Letters From Nuremberg: My Father's Narrative of a Quest for Justice

Description

The Nuremberg trials demonstrated the resolve of the 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. Thomas J. Dodd served 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, he quickly rose to become the number two prosecutor in the U.S. contingent. Over the course of 15 months, Dodd described his efforts and his vivid impressions of the proceedings in nightly letters to his wife, Grace. Unexamined for decades, these letters now remind us of the inspiration that good people across the world have long taken from that courtroom--and that fear and retribution are not the only bases for confrontation.--From publisher description.  Read more... Abstract: The Nuremberg trials demonstrated the resolve of the 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. Thomas J. Dodd served 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, he quickly rose to become the number two prosecutor in the U.S. contingent. Over the course of 15 months, Dodd described his efforts and his vivid impressions of the proceedings in nightly letters to his wife, Grace. Unexamined for decades, these letters now remind us of the inspiration that good people across the world have long taken from that courtroom--and that fear and retribution are not the only bases for confrontation.--From publisher description Content: Part One: The Legacy -- Nuremberg, Undermined -- "Frightful Retribution" -- The Evidence of Genocide -- Part Two: The Letters -- Eyes That I Could Not Meet -- Jailbird in the Ruins -- "The Most Brutal Measures" -- Audience -- Promotion -- And Fixing "The Mess" -- Inhumanity on Trial -- Czech War Crimes -- Getting to Göring -- Political Savages -- Perjury High, Wide, and Handsome -- Final Arguments.