WI: No Lindbergh kidnapping?

I just recently stumbled onto this event, and I wondered what would have been the repercussions if Col. Lindbergh had discovered the apparent abductor and "apprehended him" (beat the life out of him for trying to steal his first son and male heir). What would happen if the "Crime of the Century" never occurred?
 
Lindbergh may have a bit less respect, as would Norman Schwartzkopf*.
Kidnapping wouldn't be a federal crime.

*His dad led the manhunt for the kidnapper.
 
Lindy Jr. has a habit of being turned into a famous and successful celebrity figure in alternate history. I believe there have been stories about him being an astronaut, President, and so forth.

I think that some of that could be plausible. He would be the son of the celebrity of the decade, and could go on to be American royalty. He could do anything. If he wanted, he could continue in his father's footsteps and pioneer aviation (which could lead to anything from replacing Yeager to become an astronaut), or get interested in politics and go into that field, or become a washout.
 
To be honest it isn't even clear that there was a kidnapping in the first place. Something fishy was going on in the Lindbergh household...


I've also never understood Lindbergh's appeal. The man had an enormous PR image based on a single flight of no significance. The only reason he set off under such dangerous circumstances was that three days and it would have been too late, (Rear Admiral) Byrd's flight would have been first, under much safer conditions and with air mail and three passengers.
 
Lindbergh had other children. A lot of other children (a few even with his wife). They didn't really amount to the level of politician or astronaut (one did become a children's author).

How much of that is affected by the death or survival of the firstborn/namesake (and the psychological effect on the Lindberghs and their future interactions with their children) is unknown and can never be determined.
 
I've also never understood Lindbergh's appeal. The man had an enormous PR image based on a single flight of no significance. The only reason he set off under such dangerous circumstances was that three days and it would have been too late, (Rear Admiral) Byrd's flight would have been first, under much safer conditions and with air mail and three passengers.

He was an underdog. American's like underdogs. Byrd was already famous, came from an upper class family, and had huge corporate backing. Of course, Lindbergh's father was a Representative, so he wasn't from complete obscurity.

After the flight, though, I think he just ended up with some really good PR that kept him in celebrity for quite a while longer than anyone else would have. I don't know if this were his own doing, or if it were the airplane industry using him as a spokesman.
 

Cook

Banned
'Murder on the Orient Express' either doesn’t get written or has a different victim/murderers.
 
To be honest it isn't even clear that there was a kidnapping in the first place. Something fishy was going on in the Lindbergh household...


I've also never understood Lindbergh's appeal. The man had an enormous PR image based on a single flight of no significance. The only reason he set off under such dangerous circumstances was that three days and it would have been too late, (Rear Admiral) Byrd's flight would have been first, under much safer conditions and with air mail and three passengers.
If Clarence Chamberlain hadn't made it first.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Chamberlain
 
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