The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Pooler, GA, has announced that its monthly Mighty Talk series will continue on Sunday, October 25, with author Dr. Jonathan Reich presenting A Convenient Villain: Charles A. Lindbergh’s Remarkable and Controversial Legacy Preparing the U.S. for War. The program begins at 2 p.m. and is free to the public, though registration is required. Reich’s book examines Lindbergh’s contributions to American military aviation preparedness before WWII, including intelligence he gathered during three public trips to Nazi Germany between 1936 and 1938. According to the book’s description, Lindbergh shared the military intelligence he collected with the U.S. military and American aircraft manufacturers. His consultations with manufacturers were conducted on his own initiative and at his own expense.
The book documents the specific intelligence Lindbergh acquired and examines its role in preparing American air power for the war. It also revisits his broader legacy, including his contributions to aviation and medicine during the 1930s, as well as his opposition to American entry into another European war. Reich approaches these subjects through archival research, offering a reassessment of Lindbergh’s achievements and controversies, including his conflict with American Jewish communities over his political views. Reich is a cardiologist and faculty member at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine whose career has focused on research and medical publications. He turned to historical research during the COVID-19 pandemic after reading A. Scott Berg’s biography Lindbergh. Combining his research background with a lifelong interest in aviation, he began an in-depth study of Lindbergh’s contributions to aviation, medicine and American preparedness for WWII. The resulting book, A Convenient Villain, explores the complicated legacy of one of the 20th century’s most prominent aviators and political figures. The Mighty Talk will take place at the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force on October 25 at 2 p.m. Admission is free, but attendees must register in advance through the online registration form. For more information and to support the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, click on this link: www.mightyeighth.org.
