Scales v. United States
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Scales v. United States



December 15, 1955
Honorable Francis Biddle1
1669 Thirty-First Street, N.W.
Washington 7, D.C.
Dear Francis:
Thanks for your letter of December 13th. I am only generally familiar with the Scales case, but I agree that it presents a very important constitutional question. I shall be glad to talk to Mr. Scales.2 However, he has not yet called.
I hope to be in Washington some time during January, and will call you.
As ever,
TT/zg3


1 Francis Biddle (1886-1968) (Lawyer and government official. First Chair of the National Labor Relations Board (1934); U.S. Attorney General (1941-1945); Presiding U.S. Judge at the International Military Tribunal, Nuremberg (1945-1946).)
2 Junius I. Scales, Jr. (1920-2002) (Arrested for violating the Smith Act (1940), which made it a felony to lead or be a member of a group that advocated the violent overthrow of the United States government. Mr. Scales, a former Communist, was the only individual convicted and imprisoned under the clause that made it a crime to be a member of such a group. Telford Taylor (1908-1998) handled the appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court for Mr. Scales. President John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) commuted Mr. Scales's sentence on Dec. 24, 1962.)
3 zg are the initials for Miss Zelda Golden. Mr. Taylor's legal secretary.
Citation:
Telford Taylor Papers, Arthur W. Diamond Law Library, Columbia University Law School, New York, N.Y. : TTP-CLS: 7-1-22-315.
Image Scan: Original manuscript scanned by Yelena Grinberg. (Date: June, 2004)

Scales v. United States




December 29, 1955
Honorable Francis Biddle1
1669 Thirty-First Street, N.W.
Washington 7, D.C.
Dear Francis:
I have been in consultation with Mr. Scales, 2 and it appears that I will be handling his case in the Supreme Court. In all probability, I will be in Washington next week, and I will call then to give you some further details which might interest and amuse you.
Sincerely yours,
Telford Taylor
TT/zg3


1 Francis Biddle (1886-1968) (Lawyer and government official. First Chair of the National Labor Relations Board (1934); U.S. Attorney General (1941-1945); Presiding U.S. Judge at the International Military Tribunal, Nuremberg (1945-1946).)
2 Junius I. Scales, Jr. (1920-2002) (Arrested for violating the Smith Act (1940), which made it a felony to lead or be a member of a group that advocated the violent overthrow of the United States government. Mr. Scales, a former Communist, was the only individual convicted and imprisoned under the clause that made it a crime to be a member of such a group. Telford Taylor (1908-1998) handled the appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court for Mr. Scales. President John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) commuted Mr. Scales's sentence on Dec. 24, 1962.)
3 zg are the initials for Miss Zelda Golden. Mr. Taylor's legal secretary.
Citation:
Telford Taylor Papers, Arthur W. Diamond Law Library, Columbia University Law School, New York, N.Y. : TTP-CLS: 7-1-22-315.

Image Scan: Original manuscript scanned by Yelena Grinberg (Date: June, 2004)