Traitor's Odyssey - The Untold Story of Martha Dodd and a Strange Saga of Soviet Espionage

Accompanying her parents to Berlin in the 1930s, Martha Dodd knew almost nothing about Adolf Hitler or the Nazis. Yet almost overnight, she stepped into the spotlight, and found herself at the over-heated centre of Hitler's 'New Germany', befriending and dating several high-ranking Nazis, including the head of the Gestapo.

An affair with a dashing Russian diplomat saw her recruited as a spy, and so began a long and tumultuous career in both Berlin and America, including attempts to infiltrate First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt's inner circle and playing a key role in Henry Wallace's disastrous 1948 presidential campaign.

Betrayed by a Hollywood-hustler-turned-double-agent, Martha spent years under deep FBI surveillance - escaping twice - and went to ground in Cold War Prague, sad, lonely, rich and bored, living out her final decades in a Communist Sunset Boulevard.

Largely forgotten, Martha Dodd began to emerge as an iconic historical figure in the early 2000s. While her scandalous behaviour and pro-Soviet leanings were never much in dispute, the actual matter of her guilt remained unresolved. Now, using recently released KGB archived information and FBI files, author and journalist Brendan McNally sets the record straight in Traitor's Odyssey, telling the full epic tale of Martha Dodd's life for the first time, casting her in a new and bright light.

About the author

Brendan McNally is a journalist who has covered defence, security and intelligence issues since the late 1980s. He cut his teeth covering the Pentagon and Capitol Hill for industry newsletters. Following the 1991 Gulf War, Brendan moved to Prague where he reported for Defense News and The Prague Post. He divides his time between Dallas and the Czech Republic.

Product details

• Authors: McNally Brendan
• Publisher: Icon Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 20.11.2025
• EAN: 9781837732586
• ISBN: 978-1-83773-258-6
• No. of pages: 384
• Dimensions: 129 mm x 198 mm x 23 mm
• Weight: 320 g
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > 20th century (up to 1945); Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000, HISTORY / Military / General, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Intelligence & Espionage, military history, Far-left political ideologies and movements, Espionage & secret services, Socialism & left-of-centre democratic ideologies, Left-of-centre democratic ideologies, Espionage and secret services, Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe), USSR, Soviet Union, Marxism & Communism, c 1945 to c 2000 (Post-war period), c 1945 to c 1990 (the Cold War period), POLITICAL SCIENCE / World / Russian & Soviet, HISTORY / Russia / Soviet Era