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 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.

"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 inGermany. 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."—Providence Phoenix
". . . this collection is an invaluable document in understanding the period that witnessed the Nazi 'seizure of power.' . . . Highly recommended."—Choice
". . . Advocate for the Doomed: The Diaries and Papers of James G. McDonald 1932—35 is a compelling look at one man's efforts to do something about a looming catastrophe. At times the book is inspiring—McDonald's prescience and energy are simply amazing. But because we know what is soon to happen to Europe's Jews, we share his frustration that no one seems to be listening. We feel what it was to be an advocate for the doomed."—The Wall Street Journal
"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 Jew"—Neil A. Lewis, The New York Times
"[Chronicles] the efforts of this principled and persistent man to save Jews and others from the horrors of Nazism.Honor Role July / August 2007"—Foreign Affairs
"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
"It was not only for the sake of Jews but for the larger cause of freedom, justice, and equal treatment for all human beings everywhere, whatever their race, religion or nationality, that I—a blond 'Aryan,' offspring of Scotch Canadian and Midwest American stock, a teacher and student by profession and inclination—became a champion for Jewish aspirations and equal human rights."—James G. McDonald, 1951
"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

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, 1933–1945(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.