[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 79 (Thursday, May 21, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1229]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING CHARLIE WINTERS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON KLEIN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 21, 2009

  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory 
of Charlie Winters. Mr. Winters was an ordinary Florida businessman who 
played an extraordinary role in history.
  In 1948, he provided an aircraft to the Jewish armed forces in pre-
war Israel for its defense during the Israeli Independence War. Had Mr. 
Winters and other Americans not provided this assistance at such a 
critical time, Israel may not have survived as an independent state and 
become one of our Nation's staunchest allies. However, Mr. Winters was 
not honored at the time for his heroism. Instead, he was arrested and 
convicted under the ``Neutrality Act'' for his role in Israel's 
founding. In fact, he was one of a handful of Americans convicted and 
he was the only one to serve a prison sentence.
  Mr. Winters was released from prison on November 17, 1949 and lived a 
humble and quiet life thereafter in Miami. In 1984, Mr. Winters passed 
away, and never told his family about his story. But, his obituary in 
the Miami Herald was entitled ``Charles Winters, 71, Aided Birth of 
Israel,'' and noted that he was honored by the late Golda Meir, and had 
earned ``a place of distinction among the Americans who banded together 
clandestinely at the end of World War II to help Jews establish a state 
in Palestine.''
  Last year, several of my colleagues and I sent a letter to the United 
States Justice Department, asking for a posthumous pardon for Mr. 
Winters. We are grateful that President Bush issued a pardon in 
December, thereby clearing Mr. Winters name and providing comfort to 
his family.
  Today, the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County's Jewish Community 
Relations Council will be hosting Jimi Winters, the son of Charlie 
Winters, to honor the memory of his father. While I regret that I 
cannot be with them today, I join them in their celebration of Mr. 
Winters' memory. Mr. Winters' actions helped secure the independence of 
the state of Israel, thereby establishing a beacon of democracy in the 
Middle East.

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