Dear Former United States Attorney:

Some of you may know of my 1978 book, Counsel for the United States:  U.S. Attorneys in the Legal and Political Systems (Johns Hopkins University Press).  The book  was the first (and until this year the only book) to study U. S attorneys offices, providing an analytical description of their relations with judges, investigative agencies, probation officers, defense attorneys, and Main Justice.  It also examined the links with the political system, and identified how U.S. attorneys shaped public policy.

Most of the interviews for the book were conducted in 1965, with a few more in 1970-71.  I also interviewed US attorneys and AUSAs along with other federal criminal justice participants in the early 2000s.  In 2007, I attended a Seattle School of Law Forum on the 2006 firings of eight U.S. attorneys.   The Seattle University Law Review (Vol. 31, 2008), published my article, ‘The U.S. Attorney firings of 2006:  Main Justice’s Efforts in Historical Context,” https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1047&context=sulr

I have been struck by how prominently U.S. attorneys have been in the news recently, and how many appear on cable news programs as guest commentators.  Watching them, I wondered if former U.S. attorneys would be interested in my book.  When my publisher decided to cease offering it many years ago, they sent  me the remaining  unsold copies in their warehouse.   They are in pristine condition, still in the boxes sent by Johns Hopkins University Press.

Having entered the octogenarian ranks, I thought that rather than burdening my heirs with disposing of these books, it would worth finding out if former U.S. attorneys would be interested in purchasing an autographed copy on one of the brand new books.  The retail price in 1978 was $15, equivalent to $59.35 today, so I thought $50 for an autographed copy with a personal inscription would be a fair price.  Postage,  packaging and addressing come to $3.50, for a total of $53.50.

If you are interested, please respond by May 1, 2020 and provide your mailing address, the district you headed, and remittance to me by check and I will inscribe the book to you and mail it to you.

Professor James Eisenstein

164 Beacon Circle

Boalsburg, PA 16827

If you have any comments or questions, you can email me at j3e@psu.edu

Thank you.

Yours truly,

James Eisenstein, Emeritus Professor of Political Science and Criminal Justice

Penn State University