Abstract

The Lindbergh kidnapping provides an illustration of the need of the public to see certain crimes as the result of conspiracy even when evidence points to a lone operator explanation. The Lindbergh kidnapping, like the assassination of President Kennedy and the killing of Jack Ruby, gave rise to conspiratorial theories. Responsible, political leaders and law enforcement officials have been induced by the emotional need to see these crimes as conspiracies to act in a less than professional manner. The Lindbergh kidnapping showed that forensic psychiatry can be of great value in crime investigations. The Lindbergh trial remains to this day an example of excellence in terms of scientific, forensic testimony.

Issue Section:
Research Papers
Keywords:
plenary session, psychiatry, Lindbergh kidnapping case

References

1.
Shoenfeld
,
D. D.
,
The Crime and the Criminal—A Psychiatric Study of the Lindbergh Case
,
Covici
,
Fierde
,
1936
, pp. 48, 49, 72. 183, and 275.
2.
Waller
,
G.
,
Kidnap, The Story, of the Lindbergh Case
.
The Dial Press
,
New York
,
1961
, pp. 528, 529, 530, 533, and 536.
This content is only available via PDF.
All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced or copied, in whole or in part, in any printed, mechanical, electronic, film, or other distribution and storage media, without the written consent of ASTM International.
You do not currently have access to this content.