The Kidnapping of Charlie Lindbergh (Part 1)

On March 1, 1932, someone crept into a second-floor window of the home of Charles and Ann Lindbergh and kidnapped the couple’s twenty-month-old son, Charlie, leaving behind a ransom note demanding $50,000 for the boy’s return.

Mentions in this episode:

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Reference

American Experience. n.d. Ann Morrow Lindbergh. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/lindbergh-anne-morrow/.

Associated Press. 1932. "Moore halts plan for state reward." Central New Jersey Home News, March 2: 1.

—. 1932. "Seek Lindbergh baby in Newark after card is discovered in mails." Central New Jersey Home News, March 2: 1.

—. 1932. "Orders that vigilance be not relaxed until killers meet justice." Courier-News (Bridgewater, NJ), May 13: 1.

—. 1932. "Morrow maid a suicide." Herald-News (Passaic, NJ), June 10: 1.

—. 1934. "Hauptman ready to quit US." The Evening Times (Trenton, NJ), September 21: 1.

Cahill, Richard. 2014. Hauptmann's Ladder: A Step-By-Step Analysis of the Lindbergh Kidnapping. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press.

Hauck, Anthony. 1935. "Hauptman's guilt overwhelmingly proved." New York Times, February 12: 12.

Linder, Douglas. n.d. Ransom notes, responses and other communication. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://famous-trials.com/hauptmann/1398-ransom.

New York Times. 1934. "Friends describe Hauptman as shy." New York Times, September 23: 24.

—. 1934. "Hauptman script 'like' kidnappers." New York Times, October 16: 20.

—. 1932. "Test of religion seen in kidnapping." New York Times, May 16: 2.

2013. Who Killed Lindbergh's Baby? Directed by Larry Klein. Performed by Nova.

Shapiro, Stanley. 2009. "The Celebrity of Charles Lindbergh." Air Power History 21-33.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

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