IN The 1991 film JFK, part of the dialogue spoken by a character called X, played by Donald Sutherland says: " That's the real question isn't it-why? The how is just scenery - Oswald, Ruby, Cuba, Mafia, it keeps people guessing, like a parlour game, but it prevents them from asking the most important question- why? Why was Kennedy killed? Who benefitted? Who has the power to cover it up?
In the case of the PBS America programme Who killed Lindbergh's Baby? The questions of why? and how?
These are uppermost in the investigation into a shocking kidnapping and murder case seen in America in the 1930s.
The programme which will be broadcast at 6.35pm on Tuesday, December 19, wants to find out the answers which it believes have been hidden in this case for more than 80 years.
The documentary concentrates on the kidnap and murder of 'Little Lindy', the first son of American hero and celebrated aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife Anne.
In March 1932, young Charles Jr was kidnapped from his bed and a ransom note demanding $50,000 left in the bedroom.
Although a suspect, Bruno Richard Hauptmann was convicted of the crime and sent to the electric chair, may questions remained unanswered.
This documentary aims to throw light on those unanswered questions and hopefully deliver a suitable conclusion.
It is an interesting and thoughtful investigating into a case which many will not know about while some might have a faint idea of what did happen.
Which ever camp you sit in, you will learn a great deal of what actually happened, how the kidnapping was investigated by the police and what the facts are surrounding this case.
One interesting facts which you will learn is about the Lindbergh Law is this: "Following the historic Lindbergh kidnapping (the abduction and murder of Charles Lindbergh's toddler son), the United States Congress adopted a federal kidnapping statute—known as the Federal Kidnapping Act 18 U.S.C. § 1201(a)(1) (popularly known as the Lindbergh Law, or Little Lindbergh Law)—which was intended to let federal authorities step in and pursue kidnappers once they had crossed state lines with their victim. The Act became law in 1932."
You might think it odd to quote part of the film for the assassination of JFK, but the programme says the out pouring of public grief for the kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby was similar to the grief felt for the death of President Abraham Lincoln and the death of President John F Kennedy.
You can watch PBS America in the UK on Sky 534, Virgin Media 276 or Freesat 155.
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