The first problems arose in December of 1960 when a postal inspec- tor appeared at my door. This resulted in a long interview at the post office and a lot of explaining. Three things appeared; 1) that I had written to a person whom I had known for a long time and that person had gotten into a PO investigation. They had a letter from me to him which was innocuous but they wanted to know what I knew about him. That was no problem. 2) As a matter of protec- tion of my family identity I had taken out my postbox in an assumed name and that was technically a violation so they made me reapply in my legal name. 3) I had written one letter and one letter only to a party in the east a whole year before. This party represented herself as a woman and divorcee and had corresponded with a friend of mine in some detail for quite a period. When he moved away he, hav- ing told me about her, suggested that I might want to write her which I did. I had been led to believe, however, that altho she had been married she was now lesbian. I wrote to her about this in some detail being interested in learning something personal about this field. It turned out that "she" was in reality a "he," that he had been involved in some other doings with the post office and they had put a mail cover on him and had intercepted my letter and taken it from him.

They held this letter for a year before confronting me with it and making out that it was an obscene letter. I tried and thought I had succeeded in explaining all about the letter, the transvestism, the magazine, the box the whole thing, and that the whole business was over and done with. Three months later much to my surprise and consternation, the inspector and a U.S. marshall appeared at my business, ransacked the office, handcuffed me and dragged me down- town under arrest to be arraigned. I got out on bail but was charged with sending obscene matter thru the mail. Because of my parents and their social and professional position I could not make a “not guilty" plea and fight it out in an open jury trial with publicity etc. so I pleaded guilty. There was a long pre-trial probation hearing in which every aspect of my life and history, relations with parents, wives, child, friends, etc. was questioned in detail. It was probably the most acutely embarrassing and degrading experience I ever went through. The probation officer was a pretty decent guy and was only doing his job but that made it no less an ordeal for me. I guess I came thru pretty much on the honest, sincere and normal side with him, however, as he gave me a pretty good report which I'm sure had a good effect on the judge.