcome.”
Letters from Nuremberg: My Father's Narrative of a Quest for Justice Reviews by BookSwim Members
A COMPELLING DAY-TO-DAY ACCOUNT OF A LANDMARK TRIAL IN COLLABERATION WITH OUR ALLIES FOLLOWING WORLD WAR 2 . THIS JOURNAL GIVES AN INSIGHT INTO THE SOMETIMES PAINFUL AND FRUSTRATING SEARCH FOR FINAL JUSTICE WITHIN THE GUIDELINES OF THE LAW.
There is also good insight into the inter-relationships of the people who were involved in the trial itself. One of the most surprising parts is concerning the great love this man portrays for his wife and children.
Also how he felt being away from home during this period of time. He lets us know what a great country we live in and not to forget the evil that still lurks in other parts of the world.
At a recent book signing at "Politics and Prose" in Washington, DC, Senator Dodd was asked if his father's career influenced his decision to become a public servant. He told the story of his father, interviewed weeks before his death, being asked if he knew how his political career would end (censure and then failing to win re-election)would he do it again. Senator Thomas Dodd answered (and I am paraphrasing) "A lawyer can help only so many clients in his career - a doctor only so many patients but as a public servant one is able to help millions of people. I would do it again without hesitation." This book offers facinating insite into the dedication of this honorable man to his country, to his family and to the rule of law that makes us great.
(And as an aside, I-Man is wrong. Chris Dodd is not riding the coattails of his father. Anyone taking the time to familiarize themselves with the work that he has done in his 30 plus years as a public servant would know that he is exceptionally qualified to be the President of the United States.)
It's a shame that someone can not critique a book on only it's content with out putting his/her opinion, let alone a political opinion.
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| Published | 09/11/2007 |
| Similar Subjects | History |
| Publisher | Crown |
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| Purchase at | Amazon |
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