Description
Letter from President Herbert Hoover to former Attorney General George W. Wickersham. Single page letter on White House stationery. Folded at center. Dated July 29, 1931. Signed by President Herbert Hoover.
Comments: In 1929, President Herbert Hoover appointed former Attorney General George W. Wickersham to head up the first national study of crime and the criminal justice system. The illegal sale of alcohol by organized crime prompted the creation of the commission, which released their findings in 1931 and 1932. The final report concluded that law enforcement was abusing their power across the country and that bribery was rampant. The report detailed the federal failure to enforce prohibition but did not conclude that prohibition should be repealed.
