Carl Werner Dankwort (August 13, 1895[1] – December 19, 1986) born in Gumbinnen, East Prussia (now Gusev, Russia), was a German diplomat who served a major role in bringing Germany into the League of Nations in 1926[2][3] prior to representing the German contingent in the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation, the post-World War II effort known as the Marshall Plan.

After a brief time in civil law, he entered the German diplomatic service in 1920 and was assigned as consul to Zurich, Switzerland and shortly afterward to Stockholm, Sweden, in 1927.

In 1932 and 1933, he participated in the World Disarmament Conference and opposed attempts by the National Socialist Party to infiltrate the Berne consulate in Switzerland.

[5] He agreed to serve as a witness for the allies at the Nuremberg Trials, but was instead incarcerated by the British at Bad Nenndorf interrogation centre and in Mecklenburg[6] for 18 months without charges ever being brought against him.

Werner Dankwort's strategic position as Counsellor of the German Delegation in Stockholm enabled him to dissuade Nazi intentions to invade and occupy Sweden which, in turn, permitted that country to serve as a refuge for those in need of protection from Nazi persecution, imprisonment, and extermination [8][9] Rudolf completed his undergraduate studies at Harvard University and post-graduate work in electrical engineering at Duke University in North Carolina.