Bush issues posthumous pardon to hero of Israel's War of Independence

As one of his last acts in office, President Bush on Tuesday issued a posthumous pardon to Charles Winters, a (non-Jewish) Florida man who was convicted in 1949 of violating the Neutrality Act. Winters had been fined $5,000 and spent 18 months in jail. His 'crime' was transferring a converted B-17 bomber to Israel for use in the War of Independence. It was one of only three planes that Israel had in that war (Hat Tip: Hot Air).

In the summer of 1948, Winters, a non-Jewish Miami businessman who exported produce, worked with others to transfer two converted B-17 "Flying Fortresses" to Israel's defense forces. He personally flew one of the aircraft from Miami to Czechoslovakia, where that plane and a third B-17 were retrofitted for use as bombers.

The three B-17s were the only heavy bombers in the Israeli Air Force. It is reported that counterattacks with the bombers helped turned the war in Israel's favor. In March 1961, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir issued a letter of commendation to Winters to recognize his contributions to Israel's survival as an independent state.

Over the years, Winters, a Protestant from Boston who settled in the Miami area, told his family little of his conviction in 1949 for violating the Neutrality Act for conspiring to export aircraft to a foreign country. He was fined $5,000 and sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Two others, Herman Greenspun and Al Schwimmer, also were convicted of violating the act, but they did not serve time. President Kennedy pardoned Greenspun in 1961. President Clinton pardoned Schwimmer in 2000.

Reginald Brown, an attorney who worked on the Winters pardon, said Bush's action "rights a historical wrong and honors Charlie's belief that the creation of the Jewish state was a moral imperative of his time. ... Charlie Winters helped shape human history for the better."

Film director Steven Spielberg wrote a letter to Bush appealing for a pardon for Winters.

"There are probably many unsung heroes of America and of Israel, but Charlie Winters is surely one of them," wrote the director of "Schindler's List," his Oscar-winning movie about the Holocaust. "While a pardon cannot make Charlie Winters whole, and regrettably he did not live to see it, it would be a fitting tribute to his memory and a great blessing to his family if this pardon is granted."

Winters died Oct. 30, 1984, at the age of 71. At his request, a Christian cemetery near the Jewish cemetery of the Knights Templar in Jerusalem was made his final resting place.

The only other pardon granted posthumously in recent years was given to Henry O. Flipper, the first black graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Flipper was drummed out of the Army after white officers accused him of embezzling about $3,800 from commissary funds. Flipper initially discovered the funds missing from his custody and concealed their disappearance from superiors, hoping the money would return. Clinton gave Flipper a full pardon in 1999.

Israel declared its independence on May 15, 1948 and was immediately attacked by five Arab armies who were determined to drive the Jews into the Sea. Unfortunately, a lot of Americans (and many other people as well) would have been just as happy if the Arab armies had been successful. Thank you Charles Winters.

Cross-posted to Israel Matzav.