Hank Greenspun

Biography

Herman Milton “Hank” Greenspun was the Las Vegas newspaper publisher who, in 1948, became a central figure in the clandestine effort to arm the newborn State of Israel. Working with the underground arms-smuggling network, he helped acquire and ship aircraft engines, machine guns and other war materiel out of the United States in defiance of the arms embargo — running guns and planes to the Haganah when the embargoed young state could obtain weapons no other way.

He was later indicted and convicted under the U.S. Neutrality Act for his role in the smuggling, and received a presidential pardon in 1961. Greenspun went on to a storied career as the crusading editor and publisher of the Las Vegas Sun. He told his own story in his memoir Where I Stand (David McKay Co., New York, 1966).