On January 23, 1941, Charles Lindbergh, the first man to fly non-stop from Long Island, New York to Paris, France, testified to the United States Congress for a neutrality agreement with Adolf Hitler and the German Nazis. Lindbergh had become an opponent of a war with Germany and used his fame as a pilot to voice his opinions.

On May 20 – 21, 1927, Lindbergh, then 25-years old, flew the very first non-stop flight from Long Island, New York to Paris, France in his famous single engine plane called The Spirit of St. Louis. Lindbergh became an instant world celebrity by his accomplishment and was even awarded the Medal of Honor for his flight.

Over time, Lindbergh used his fame to get involved in aviation issues and national debates on various topics. Lindbergh traveled to Germany multiple times on behalf of the U.S. military to report on German aviation and the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) in the mid to late 1930s. Lindberg also became an outspoken anti-war advocate. In particular, Lindberg argued that America should not attack Germany and made certain comments that seemed to support Germany’s persecution of the Jews.

On January 23, 1941, Lindbergh testified to Congress before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and recommend that the United States negotiate a neutrality agreement with Germany. However, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Lindbergh became involved in the war effort and even flew many combat missions in the South Pacific on behalf of the United States military – even though President Franklin Roosevelt refused to reinstate Lindbergh’s Army Air Corps officer commission because of his outspoken comments against the war effort.

Today, The Spirit of St. Louis is on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C along with many other aircraft that have shaped our history.