>From:  Tim Bray <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject:      Re: Animal House at the Ezuversity
>To:    [log in to unmask]
>Date:  Wed, 12 Jan 2000 17:14:45 -1000
>
>At 04:21 PM 1/12/00 -1000, Everett Lee Lady wrote:
>>And many of his old
>>colleagues who might otherwise have simply dropped him went out of their
>>way to send friendly communications to him in St. Elizabeths simply
>>because of the injustice of the way he was being treated.
>
>Unlike E.L.L., I was never there.  But I wonder whether the time in St.Liz,
>while it was certainly anomalous and questionably procedurally, can really
>be called "unjust".  It's not obvious to me, either way.  -Tim
 
Whether something is "unjust" or not is not one of those questions that
can be settled on a factual basis, but rather a matter of judgement.
I meant only to present what I believe was the point of view of almost
all of Pound's old friends, even including some who were no longer so
friendly (Archibald MacLeish, for instance).  I believe that most of
those who had known him since the Paris days believed about his radio
broadcasts that E.P. had been guilty of extreme stupidity, horrible
judgement, and something that went way beyond a matter of mere bad
taste.  And in a way, I think that many of them believed he was crazy
and had always been crazy.  But they didn't think he belonged in a
lunatic asylum.  And they didn't think what he had done justified
putting him in jail either.  And, in any case, those who had
actually done what Pound was accused of --- treason --- and had been
tried and sent to jail, served ten-year sentences and were free while
E.P. was still in the bughouse.
 
Based on everything I have read, this was by far the prevailing sentiment
among Pound's old friends.  Obviously their point of view was prejudiced,
and there were still a lot of people in the world who thought that no
conceivable treatment could be harsh enough punishment for what Pound had
done, but eventually the government reached the point where it was no
longer comfortable with having Pound in the bughouse.
 
--Lee Lady