◆ SpookStack

at ae bn > RDED - 7 ontre ’ Quebec, Canada SEXED - 75° — “\ Dear Mr. Todres: { 4 ; Ihave received your letteg.of December ii, 1937, - ‘pequesting information concerning Caryl Chessman and tie action taken bythe FBI. SSCS ~ ego Chessman was indicted and tried in the courts of the State of California for offenses not within the investigative jurisdiction of this Bureay,, For your further information, data in the files of the FBI is gontidential. gad aygilable for official use only. , “ ~W ae _ _ wy tte Sincerely yours, 8 oS Director by COMMER | Go Ss ° y a NOTE: Correspondent is not identifiable in Bufiles. Chessman is known as the "red light bandit" -of Los Angeles and was convicted on 17 g3counts of kidnaping, robbery and sexual assault in 1948. While awaiting execution, * he came to public attention by writing best-selling novels entitled "Cell «2455 Death Row" and‘Trial by Ordeal."" In July,; 1954,- one, Wenzell Brown, who identified himself as Chairman of the American Writers: ‘Committee os to.Save Chessman, :sent the Director a copy of information addressed to the . ont - President of the U. S. alleging that there is doubt that:Chessman was guilty ~ ‘a -of the cpimes‘of which he had been convicted. This letter was not acknowledgex en ‘put was referred to the Department as a possible Civil Rights violation on 7- 1- ™——— 54; and the Department advised that no investigation was desired. The U. S. on ann $e F ae agen ordered new State (Calif.) Court hearings concerning Chessman Naor 2 in July,':1957, on the basis that the court record of his or 1 trial v “ sere tts rqom ti} fraudulently prepared. To this the Director noted, What a travesty pie 760) A 1 pon ‘blind ji Justice! the Ui8.S.C. has become! Hi" ti (44-7