Bernard Spindel
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Short description|American surveillance and wiretapping expert (1923–1971)}}
{{Infobox person
|name=Bernard Spindel
|image=Bernard Spindel & Jimmy Hoffa 1957.jpg
|caption=Bernard Spindel (left) and Jimmy Hoffa after a 1957 court session in which they pleaded not guilty to illegal wiretap charges
|birth_name=Bernard B. Spindel
|birth_date=November 9, 1923
|birth_place=New York City, U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1971|2|4|1923|11|9}}
|death_place= New York City, U.S.
|occupation=Surveillance expert, pilot
|spouse=Barbara Fox Spindel
}}
Bernard B. Spindel (November 9, 1923 – February 4, 1971) was an American surveillance, wiretapping, electronics and lockpicking expert, generally regarded as the best in his field, and a pilot.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/03/06/wiretap-expert-invokes-fifth-at-hoffa-surveillance-hearing.html|author=Staff writer|title=Wiretap Expert Invokes Fifth At Hoffa Surveillance Hearing|date=March 6, 1964|work=New York Times|access-date=July 22, 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/02/13/hoffas-lawyers-recall-star-prosecution-ithess.html|author=Staff writer|title=Hoffa's Lawyers Recall Star Prosecution ithess|date=February 13, 1964|work=New York Times|access-date=July 22, 2016}}{{cite web|author=Staff writer|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230623121139/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/02/08/archives/judge-is-assailed-at-hoffas-trial-lawyer-sees-a-drumhead.html|title=Judge is Assailed at Hoffa's Trial|date=February 8, 1964|work=New York Times|access-date=July 22, 2016}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b7CE5PqvVw8C&q=Bernard+Spindel+new+york+times&pg=PT109|title=American Privacy: The 400-year History of Our Most Contested Right|author=Lane, Frederick S.|publisher=Beacon Press|date=2009|isbn=9780807044414}} He was responsible for eliminating more bugs and wiretaps than anyone in history.Hougan, [https://archive.org/download/spooks-the-haunting-of-america-the-private-use-of-secret-agents-by-jim-hougan-william-morrow-1978/Spooks%20-%20The%20Haunting%20of%20America%E2%80%94The%20Private%20Use%20of%20Secret%20Agents%2C%20by%20Jim%20Hougan%20%28William%20Morrow%2C%201978%29.pdf Spooks], p. 108.
Electronic surveillance
Bernard B. Spindel was an electronic eavesdropping and surveillance technician in the early Cold War known for both his operational prowess and his mastery of the technology. Jim Hougan described Spindel as "a wire-man of unequaled genius… the Nikola Tesla of electronic eavesdropping." A 1966 article in Life magazine named Spindel the "No. 1 big-league freelance eavesdropper and wiretapper in the U.S."{{cite magazine|magazine=Life|issue=359|date=May 20, 1966|title=On Assignment with The Ace of the Bugging Business|author=Neary, John|pages=44|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LlYEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA44}}{{cite web|url=http://www.spybusters.com/History_1966_Spindel.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160511162350if_/http://www.spybusters.com/History_1966_Spindel.html|archive-date=2016-05-11|url-status=dead|title=Bernard Spindel - Eavesdropper, Wiretapper, Bugger - 1966|publisher=spybusters.com|access-date=July 22, 2016}}
=The Hoffa connection=
Spindel is known for his involvement in union leader Jimmy Hoffa's 1964 criminal trial and 1957 trial{{cite news|work=Chicago Tribune|date=May 15, 1957|title=Indict Hoffa for 'Spying' on Pals|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1957/05/15/page/5/article/indict-hoffa-for-spying-on-pals}} where in 1957 Spindel and Hoffa pleaded not guilty to accusations of illegal wiretapping. The 1957 indictment stated that in 1953 Hoffa paid Spindel $8,429 in union funds to wiretap Teamster headquarters in Detroit.
Personal life
Spindel was married to Barbara Fox Spindel, founder and co-owner of the B. R. Fox Spindel Company.
In the 1960s, Spindel lived in a small estate in Homes, New York, with his wife, seven children, two dogs and four horses.
Spindel's autobiography was published in 1968, entitled The Ominous Ear.{{cite web|url=http://www.spybusters.com/History_1968_Spindel_OE_17.html|title=The Ominous Ear by Bernard B. Spindel|publisher=spybusters.com|access-date=July 22, 2016}}Spindel, Bernard. The Ominous Ear. New York: Award House (1968). {{OCLC|440580}}. He died on February 4, 1971, from a heart attack, having been under a prison sentence for his electronic eavesdropping.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/02/04/archives/bernard-spilqdel-wiretapper-dies-convicted-eavesdropperwasi.html|title=Bernard Spindel, Wiretapper, Dies|newspaper=New York Times|date=February 4, 1971}} He was 47 years old.
Publications
- The Ominous Ear. New York: Award House (1968). {{OCLC|440580}}.
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20161011025241/http://www.spybusters.com/History_1968_Spindel_OE_17.html Excerpt: Chapter 17: Technical Aspects.]
References
{{Reflist}}
=Bibliography=
- Hougan, Jim (1978). [https://archive.org/download/spooks-the-haunting-of-america-the-private-use-of-secret-agents-by-jim-hougan-william-morrow-1978/Spooks%20-%20The%20Haunting%20of%20America%E2%80%94The%20Private%20Use%20of%20Secret%20Agents%2C%20by%20Jim%20Hougan%20%28William%20Morrow%2C%201978%29.pdf Spooks: The Haunting of America & the Private Use of Secret Agents.] New York: William Morrow. {{ISBN|978-0688033552}}.
Further reading
- Hochman, Brian (February 3, 2016). [https://archive.today/20211111135508/https://post45.org/2016/02/eavesdropping-in-the-age-of-the-eavesdroppers-or-the-bug-in-the-martini-olive/ "Eavesdropping in the Age of The Eavesdroppers; or, The Bug in the Martini Olive."] Post45.
- Parnell, A. W. (Feb. 1969). [https://www.jstor.org/stable/25724692 Review of The Ominous Ear] by Bernard B. Spindel. American Bar Association Journal, vol. 55, no. 2. p. 169. {{JSTOR|25724692}}.
External links
- {{IMDb name|3088138}}
{{Authority control}}
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Category:People from New York City
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