3/18/73 (Sunday) Virginian-Pilot book review by Brinkley
Goranson:
THE LINDBERGHS - HOUR OF GOLD, HOUR OF LEAD. Diaries and
Letters of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, 1929-1932. Harcourt,
Brace & Jovanovich. 340 pp. $7.95.
VOLUME II of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's diaries and letters
resumes where Volume I, "Bring Me a Unicorn" left off -
with the announcement of her intended marriage to Charles
Lindbergh.
They had met in Mexico City - Anne Morrow, shy, intelligent,
with an as yet unformed but certain literary bent; Lindbergh,
already the "lone eagle," famous, jealous of his privacy but
unable to keep it for long in the face of a fawning public
- where her father was United States Ambassador to Mexico.
They were married in a quiet family ceremony in May, 1929, at
her home in Englewood, N.J. They left the wedding ceremony
in disguise, driving off in a cabin motorboat. "Sure sure
that it is right and the pangs are not doubt," Anne Lindbergh
confided to her diary.
Intolerant of publicity, the Lindberghs spent much time and
effort trying to evade it. They used code names in messages
and correspondence. Lindbergh referred to himself as "Boyd"
- suggesting perhaps, in Brooklynese, the word, "bird".
Trying to avoid strangers became almost an obsession and any
infringement on their private lives they considered a kind of
blasphemy. She writes, "I have gotten utterly bitter about
it. I have no patience, no understanding, no sympathy with
the people who stare and follow and giggle at us; who ask
questions, crowd, want to know about our private life."
How much this introspective and intellectual woman treasured
privacy and the tranquility that comes from being alone and
quiet is expressed in her book "Gift from the Sea," where
loneliness becomes personal and alive. Her wish for privacy
was sincere; she writes of going to a concert alone, "And I
looked at the people who were not alone and pitied them."
Nevertheless, these early years of marriage were her "hour
of gold." She tells how she learned to navigate a plane,
to assist her husband as his radio operator, and to take
aerial photographs on survey flights they made charting
transcontinental routes for commercial aviation. They were
always in the news, although they hated it, and they stayed
on the front page when they made their pioneering flights to
Latin America and the Orient.
Mrs. Lindbergh's first reference to her first pregnancy comes
in a letter to her mother in which she writes that her sister
should not start making bibs with rabbits on them yet until
it is sure. Charles Jr. was born, and 18 months later at
the Lindbergh's secluded home in Hopewell, N.J., the "hour
of lead" descended.
The words are from an Emily Dickenson poem:
"This is the hour of lead
Remembered if outlived
As freezing persons recollect
the snow -
First chill, then stupor, then
the letting go."
In her introduction to this section of her book, Mrs.
Lindbergh explains why she now is willing to expose the pain
and horror of a tragedy that took place 40 years ago. One
reason is that such an inextricable part of her life story
could not be omitted in an honest record. Because so much
that was published at the time was concocted of rumors, she
believes now that a personal account should be made. Yet
she says she still could not bear to expose it if she did
not believe that others may be helped through their trials.
What follows is a poignant revelation of the emotions and
grief and tragedy. She wonders now how she could have been
so calm and attributes it to the element of hope and her
being surrounded by disciplined people, notably her husband.
On May 12, 1932, her baby's body was found dead in a ditch
not far from the Lindbergh home, killed by a blow on the
head.
On that day she wrote: "I feel strongly a sense of peace -
not peace, but an end to restlessness, a finality, as though
I were sleeping in a grave." The tortured dreams and
feelings of insecurity that followed were relieved by the
birth of a second son, Jon, three months later.
These letters and diary entries were written by a person who
gives the impression of wholeness. One leaves the last page
of this volume looking forward to the next, for it too surely
will be a memoir of a remarkable woman.
1/25/77 National Enquirer article by John Blosser:
MAN EXECUTED FOR KIDNAP-MURDER OF LINDBERGH'S BABY WAS
INNOCENT, REVEALS SCIENTIFIC 'TRUTH DETECTOR'
Bruno Richard Hauptmann, who died in the electric chair for
the kidnap-murder of the Lindbergh baby, was telling the
complete, absolute truth when he repeatedly proclaimed his
innocence.
That's the bombshell discovery of the truth-detecting
Psychological Stress Evaluator (PSE), which tested
Hauptmann's voice in statements he made at his trial
and shortly before his April 3, 1936, execution.
"I have no doubt in my mind that Hauptmann died an innocent
man," declared Charles R. McQuiston, codeveloper of the PSE.
"We executed the wrong man, and the real kidnapper got away
with the crime." McQuiston analyzed two rare film sound
tracks obtained by THE ENQUIRER. The first came from a
hidden movie camera inside the New Jersey courtroom where
Hauptmann stood trial.
The hapless defendant was being mercilessly grilled by
Prosecutor David T. Wilentz.
Here are some portions of the testimony, and the PSE's
verdict:
WILENTZ: "Did you take the Lindbergh baby?"
HAUPTMANN: "No. I did not."
Noted McQuiston, "This response shows a complete lack of
stress. I have to believe him."
WILENTZ: "Did you not lie under oath?"
HAUPTMANN: "No."
WILENTZ: "You lied under oath."
HAUPTMANN: "I did not."
Bruno Hauptmann's voice on the readout of the Psychological
Stress Evaluator shows, says expert Charles R. McQuiston,
that he was telling the truth when, in answer to
the prosecutor's assertion, "You lied under oath,"
Hauptmann replied, "I did not."
McQuiston declared, "Hauptmann's statement is made with great
emphasis, but without stress. He is telling the truth."
While in prison awaiting death, Hauptmann made an impassioned
public appeal for help.
As the camera whirred, Hauptmann said, "I want to tell the
people of America that I am innocent of the crime of murder.
"I never saw the Lindbergh baby and I never was in Hopewell
or near Hopewell (the Lindbergh's hometown) and I never
received any money from Dr. Condon (Dr. John F. Condon, who
served as an intermediary between the Lindberghs and the
kidnapper, and delivered the ransom money)."
McQuiston broke this speech down line by line and word by
word, and ran it through the PSE. He concluded there was no
stress in Hauptmann's voice - and therefore, he was telling
the truth. The PSE is so reliable that its results have
been accepted as court evidence in five states. Over
100 government investigative agencies use it as a tool
in battling crime.
McQuiston also analyzed the testimony of a key prosecution
witness whose testimony helped doom Hauptmann. Wood expert
Arthur Koehler swore that a piece of wood taken from the
defendant's attic precisely matched the wood in the ladder
used during the kidnapping.
Koehler testified, "I noted that the grain of the two matches
up perfectly." McQuiston explained, "This man is saying he's
very sure, but there is strong stress on the words 'that'
and 'matches'. This leads me to believe Koehler was either
lying, or not as certain about his findings as he testified
in court.
"If Hauptmann were tried today, he would walk away a free
man. I am thoroughly convinced of that."
2/07/81 (Saturday) Virginian-Pilot article:
LINDBERGH FILES CONTRADICT
FLEMINGTON, N.J. (AP) - FBI files that were sealed for nearly
50 years contradict the testimony of several key prosecution
witnesses who helped send Bruno Richard Hauptmann to the
electric chair for the kidnap-murder of the Lindbergh baby.
The kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh's infant son was one
of the most notorious crimes of the 1930's and was heavily
covered by newspapers and radio throughout the United States.
Lindbergh became a national hero in 1927 by flying the Spirit
of St. Louis on the first solo flight from New York to Paris.
Hauptmann was convicted largely on circumstantial evidence
and the testimony of several expert witnesses after one of
the most notorious kidnapping trials in American history. He
contended that he was not guilty throughout the five-week
trial and until his electrocution in Trenton, N.J., on April
3, 1936.
Information in the FBI files was obtained under the Freedom
of Information Act and published jointly in Thursday's
editions of the Hunterdon County Democrat and the New
Brunswick Home News.
Although kidnapping did not become a federal crime until
after the Lindbergh case, FBI agents were involved in the
sweeping 2-1/2 year investigation, the newspapers said.
Nineteen-month-old Charles Lindbergh Jr. disappeared from his
second-floor nursery at the Lindbergh's home in the village
of Hopewell, N.J., on March 1, 1932, and was found dead after
Lindbergh and a go-between dropped off a $50,000 ransom at a
Bronx, N.Y. cemetery.
A letter from then-FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover says
FBI tests indicated there were fingerprints on ransom
notes, though the state's expert testified none
existed, according to the newspapers.
The files say a taxi driver's "positive" identification of
Hauptmann as the man who asked him to deliver a ransom note
came 2-1/2 years after the event and after a "pep talk" by a
police inspector.
The go-between who handed over the ransom money in a New York
cemetery apparently told FBI agents after Hauptmann's arrest
that Hauptmann could not be the man he dealt with. But at
the trial, he said Hauptmann was the man.
Police arrested Hauptmann, a 35-year-old Bronx carpenter,
on Sept. 14, 1934, and found $15,000 of the ransom money in
a shoe box in his garage the next day. Hauptmann said the
money had been given to him for safekeeping by a friend and
business partner leaving for Germany.
Copies of the FBI files were turned over to the Hunterdon
County Democrat by two Philadelphia-area researchers. Thomas
Kelly and his nephew, James Kelly, filed the Freedom of
Information request after studying the Lindbergh case for
nearly 30 years.
11/24/81 (Tuesday) The Ledger-Star article:
LINDBERGH KIDNAP FILES BEING OPENED
EWING TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) - The kidnapping and murder of the
Lindbergh baby gripped the nation 49 years ago. Now, the
evidence that led to the execution of a man for the crime
is being released, little by little.
For years, lawyer Robert Bryan has been trying to get
the files opened. On Monday a judge allowed two of
his researchers and a pool of three news reporters
to begin sifting through the evidence that led to
the electrocution of Bruno Richard Hauptmann.
Anna Hauptmann, 83, the widow of the convicted killer, is
suing the state for $100 million in damages, claiming her
husband is innocent. Bryan, on her behalf, demanded the
files be opened.
In a separate case, Bryan also represents a man who claims to
be the Lindbergh child.
Rummaging through the 90,000 pages of reports and a huge
volume of physical evidence by just five people is expected
to take several weeks. Bryan would not say what he and his
researchers are seeking.
"I'd be foolish to go into a ball game and tell the other
side what plays we're going to run," he said.
One of the things Bryan wants to determine is what evidence
still exists. "State police conceded last March 2 that a
number of items were missing," he said.
The first child of aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh and
Anne Morrow Lindbergh disappeared from his nursery at the
family's home near Englewood, N.J. After Hauptmann was
convicted, the evidence used against him was taken here to
the headquarters of the New Jersey State Police and has been
sealed ever since.
Gov. Bredan Byrne on Oct. 9 ordered the files opened, and on
Monday a federal judge in Newark ruled that The Associated
Press, United Press International and The Record newspaper of
Hackensack, N.J. each could have one researcher present each
day to sift through the files.
The ruling was a victory for Bryan, who went to U.S. District
Judge Frederick Lacey after state police Col. Clinton
Pagano's said only four researchers could look at the files.
The first file, opened Monday evening and given to the AP for
examination, was a transcript of Hauptmann's questioning by
authorities in New York City, where he was arrested.
Hauptmann said a telephone number for a ransom go-between
found penciled in his closet was written by him after he
read a newspaper.
"Your only explanation for writing Dr. (James) Condon's
address on this board and the phone number is that you were
probably reading the paper in the closet and you marked it
down?" Bronx District Attorney Samuel Foley asked. According
to the transcript, Hauptmann reaffirmed the statement.
8/22/84 (Wednesday) The Ledger-Star article:
WIDOW GIVEN INDIGENCY IN LINDBERGH SUIT
NEWARK, N.J. - A federal judge has decided to allow the widow
of Bruno Richard Hauptmann to proceed as an indigent in a
court case stemming from her husband's execution for the 1932
kidnapping and murder of the infant son of aviator Charles A.
Lindbergh.
Anna Hauptmann, 85, of Yeadon, Pa., said in court papers
filed in Newark that her only income is a $313 monthly
Social Security check.
As a result, U.S. District Judge Frederick Lacey on Tuesday
granted the request that she be considered an indigent,
permitting her to seek a waiver of certain court costs,
in her appeal of the dismissal of her $100 million
wrongful-death suit.
In addition, her attorneys said they plan to collect no fee
for their work.
Lacey dismissed the remaining legal issues of the suit on
April 5. But she is taking her case to the 3rd U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals because she believes her claims still are
valid, her attorneys said.
The judge ruled in a 23-page decision in April that most of
her claims against the state, the FBI and the Hearst Corp.
for its reporting on the case were filed too late or did
not present sufficient evidence.
She contended that the defendants engaged in a conspiracy
leading to the allegedly malicious prosecution and
execution of her husband in 1936.
Lacey dismissed the bulk of the case on Aug. 11, 1983, when
he ruled that there was little or no evidence to support her
charge that state officials covered up the case for 50 years.
He said that Hauptmann's civil rights were not violated
during the investigation or his widely publicized trial.
The opinion handed down in April dealt with a few legal
issues not previously decided.
"The case was dismissed mostly on technical ground," said
Trudy Maran, an attorney for Hauptmann's widow.
"Without a trial, we won't have an opportunity to clear his
name once and for all. All we want is a trial," Maran added.
She said her client continues to contend that the statute of
limitations for filing the suit did not run out before she
initiated the case.
Lacey said Hauptmann died 45 years before the suit was filed
and that New Jersey law requires malicious prosecution suits
to be filed within two years and wrongful death suits within
six years.
11/06/84 (Tuesday) Ledger-Star article:
NEW BOOK SAYS LINDBERGH SCOUTED GERMAN AIR POWER
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Charles A. Lindbergh, whose pre-World
War II trips to Germany and acceptance of a Nazi medal drew
strong criticism in his own country, made detailed reports
of his observations on German air power to U.S. military
officials, according to a recently published book.
Lindbergh's visits to Germany were arranged by Truman
Smith, who represented the U.S. military in pre-war Berlin,
according to Smith's papers that were gathered into the book
"Berlin Alert: The Memoirs and Reports of Truman Smith."
The book did not call Lindbergh a spy or agent for the United
States but strongly implied that the visits had the blessing
of the U.S. military because Smith had arranged them. The
book said Lindbergh agreed to visit Germany and tour the
Luftwaffe installations and aircraft facilities.
Smith, who died in 1970, was successful in arranging
the visits because he correctly guessed that the Germans
would be anxious to impress the air hero with their air
excellence, the book said.
Smith said Lindbergh, who became an American hero after
making the first solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927,
made reports to the American military, describing Germany's
emergence as an air power.
The book's contents were described as a volume of previously
unpublished autobiographical writings and documents drawn
from the Truman Smith Collection at Stanford University. It
was published by Stanford's Hoover Institution Press this
year at the urging of Smith's widow.
According to an introduction by Robert Hessen, the Hoover
Institution's deputy archivist, the American public construed
Lindbergh's acceptance of a Nazi medal presented by Herman
Goering as an endorsement of Nazism.
Actually, Hessen said, "Neither Lindbergh nor Smith had any
advance knowledge of Goering's (medal) plan, and the one
American officer who did know failed to warn them."
Hessen said Lindbergh "would not have been able to refuse
the medal without offending Goering and thereby defeating a
major purpose of his (Lindbergh's) 1938 mission, to persuade
Goering that German Jews who were emigrating should not be
forced to leave penniless."
Smith interviewed Hitler in the 1920s and estimated him to be
"a fanatical man whose power over the mob is immense." Both
he and Lindbergh were denounced as Nazi sympathizers in 1940
and accused of deliberately exaggerating the strength of the
Luftwaffe in order to discourage America from standing up to
Hitler.
The book contends that although Lindbergh came to admire many
German scientists, he had no sympathy for Nazi aims.
10/13/85 (Sunday) The Virginian Pilot and Ledger-Star
article:
DEFENDING HIS NAME - ANNA M. HAUPTMANN - SEEKS TO CLEAR LATE
HUSBAND
Anna M. Hauptmann has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court
to reinstate her lawsuit seeking to clear the name of
her husband, who was convicted and executed in the 1932
kidnapping and murder of aviator Charles A. Lindbergh's son.
The 86-year-old widow contends that her deceased husband,
Bruno Richard Hauptmann, did not kill Lindbergh's
20-month-old boy.
"My position remains the same - that the trial of the
century was probably the greatest fraud in the history
of jurisprudence," said her lawyer, Robert Bryan.
A U.S. District judge ruled last year that most of Anna
Hauptmann's claims against the state, the FBI and the Hearst
Corp. for its reporting on the case were filed too late or
presented insufficient evidence.
10/22/85 The Ledger-Star article:
LINDBERGH KIDNAP DATA AWAITED - MAN SAYS FINGERPRINTS WILL
SHOW HE IS THE ABDUCTED CHILD
TRENTON, N.J. - A man who claims to be the son of aviator
Charles A. Lindbergh says newly discovered fingerprints
will prove that the victim of the "crime of the century"
was actually an unidentified baby.
Long-missing documents, which include the fingerprints
attributed to the Lindbergh baby, were found recently in a
garage in a South Amboy home and were to be displayed today.
"If we can get good copies of the prints and experts compare
them and come up with a legitimate match or pretty close to
a legitimate match, then...that makes it all the more certain
that is who I am," said Harold Olson, 57, of Westport, Conn.
Olson, a computer supplies salesman, is one of several people
claiming to be Lindbergh's son. Kenneth Kerwin of Biddeford,
Maine, is another.
Olson said Monday he believes he is the avaiator's
child because, "among other things," he has 21 "body
identifications that match the Lindbergh baby."
He also said he will request copies of the fingerprints to
prove his true identity. "If I were to stake my life on it,
they're going to match," he said.
But Col. Clinton L. Pagano, superintendent of the state
police, said a review of the 20,000 documents will not
provide any shocking disclosures about the case. Pagano
declined to discuss details but said the documents were to
be displayed at a news conference today.
Bruno Richard Hauptmann was executed in 1936 for the murder
of Charles Lindbergh Jr.
Hauptmann's 86-year-old widow, Anna, is also looking forward
to the release of the documents. "I've waited all these
years for the truth," says the Yeadon, Pa., resident. "My
husband did not kidnap the Lindbergh baby."
The documents were found at the home of the late Harold
Hoffman, a former New Jersey governor who believed that
Hauptmann was wrongly convicted. Hoffman borrowed the
fingerprints and other material as part of a private
investigation about 50 years ago but never returned them.
After the kidnapping, the decomposed body of a young child
was discovered in the area, but no prints could be lifted
from the body, police said.
State police Capt. Joseph Kobus said that the fingerprints
taken from the nursery were available "before, during and
after the trial" but that they disappeared when Hoffman
confiscated them for his private investigation.
The disappearance of the prints fueled theories that
Hauptmann was framed or that the child was never killed.
Meanwhile, Anna Hauptmann's attorney, San Francisco lawyer
Robert Bryan, has filed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme
Court to reinstate her lawsuit seeking to clear Hauptmann's
name.
A federal judge in Newark dismissed her claims for $100
million in damages against the state, the FBI and the
Hearst Corp. for its reporting of the case.
The judge found that her claims were filed too late or failed
to present sufficient information.
