The two began a correspondence, and Mr. Buckley visited Mr. Smith at Trenton State Prison. He promoted a defense fund for Mr. Smith and helped enlist the prominent Washington lawyer Edward Bennett Williams in Mr. Smith’s cause. The conversation was steered by Mr. Buckley, who said he believed “profoundly” that Mr. Smith was innocent. Mr. Buckley had described Mr. Smith in the 1965 Esquire article as an “an essentially phlegmatic young man of nonviolent habits.”Edgar Herbert Smith Jr. was nothing like that. Mr. Buckley helped to arrange the surrender and later expressed regret at having championed Mr. Smith’s cause.

Source: New York Times September 24, 2017 19:04 UTC