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I'm throwing open
the books on one

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of the most shocking crimes
of the 20th century.

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We're speaking to you now
from the General Store

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in Hopewell, New Jersey.

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The kidnapping of a child,
only 20 months old.

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Stolen from his crib,
right under the nose

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of his father who happened to be

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the most famous man in
the world, Charles Lindbergh.

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ANCHORMAN:
Charles Lindbergh.

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ANCHORMAN #2:
Charles Lindbergh took off alone

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on a flight to France.

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There goes Lindbergh
and the Spirit of St. Louis!

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ANCHORMAN #3:
This is the scene since the news

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of the kidnapping had created
such intense excitement.

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WILDMAN: In 1932, the kidnapping
of the Lindbergh baby

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transfixed the nation.

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"Dear Sir, have $50,000 ready."

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Hey, look at that!

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The whole world was here.

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The case was closed
more than 80 years ago,

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but what if the official
story got it wrong?

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Now I'm reexamining
old evidence...

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So, this is in question,
though, this board itself?

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This board is
in question.

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-A planted piece of evidence?
-Yes.

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...and digging up new questions.

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Nobody asked
for an explanation.

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That is weird?

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That cast a whole new light
on the crime of the century.

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Lindbergh would come to
influence the course of events

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in ways we're only
now beginning to understand.

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Why would someone steal
the world's most famous child?

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How did they do it?

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And who was really behind
the Lindbergh baby kidnapping?

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I'm Don Wildman.

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I've explored
the world's greatest mysteries,

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examined rare artifacts
and epic monuments.

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That is unbelievable!

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Now I'm digging deeper into
some of the most perplexing

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and famous cases in history.

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My goal --
to get closer to the truth.

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Let's burn this place down.
Let's burn it down.

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On this special episode
of "Mysteries at the Museum,"

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"The Lindbergh Kidnapping."

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Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE
www.osdb.link/lm

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In 1927, the biggest story
in America was

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about a young pilot
from the heartland,

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who risked his life
in an airplane

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to shatter the limits
of what was possible.

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Five years later,
a new headline brought

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the country together,
but this time in tragedy.

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ANCHORMAN #3:
And now we're going to take you

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to Hopewell, New Jersey,

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and the greatest search
in history!

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WILDMAN: A baby was stolen
and carried into the night.

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They called it
the crime of the century.

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The baby's father
and the daring aviator

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were one in the same,

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the greatest celebrity
the world had ever seen,

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Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh.

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In 1927, Charles Lindbergh
was an unknown pilot

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in the Army Air Reserve Corps,

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scratching out
a living flying air mail

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between Illinois and Missouri.

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But Lindbergh
had loftier ambitions.

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With the backing
of two St. Louis businessmen,

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he commissioned
a one-of-a-kind aircraft

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to do something
no one had done before,

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cross the Atlantic Ocean
from New York to Paris,

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non-stop, in an airplane.

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In the years after World War I,

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America was a nation
in need of a hero.

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Prohibition had seen
the rise of organized crime,

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Warren G. Harding's White House
was saturated with scandal,

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but the skies
were still full of wonder.

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It had been less than 25 years

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since the Wright brothers
first flight.

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ANCHORMAN #4: Air travel is rich
and sensational.

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The noise is deafening.

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WILDMAN:
Airplanes were fragile things,

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made of canvas and wood,

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with a range of about 500 miles
or 5½ hours.

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Flying from New York
to Paris would take

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a solid day-and-a-half.

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Others had tried
and lost their lives.

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But Charles Lindbergh had
great confidence in his skills,

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and in the plane he helped
design, the Spirit of St. Louis.

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In less than 48 hours,
Charles Lindbergh would become

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the most famous man on Earth.

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But within five years,
he would be at the center

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of an epic tragedy.

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On that morning, though, he was
still just an unknown pilot,

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all alone in a cramped cockpit.

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We're going down the runway

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to see the
Spirit of St. Louis take off!

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On board were two canteens,
four sandwiches

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and 450 gallons of fuel.

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There goes Lindbergh
and the Spirit of St. Louis!

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He left his parachute behind
to save weight.

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ANCHORMAN #2:
Charles Lindbergh took off alone

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on a flight to France.

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In Paris, huge crowds turned out
to greet the Lone Eagle.

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WILDMAN: 25,000 believers
stood vigil in the dark

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to await the young hero.

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And then, they saw him.

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ANCHORMAN #5: Lindbergh's plane
has touched to Earth

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at 10:24 Paris time.

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In the space of a moment,
Paris had created

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the idol of the age.

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WILDMAN: Lucky Lindy
had proven transatlantic flight

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was possible, and the world
would never be the same.

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Seven months later, Lindbergh
met an ambassador's daughter

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named Anne Morrow,
they married in 1929.

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In June 1930,
their first child was born.

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Charles A. Lindbergh, Junior.

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Photographers stalked the family

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in hopes of stealing
a photo of baby Lindy.

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The Lindbergh's longed
for more privacy.

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In 1931, they broke ground
on a new house

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in the hills outside
Hopewell, New Jersey.

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They called it Highfields,
it was designed to be

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their tranquil retreat
from the world.

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Instead, Highfields
would be the site

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of their worst nightmare.

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March 1, 1932, 10:46 p.m.

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An urgent alert went over
the police wire

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to every law enforcement agency
in New Jersey.

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The Lindbergh baby
had been kidnapped.

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Scholars and conspiracy
theorists have been putting

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this night under
the microscope for 85 years,

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and still, there are
unanswered questions.

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So, I'm turning the clock
back to March 1, 1932

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and heading straight
for Highfields,

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the scene of the crime.

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The first police officers
arrive within minutes.

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Colonel Lindbergh rushed
them upstairs to the nursery.

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The crib where little Charlie
had been sleeping was empty.

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Lindbergh said the
nanny opened the door

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to check on the baby
at 10:00 p.m.

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and found the room
just like this.

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The whole household
had been awake downstairs.

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Let's take a look here.

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Yeah, all right,
so right over there,

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that far window is the nursery.

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And right beneath,
directly beneath the window,

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if you look down here,
what was once a muddy surface,

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they found
a whole set of footprints.

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They also found a pair of neat,

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rectangular indentations,
14 inches apart.

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The question is,
how did they get inside?

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00:08:18,499 --> 00:08:22,368
The officers followed the
footprints away from the house

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and found their answer.

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A crude, handmade ladder.

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They brought it back
to the house and set it

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in the marks beneath
the nursery window.

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A perfect fit.

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It seemed clear, this ladder
was how the kidnapper got in

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and got the baby out.

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I've secured very special access
to the old Lindbergh house

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to step through
that evening in person.

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March 1, 1932 was a Tuesday.

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It was the first time
the Lindbergh's

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had ever spent a Tuesday here.

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Highfields was still
under construction,

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the Lindberghs came
only on weekends.

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But that weekend,
Charlie caught a cold,

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so Anne decided
to stay another night.

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The nanny, Betty Gow,
arrived around 1:00 p.m.

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and spent the afternoon
tending to Charlie.

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Around 6:00 p.m., Betty
and Anne Lindbergh took

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the baby up these stairs
and fed him dinner

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at the little table
up in his nursery.

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Then they dressed him for bed,

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and around 7:30 p.m.
they bid Charlie goodnight,

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turned out the lights
and closed the nursery door.

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Betty wouldn't check
on him until 10:00 p.m.,

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this was Lindbergh's rule,
he didn't want his son coddled.

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At 8:25 p.m., Colonel Lindbergh
arrived home.

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He pulled his car
into the garage

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and entered the house
through the service hall.

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At 8:35, Anne and the Colonel
walked into the dining room

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and sat down to dinner.

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00:10:01,402 --> 00:10:05,136
At 9:00 p.m., Charles and Anne
had finished eating

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and came in here
to sit by the fire,

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00:10:07,875 --> 00:10:11,142
it was a cold and windy night.

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After a few minutes...

187
00:10:12,612 --> 00:10:16,548
Lindbergh said, "What was that?"

188
00:10:16,550 --> 00:10:19,885
He later told police that
he'd heard a cracking noise,

189
00:10:19,887 --> 00:10:23,221
like an orange crate
falling from a chair.

190
00:10:23,223 --> 00:10:26,357
But Anne didn't hear a thing
and neither did the family dog,

191
00:10:26,359 --> 00:10:29,094
a fox terrier named Wagoosh.

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00:10:29,096 --> 00:10:31,496
And Wagoosh barked
at everything,

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00:10:31,498 --> 00:10:34,165
but that night,
he didn't bark at all.

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This was Lindbergh's library.

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At 9:30 p.m., he came in here

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and sat at his desk,
writing, right here.

197
00:10:46,580 --> 00:10:49,381
Directly above
the desk was the nursery.

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00:10:52,052 --> 00:10:56,454
At 10:00 p.m., Betty Gow
went to check on the baby.

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00:10:56,456 --> 00:10:59,057
A heartbeat later,
she raced down the stairs

200
00:10:59,059 --> 00:11:03,128
and burst into
Lindbergh's library.

201
00:11:03,130 --> 00:11:05,530
Little Charlie was gone.

202
00:11:08,869 --> 00:11:11,002
This is the nursery.

203
00:11:11,004 --> 00:11:14,472
The crib was right here,

204
00:11:14,474 --> 00:11:16,408
it was empty.

205
00:11:16,410 --> 00:11:21,346
But the kidnapper did
leave one critical clue.

206
00:11:21,348 --> 00:11:24,482
A small white envelope,
right on the windowsill.

207
00:11:24,484 --> 00:11:26,652
It was a ransom note.

208
00:11:27,955 --> 00:11:30,756
"Dear Sir, have $50,000 ready."

209
00:11:30,758 --> 00:11:32,624
$50,000.

210
00:11:32,626 --> 00:11:33,891
This is 1932,

211
00:11:33,893 --> 00:11:38,229
that's $900,000
in today's money.

212
00:11:38,231 --> 00:11:41,166
"After two to four
days we will inform you

213
00:11:41,168 --> 00:11:42,967
where to deliver the money.

214
00:11:42,969 --> 00:11:46,437
We warn you not to be
making 'anyting' public,"

215
00:11:46,439 --> 00:11:50,241
"anyting" public,
"or for notifying police.

216
00:11:50,243 --> 00:11:55,047
The child is in 'gut' care,"
gut with a T.

217
00:11:55,049 --> 00:12:00,786
"Indication for all letters
are signature and three holes."

218
00:12:00,788 --> 00:12:02,854
So, take a look at
this weird symbol here,

219
00:12:02,856 --> 00:12:06,858
this is three circles
with three punched holes.

220
00:12:06,860 --> 00:12:10,729
This was to ensure the family
that if they received

221
00:12:10,731 --> 00:12:13,131
any future letters
with this symbol,

222
00:12:13,133 --> 00:12:14,999
that it was authentic
communication

223
00:12:15,001 --> 00:12:18,736
from the kidnappers themselves.

224
00:12:18,738 --> 00:12:21,740
12 more ransom letters
would follow.

225
00:12:21,742 --> 00:12:24,676
Lindbergh would even try
to negotiate with the kidnappers

226
00:12:24,678 --> 00:12:29,414
through a top secret go-between,
but that was all still to come.

227
00:12:29,416 --> 00:12:31,883
On that first night,
Colonel Lindbergh cared

228
00:12:31,885 --> 00:12:36,922
about only one thing,
where was his baby?

229
00:12:47,968 --> 00:12:51,569
WILDMAN:
On the night of March 1, 1932,

230
00:12:51,571 --> 00:12:55,106
a toddler was kidnapped
from this very house.

231
00:12:55,108 --> 00:12:58,643
The child's father
was world-famous aviator,

232
00:12:58,645 --> 00:13:01,112
Charles Lindbergh.

233
00:13:01,114 --> 00:13:03,181
We're speaking to you now
from the General Store

234
00:13:03,183 --> 00:13:05,650
in Hopewell, New Jersey.

235
00:13:05,652 --> 00:13:07,385
WILDMAN: Word of the kidnapping
quickly reached

236
00:13:07,387 --> 00:13:09,854
every corner of the country.

237
00:13:09,856 --> 00:13:11,389
ANCHORMAN #6:
Jim and the boys are all day

238
00:13:11,391 --> 00:13:12,591
and all night pounding out
their latest information

239
00:13:12,593 --> 00:13:16,128
to be sent to the
eager-awaiting public.

240
00:13:16,130 --> 00:13:19,397
WILDMAN: The story led the news
for a solid month.

241
00:13:19,399 --> 00:13:23,001
But the barrage of press
made Lindbergh anxious.

242
00:13:23,003 --> 00:13:25,337
The ransom note
had explicitly warned him

243
00:13:25,339 --> 00:13:30,008
not to notify the police,
or make anything public.

244
00:13:30,010 --> 00:13:32,878
Lindbergh asked for
privacy for his family,

245
00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:38,483
but in actuality,
the aviator was up to something.

246
00:13:38,485 --> 00:13:41,820
On the morning of April 2, 1932,

247
00:13:41,822 --> 00:13:44,689
Lindbergh slipped past
the press unnoticed

248
00:13:44,691 --> 00:13:48,026
and headed for
the George Washington Bridge.

249
00:13:48,028 --> 00:13:51,363
He had urgent business
in New York.

250
00:13:51,365 --> 00:13:52,630
I'm heading across the river

251
00:13:52,632 --> 00:13:56,635
at the New York City
Borough of the Bronx.

252
00:13:56,637 --> 00:13:59,637
Lindbergh had found a back
channel to the kidnappers.

253
00:13:59,639 --> 00:14:02,173
For three weeks,
he had been quietly negotiating

254
00:14:02,175 --> 00:14:04,509
with them through
a secret go-between.

255
00:14:04,511 --> 00:14:06,511
The police were kept
on the sidelines

256
00:14:06,513 --> 00:14:09,181
and the press was
totally in the dark.

257
00:14:09,183 --> 00:14:11,116
Lindbergh couldn't
risk letting them in

258
00:14:11,118 --> 00:14:14,953
on what was about to happen.

259
00:14:16,656 --> 00:14:21,392
A box of money in
exchange for his baby.

260
00:14:21,394 --> 00:14:23,795
And it all began right here.

261
00:14:23,797 --> 00:14:25,730
Richard?
How ya doin'?

262
00:14:25,732 --> 00:14:28,666
Hi, Don. How are you?
Nice to see you.

263
00:14:28,668 --> 00:14:32,603
Richard Sloan has spent years
studying the Lindbergh case

264
00:14:32,605 --> 00:14:35,607
and its connection to the Bronx.

265
00:14:35,609 --> 00:14:38,276
-So this is the actual house?
-That's right.

266
00:14:38,278 --> 00:14:42,948
Dr. John F. Condon's
house.

267
00:14:42,950 --> 00:14:46,618
Dr. John F. Condon was a
retired public school principal,

268
00:14:46,620 --> 00:14:48,886
and a pillar of his community.

269
00:14:48,888 --> 00:14:51,756
But more recently,
he had led a double life

270
00:14:51,758 --> 00:14:54,826
as Colonel Lindbergh's
secret go-between.

271
00:14:54,828 --> 00:14:59,297
The two men were total strangers
just three weeks earlier.

272
00:14:59,299 --> 00:15:02,033
In a fit of bravado,
Condon publicly offered

273
00:15:02,035 --> 00:15:04,169
to meet with
the kidnappers in person

274
00:15:04,171 --> 00:15:06,237
on behalf of the Lindberghs.

275
00:15:06,239 --> 00:15:09,574
To his complete shock,
the kidnappers accepted.

276
00:15:12,512 --> 00:15:15,513
And now the time
had come to follow through.

277
00:15:20,921 --> 00:15:24,922
So, April 2, 1932, that night,
set the scene for me.

278
00:15:24,924 --> 00:15:26,191
Who's in the house?

279
00:15:26,193 --> 00:15:30,595
Condon and Lindbergh
are here and the cash,

280
00:15:30,597 --> 00:15:33,665
waiting for a signal
from the kidnapper

281
00:15:33,667 --> 00:15:36,468
to tell him where
to take the money.

282
00:15:36,470 --> 00:15:39,470
Around 8:00 p.m.,
a taxi driver appeared

283
00:15:39,472 --> 00:15:42,474
at Condon's door
with an envelope.

284
00:15:42,476 --> 00:15:44,075
At the bottom of the note was

285
00:15:44,077 --> 00:15:46,411
the kidnappers signature symbol.

286
00:15:46,413 --> 00:15:49,814
"Dear Sir, take a car
and follow Tremont Avenue,"

287
00:15:49,816 --> 00:15:51,282
here in the Bronx,

288
00:15:51,284 --> 00:15:54,819
"to the east until
you reach Bergen Greenhouse."

289
00:15:54,821 --> 00:15:57,889
"Don't speak to," this is like
a movie, oh, my gosh!

290
00:15:57,891 --> 00:15:59,824
"Have the money
in one bundle.

291
00:15:59,826 --> 00:16:02,761
We give you three quarters
of an hour to reach the place."

292
00:16:02,763 --> 00:16:05,163
45 minutes.
-That's not a lot of time.

293
00:16:05,165 --> 00:16:08,366
So, Lindbergh
and Condon take the money.

294
00:16:08,368 --> 00:16:09,834
And get in the car
and go.

295
00:16:09,836 --> 00:16:12,103
Wow, let's go!

296
00:16:14,707 --> 00:16:18,376
Condon and Colonel Lindbergh
drove east through the Bronx.

297
00:16:18,378 --> 00:16:22,847
They were alone, Lindbergh
didn't want the police around.

298
00:16:22,849 --> 00:16:26,651
Nothing could be permitted
to endanger his son's life.

299
00:16:26,653 --> 00:16:28,987
So, from the beginning,
Lindbergh has wanted

300
00:16:28,989 --> 00:16:31,789
the police to stand down,
stay out of the way.

301
00:16:31,791 --> 00:16:33,858
But the police got one
concession out of him, right,

302
00:16:33,860 --> 00:16:35,126
about the ransom money.

303
00:16:35,128 --> 00:16:36,728
That's right,
they were all trackable.

304
00:16:36,730 --> 00:16:37,996
The bills?

305
00:16:37,998 --> 00:16:39,798
That's right,
every serial number

306
00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:41,599
of every bill
was recorded

307
00:16:41,601 --> 00:16:44,402
and most of them
were in gold notes.

308
00:16:44,404 --> 00:16:47,606
The U.S. was about
to go off the gold standard,

309
00:16:47,608 --> 00:16:50,008
which would make
gold notes obsolete.

310
00:16:50,010 --> 00:16:53,010
So that would make anyone
holding a gold note

311
00:16:53,012 --> 00:16:54,612
that much easier
to catch?

312
00:16:54,614 --> 00:16:56,414
-That's right.
-Got it.

313
00:17:00,887 --> 00:17:05,023
St. Raymond's Cemetery
in the East Bronx.

314
00:17:05,025 --> 00:17:09,494
The kidnapper's directions
led Condon and Lindbergh here.

315
00:17:09,496 --> 00:17:12,296
And under a table in front
of the Bergen Greenhouse,

316
00:17:12,298 --> 00:17:15,834
Condon found more instructions.

317
00:17:15,836 --> 00:17:19,104
"Cross the street
and walk to the next corner,

318
00:17:19,106 --> 00:17:23,508
and follow Whittemore
Avenue to the south.

319
00:17:23,510 --> 00:17:27,445
Take the money with you,
come alone and walk.

320
00:17:27,447 --> 00:17:29,114
I will meet you."

321
00:17:29,116 --> 00:17:31,382
Lindbergh waited in the car,

322
00:17:31,384 --> 00:17:36,321
the kidnappers
wanted Condon alone.

323
00:17:36,323 --> 00:17:39,991
So this is
the spot, huh?

324
00:17:39,993 --> 00:17:43,528
At this very spot,
Condon met a white man,

325
00:17:43,530 --> 00:17:46,865
about 5'10", in his early 30s.

326
00:17:46,867 --> 00:17:51,069
He spoke with a German accent.

327
00:17:51,071 --> 00:17:53,871
He said,
"Where's the money?"

328
00:17:53,873 --> 00:17:56,407
and Condon said,
"Where's the baby?"

329
00:17:56,409 --> 00:18:01,813
Condon exchanged the $50,000
for a handwritten note.

330
00:18:01,815 --> 00:18:04,082
It was directions to the child.

331
00:18:06,820 --> 00:18:10,554
Anne and Charles allow
themselves a gasp of hope.

332
00:18:10,556 --> 00:18:15,093
But the directions
were a dead end.

333
00:18:15,095 --> 00:18:20,966
Two months later, their
worst fears became a reality.

334
00:18:20,968 --> 00:18:24,235
A tiny child's body,
badly decomposed,

335
00:18:24,237 --> 00:18:28,506
was found alongside a road,

336
00:18:28,508 --> 00:18:34,713
less than four miles
from the Lindbergh home.

337
00:18:34,715 --> 00:18:37,915
It was little Charlie.

338
00:18:37,917 --> 00:18:40,919
The autopsy found that he
died by a blow to the head,

339
00:18:40,921 --> 00:18:43,922
roughly two months earlier.

340
00:18:43,924 --> 00:18:48,092
Perhaps, on the very
night of the kidnapping.

341
00:18:48,094 --> 00:18:52,197
Lindbergh processed
the loss stoically and silently.

342
00:18:52,199 --> 00:18:56,935
His wife never saw him cry.

343
00:18:56,937 --> 00:19:00,604
But to the police, one thing
was now painfully clear,

344
00:19:00,606 --> 00:19:04,275
the apparent kidnapper had
stood right here in the open

345
00:19:04,277 --> 00:19:07,612
and then vanished
into the shadows.

346
00:19:07,614 --> 00:19:09,814
Could they ever find him again?

347
00:19:09,816 --> 00:19:13,618
Or, had they missed
their one best chance

348
00:19:13,620 --> 00:19:15,487
at catching a killer?

349
00:19:28,235 --> 00:19:31,903
WILDMAN:
The Lindbergh baby was dead.

350
00:19:31,905 --> 00:19:35,106
Detectives questioned
everyone, from Dr. Condon

351
00:19:35,108 --> 00:19:39,043
to the baby's nanny,
but the leads went nowhere.

352
00:19:39,045 --> 00:19:44,983
Two whole years passed without
a single, viable suspect.

353
00:19:44,985 --> 00:19:52,323
And then, on September 17, 1934,
the police got their big break.

354
00:19:52,325 --> 00:19:57,862
A $10 gold note, used to
purchase 98 cents worth of gas.

355
00:19:57,864 --> 00:20:01,032
It was a Lindbergh ransom bill.

356
00:20:01,034 --> 00:20:02,667
The alert attendant
scribbled down

357
00:20:02,669 --> 00:20:06,337
the man's license plate number.

358
00:20:06,339 --> 00:20:09,007
In that instant,
the driver of that car

359
00:20:09,009 --> 00:20:12,944
became forever entwined
with the Lindbergh kidnapping.

360
00:20:12,946 --> 00:20:16,414
His name was
Bruno Richard Hauptmann.

361
00:20:20,486 --> 00:20:25,289
Richard Hauptmann
was born in Germany in 1899.

362
00:20:25,291 --> 00:20:27,558
He was a machine gunner
in the Kaiser's Army

363
00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:30,094
during World War I.

364
00:20:30,096 --> 00:20:33,965
Then, later served three years
in prison for armed robbery.

365
00:20:33,967 --> 00:20:38,102
Hauptmann snuck into
the U.S. illegally in 1923.

366
00:20:38,104 --> 00:20:40,571
He made his living
as a carpenter.

367
00:20:40,573 --> 00:20:45,643
The pieces were lining up,
carpenter and ladder,

368
00:20:45,645 --> 00:20:48,846
German speaker
and German phrasing.

369
00:20:48,848 --> 00:20:53,851
He even resembled the
man at the ransom drop.

370
00:20:53,853 --> 00:20:56,320
Look at this, check it out.

371
00:20:56,322 --> 00:20:58,722
This is the house that
Richard Hauptmann lived in,

372
00:20:58,724 --> 00:21:00,325
in 1934.

373
00:21:00,327 --> 00:21:02,593
The police brought him here
for questioning,

374
00:21:02,595 --> 00:21:05,596
they wanted to know if he had
any more gold certificates?

375
00:21:05,598 --> 00:21:09,133
He said, "No," that
turned out to be a lie.

376
00:21:09,135 --> 00:21:12,003
The police eventually
found cash hidden

377
00:21:12,005 --> 00:21:14,805
in the framework of his garage,

378
00:21:14,807 --> 00:21:17,875
totaling $14,600.

379
00:21:17,877 --> 00:21:21,613
And every bill,
Lindbergh ransom money.

380
00:21:26,286 --> 00:21:28,352
Rob, get to the air
right away, here's a flash.

381
00:21:28,354 --> 00:21:29,553
Yes, sir.

382
00:21:29,555 --> 00:21:30,821
WILDMAN:
Word of Hauptmann's arrest

383
00:21:30,823 --> 00:21:33,624
quickly reached the Lindbergh's.

384
00:21:33,626 --> 00:21:35,293
Charles and Anne
had spent the years

385
00:21:35,295 --> 00:21:38,763
since the kidnapping
in seclusion.

386
00:21:38,765 --> 00:21:44,368
Now, the greatest public
spectacle of all was just ahead.

387
00:21:44,370 --> 00:21:47,505
It would be called
the trial of the century.

388
00:21:47,507 --> 00:21:49,039
ANCHORMAN #7:
Such dramatic possibilities

389
00:21:49,041 --> 00:21:53,244
had not escaped the press,
every top reporter was here.

390
00:21:57,250 --> 00:21:59,183
-Harry, how you doing?
-Good.

391
00:21:59,185 --> 00:22:01,319
WILDMAN: Harry Kazman's
has read the entire

392
00:22:01,321 --> 00:22:04,455
32 volume court transcript

393
00:22:04,457 --> 00:22:07,125
and staged an annual
re-enactment of the trial.

394
00:22:07,127 --> 00:22:08,926
Hey, look at that!

395
00:22:08,928 --> 00:22:10,928
Now, that's cool!

396
00:22:10,930 --> 00:22:13,531
So this is as it was in
the day, back in 1935?

397
00:22:13,533 --> 00:22:19,737
1935, January 2nd,
and the whole world was here.

398
00:22:19,739 --> 00:22:22,941
For the newspapers,
it was irresistible.

399
00:22:22,943 --> 00:22:27,211
Lucky Lindy, America's hero,
versus Bruno Richard Hauptmann,

400
00:22:27,213 --> 00:22:28,680
the German machine gunner.

401
00:22:28,682 --> 00:22:30,214
ANCHORMAN #7:
The trial was beginning,

402
00:22:30,216 --> 00:22:32,750
the charge,
murder in the first degree.

403
00:22:32,752 --> 00:22:37,221
WILDMAN: Hauptmann insisted
he was innocent

404
00:22:37,223 --> 00:22:40,892
but he was already the
most hated man in America.

405
00:22:40,894 --> 00:22:43,360
This is the defense?
Yes.

406
00:22:43,362 --> 00:22:47,631
Hauptmann was sitting there,
prosecution over here.

407
00:22:47,633 --> 00:22:49,100
So where's Lindbergh?

408
00:22:49,102 --> 00:22:53,304
Lindbergh is right about
where you're standing.

409
00:22:53,306 --> 00:22:56,707
Tourists climbed in
windows for a peek of him.

410
00:22:56,709 --> 00:22:59,577
Vendors hocked
souvenirs outside.

411
00:22:59,579 --> 00:23:02,579
But Lindbergh took
the trial seriously.

412
00:23:02,581 --> 00:23:05,116
The prosecution sat
him front and center

413
00:23:05,118 --> 00:23:06,784
so he could follow it all.

414
00:23:06,786 --> 00:23:11,722
And, so the jury could feast
their eyes on the tragic hero.

415
00:23:11,724 --> 00:23:13,657
ANCHORMAN #8:
Now, Charles Lindbergh
would be sitting

416
00:23:13,659 --> 00:23:15,693
10 feet away
from the man accused

417
00:23:15,695 --> 00:23:18,863
of murdering their first child.

418
00:23:18,865 --> 00:23:21,131
WILDMAN: The State argued
that Richard Hauptmann was

419
00:23:21,133 --> 00:23:23,468
a lone wolf.

420
00:23:23,470 --> 00:23:25,403
He climbed the ladder
and committed

421
00:23:25,405 --> 00:23:28,605
the murder all by himself.

422
00:23:28,607 --> 00:23:33,811
Then collected the ransom
and stashed it in his garage.

423
00:23:33,813 --> 00:23:37,015
He quit his job the day
he collected the $50,000!

424
00:23:37,017 --> 00:23:39,617
The very day!

425
00:23:39,619 --> 00:23:42,220
The defense argued
that no forensic evidence

426
00:23:42,222 --> 00:23:47,225
linked Hauptmann to the actual
scene of the kidnapping.

427
00:23:47,227 --> 00:23:50,695
But the prosecutor
had an ace up his sleeve.

428
00:23:50,697 --> 00:23:53,031
In Hauptmann's attic,
the police had found

429
00:23:53,033 --> 00:23:55,633
a floorboard cut in half.

430
00:23:55,635 --> 00:23:58,903
A forensic wood expert
studied the floorboard

431
00:23:58,905 --> 00:24:01,773
and the ladder
found at Highfields.

432
00:24:01,775 --> 00:24:03,908
His testimony is that

433
00:24:03,910 --> 00:24:07,178
this ladder
was made from the wood

434
00:24:07,180 --> 00:24:08,912
that was found in the attic.

435
00:24:08,914 --> 00:24:10,848
This is the key piece
of evidence, isn't it?

436
00:24:10,850 --> 00:24:14,252
This is what makes sure
that the jury knows

437
00:24:14,254 --> 00:24:17,154
that this guy sitting
here was actually

438
00:24:17,156 --> 00:24:20,191
the man who made that ladder?
-Right.

439
00:24:20,193 --> 00:24:22,193
The State claimed
Richard Hauptmann built

440
00:24:22,195 --> 00:24:28,099
the kidnap ladder, the ladder
linked him to the murder.

441
00:24:28,101 --> 00:24:30,868
The trial lasted 32 days.

442
00:24:30,870 --> 00:24:33,471
The jury took 11 hours
to reach their verdict.

443
00:24:36,209 --> 00:24:39,410
Bruno Richard Hauptmann
had been sentenced to die,

444
00:24:39,412 --> 00:24:42,413
and it seemed as if
the whole world was glad.

445
00:24:42,415 --> 00:24:45,349
Charles Lindbergh told
a writer after the verdict

446
00:24:45,351 --> 00:24:48,953
there was no doubt at all
that Hauptmann did the thing.

447
00:24:48,955 --> 00:24:53,624
But even on death row,
Hauptmann swore he was innocent.

448
00:24:53,626 --> 00:24:56,294
Were these the ravings
of a condemned killer?

449
00:24:56,296 --> 00:24:59,030
Or, was the trial
of the century so enthralled

450
00:24:59,032 --> 00:25:03,267
with its heroic aviator
that they got it all wrong?

451
00:25:13,779 --> 00:25:18,316
WILDMAN: January 1936, the trial
of the century had been

452
00:25:18,318 --> 00:25:24,255
over for a year, but once again,
Charles Lindbergh led the news.

453
00:25:24,257 --> 00:25:26,524
Charles, Anne,
and their new son, John,

454
00:25:26,526 --> 00:25:30,261
had fled to Europe
to escape the press.

455
00:25:30,263 --> 00:25:33,330
America had smothered
the Lindberghs with adulation

456
00:25:33,332 --> 00:25:36,466
and ultimately drove them away.

457
00:25:36,468 --> 00:25:39,136
Meanwhile, Richard Hauptmann,
the convicted kidnapper

458
00:25:39,138 --> 00:25:45,276
and killer, sat on death row
insisting he was innocent.

459
00:25:45,278 --> 00:25:50,014
But the German carpenter
had gained a powerful new ally.

460
00:25:50,016 --> 00:25:51,749
So, his office would
have been right up,

461
00:25:51,751 --> 00:25:55,085
that's the State House there?
-Yes.

462
00:25:55,087 --> 00:25:59,624
New Jersey Governor,
Harold Hoffman.

463
00:25:59,626 --> 00:26:01,425
Hoffman had grave concerns

464
00:26:01,427 --> 00:26:04,094
about his own prosecutor's
central theory.

465
00:26:04,096 --> 00:26:06,964
Bruno Richard Hauptmann
came to the state of New Jersey

466
00:26:06,966 --> 00:26:10,100
on the night of March 1, 1932.

467
00:26:10,102 --> 00:26:13,838
WILDMAN: That Richard Hauptmann
was a lone wolf.

468
00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:17,308
One day before Richard
Hauptmann was scheduled to die,

469
00:26:17,310 --> 00:26:19,643
Governor Hoffman
signed a reprieve,

470
00:26:19,645 --> 00:26:22,746
delaying the execution
for 30 days,

471
00:26:22,748 --> 00:26:25,916
and then reopened
the investigation.

472
00:26:25,918 --> 00:26:29,520
Patrick Bamburak is Governor
Hoffman's great-grandnephew

473
00:26:29,522 --> 00:26:32,256
and author of his
forthcoming biography.

474
00:26:32,258 --> 00:26:34,725
So why was
the Governor so personally

475
00:26:34,727 --> 00:26:36,193
invested in this case?

476
00:26:36,195 --> 00:26:39,664
There was evidence that was
being presented in trial

477
00:26:39,666 --> 00:26:43,000
which, to today's standards,
would raise reasonable doubt

478
00:26:43,002 --> 00:26:44,868
as to whether or not
Bruno Hauptmann committed

479
00:26:44,870 --> 00:26:46,871
that crime by himself.

480
00:26:46,873 --> 00:26:49,206
The State linked
Hauptmann to Highfields

481
00:26:49,208 --> 00:26:51,475
with a piece of wood.

482
00:26:51,477 --> 00:26:54,078
They claimed he cut
part of a floor plank

483
00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:57,214
out of his own attic,
pulled out its nails

484
00:26:57,216 --> 00:26:59,550
and fashioned it into
an upright section

485
00:26:59,552 --> 00:27:03,220
of the kidnap ladder,
known as Rail 16.

486
00:27:05,625 --> 00:27:07,691
Patrick has copies
of the original

487
00:27:07,693 --> 00:27:09,960
police photos
of Hauptmann's attic.

488
00:27:09,962 --> 00:27:12,363
Let me ask you
a very basic question here.

489
00:27:12,365 --> 00:27:14,898
The importance
of this board is that

490
00:27:14,900 --> 00:27:17,367
there is physical evidence
that ties Hauptmann

491
00:27:17,369 --> 00:27:18,836
to the scene
of the crime, yes?

492
00:27:18,838 --> 00:27:21,505
Yes, and this is the only
piece of physical evidence

493
00:27:21,507 --> 00:27:23,507
that would tie Bruno Hauptmann
to the scene.

494
00:27:23,509 --> 00:27:25,576
Okay,
so this is in question,

495
00:27:25,578 --> 00:27:27,244
though,
this board itself?

496
00:27:27,246 --> 00:27:30,047
This board is
in question.

497
00:27:30,049 --> 00:27:31,315
Oh, yeah,
here we go.

498
00:27:31,317 --> 00:27:33,384
So this is a close up
on the rail itself.

499
00:27:33,386 --> 00:27:35,586
So this is a shot
of Rail 16,

500
00:27:35,588 --> 00:27:37,921
taken from the ladder,
the ladder was taken apart

501
00:27:37,923 --> 00:27:40,257
and placed back across
the floor beams.

502
00:27:40,259 --> 00:27:41,659
The state showed the jury

503
00:27:41,661 --> 00:27:43,928
how nail holes in
the ladder rail

504
00:27:43,930 --> 00:27:46,063
matched up perfectly
with nail holes

505
00:27:46,065 --> 00:27:48,065
in the attic floor beams.

506
00:27:48,067 --> 00:27:50,200
What makes
this suspicious?

507
00:27:50,202 --> 00:27:52,069
This photograph.

508
00:27:52,071 --> 00:27:53,938
Oh there you go,
that's the rail, right?

509
00:27:53,940 --> 00:27:57,608
Yes, that is the actual rail 16
from the kidnapping ladder.

510
00:27:57,610 --> 00:28:00,945
This photo of a ladder
taken at Highfields

511
00:28:00,947 --> 00:28:05,148
the morning after the kidnapping
clearly shows rail 16.

512
00:28:05,150 --> 00:28:08,686
According to the state,
this section of the ladder

513
00:28:08,688 --> 00:28:10,888
was once one a floor
plank nailed down

514
00:28:10,890 --> 00:28:13,957
in Richard Hauptmann's attic.

515
00:28:13,959 --> 00:28:16,827
So where are the nail holes?

516
00:28:16,829 --> 00:28:20,630
Governor Hoffman drew
the only logical conclusion.

517
00:28:20,632 --> 00:28:21,832
A planted
piece of evidence?

518
00:28:21,834 --> 00:28:23,433
Yes.

519
00:28:23,435 --> 00:28:25,236
If there was
no connection between

520
00:28:25,238 --> 00:28:27,304
Hauptmann's attic
and the ladder,

521
00:28:27,306 --> 00:28:29,307
then there was
no physical link between

522
00:28:29,309 --> 00:28:31,976
Richard Hauptmann
and the kidnapping.

523
00:28:31,978 --> 00:28:33,578
This is a little scary.

524
00:28:33,580 --> 00:28:35,913
I mean,
why was it so important

525
00:28:35,915 --> 00:28:37,982
for the state of New Jersey
to nail this guy?

526
00:28:37,984 --> 00:28:40,650
Well, the eyes of the world
were on this case,

527
00:28:40,652 --> 00:28:42,520
Charles Lindbergh
was the biggest celebrity

528
00:28:42,522 --> 00:28:44,254
that the world
had ever seen.

529
00:28:44,256 --> 00:28:46,857
And there was a lot
of pressure from the public

530
00:28:46,859 --> 00:28:50,393
to see justice served and
to see this chapter closed.

531
00:28:53,465 --> 00:28:55,132
In the end,
the governor's findings

532
00:28:55,134 --> 00:28:56,734
were too little, too late.

533
00:28:56,736 --> 00:28:59,336
Richard Hauptmann
lost his appeal,

534
00:28:59,338 --> 00:29:02,806
and his reprieve ran out.

535
00:29:02,808 --> 00:29:06,277
On April 3, 1936,
the German carpenter died

536
00:29:06,279 --> 00:29:08,011
in the electric chair

537
00:29:08,013 --> 00:29:11,349
and the case
was officially closed.

538
00:29:11,351 --> 00:29:14,218
But what if Governor Hoffman
was on the right track?

539
00:29:14,220 --> 00:29:18,556
What if the lone wolf theory
was fundamentally flawed?

540
00:29:18,558 --> 00:29:21,158
There's only one
way to find out.

541
00:29:32,987 --> 00:29:35,989
WILDMAN: In 1935,
Richard Hauptmann was convicted

542
00:29:35,991 --> 00:29:40,994
as the lone wolf kidnapper and
killer of the Lindbergh baby.

543
00:29:40,996 --> 00:29:47,734
The official story ended when
he went to the electric chair.

544
00:29:47,736 --> 00:29:51,537
But questions
still remain about this case.

545
00:29:51,539 --> 00:29:53,606
And they've led me right back
to the scene of the crime.

546
00:30:00,148 --> 00:30:01,881
If you bore all the way down

547
00:30:01,883 --> 00:30:03,616
to the center
of the state's case,

548
00:30:03,618 --> 00:30:07,019
you find out the whole thing
rests on that rickety ladder.

549
00:30:07,021 --> 00:30:10,090
Hauptmann had to use it
to get in the nursery window,

550
00:30:10,092 --> 00:30:14,594
and then back out and down
with the baby all by himself.

551
00:30:16,498 --> 00:30:21,835
But I want to know
if that was even possible.

552
00:30:21,837 --> 00:30:25,905
So I've commissioned a replica
of the kidnapper's ladder

553
00:30:25,907 --> 00:30:29,442
built to the exact
dimensions of the real thing.

554
00:30:29,444 --> 00:30:31,711
And thanks to
the pair of indentations

555
00:30:31,713 --> 00:30:36,783
and careful police notes,
I know precisely where it goes.

556
00:30:40,455 --> 00:30:42,455
All this has to happen,
remember at night.

557
00:30:42,457 --> 00:30:46,259
You know, this guy is
being very, very quiet

558
00:30:46,261 --> 00:30:49,328
on a very awkward ladder.

559
00:30:49,330 --> 00:30:53,066
As soon as you get up here
it feels very high.

560
00:30:53,068 --> 00:30:55,001
This thing is not easy to climb.

561
00:30:55,003 --> 00:30:57,937
The rungs are 18 inches apart,

562
00:30:57,939 --> 00:31:02,675
which is six inches more
than on a standard ladder.

563
00:31:02,677 --> 00:31:07,147
Now he's almost in,
but you got to get higher

564
00:31:07,149 --> 00:31:13,553
in order to open this window
from the outside, yikes.

565
00:31:13,555 --> 00:31:16,155
Very quiet, staying quiet.

566
00:31:17,826 --> 00:31:20,026
Even that is loud.

567
00:31:20,028 --> 00:31:22,028
Oh, gosh.

568
00:31:25,099 --> 00:31:27,633
And now because of the
placement of the ladder,

569
00:31:27,635 --> 00:31:29,836
I basically have to
do an acrobatics.

570
00:31:29,838 --> 00:31:32,505
Oh, gosh.

571
00:31:43,252 --> 00:31:47,721
My, God, terrifying to try
and make it through there.

572
00:31:47,723 --> 00:31:51,124
Now I got to kidnap a child.

573
00:31:51,126 --> 00:31:52,459
At the time of the kidnapping,

574
00:31:52,461 --> 00:31:56,596
Charles Lindbergh Jr.
was a 30-pound toddler.

575
00:31:56,598 --> 00:31:58,597
The most popular theory
is that he was carried

576
00:31:58,599 --> 00:32:01,534
out of the window in a sack.

577
00:32:01,536 --> 00:32:03,737
But standing
in front of the window

578
00:32:03,739 --> 00:32:07,807
was a large chest,
with a suitcase on top.

579
00:32:07,809 --> 00:32:10,143
Somehow, the kidnapper
got out of here

580
00:32:10,145 --> 00:32:13,280
without disturbing that.

581
00:32:13,282 --> 00:32:16,749
This is by far the most
crazy part of the situation.

582
00:32:21,223 --> 00:32:24,090
Remember, this is
between 7:30 and 10:00.

583
00:32:24,092 --> 00:32:26,159
The whole household is awake.

584
00:32:26,161 --> 00:32:28,561
And so, I've been
completely quiet.

585
00:32:28,563 --> 00:32:34,366
Oh, before I leave,
I'm gonna leave a note

586
00:32:34,368 --> 00:32:37,970
about what just happened here.

587
00:32:37,972 --> 00:32:40,106
Where is that ladder?

588
00:32:40,108 --> 00:32:42,375
Okay.

589
00:32:42,377 --> 00:32:43,376
All right, here we go.

590
00:32:57,459 --> 00:33:02,328
Okay, well, it's possible.

591
00:33:02,330 --> 00:33:05,598
I've just established
that the doing this

592
00:33:05,600 --> 00:33:08,267
is at least physically possible.

593
00:33:08,269 --> 00:33:11,471
The question is
whether it's feasible.

594
00:33:11,473 --> 00:33:14,406
I hoped climbing that ladder
would give me answers.

595
00:33:14,408 --> 00:33:17,744
But strangely, it's only
left me with more questions.

596
00:33:17,746 --> 00:33:20,880
Why choose
such a precarious plan?

597
00:33:20,882 --> 00:33:24,350
Was Richard Hauptmann
a daring criminal mastermind?

598
00:33:24,352 --> 00:33:30,023
Or, is there some other
explanation out there?

599
00:33:41,539 --> 00:33:43,338
WILDMAN:
I'm trying to untangle the truth

600
00:33:43,340 --> 00:33:46,542
behind the Lindbergh kidnapping.

601
00:33:46,544 --> 00:33:51,413
And my journey has brought me
back to Flemington, New Jersey.

602
00:33:51,415 --> 00:33:53,749
-Okay, right upstairs.
-All right.

603
00:33:53,751 --> 00:33:55,351
I'm invited to a special meeting

604
00:33:55,353 --> 00:33:58,353
that I hope can answer
some of my questions.

605
00:33:58,355 --> 00:33:59,421
Hey guys, how you doing?

606
00:33:59,423 --> 00:34:00,756
-Good morning.
-Hi.

607
00:34:00,758 --> 00:34:03,759
A gathering of experts
who have spent years digging

608
00:34:03,761 --> 00:34:05,828
through the Lindbergh archives.

609
00:34:05,830 --> 00:34:07,629
-Hi.
-This is Dolores.

610
00:34:07,631 --> 00:34:08,764
Hello, Dolores.

611
00:34:08,766 --> 00:34:11,834
And my host is
the archivist, Mark Falzini.

612
00:34:11,836 --> 00:34:13,635
Mark knows
the Lindbergh case file

613
00:34:13,637 --> 00:34:15,237
better than anyone else alive.

614
00:34:15,239 --> 00:34:16,572
Oh, very nice
to meet you Lloyd.

615
00:34:16,574 --> 00:34:18,773
These are the some
of the top scholars

616
00:34:18,775 --> 00:34:19,908
of the Lindbergh case.

617
00:34:19,910 --> 00:34:21,276
-Fantastic.
-They do actual

618
00:34:21,278 --> 00:34:23,378
hands-on research at the State
Police Consumer Archives.

619
00:34:23,380 --> 00:34:25,113
-May I?
-Please.

620
00:34:25,115 --> 00:34:27,383
Fantastic.

621
00:34:27,385 --> 00:34:29,851
Boy, well, you guys are
exactly who I need to talk to,

622
00:34:29,853 --> 00:34:34,123
'cause I am full of questions.

623
00:34:34,125 --> 00:34:38,126
All right, so, the state's
whole case rests on the fact

624
00:34:38,128 --> 00:34:40,996
that Bruno Richard Hauptmann
worked alone.

625
00:34:40,998 --> 00:34:42,398
That he was a lone wolf.

626
00:34:42,400 --> 00:34:43,932
Right.

627
00:34:43,934 --> 00:34:45,734
So I have a big problem with
the lone wolf theory, myself,

628
00:34:45,736 --> 00:34:48,137
because I just tried
something crazy.

629
00:34:48,139 --> 00:34:49,972
But with a replica ladder,

630
00:34:49,974 --> 00:34:52,541
I climbed up
into that window, okay?

631
00:34:52,543 --> 00:34:57,346
It's very difficult to pull
this off in broad daylight.

632
00:34:57,348 --> 00:35:01,683
Imagine the circumstances
the night of the kidnapping.

633
00:35:01,685 --> 00:35:04,086
It's a Tuesday night.

634
00:35:04,088 --> 00:35:06,521
Between 7:30 and 10:00
this happens, yeah?

635
00:35:06,523 --> 00:35:09,958
A very unlikely time
to kidnap a child.

636
00:35:09,960 --> 00:35:12,361
Absolutely, you've got
the household staff,

637
00:35:12,363 --> 00:35:15,497
there all up, they're
working, preparing dinner.

638
00:35:15,499 --> 00:35:18,967
Right, you'd kidnap
a child at 3:00 in the morning.

639
00:35:18,969 --> 00:35:21,770
And the Lindbergh's had
a dog, right, Wagoosh?

640
00:35:21,772 --> 00:35:23,172
I mean,
this was a barky dog.

641
00:35:23,174 --> 00:35:24,973
Wagoosh did not bark
at all that night.

642
00:35:24,975 --> 00:35:27,175
Why?

643
00:35:27,177 --> 00:35:29,778
MELSKY: Everyone testified
that the dog would bark

644
00:35:29,780 --> 00:35:31,780
when he heard a noise
except for Lindbergh.

645
00:35:31,782 --> 00:35:33,315
Okay.

646
00:35:33,317 --> 00:35:34,582
Lindbergh said he wouldn't
expect the dog to bark,

647
00:35:34,584 --> 00:35:37,919
his testimony was
a complete opposite

648
00:35:37,921 --> 00:35:40,789
compared
to everyone else's.

649
00:35:40,791 --> 00:35:43,391
And then there's
the Tuesday night problem.

650
00:35:43,393 --> 00:35:45,727
March 1st was the first time
the Lindbergh's

651
00:35:45,729 --> 00:35:49,064
had ever spent
a Tuesday night at Highfields.

652
00:35:49,066 --> 00:35:50,932
Somebody wouldn't
expect him to be there

653
00:35:50,934 --> 00:35:53,802
had they been
casing the house.

654
00:35:53,804 --> 00:35:56,004
It was only
at 10:30 that morning

655
00:35:56,006 --> 00:35:58,873
that Anne Lindbergh decided
to stay another night.

656
00:35:58,875 --> 00:36:02,210
How could Richard Hauptmann
have known?

657
00:36:02,212 --> 00:36:04,479
So here's a big question I have.

658
00:36:04,481 --> 00:36:07,783
The motive behind
this crime, okay?

659
00:36:07,785 --> 00:36:10,618
$50,000 is in the ransom notes,
so there's cash,

660
00:36:10,620 --> 00:36:12,487
but put that aside.

661
00:36:12,489 --> 00:36:16,958
Why else would anyone want
to kidnap the Lindbergh baby?

662
00:36:16,960 --> 00:36:20,162
-Or make him go away?
-Or make him go away?

663
00:36:20,164 --> 00:36:22,097
Sounds like
you have a theory.

664
00:36:22,099 --> 00:36:24,566
Well, for that, I think
you need to talk to Lloyd.

665
00:36:24,568 --> 00:36:25,968
Lloyd, talk to me.

666
00:36:25,970 --> 00:36:29,037
Lloyd Gardner wrote
an exhaustively researched book

667
00:36:29,039 --> 00:36:33,442
on the case and has developed
an explosive new theory

668
00:36:33,444 --> 00:36:39,715
about who is actually behind
the crime of the century.

669
00:36:39,717 --> 00:36:41,450
After years
of working on this book,

670
00:36:41,452 --> 00:36:44,619
I gradually became convinced
that there were two factors.

671
00:36:44,621 --> 00:36:47,589
Now here one is
the child's health,

672
00:36:47,591 --> 00:36:49,458
the state
of the child's health.

673
00:36:49,460 --> 00:36:52,194
And the other is
Lindbergh's personality.

674
00:36:52,196 --> 00:36:53,996
Whoa.
So hold on.

675
00:36:53,998 --> 00:36:56,532
So what was the state
of the child's health?

676
00:36:56,534 --> 00:37:00,135
The child had a number
of strange defects.

677
00:37:00,137 --> 00:37:03,405
The physicians who
examined Charlie weeks

678
00:37:03,407 --> 00:37:05,541
before
the kidnapping noticed

679
00:37:05,543 --> 00:37:07,876
that he had kind
of a square head.

680
00:37:07,878 --> 00:37:09,411
He could not
stand up straight.

681
00:37:09,413 --> 00:37:11,079
So you're saying the
baby was suffering

682
00:37:11,081 --> 00:37:13,549
from a physical condition,
what was that?

683
00:37:13,551 --> 00:37:17,152
-It was rickets.
-Rickets.

684
00:37:17,154 --> 00:37:20,889
Rickets is a disease that causes
weak bones in children.

685
00:37:20,891 --> 00:37:23,625
It was widespread
in the early 20th century.

686
00:37:23,627 --> 00:37:27,829
And often treated
with a drug called viosterol.

687
00:37:27,831 --> 00:37:31,700
It's impossible to know for sure
if Charlie did have rickets.

688
00:37:31,702 --> 00:37:36,505
But Lloyd says there are clues
if you know where to look.

689
00:37:36,507 --> 00:37:38,841
During the kidnapping,
Anne Lindbergh published

690
00:37:38,843 --> 00:37:41,443
little Charlie's diet,
in the hopes that he would

691
00:37:41,445 --> 00:37:43,311
be well cared for.

692
00:37:43,313 --> 00:37:48,517
Charlie needed 14 drops
of viosterol every day.

693
00:37:48,519 --> 00:37:50,786
A mega dose.

694
00:37:50,788 --> 00:37:52,788
Lindbergh believed to know

695
00:37:52,790 --> 00:37:55,924
only the fittest
should propagate,

696
00:37:55,926 --> 00:38:00,863
and the idea that he could
have an imperfect child,

697
00:38:00,865 --> 00:38:04,465
was a terrible
burden on him.

698
00:38:04,467 --> 00:38:09,337
In 1930, Charles Lindbergh
met Dr. Alexis Carrel.

699
00:38:09,339 --> 00:38:12,274
Carrel studied eugenics,
the theory

700
00:38:12,276 --> 00:38:15,010
that humans should
create a better race

701
00:38:15,012 --> 00:38:17,079
through selective breeding.

702
00:38:17,081 --> 00:38:19,013
Lindbergh was hooked.

703
00:38:19,015 --> 00:38:22,617
He became a lifelong student
of eugenics.

704
00:38:22,619 --> 00:38:24,486
And even met top Nazi's

705
00:38:24,488 --> 00:38:28,890
while he and Anne were living
in Europe in the 1930s.

706
00:38:28,892 --> 00:38:31,359
According to Lloyd,
Lindbergh also considered

707
00:38:31,361 --> 00:38:34,629
himself a superior
specimen and wanted

708
00:38:34,631 --> 00:38:36,698
to spread his good genes.

709
00:38:36,700 --> 00:38:40,035
He and Anne had five
children after Charlie.

710
00:38:40,037 --> 00:38:42,237
But Lindbergh
fathered seven more,

711
00:38:42,239 --> 00:38:45,707
by three different
women in Germany.

712
00:38:45,709 --> 00:38:48,243
He visited them twice a year,

713
00:38:48,245 --> 00:38:49,711
and no one knew about it,

714
00:38:49,713 --> 00:38:52,180
until years after his death.

715
00:38:52,182 --> 00:38:54,916
Charles Lindbergh was
certainly a man capable

716
00:38:54,918 --> 00:38:57,853
of secrets and deceit.

717
00:38:57,855 --> 00:38:59,455
This is
blowing my mind.

718
00:38:59,457 --> 00:39:00,923
And so Lloyd,
what are you saying here?

719
00:39:00,925 --> 00:39:03,591
That the whole crime,
the whole kidnapping

720
00:39:03,593 --> 00:39:05,860
would have been created
by Charles Lindbergh?

721
00:39:05,862 --> 00:39:08,396
Yes.

722
00:39:08,398 --> 00:39:10,065
For what purpose?

723
00:39:10,067 --> 00:39:13,001
Simply to get the child
out of public view I think.

724
00:39:13,003 --> 00:39:15,937
Okay, to institutionalize
the child?

725
00:39:15,939 --> 00:39:17,338
Possibly.

726
00:39:17,340 --> 00:39:20,342
Lloyd believes Lindbergh
planned the kidnapping

727
00:39:20,344 --> 00:39:24,079
as a public cover to exit
the boy from their lives

728
00:39:24,081 --> 00:39:26,214
and put him in
a medical institution

729
00:39:26,216 --> 00:39:28,983
where the press
could never find him.

730
00:39:28,985 --> 00:39:32,754
This indicates
a conspiracy with the father

731
00:39:32,756 --> 00:39:34,689
of the baby
at the very center of it.

732
00:39:34,691 --> 00:39:37,025
Where was Lindbergh
that day?

733
00:39:37,027 --> 00:39:39,427
We don't know.

734
00:39:39,429 --> 00:39:41,897
Lindbergh was actually
never directly asked.

735
00:39:41,899 --> 00:39:44,299
He said that he was
in New York working,

736
00:39:44,301 --> 00:39:47,703
and that he thought he might
had a dental appointment,

737
00:39:47,705 --> 00:39:49,237
but he couldn't remember.

738
00:39:49,239 --> 00:39:50,972
Nobody asked
for an explanation.

739
00:39:50,974 --> 00:39:53,508
That is weird.

740
00:39:53,510 --> 00:39:55,643
So the timeline
on Lindbergh, March 1st

741
00:39:55,645 --> 00:39:58,713
is that he was away
from the house all day.

742
00:39:58,715 --> 00:40:00,181
Yes.

743
00:40:00,183 --> 00:40:01,783
And had not come back
until the night time, right?

744
00:40:01,785 --> 00:40:02,917
Right.

745
00:40:02,919 --> 00:40:04,853
When Lindbergh comes home,

746
00:40:04,855 --> 00:40:07,322
everything in the household
orbits around him.

747
00:40:07,324 --> 00:40:08,523
Sure.

748
00:40:08,525 --> 00:40:10,392
So he comes in
through the garage,

749
00:40:10,394 --> 00:40:11,993
and all the servants
are with him,

750
00:40:11,995 --> 00:40:16,264
his wife is with him,
the dog is with him, I'd say.

751
00:40:16,266 --> 00:40:18,800
The area where the nursery
is at into the house,

752
00:40:18,802 --> 00:40:23,471
is all dark,
it's all quiet, it's all clear.

753
00:40:23,473 --> 00:40:25,274
Lindbergh being
at the center of this,

754
00:40:25,276 --> 00:40:28,677
the architect of it,
ties up so many loose ends.

755
00:40:28,679 --> 00:40:30,412
It addresses the Tuesday
night issue, you know,

756
00:40:30,414 --> 00:40:33,815
it puts him at the center
of the investigation

757
00:40:33,817 --> 00:40:36,418
for a purpose, he's controlling
this whole thing.

758
00:40:36,420 --> 00:40:40,622
But the fact remains
that this child died.

759
00:40:40,624 --> 00:40:43,091
GARDNER: This is not necessarily
a murder plot.

760
00:40:43,093 --> 00:40:44,826
Things could have
gone wrong.

761
00:40:44,828 --> 00:40:47,429
The baby suffered
a fractured skull.

762
00:40:47,431 --> 00:40:50,031
Many have wondered if
he was dropped from the ladder

763
00:40:50,033 --> 00:40:51,433
the night of the kidnapping.

764
00:40:51,435 --> 00:40:55,103
And there are people involved
in this whole conspiracy

765
00:40:55,105 --> 00:40:56,638
that knew this.

766
00:40:56,640 --> 00:40:59,374
So that makes it possible
that the money involved,

767
00:40:59,376 --> 00:41:02,177
the ransom money,
is actually, it's blackmail.

768
00:41:07,517 --> 00:41:09,718
Lloyd believes
Lindbergh paid the ransom

769
00:41:09,720 --> 00:41:13,454
to keep his
co-conspirators silent.

770
00:41:13,456 --> 00:41:16,657
Even if he's right, there
are many unanswered questions

771
00:41:16,659 --> 00:41:19,127
about who those
co-conspirators were,

772
00:41:19,129 --> 00:41:23,798
and whether Richard Hauptmann
was one of them.

773
00:41:23,800 --> 00:41:26,801
In the end, Lloyd's take
on the crime of the century

774
00:41:26,803 --> 00:41:29,404
is only a theory.

775
00:41:29,406 --> 00:41:31,406
But it's these
enduring questions

776
00:41:31,408 --> 00:41:34,542
that keep
the Lindbergh case alive.

777
00:41:34,544 --> 00:41:36,878
Was Richard Hauptmann framed?

778
00:41:36,880 --> 00:41:41,550
Was the kidnapping
an inside job gone wrong?

779
00:41:41,552 --> 00:41:45,821
And how many people have carried
these secrets to the grave?

780
00:41:45,823 --> 00:41:48,356
We may never have
all the answers.

781
00:41:48,358 --> 00:41:50,892
We only know
that Hauptmann was found guilty

782
00:41:50,894 --> 00:41:54,095
on the flimsiest of evidence.

783
00:41:54,097 --> 00:41:57,499
That he maintained his
innocence to the very end.

784
00:41:57,501 --> 00:41:59,434
And that
Colonel Charles Lindbergh

785
00:41:59,436 --> 00:42:03,037
sat in that courtroom
and watched it all happen.

786
00:42:03,039 --> 00:42:06,974
The State of New Jersey
has rested it's case.

787
00:42:06,976 --> 00:42:09,311
Hauptmann said
they think when I die,

788
00:42:09,313 --> 00:42:10,779
the case will die.

789
00:42:10,781 --> 00:42:12,580
They think it will be
like a book I close.

790
00:42:12,582 --> 00:42:15,183
85 years later,
we're still searching

791
00:42:15,185 --> 00:42:17,518
for answers about the crime.

792
00:42:17,520 --> 00:42:20,655
And about the man whose name
carried a thousand headlines --

793
00:42:20,657 --> 00:42:23,592
Charles Lindbergh.

793
00:42:24,305 --> 00:43:24,167
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