Helmuth James Graf Von Moltke - Recognition

Recognition

In 1989, Moltke was posthumously awarded the Geschwister-Scholl-Preis for his work, Briefe an Freya 1939–1945.

In 2001 the German Section of the International Society for Military Law and the Law of War established the Helmuth-James-von-Moltke-Preis for outstanding judicial works in the field of security policy.

As Germany persists in shedding light on the internal dynamics of the Nazi era, Moltke has become a prominent symbol of moral opposition to the Nazi regime. On 11 March 2007, Moltke's centenary was commemorated in the Französischer Dom in Berlin, where he was described by German chancellor Angela Merkel as a symbol of "European courage". His life was the subject of a 1992 documentary film nominated for an Oscar, The Restless Conscience: Resistance to Hitler Within Germany 1933-1945, and a biography by Günter Brakelmann compiles Moltke's letters, diary, and other papers shared by his wife.

Moltke's opinion advocating adherence to the Geneva and Hague Conventions, notwithstanding the opponent's not being a signatory, was cited by Scott Horton, chair of the New York City bar committee on international law, who said "The arguments in his memorandum are close to identical to the arguments that are made by General Colin Powell, in the letter he sent to Alberto Gonzales" in 2002, regarding prisoners taken in Afghanistan and Iraq.