Chapter 6: The Lone Eagle Migrates

The Lindberghs began 1936 anew across the pond in England, as Lindbergh shares “…because we had been told that Englishmen respected rights of privacy, and that English newspapers had more respect for law than ours at home.” (Lindbergh, 145) Considering the family went through their own version of hell with the trial and conviction of Charles Jr.’s murderer and the publicity that resulted, it was necessary for the couple and their son Jon to seek as much privacy as needed to heal from the family tragedy.  The Lindberghs rented a property in Sevenoaks Weald, Kent, a small village in southeastern England, called Long Barn.  Long Barn provided exactly what the family needed to lead a peaceful life away from prying eyes.  Little did Charles know that the storm clouds of Europe had been forming for some time, and he would be thrust in the middle.

Charles and Anne would spend a large part of their time traveling around Europe.  In the journal he kept during this time, he stated that it was“…essential to see enough of Europe to be able to think intelligently about the problems which exist here.” (Lindbergh, 44) During the summer of 1936, Charles and Anne traveled to Germany at the request of Major Truman Smith ( the Attache to the U.S. Embassy in Berlin), who sought his advice on the development and evolution of the Luftwaffe (German air force).  While on the visit, Lindbergh had the opportunity to meet with Hermann Goring; while looking at images of the planes under development for Germany, Lindbergh realized that not only was Germany was preparing for war but had well-built aircraft ready to dominate.  In August 1938, Charles and Anne traveled to the Soviet Union to observe the development of Soviet aviation; Lindbergh states in his memoir that the trip was made “…with the co-operation of the American embassies in London and Moscow.” (Lindbergh, 163) Unfortunately, Lindbergh was unable to see much, as his belief was Stalin did not want other countries to see what was under development.

During the spring of 1938, Charles and Anne decided to leave England and purchased some islands off the northern coast of France called Illiec.  By chance, they happened to live close to Dr. Alexis Carrell, whom he had become close to several years before.  The Lindberghs’ again embraced the privacy they craved as they continued to heal; by this time, they had welcomed their third child, a son named Land.

In late 1938, Lindbergh met with several high-standing English officials to provide intelligence on what he had seen in Germany; Lindbergh privately expressed concern that England was unprepared to face what was impending.  Lindbergh provided the same intelligence to French officials as well; French officials developed a plan to purchase aircraft from Canada, however this plan would eventually fall apart.  In October 1938 Lindbergh returned to Germany to attend meetings of the Lilienthal Society for Aeronautical Research.  On October 18, he attended a dinner at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin; when Hermann Goring arrived and greeted him, Goring presented him with the Order of the German Eagle on Hitler’s order. (this will be prevalent info in the next chapter)

Seeing the rising tensions in Europe and the major players preparing for conflict, Lindbergh came to the difficult decision to return to the U.S., for the safety of his family.  While he knew the risks in returning, he was also keenly aware of the dangers of staying in Europe, even if far removed from fighting.  On April 14, 1939, Lindbergh arrived in New York, fully aware of the grave danger that lie ahead, while the American people continued to pull themselves out of the Great Depression and re-establish their way of life.