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June 14, 2005

Comments

psw

The comment near the end regarding Dodd getting caught up in the anti-communist hysteria of McCarthy is true. Except it turns out it was not hysteria; Dodd was an active agent for the KGB as revealed in Alexander Vassiliev's Notebooks, see: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1409&fuseaction=topics.documents&group_id=511603 The Cold War International History Project.
Dodd not only literally slept with the Nazis, she was in bed with the KGB and one of many idealists who "bought" the Soviet story hook, line and sinker. The historical irony is that McCarthy was right. (see Boris Morris and Morris' work at Paramount Studios and his subsequent music company financed by KGB operatives...quess who? Yes, the Dodd's.

David

"McCarthy was right"

What useful intelligence could Martha Dodd have possibly possibly passed along to the KGB?

I have done some research into her archives at the Library of Congress, and other than some pro-Soviet propaganda pieces I could not find anything that could be considered treasonous.

McCarthy's poisonous witchhunt did far more damage to tne nation than Martha Dodd and her husband.

Brendan McNally

It is one of those Ironies that McCarthy tried exploiting Martha Dodd's publicly pronounced pro-Soviet sympathies for his own political advantage, never suspecting that in reality she was a Soviet spy. Martha Dodd is one of those priceless examples of how twisted reality is.

While living in PRague I knew several people who'd known Martha during her wilderness years there. She was a really strange piece of work. The only joy she got was from her weekly copies of People Magazine.

E. Young

"Through Embassy Eyes" was published in 1939 not 1930.

Siddhartha Banerjee

I have seen the correspondence between Bill Shirer ("Rise and Fall of Third Reich") and Martha Dodd. Her letters from Prague are heart-rending. I don't think I'll ever forget them.

What a long-drawn and tragic end to what began as such a bright, promising life. From what I saw, she never renounced the US.

Siddhartha Banerjee
Oxford, Pennsylvania

David

@Siddhartha,

Where can I find this correspondence with Shirer? I don't recall seeing it in the archives at the LoC.

Thanks,
David

Siddhartha Banerjee

Hi David,

Just saw your comment. Sorry for the delay. Shirer's papers are at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, his alma mater.

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