June 13, 1998
3801 Connecticut Avenue, NW
#136
Washington, DC 20008-4530
Phillip C. Leadroot, S.A.
U.S. Secret Service
Washington, DC 20036
Dear Mr. Leadroot:
I want to give the names and relationships of a few additional people that may be of marginal interest to the U.S. Secret Service or other federal law enforcement agencies.
A letter dated July 7, 1997 addressed to the Hon. James R. Roebuck (copy attached) refers to an individual named Sheldon S. Cohen. This letter will apprise you of some background information about Sheldon S. Cohen and several persons related to him, either directly or indirectly.
Cohen and I were in the same graduating class at Central High School (230th class, date of graduation, June 1971). I recall that we were in the same 12th grade social studies class (Mr. Jacob Finkelstein, commonly known as "Jake Wabbit"); we were never anything more than acquaintances. He did mention that his mother died when he was a child.
Cohen and I both attended, beginning in the fall of 1971, Penn State's Ogontz Campus located in Abington, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. The Campus is now officially called "Abington College," though it is still a part of Penn State. Coincidentally, Akin Gump partner Earl L. Segal, Esq. graduated from Penn State in 1969.
I recall that during the winter term 1972 (January - March) Cohen and I were enrolled in an introductory sociology course taught by Dr. Vicki Jones (date of birth, 1942). Jones now goes by the name Vicki Abt.
I believe that in any information solicitation by an employer Cohen might recall that he and I were both enrolled in Jones' sociology course. If Cohen were asked what he remembers about me, he would likely say: "He never smiled."
My Penn State yearbook states that Cohen majored in Law Enforcement and Corrections. I do not know his current whereabouts or what he does.
In 1997, last year, Jones (Abt) published a book titled Coming After Oprah: Cultural Fallout in the Age of the TV Talk Show. The book is a somewhat popularized sociological study of the cultural phenomenon of TV talk shows such as "Oprah," "Ricki Lake," etc.
Coincidentally, Oprah Winfrey is referenced in litigation concerning Akin Gump. See McNeil v. Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia no. 93-0477 (Joyce Hens Green, J.) at page 4: "In addition, Robertson allegedly told a racist joke regarding Oprah Winfrey's skin color."
Oprah Winfrey is a friend of the novelist Toni Morrison (Chloe Wofford), a Nobel laureate and graduate of Howard University, here in Washington. Morrison was the commencement speaker at Howard's graduation ceremonies in about the year 1993. Akin Gump partner Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., is a member of Howard's Board of Trustees. Jordan has recently attempted to market his autobiography, but has reportedly had difficulty getting a publisher to agree to his demand for a one million dollar advance. (Incidentally, it has been reported also that Akin Gump partner Robert S. Strauss has been working with a ghost writer on his autobiography.)
Morrison is a literature professor at Princeton University in New Jersey. I believe that one of her colleagues in the Princeton literature department is Ralph Freedman, an expert on the work of the German novelist Hermann Hesse. Ralph Freedman is the author of Hermann Hesse: Pilgrim of Crisis, a book that I quote in my autobiography.
For your additional information I am forwarding on the enclosed computer disc a copy of the latest version (June 12, 1998) of my autobiography.
As far as my current status is concerned, I continue to lie low--I've been doing that for years.
Sincerely,
Gary Freedman
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