Island of Peace in an Ocean of Unrest: The Letters of Dorothy von Moltke

Hammond, Catherine R. Island of Peace in an Ocean of Unrest: The Letters of Dorothy von Moltke. Nebbadoon Press, 2013.

The letters of Dorothy von Moltke to her parents contain significant insight into Christian Science in Germany from her 1902 marriage to Count Helmuth von Moltke until her death in 1935. Both served on the 1912 committee translating Science and Health into German, and Count Helmuth was the church’s designated liaison with the German government during early phases of Nazi control. In addition to domestic and family matters the letters contain insights into the family’s disdain for Hitler. Dorothy’s husband was the great nephew of a famous German military leader, and Dorothy’s own father was chief justice of the South African supreme court. Her marriage and move to the von Moltke estate, Kreisau, was the reason for her writing these letters to her parents. After World War I, the letters focus more on troubles within Germany, and Hammond’s research reveals why the church directors in Boston removed Moltke from his official church post and replaced him with a representative more sympathetic with the Nazi government. Dorothy raised five children, two of whom died in the war. One was killed in combat, and another son was executed for his resistance activities. Today, Kreisau is a center for peace studies.

ISBN-10: 1891331442
ISBN-13: 978-1891331442

See also annotations: 

“Countess Dorothy von Moltke” by The Mary Baker Eddy Library

Christian Science Under the Nazi Regime by William E. Stillman