Charles Winters
Encyclopedia
Charles "Charlie" Thompson Winters (February 10, 1913 – October 30, 1984) was an American
businessman who volunteered during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. He was imprisoned for 18 months for helping smuggle three B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers to Israel
in the late 1940s, but pardoned posthumously by President George W. Bush
on December 23, 2008.
-Canadian
and Irish
parents, was born in Brookline, Massachusetts
in 1913. Polio struck him at an early age, leaving him with a limp. Because of this handicap, the United States Army
rejected him during World War II
, and he instead spent the war working for the government as a purchasing agent.
, as if completing a normal shipping route, but instead flew to Palestine by way of the Azores
and Czechoslovakia; a third B-17 joined the group in Czechoslovakia. They constituted the newly created Israeli Air Force
's first heavy bombers. Winters was said to have decided to help supply the Israeli forces as a favor to his Jewish friends, and received no monetary compensation for the work. His efforts gained him the nickname "The Godfather of the Israeli Airforce"
The three bombers smuggled by Winters were the only heavy bombers in the Israeli Air Force during the war, but were reportedly essential in turning the tide of war in Israel's favor. In his diary on July 16, 1948, David Ben-Gurion
noted their arrival in Israel, and mentioned that they had already been used for several bombing runs in Egypt
. They formed 69 Squadron of the Israeli Air Force, known as the "Hammers".
Winters was subsequently prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney in Miami for violating the Neutrality Act of 1939 in conspiring to smuggle three bombers via Czechoslovakia to Palestine. Winters was found guilty, fined $5000, spent 18 months in prison, and was finally released on November 17, 1949. Schwimmer, though convicted, was not sentenced to prison, and was pardoned by President Bill Clinton
in 2000. Another man in the operation, Herman Greenspun, was also convicted with no prison time, and pardoned in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy
.
, commending him for his efforts and inviting him to the opening of a new memorial in Israel. Winters lived the rest of his life in Miami, where he founded an export firm. He died there October 30, 1984 and his ashes were buried in a Christian cemetery near Jerusalem's Knights Templar
cemetery as well as scattered from Mount Tabor
.
, the American Jewish Committee
, and Steven Spielberg
. President Bush officially pardoned Winters on December 23, 2008. Democratic Representative Ron Klein
, who led the congressional group, commented that "President Bush made the right decision today to issue a posthumous pardon to Charles Winters, a Florida resident who played an essential role in the creation of the state of Israel."
Winter's lawyer, Wilmer Hale partner Reginald Brown, stated, "He did a heroic thing and, at the time, the law didn’t reflect our values. The pardon is a way of the law catching up with the history." His son James responded to the pardon, saying, "This is a present for my father...It was a monumental challenge, but my dad used to always say ‘Keep the faith,’ and we did". Winters' pardon constituted the first posthumous pardon since Henry Ossian Flipper
in 1999.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman who volunteered during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. He was imprisoned for 18 months for helping smuggle three B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in the late 1940s, but pardoned posthumously by President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
on December 23, 2008.
Early life
Winters, the Protestant son of ScotchScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
-Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
parents, was born in Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
in 1913. Polio struck him at an early age, leaving him with a limp. Because of this handicap, the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
rejected him during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and he instead spent the war working for the government as a purchasing agent.
Smuggling
Winters entered the produce export business after the war, buying decommissioned military cargo planes that were being used to transport fruits and vegetables. A friend and flight engineer named Al Schwimmer, known as the father of the Israeli air force, enlisted Winters in his efforts to supply aircraft to Jewish fighters in Israel; with his government experience, Winters managed to smuggle three B-17 bombers to Israel. Taking off from Miami, the two B-17s refueled in Puerto RicoPuerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, as if completing a normal shipping route, but instead flew to Palestine by way of the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
and Czechoslovakia; a third B-17 joined the group in Czechoslovakia. They constituted the newly created Israeli Air Force
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence...
's first heavy bombers. Winters was said to have decided to help supply the Israeli forces as a favor to his Jewish friends, and received no monetary compensation for the work. His efforts gained him the nickname "The Godfather of the Israeli Airforce"
The three bombers smuggled by Winters were the only heavy bombers in the Israeli Air Force during the war, but were reportedly essential in turning the tide of war in Israel's favor. In his diary on July 16, 1948, David Ben-Gurion
David Ben-Gurion
' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...
noted their arrival in Israel, and mentioned that they had already been used for several bombing runs in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. They formed 69 Squadron of the Israeli Air Force, known as the "Hammers".
Winters was subsequently prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney in Miami for violating the Neutrality Act of 1939 in conspiring to smuggle three bombers via Czechoslovakia to Palestine. Winters was found guilty, fined $5000, spent 18 months in prison, and was finally released on November 17, 1949. Schwimmer, though convicted, was not sentenced to prison, and was pardoned by President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
in 2000. Another man in the operation, Herman Greenspun, was also convicted with no prison time, and pardoned in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
.
Later life
At the time of his death, Winters was married to the former Joan Babineau and had two children with her, Lisa and James (Jimi). His sons Charles Todd and Charles Jr. were from previous marriages. He never told his children about his smuggling or prison time, and his son Jimi recounted that the first hint he ever had of something in his father's past was when his father admitted to him that he couldn't buy a gun. In 1961 he received a letter from then Foreign Affairs Minister Golda MeirGolda Meir
Golda Meir ; May 3, 1898 – December 8, 1978) was a teacher, kibbutznik and politician who became the fourth Prime Minister of the State of Israel....
, commending him for his efforts and inviting him to the opening of a new memorial in Israel. Winters lived the rest of his life in Miami, where he founded an export firm. He died there October 30, 1984 and his ashes were buried in a Christian cemetery near Jerusalem's Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
cemetery as well as scattered from Mount Tabor
Mount Tabor
-Places:*Mount Tabor, a hill in Israel near Nazareth believed by many to be the site of the Transfiguration of ChristIn the United States:*Mount Tabor, Indiana, an unincorporated community...
.
Pardon
Winters' son James, along with his close childhood friend Frank Jimenez, began campaigning for his father's pardon after his death, receiving the support of, among others, 21 CongressmenUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, the American Jewish Committee
American Jewish Committee
The American Jewish Committee was "founded in 1906 with the aim of rallying all sections of American Jewry to defend the rights of Jews all over the world...
, and Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
. President Bush officially pardoned Winters on December 23, 2008. Democratic Representative Ron Klein
Ron Klein
Ronald "Ron" Klein is a lawyer and former member of the United States House of Representatives for . He is a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate. He is currently employed by the law firm Holland & Knight.-Early life,...
, who led the congressional group, commented that "President Bush made the right decision today to issue a posthumous pardon to Charles Winters, a Florida resident who played an essential role in the creation of the state of Israel."
Winter's lawyer, Wilmer Hale partner Reginald Brown, stated, "He did a heroic thing and, at the time, the law didn’t reflect our values. The pardon is a way of the law catching up with the history." His son James responded to the pardon, saying, "This is a present for my father...It was a monumental challenge, but my dad used to always say ‘Keep the faith,’ and we did". Winters' pardon constituted the first posthumous pardon since Henry Ossian Flipper
Henry Ossian Flipper
Henry Ossian Flipper was an American soldier and though born into slavery in the American South, was the first African American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1877 at the age of 21 and earn a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army.Following Flipper's...
in 1999.