LETT.MEM.1955.4'6".DENN
International Publishers; New York; 1956
Charge: Prosecuted under the 'Smith Act' for teaching and advocating non-conformist political ideas.
Prison: Federal Penitentiary, Atlanta, Georgia (Map)
First Imprisonment: 1950-55 (served 1 year and then 5 year sentence for 'excercising his constitutional rights gauranteed to him under the First Amendment)
Restricted amount of writing allowed (see p.5); Letters were severely censored; publication of any writing and/or any references made to communism were banned; Peggy Dennis (his wife) published letters after the 'conditional relase' had expired.
Prison cell:
Ten by 20 feet; shared by eight men; one small table; an open iron-barred front allowing 24 hour guard sureillence. "...replicas of the mistakes made in building heavily-barred and bolted, fortress-like Basilicas"
original designed for 1,200; housed 2, 243 at the time of Dennis' imprisonment.
"The new inamate...has no rights only" privileges" given and taken away at the will of officers and wardens" p 6