Arrival in Hitler's Berlin
In 1933, William E. Dodd accepted a post few others wanted. He was a history professor, not a polished diplomat, and he preferred books, farms, and simple habits to formal dinners and embassy display. President Roosevelt sent him to Berlin at a moment when many in Washington still hoped Hitler's government might settle down, protect American financial interests, and remain a problem inside Germany rather than a danger to the world.
Dodd brought his family with him, including his daughter Martha, who saw the move as an escape and an adventure. She arrived eager for excitement, romance, and a fresh start. Berlin, at first glance, seemed to reward that optimism. The streets were busy, the parks were green, the cafes were full, and the city still carried the charm of an old European capital.
Their arrival also exposed the gap between Dodd and the diplomatic world around him. Embassy officials were embarrassed by his plain clothes, modest spending, and refusal to live like a grand ambassador. Dodd drove an old car, disliked waste, and believed seriousness mattered more than ceremony. He thought honesty and restraint would earn respect, but in Nazi Germany those traits often looked like weakness.
The family soon settled into a large house in the Tiergarten district. Even that home carried a quiet sign of the times, because its Jewish owner hoped an American tenant might offer protection. Around the Dodds, Berlin still looked orderly and civilized. That appearance made the city more dangerous, because beauty and routine helped hide what the regime was already becoming.
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