Description:

Robert F. Kennedy
Washington, DC, May 7, 1962
Robert F. Kennedy TLS Re: Birdman of Alcatraz, "killed a prostitute's customer because he refused to pay"
TLS

A fantastic typed letter signed by RFK as Attorney General on his official letterhead. Washington, May 7, 1962. To Maximilian Koessler, an attorney of the United States Army who worked on the War Crimes trials in Nuremberg. A touch of soiling at extreme left margin, else very good condition. 1p. 8" x 10.5".

In part: "…I have your letters of April 18, 19 and 23 concerning Federal prisoner Robert Stroud. While I can easily understand your reaction to the 'Birdman of Alcatraz' film, it is of significance that even the film's producers do not claim that it is entirely factual. Many liberties have been taken for the purposes of dramatization, and these may have been somewhat misleading to you.

This prisoner's history is too long to be detailed in this letter, but a few facts may be of interest to you. The film, among other things, obscures the real fact that in 1909 Stroud, then earning his living as a pimp, killed a prostitute's customer because he refused to pay her for her services. Stroud's transfer from McNeil Island to Leavenworth was made, not for the poor behavior referred to in the film, but because he had stabbed another inmate. At Leavenworth he did not kill the officer in self-defense but in a particularly calculated and cold-blooded act. Subsequently Stroud's behavior at Leavenworth was far more reprehensible and abusive of the privileges he enjoyed than was shown in the movie. At Alcatraz Stroud did not, as shown in the movie, play a key role in ending the 1946 riot. Many other similar facets of the Stroud case were glossed over by the
screenwriters or were not known to them.

Mr. Stroud's case has been repeatedly reviewed by the U.S. Board of Parole, whose membership has changed several times over the years, but the Board has never concluded that the prisoner's release would be in the public interest. I have gone over the case personally, as you will note from the attached news clipping [no longer present], and have been unable to find any sound ground for his release. The facts I have cited may help you to reassess your point of view, for I am sure that a lawyer with a background of training and experience as exceptional as yours cannot be easily persuaded by a movie…".

Maximilian Koessler (1889-1964) was a Austrian lawyer and Attorney of the United States Army. He was employed on War Crimes Trials in Germany, and served in 1946-1947 in the Office of Chief of Counsel for War Crimes in Nuremberg.

Robert F. Stroud (1890-1963), also known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz," is considered one of the most notorious criminals in American history. After his initial 1909 arrest for manslaughter, Stroud compounded his sentence by assaulting fellow inmates and staff, as well as by killing a prison guard in 1916. Stroud's interest in birds began during his time at Leavenworth Penitentiary, where he cared for up to 300 canaries in his cell and wrote a book entitled Diseases of Canaries.

Stroud was known to be one of the most violent prisoners at McNeil Island and in frequent fights with staff and inmates alike. The incident which Kennedy may refer to regards his stabbing of another inmate who reported him for stealing food. He is also known to have stabbed an officer in 1916: after Stroud was refused a visit with his brother, he stabbed a guard to death in front of eleven hundred inmates in the prison Mess Hall. He was convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to death by hanging, and ordered to await his death sentence in solitary confinement. However, Woodrow Wilson commuted his death sentence and Stroud was placed to live out his life in solitary confinement.

Stroud's study of birds came to an abrupt end after being transferred to Alcatraz in December 1942, where he would spend the next 17 years - six in solitary in D Block, and 11 in the prison hospital. The official reasoning for Stroud's transfer is recorded in an Alcatraz warden's notebook as: "In view of this man's homicidal traits and impulsively dangerous tendencies, he cannot be released with general population…also wishes to call attention to need for eliminating the insanitary condition…from this man's bird breeding activities here…Rec. trans. to Alcatraz."

At Alcatraz, stripped of his birds, Stroud began work on a history of the penal system, Looking Outward: An Historical and Analytical Story of the Federal Prison System from the Inside. The manuscripts were never published.

It is unclear whether Stroud attempted to help end the 1946 Battle of Alcatraz or merely forestall the inevitable. He reportedly closed "…the front solid steel doors of the six isolation cells to protect the helpless men. Stroud yelled to the warden, explaining that there were no firearms in D Block and that those involved in violence had retreated to another section of the prison. He made it clear that many innocent men would die if the guards continued to fire into D Block" (Lawrence H. Larsen, The Last Days of Robert F. Stroud).

For himself, Stroud would claim the following in an eyewitness account of the bombing of D Block. In part: "…On May 2, 1946. Three prisoners in the main cellhouse, as a protest against starvation and other Gestapo methods of the Bureau of Prisons, seized a guard, one rifle, one pistol and about 70 rounds of ammunition. They captured a number of guards and officials, including the guard in D-Block, shot some in the more obnoxious of the prisoners, killing one. They then took refuge in the main cell block, fought off recapture until their ammunition was exhausted and they were killed, which occurred about 4 o'clock on Friday, May 3, 1946…".

"The Birdman of Alcatraz" (1962) was a biographical drama starring Burt Lancaster, who was nominated for an Oscar for his role as Robert Stroud. In the film, Stroud is portrayed as having attempted to end the riots by throwing out the two firearms acquired by the convicts.

In 1959 Stroud was transferred to the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, and was found dead of natural causes on November 21, 1963 - the day before Kennedy's brother President John F. Kennedy would be assassinated. Upon his death at the age of 73, Stroud had been incarcerated for 54 years of his life, 42 of which were spent in solitary confinement.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

  • Dimensions: 8" x 10.5"
  • Medium: TLS

Accepted Forms of Payment:

ACH, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house world-wide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses that proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with a signature required option, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third-Party Shipping Option: If a third-party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third-party. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third-party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third-party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third-party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

June 4, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000