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The Diaries and Papers of James G. Mcdonald, 1932-1935
Indiana University Press
June 2007
On Sale: June 1, 2007
838 pages
ISBN: 0253348625
EAN: 9780253348623
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction History
An inside look at the early history of the Nazi regime
and the indifferent response of world leaders to Nazi
persecution of German Jews
James G. McDonald . . . knew every major public figure in
the 1930s as Europe and later the rest of the world rushed
to war. He was also . . . a dedicated and precise diarist,
recording his meetings with Hitler, Mussolini, and President
Roosevelt and detailing his own impressions of Nazi
intentions. . . . The diaries show that McDonald believed as
early as 1933 that the Nazis were considering the mass
killing of Europe's Jews."
--Neil A. Lewis, The New
York Times
"Very few individuals interact
with such a stunning array of historical figures--Hitler,
Mussolini, FDR, Cardinal Pacelli (the future Pius XII), and
Chaim Weizmann. McDonald was 'present at the creation' of so
many of the formative events that shape our world. Yet
McDonald's diaries are much more than historic; they are
filled with candor and eloquence as well as insight and
emotion."
--Sara J. Bloomfield, Director, United
States Holocaust Memorial
Museum
"Publication of James
McDonald's diaries is a much-anticipated event. The diaries
enhance our understanding of the life and work of one of the
last century's most dedicated and interesting public
servants. They show what one man--altruistic, high-minded,
and intent on doing what is right--can achieve."
--Daniel C. Kurtzer, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel and
Egypt
"McDonald's diaries shed important new
light on efforts to assist Jews fleeing Germany in the years
1933-1935 from the perspective of an
individual deeply
involved in those efforts--and one who did not revise
whatever he wrote at the time. . . . The volume, with its
extensive new
information, will appeal to a substantial
audience, not only in the academic world but among a wider
readership likely to extend well beyond U.S. borders."
--Gerhard L. Weinberg, William Rand Kenan, Jr., Professor
of History Emeritus, University of North
Carolina
When it comes to the history of the
Third Reich, particularly in its early years, James G.
McDonald had unparalled access to decision makers and
critics, persecutors and victims, and both German and
American political leaders. His diary is not only filled
with important information but it gives a unique and utterly
fascinating insight into diplomatic life in
Germany.
McDonald, unlike so many of his contemporaries, tried to
make a difference in what would become a unique story of
doom and destruction. Advocate for the Doomedis the
gripping story of his tireless efforts."
--Deborah E.
Lipstadt, author ofHistory on Trial
The private diary of James G. McDonald (1886-1964) offers
a unique and hitherto unknown source on the early history of
the Nazi regime and the Roosevelt administration's reactions
to Nazi persecution of German Jews. Considered for the post
of U.S. ambassador to Germany at the start of the FDR's
presidency, McDonald traveled to Germany in 1932 and met
with Hitler soon after the Nazis came to power. Fearing Nazi
intentions to remove or destroy Jews in Germany, in 1933 he
became League of Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and
sought aid from the international community to resettle
outside the Reich Jews and others persecuted there. In late
1935 he resigned in protest at the lack of support for his
work.
This is the eagerly awaited first of a
projected three-volume work that will significantly revise
the ways that scholars and the world view the antecedents of
the Holocaust, the Shoah itself, and its aftermath.
Richard Breitman is Professor of History at American
University. His books include The Architect of Genocide:
Himmler and the Final Solution and (with Alan Kraut)
American Refugee Policy and European Jewry, 1933--1954
(IUP, 1988). He is editor of the journal Holocaust
and Genocide Studies. He lives in Bethesda,
Maryland.
Barbara McDonald Stewart has taught at
George Mason University and is author of United States
Government Policy on Refugees from Nazism, 1933--1940.
She lives in Vienna, Virginia.
Severin Hochberg is a
historian at the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at
the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. He lives in
Washington, D.C.
Published in association with the United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum.
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