‘Bridge of Spies’ Case Still Mysterious Decades Later

Fifty-eight years after it was decided by the Supreme Court, the lawsuit behind Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies continues to mystify, beginning with its name: Rudolph Ivanovich Abel, also known as ‘Mark’ and also known as Martin Collins and Emil R. Goldfus, Petitioner, v. United States. Abel, believed to be a Russian spy, was secretly arrested and detained by U.S. authorities who attempted to recruit him as a double agent. When they failed, Abel was publicly arrested and charged with espionage. His lawyer, James B. Donovan – portrayed by Tom Hanks in the film – argued that the state could either conduct a warrantless arrest in an attempt to turn Abel into a double agent, or prosecute him for the capital crime of espionage, but could not do both. The Court convicted Abel in 1957 by a 5-4 vote.