James Donovan
Who was the lawyer who defended Rudolf Abel?
Oct 01, 2016 · But Bridge of Spies hardly touches on Donovan’s role at Nuremberg. Its main focus, rather, starts around 1957, when the New York City Bar Association asked Donovan to step up to defend Rudolph Abel, a Soviet spy who’d been captured and charged as a Soviet agent by the FBI and the INS in Brooklyn.
Why did James B Donovan defend Rudolf Abel?
On November 15, 1957, attorney James B. Donovan, who represented Soviet spy Rudolf Abel, urged Judge Mortimer W. Byers not to consider the death penalty for his client.
Who did Donovan defend in the Hollow Nickel Case?
Oct 16, 2015 · Above: In a scene from Bridge of Spies, Tom Hanks (second from left) plays James B. Donovan, the real-life Fordham graduate who defended accused Soviet spy Col. Rudolf Abel in New York City in 1957. Fordham alumnus Alan Alda, FCRH ’56 (right), plays Thomas Watters, Donovan’s law partner.
What did James Donovan do in WW2?
Mar 29, 2016 · For attorney James B. Donovan, a 1940 graduate of Harvard Law School, the real question at the height of the Cold War was: How can you not? In representing accused Soviet spy Rudolf Abel in the late 1950s, Donovan “probably had the most unpopular client since John Adams defended the British troops in the Boston Massacre of 1770,” as newscaster David …
Was James Donovan real person?
But the Brooklyn Bar Association knew just the man for the job: James B. Donovan. Donovan was an insurance lawyer who'd worked for the Office of Strategic Services (forerunner to the CIA) during World War II. He'd also served as associate prosecutor at the principal Nuremberg trial.Jun 11, 2020
What is James B. Donovan famous for?
Donovan brought intelligence, integrity, and courage to bear on some of the seminal events of his time. He is perhaps best known for giving legal representation to an accused Soviet spy, a principled but unpopular act that would later allow him to bring off one of the most famous “spy swaps” in history.
Who represented Rudolf?
James DonovanDonovan asked Abel for a fee of ten thousand dollars for the defense. He donated the entire sum to three universities (Strangers on a Bridge). Watch a newsreel that features James Donovan speaking about defending Rudolf Abel. Why did the Brooklyn Bar Association select James Donovan to defend Rudolf Abel?
Who is following Donovan in the rain?
On a rainy night, Donovan is followed by CIA Agent Hoffman (Scott Shepherd). The two sit together at a bar where Hoffman tries to get Donovan to tell him what Abel is telling Donovan, for the sake of the country, though Donovan refuses to say anything.
What happened to Rudolf Abel?
Abel returned to Moscow, where he was forced into retirement by the KGB, who feared that during his five years of captivity U.S. authorities had convinced him to become a double agent. He was given a modest pension and in 1968 published KGB-approved memoirs. He died in 1971.
Did Rudolf Abel give Donovan a painting?
Abel heeds Donovan, ignoring a CIA functionary's command, and stays put until Pryor is freed. As Abel proceeds, he tells Donovan he earlier sent the lawyer a gift – a painting, which turns out to be a portrait of Donovan in the courtroom.Oct 19, 2015
What did Rudolf Abel do?
Rudolf Abel, in full Rudolf Ivanovich Abel, original name William August Fisher, (born July 11, 1903, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England—died November 15, 1971, Moscow, Russia), Soviet intelligence officer, convicted in the United States in 1957 for conspiring to transmit military secrets to the Soviet Union.
What gift does Rudolf Abel give Jim Donovan?
The Soviet spy, Rudolf Abel, has written a note to James B. Donovan, his court‐appointed defender in a 1957 espionage trial, thanking the lawyer for a copy of the book, “Stranger on a Bridge — The Case of Colonel Abel.”Dec 31, 1969
Is the Bridge of Spies true?
The new movie Bridge of Spies is based on a true story: New York lawyer James Donovan, his client Soviet spy Rudolf Ivanovich Abel, and American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers were the key players in a Cold War historical drama.Oct 16, 2015
What does Abel find under a park bench?
What does Abel do next that confirms his involvement in espionage? He retrieves a hollow nickel from under the park bench.Dec 3, 2021
What was Rudolf Abel spying on?
Rudolf Ivanovich Abel (Russian: Рудольф Иванович Абель), real name William August Fisher (11 July 1903 – 15 November 1971), was a Soviet intelligence officer. He adopted his alias when arrested on charges of conspiracy by the FBI in 1957....Rudolf AbelOperationsWorld War II (1944–1945) Soviet Cold War spy (1948–1957)17 more rows
What year is Bridge of Spies set in?
In 1957, during the Cold War, the insurance lawyer James B. Donovan is assigned by the Bar association to defend in court the Soviet spy Rudolf Abel, who was captured by the FBI.
Early Years and Career
- James Britt Donovan was born on February 29, 1916, in the Bronx, New York. The younger son of parents John Sr., a prominent surgeon, and Harriet, a concert pianist and teacher, he went on to academic success at the Catholic All Hallows Institute and Fordham University. Originally intend…
Spy Trial and Exchange
- In 1957, Donovan accepted a request from the Brooklyn Bar Association to represent Rudolf Abel, a high-ranking Soviet spy who had immersed himself in an artistic community before his arrest for espionage. Despite overwhelming evidence against his client, Donovan managed to avoid the death penalty in part by arguing that Abel could prove useful for a prisoner swap should an Amer…
Cuban Negotiations
- Having earned a reputation for his high-stakes negotiating skills, Donovan was tapped by the Cuban Families Committee to obtain freedom for detained Cubans and Americans imprisoned during the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961. Over the course of several trips to the island, one of which included his 18-year-old son, Donovan gained the confidence of Cuban Premier Fidel Cast…
Late Career, Death and Legacy
- Named vice president of the New York City Board of Education in 1961, Donovan unsuccessfully ran for a U.S. Senate seat in 1962. He was elected president of the Board of Education in 1963, and oversaw the program during a two-year period marked by strife over the desegregation of city schools. Around this time, Donovan wrote two memoirs: Strangers on a Bridge (1964) and Chall…
Overview
James Britt Donovan (February 29, 1916 – January 19, 1970) was an American lawyer and United States Navy officer in the Office of Scientific Research and Development and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS, predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency), ultimately becoming general counsel of the OSS, and an international diplomatic negotiator.
Donovan is widely known for negotiating the 1960–1962 exchange of captured American U-2 pilot Francis …
Release of Gary Powers
In 1957, Donovan defended the Soviet spy Rudolf Abel in what was known as the Hollow Nickel Case after many other lawyers refused. He later brought in Thomas M. Debevoise to assist him. Abel was convicted at trial, but Donovan was successful in persuading the court not to impose a death sentence. He appealed Abel's case to the Supreme Court, which in Abel v. United Stateswas rejected by a 5–4 vote. Donovan's argument that evidence used against his client had been seiz…
Early life and early career
James Britt Donovan was born on February 29, 1916, in the Bronx to of Harriet (née O'Connor), a piano teacher, and John J. Donovan, a surgeon. His brother was New York state senator John J. Donovan Jr. Both sides of the family were of Irish descent. He attended the Catholic All Hallows Institute. In 1933, he began his studies at Fordham University, where he completed a Bachelor of Artsdegree in English in 1937. He wanted to become a journalist but his father convinced him to …
Involvement in Cuba
In June 1962, Donovan was contacted by Cuban exile Pérez Cisneros, who asked him to support the negotiations to free the 1,113 prisoners of the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion. Donovan offered pro bonolegal service for the Cuban Families Committee of prisoners' relatives. A few months later, he traveled to Cuba for the first time. Donovan managed to create confidence with Castro, w…
Later life and death
From 1961 to 1963, Donovan was vice president of the New York Board of Education, and from 1963 until 1965, he was the president of the board. In June 1962, his alma mater Fordham presented Donovan with an honorary degree. In 1962, he was the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in New York but lost in November 1962 to Republican incumbent Jacob K. Javits. In 1968, Donovan was appointed president of Pratt Institute. He died of a heart attack on January 19, 197…
Personal life
In 1941, Donovan married Mary E. McKenna, who was also an Irish American. The couple had a son and three daughters, and lived in Brooklyn, New York, while also maintaining seasonal residences in Spring Lake on the Jersey Shore, New Jersey, and Lake Placid, New York State, where Donovan is buried alongside his wife and daughter. He was a rare book collector, golfer, tennis player and gin rummy player. A collection of his papers is held at Stanford University's Hoover Li…
In popular culture
The story of the Abel trial and defense, followed by the negotiation and prisoner exchange, was the basis for the book Strangers on a Bridge: The Case of Colonel Abel and Francis Gary Powers, written by Donovan and ghost writerBard Lindeman, which was published in 1964. Several similar works would come later, but Strangers was the definitive work and was widely critically acclaimed. The book was re-released by Simon & Schuster in August 2015. In 1967, Donovan pu…
Honors
In October 2016, Fordham University inducted Donovan into its Hall of Honor in conjunction with its Dodransbicentennial, the 175th anniversary of the school, in a mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral with Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who was also named a founder of the school. Fordham was founded by Archbishop Hughes, who is an ancestor of Donovan. Also in October 2016, Donovan was inducted into the All Hallows School Hall of Fame.
Early Life and Education
- James B. Donovanwas born on February 29, 1916, in the Bronx in the United States of America. He was born to Harriet (née O'Connor) and John J. Donovan. His father was a surgeon and his mother a piano teacher. His brother John J. Donovan Jr. became a New York State Senator. The Donovan family was of Irish descent.
Education
- James B. Donovan received education from Catholic All Hallows Institute and enrolled at Fordham University in 1933. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1937. Donovan initially aspired to become a journalist, but upon the insistent of his father, he studied law at Harvard Law School in 1937. He earned a Bachelor of Lawsdegree in 1940.
Career
- After earning his law degree, James B. Donovan started his law practice at a private lawyer’s office. During the World War II, he served as a commander in the Navy. This led him to become an associate general counsel at the Office of Scientific Research and Development in 1942. A year later, he became the general counsel at the Office of Strategic Services, serving until 1945. Dono…
The Rudolf Abel Case
- James B. Donovan stood in for Soviet spy Rudolf Abel in 1957, despite many layers refusing to defend him. Thomas M. Debevoise later came in to assist him. At the end of the trial, Abel was found guilty, but Donovan managed to convince the court not to sentence him to death. He then appealed the case at the Supreme Court, in the case Abel v. the United States but the appeal wa…
The Cuba Release
- James B. Donovan provided a pro bono service for the Cuban Families Committee of prisoners’ relatives to negotiate for the freedom of the 1,113 prisoners of the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion. Cuban exile Pérez Cisneros had in 1962, contacted him to act as the negotiator. He again worked with CIA lawyer Milan Miskovsky for the negotiations. The then Cuban leader, Fidel Castro and D…
Later Life
- James B. Donovan served in various capacities on different boards. He was the vice president of the New York Board of Education from 1961 to 1963 and became the president from 1963 to 1965. In 1962, he unsuccessfully contested for the US Senate in New York on the ticket of the Democratic Party losing to incumbent Republican candidate Jacob K. Javits. Donovan served a…
Personal Life
- James B. Donovan married Mary E. McKenna in 1941, with whom he had three daughters and a son. The family lived in Brooklyn, New York and had seasonally in residence in New Jersey, Spring Lake and Lake Placid in New York. Donovan died of a heart attack on January 19, 1970, at Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. He was buried in his Lake Placid resident beside his …
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