Hank Greenspun

Herman "Hank" Milton Greenspun (August 27, 1909 - July 23, 1989) was the longtime, and often controversial, publisher of the "Las Vegas Sun" newspaper. He purchased the Sun in 1949, and served as its editor and publisher until his death.

As a young man, Greenspun became closely involved with Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel and the work he was doing to reopen his Flamingo casino. Following the murder of Siegel in 1947, Greenspun re-ignited his interest in his Jewish heritage and became a prominent figure in guerrilla Israeli politics.

In 1947, when the Haganah were fighting to establish the nation of Israel, Greenspun shipped machine guns and airplane parts to the guerillas. This was a violation of the Neutrality Acts, a crime for which Greenspun was arrested and ultimately convicted on July 10, 1950. He was fined $10,000 but received no prison time. On October 18, 1961, President John F. Kennedy pardoned Greenspun of his conviction [http://www.lasvegassun.com/sun50/challenge.html] . Upon Greenspun's death in 1989, former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres called Greenspun "a hero of our country and a fighter for freedom."

Greenspun began an angry feud with Senator Joseph McCarthy in 1952, publishing several articles attacking him as a demagogue. He also wrote articles accusing McCarthy of being a homosexual, an act that brought Greenspun considerable criticism, even among McCarthy foes. He became further entrenched in domestic politics when allegations were made that he held blackmail information against prominent Democratic presidential nominees.

On July 3, 1972, Virgilio González, Bernard Barker, James W. McCord, Jr., Eugenio Martínez and Frank Sturgis were arrested while placing electronic devices in the Democratic Party campaign offices in an apartment block called Watergate. It later emerged that people working for Richard Nixon wanted to wiretap the conversations of Larry O'Brien, chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

On May 23, 1973, James W. McCord later admitted that this group (known as the "Plumbers") had been involved in several covert activities. This included a plot to steal documents from Hank Greenspun's safe. McCord testified that Attorney General John N. Mitchell had told him that Greenspun had in his possession blackmail type information involving a Democratic candidate for President. An avowed Republican, it was assumed that Greenspun would use his political influence and connections to sway the election.

Upon his death, the Greenspun family entered the Sun into a joint operating agreement with the "Las Vegas Review-Journal". The Sun operated as an afternoon daily from 1990 on. Beginning in October 2005, under an amended joint operating agreement, the paper began delivery with the morning Review-Journal.

Greenspun formed The Greenspun Corporation to manage the family's assets.

Greenspun was also heavily involved in real estate, acquiring most of the western portion of Henderson, Nevada for a development that would eventually become Green Valley. Much of the original seed money for this real estate investment was acquired through a loan from the Teamster's Union. His family still controls the majority of this land and the associated real estate developments including golf courses and the Green Valley Ranch, Resort and Spa with interest being held through The Greenspun Corporation.

Greenpsun also started the first TV station in Nevada, KLAS-TV.

References

External links

* [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lasvegas/peopleevents/p_greenspun.html PBS American Experience article on Greenspun]