james donovan, the attorney who defended a russian spy and then

by Clovis Weimann 8 min read

It stars Tom Hanks as attorney James Donovan, a man who first defended an accused Russian operative, then negotiated his swap for an American pilot held by the Soviet Union. In 1964, Donovan published a memoir about his unforgettable experiences called Strangers on a Bridge.Jun 11, 2020

What did James Donovan do in bridge of spies?

Oct 01, 2016 · For James B. Donovan, an Irish-American lawyer from New York who was recently played by award-winning actor Tom Hanks in the film Bridge of Spies, the opposite was in fact the case. His life was ultimately so seemingly fantastic that it would simply be impossible to depict in a single film. Nonetheless, the 2015 film Bridge of Spies, directed by Steven Spielberg and …

Why did James B Donovan defend Rudolf Abel?

In 1950, Donovan became a partner in the New York-based law office of Watters and Donovan, specializing in insurance law. 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.

What law firm did Tom Donovan work for?

Jan 20, 1970 · Dr. James Britt Donovan, the lawyer and educator who ar ranged the trade of a Soviet spy for the U‐2 pilot Francis Gary Powers and negotiated the ransom of prisoners taken by Cuba in the Bay of ...

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. Jaap Buitendijk / DreamWorks and Twentieth Century Fox.

What happened to James Donovan in Bridge of Spies?

In 1968, Donovan was appointed president of Pratt Institute. He died of a heart attack on January 19, 1970, in Brooklyn's Methodist Hospital in New York, after being treated for influenza.

Is James Donovan still alive?

Deceased (1916–1970)James Donovan / Living or Deceased

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.

Is Bridge of Spies movie a true story?

Bridge of Spies is based on the real events but the film departs from the historical record, though reviewers have praised the film and argued that such departures are permissible.

Who wrote the Bridge of Spies?

Ethan CoenJoel CoenMatt CharmanBridge of Spies/Screenplay

Who is James Donovan in Bridge of Spies?

Defending an alleged Soviet spy wasn't a sought-after assignment in 1950s America. 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.Jun 11, 2020

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?

Did Rudolf Abel give Donovan a painting?

In the film, Abel's art is the emblem of his humanity. ... 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 is Bridge of Spies theatrical?

In a dramatic thriller inspired by true events, Tom Hanks stars as James Donovan, a Brooklyn lawyer thrust into the center of the Cold War when the CIA sends him on a near impossible mission to negotiate the release of a captured American U2 pilot.

How was Rudolf Abel caught?

On June 21, 1957, he was arrested by the FBI, and on October 25, 1957, a federal district court in Brooklyn found him guilty of espionage, relying in part on testimony by Soviet Lieutenant Colonel Reino Hayhanen, who had defected to the West and who stated that he had been Abel's chief coconspirator in the United ...

What does Abel find under a park bench?

Abel ends up at a park where he sits on a bench to paint. He recovers a coin under a bench. He returns to his apartment and uses a razor to split the coin open, where he finds that it contains a piece of paper. Soon, Blasco and Gamber, joined by other FBI agents, storm into Abel's home and arrest him for espionage.

Who was traded for Gary Powers?

spy Rudolf AbelPowers was tried and convicted of espionage and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was released in 1962, however, in exchange for the Soviet spy Rudolf Abel.

Who was the lawyer who defended the Soviet spy?

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 States was rejected by a 5–4 vote. Donovan 's argument that evidence used against his client had been seized by the FBI in violation of the Fourth Amendment. Chief Justice of the United States Earl Warren praised him and publicly expressed the "gratitude of the entire court" for his taking the case.

Who is James Donovan?

James B. Donovan. 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, ...

Where was James Donovan born?

James Britt Donovan was born into an Irish American family on February 29, 1916, in the Bronx. He was the son 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.

Where did Donovan go to law school?

He wanted to become a journalist but his father convinced him to study law at Harvard Law School, beginning in autumn of 1937, where he completed his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1940. After graduating from law school, Donovan started work at a private lawyer's office.

Who was Donovan married to?

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.

Who wrote Strangers on a Bridge?

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 writer Bard Lindeman, which was published in 1964.

Is Donovan in the Hall of Fame?

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.

What was Colonel Abel's sentence?

Colonel Abel was found guilty of conspiracy in 1957 and was sentenced to 30 years in prison and fined $3,000. But before sentence was passed, Dr. Donovan had asked that the possibilities of future ex change of condemned spies with the Soviet Union not be eliminated by the taking of Abel's life.

Who was the Democratic candidate for the Senate in 1962?

Between flying trips to llavana, the State Democratic party nominated Dr. Donovan as its candidate for the Senate in 1962. To the despair of party workers, Dr. Donovan cam paigned like a man with more important things on his mind. Senator Javits won by 975,000 votes.

What was Donovan's job?

He was a fastidious, high-powered insurance lawyer with bespoke suits and a big gray-carpeted office in Manhattan’s financial district.

Who played Donovan in Bridge of Spies?

Early in the film Bridge of Spies, Tom Hanks, playing Donovan, is asked to defend an accused Soviet spy. “I’m an insurance lawyer,” he says, and it’s true. But it’s a vast understatement. What the film doesn’t make clear is that Donovan was a Navy commander, schooled in spies and spycraft during World War II.

How did John Donovan die?

He was serving his third term as a state senator in March 1955, when he died suddenly of a heart attack at age 42.

Where is John Donovan buried?

Donovan was buried in St. Agnes Cemetery in Lake Placid, where his tombstone bears the opening line of the Prayer of Saint Francis: Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace. “It was his favorite prayer, one that he actually read to Castro,” John Donovan said.

Who was the prosecutor at Nuremberg?

Jackson, the chief U.S. prosecutor at Nuremberg, took a shine to Donovan. He recommended him for a spot promotion to full commander, and Donovan served as an assistant prosecutor at the principal Nuremberg trial. He was responsible for presenting all visual evidence of Nazi crimes.

What happens at the end of Bridge of Spies?

At the end of Bridge of Spies, Donovan returns home and goes almost immediately to bed. In reality, he had little time to rest. Several months after returning from Germany, he received another high-risk diplomatic assignment.

What happened to Francis Gary Powers?

On May 1, 1960, Donovan’s hypothetical scenario came true: U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers was captured in the Soviet Union, after his U-2 surveillance plane was shot down outside of Sverdlovsk, precipitating an international crisis and heightening fears that the Cold War could turn hot.

One day in June 1953 a 14-year-old paperboy from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle called Jimmy Bozart received a handful of five-cent coins in change after selling a copy of the paper to an old lady in an apartment block in New York

As he jingled the nickels in his hand he noticed that one was lighter than the rest.

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Who was the lawyer who defended Rudolf Abel?

Like in the Bridge of Spies movie, the Brooklyn Bar Association selected James B. Donovan (left) to defend Rudolf Abel mainly because of Donovan's experience at Nuremberg. Tom Hanks (right) as Donovan in the movie. Was Donovan's wife upset that he was going to defend a spy?

Is Bridge of Spies based on a true story?

Yes. The Bridge of Spies true story reveals that the Ivan Schischkin character, who Donovan meets with when he crosses the Berlin Wall into East Germany, is indeed based on a real person. His full name is Ivan Alexandrovich Schischkin and he was the second secretary of the Soviet Embassy.

Wise use of our WORDS and TIME

Steven Spielberg’s film Bridge of Spies dramatizes an incredible spy exchange that took place at the height of the Cold War. It stars Tom Hanks as attorney James Donovan, a man who first defended an accused Russian operative, then negotiated his swap for an American pilot held by the Soviet Union.

Steadfast Prayer

Prayer is an activity that Christ-followers should strive to be busily engaged in each and every day. This takes determination with the resolve not to give up in spite of the many distractions and difficulties that seek to derail our times of prayer.

Intercessory Prayer

Ongoing, daily prayer for the advancing work of God’s Kingdom is the normal expectation for Christ-followers. It is the normal, reciprocal Kingdom relationship. We are to pray for others who also pray for us.

Wise Life-Management

It’s unwise to act in a way that brings disrepute on the name of Christ. Sometimes our behavior is not sinful but it is unwise. (Andy Stanley series) Sometimes it is not well thought through. I remember that when I was a teenager my buddy Mark Green and I had not yet learned the value of asking this question.

Consistent Communication

Pleasant, kind, courteous – these are in shorter supply in recent years. It doesn’t matter how others treat you. A disciple of Jesus is called to treat others in a gracious and respectful way. The decision on how to treat others must be made before you talk to them because it doesn’t work in the heat of the moment.

When was A View from the Bridge written?

A View from the Bridge: Story of a Brooklyn Longshoreman. Miller first heard the story of a Brooklyn longshoreman that would become the basis for his play, A View from the Bridge in 1947. He would not write it until 1955, when it was produced on Broadway as a simple, unadorned one-act.

How does the Internet of Things affect the world?

The Internet of Things (IoT), and its influence on globalization, is changing the way of life in developed and developing countries. Making great strides in connecting the world, technology brings people together through email, live chats, social networking, and video. Yet, with increased technology comes increased threats to data loss, identity theft, and privacy concerns , especially considering the underbelly of the IoT where cybercrime threats challenge security. The IoT contains three general