Desc: A Voice Among the Silent: the Legacy of James G. McDonald: Directed by Shuli Eshel. With Severin Hochberg, James G. McDonald. The son of Catholic immigrants, James McDonald was one of the first Americans to meet face-to-face with Adolf Hitler in 1933. Shocked by Hitler's threats, McDonald, as League of Nation High Commissioner for Refugees, worked tirelessly to find safe havens for refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. McDonald repeatedly warned world leaders including President Franklin Roosevelt and future Pope Pius XII, of the looming tragedy he foresaw.