Charles Lindbergh: Wronged American Hero

By John Wear

Published: 2020-11-10

Charles Lindbergh (1902-1974) became world-famous in May 1927 after he flew solo his single-engine plane, the Spirit of St. Louis, nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean. When he returned to New York two weeks later, 4 million people turned out to honor him in a massive ticker-tape parade. One newspaper wrote, “No conqueror in the history of the world ever received a welcome such as was accorded Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh yesterday.”[1] Lindbergh was a national hero, and became Time magazine’s first Man of the Year.[2]

By the end of 1941, however, Lindbergh had become one of the most-reviled men in American history. One columnist wrote that Lindbergh had plummeted from “Public Hero No. 1” to “Public Enemy No. 1.”[3] A 1942 poll showed that only 10% of Americans had a favorable view of Lindbergh, while 81% had an unfavorable view.[4] Lindbergh’s sister-in-law, Constance, reflected on America’s new attitude toward Lindbergh, “Imagine, in just 15 years he has gone from Jesus to Judas!”[5]

This article examines why Lindbergh suffered such a precipitous drop in popularity.

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