lawyer who defended abel in germany

by Lorna Jakubowski 10 min read

James B. Donovan
James Donovan
Alma materFordham University, B.A. 1937 Harvard Law School, LL.B. 1940
OccupationMilitary officer, lawyer, educator
Known forNegotiating the 1962 exchange of Francis Gary Powers & Frederic Pryor for Rudolf Abel
Spouse(s)Mary McKenna (1941–1970; his death)
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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 defended Rudolf Abel in the Big Bang theory?

On February 10, 1962, Donovan, Abel and others arrived at the Glienicke Bridge, which connected East and West Germany. The American and Soviet sides met in …

Was the real Rudolf Abel in bridge of spies?

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.

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Is the Bridge of Spies a true story?

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

How old is Jim Donovan Goldman Sachs?

Jim Donovan (banker)Jim DonovanBorn1966/1967 (age 55–56)EducationMassachusetts Institute of Technology (BS, MBA) Harvard University (JD)Political partyRepublican

What is James B. Donovan famous for?

James Britt Donovan was a noted international negotiator, insurance lawyer and United States Navy officer, best known for securing the release of captured US pilot Francis Gary Powers from Soviet custody. Born into a family of Irish-American, he began his career in New York City as a lawyer.

What happened to Rudolf Abel after the exchange?

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.

Who is Jim Donovan?

Jim Donovan (born March 10, 1968) is a professional drummer and percussionist, a recording artist, writer, teacher and lecturer. He is best known as the former drummer and one of the founding members of the band Rusted Root....Jim Donovan (musician)Jim DonovanInstrumentsDrumsAssociated actsRusted Root , Sun King Warriors2 more rows

How much does a managing director at Goldman Sachs make?

The typical Goldman Sachs Managing Director salary is $447,106 per year. Managing Director salaries at Goldman Sachs can range from $223,338 - $1,051,935 per year.

Did Abel give Donovan a painting?

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. So Abel has left no doubt that Donovan will have the painting regardless of what happens on the bridge. (Interestingly, Donovan would later become president of Pratt.)Oct 19, 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 is James Donovan Tom Hanks doing at his meeting?

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.Oct 16, 2015

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.”

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?

Who was the spy who captured Rudolf Abel?

What led to the capture of Soviet spy Rudolf Abel? The Bridge of Spies true story reveals that it was Abel's assistant, Reino Häyhänen, who alerted U.S. authorities to Abel's espionage.

What rights did Donovan argue for?

As depicted in the movie, during Rudolf Abel's trial, Donovan had also argued that the government had violated Abel's Fourth Amendment rights by searching his home and seizing both Abel and all his property without a public search warrant or a criminal warrant of arrest.

What is the bridge between Berlin and Potsdam?

This made it an ideal place for prisoner exchanges. -Bridge of Spies book. Officials and guards await the prisoner exchange at Berlin's Glienicke Bridge (top).

What was the name of the office that was responsible for the creation of the atomic bomb?

Prior to Nuremberg, the Bridge of Spies true story reveals that Donovan had left private practice in 1942 and held the position of associate general counsel of the United States Office of Scientific Research and Development, which oversaw the creation of the atomic bomb.

Where did Häyhänen go?

Fearing that he would be punished or at worst executed, Häyhänen fled to the U.S. Embassy in Paris where he revealed his identity as a KGB agent and alerted U.S. officials to the whereabouts of Rudolf Abel, which eventually led to Abel's capture by the FBI on June 21, 1957.

Where did the Americans and Soviets exchange prisoners?

Like in the Bridge of Spies movie, the Americans and Soviets exchanged prisoners at Berlin's Glienicke Bridge and Checkpoint Charlie on the morning of February 10, 1962.

What was the charge against Abel?

Abel faced charges of 1) conspiracy to transmit military and nuclear information to the Soviet Union; 2) conspiracy to gather this information; and 3) being in the United States without registering ...

What evidence was found against Abel?

Evidence against Abel had been found in his hotel room and studio. It included shortwave radios, maps of U.S. defense areas and numerous hollowe d-out containers (such as a shaving brush, cufflinks and a pencil). Another piece of evidence was a hollow nickel that Hayhanen had lost soon after his arrival in New York.

What did Donovan believe?

Most importantly, he believed that everyone — even a suspected spy — deserved a vigorous defense, and accepted the assignment. (Though Donovan and his family experienced some criticism, including angry letters and middle-of-the-night phone calls, his commitment to standing up for Abel's rights was largely respected.)

What movie was Tom Hanks in?

Take a look at the real-life events and people that inspired the Cold War movie starring Tom Hanks. Steven Spielberg 's 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, ...

What happened to Francis Gary Powers?

Then pilot Francis Gary Powers was brought down over the Soviet Union on May 1, 1960. Powers had been flying a U-2 spy plane, and Soviet officials tried him for espionage; he received a 10-year sentence. When Powers was captured, there was talk that he could be swapped for Abel.

When did Donovan and Abel arrive in Germany?

On February 10, 1962, Donovan, Abel and others arrived at the Glienicke Bridge, which connected East and West Germany. The American and Soviet sides met in the center of the bridge at 8:20 a.m. But they had to wait for confirmation of Pryor's release to complete the exchange.

Why did Hayhanen ask for asylum?

After a few years of heavy drinking, and with no intelligence-gathering accomplishments, Hayhanen was told to return to the Soviet Union. Fearing the punishment that his shortcomings would bring, Hayhanen asked for asylum at the U.S. Embassy in Paris in May 1957.

Who was the presenter of visual evidence at the Nazi trial?

Donovan was the presenter of visual evidence at the trial. While he prepared for the trials he also worked as an advisor for the documentary feature The Nazi Plan . In 1950, Donovan became a partner in the New York-based law office of Watters and Donovan, specializing in insurance law.

Who was the spy who was convicted of murder in 1957?

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.

What was Donovan's argument in the case of the United States?

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.

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 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.

Who was the vice president of the New York Board of Education?

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, 1970, in Brooklyn's Methodist Hospital in New York, after being treated for influenza.

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 was the Nazi war crimes prosecutor?

A Nazi War Crimes Prosecutor at Nuremberg: Handling the “Biggest Motion Picture Job in the World”. From 1943 to 1945, Donovan, an officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve, served as general counsel to the Office of Strategic Services—predecessor of the CIA. Courtesy of Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University.

Who was impressed by James Donovan's conviction?

In preparing for his role, Hanks said he was impressed by Donovan’s conviction and how much of his time, health, and reputation he was willing to put on the line.“. James Donovan knew that if he took this case of defending Abel,” Hanks said, “it was going to consume him. ….

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.

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.

What was Donovan's career?

His own career—which brought him head-to-head with Nazi war criminals, KGB officers, and Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro—was a stunning case in point. The irony is that for much of his professional life, Donovan was engaged in legal work most people would consider mundane.

Why did Donovan and DeRosa donate drugs?

Both pharmaceutical companies made major donations of drugs to help secure the prisoners’ release. “Donovan was a real hero to me, at an age when you still have heroes,” said DeRosa, who retired in the early 1990s as a group general counsel of General Electric. “He really made sacrifices—in time, pressure, stress.”.

What is the Metadiplomat in Cuba?

The Metadiplomat in Cuba: “A Man Who Knows How to Deal with Castro”. 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.

Profile

Dr. Stefan Abel, litigator and counsel, represents nationally and internationally active companies in all matters of trademark, design and copyright law, unfair competition matters, domain name disputes and licensing and distribution matters, out of court and in court.

references

"Professional, collegial and open for goal-oriented solutions", Competitor - JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2020/2021

publications

Dr. Stefan Abel: Kommentar zu EuGH Coty Germany / ParfĂźmerie Akzente, Urteil vom 6.12.2017, Ausschluss von Handelsplattformen in selektiven Vertriebssystemen, Betriebs-Berater 2017, 3025

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