Bennett Cerf

In 1933 Random House, which had the rights to publish the book in the United States, arranged for a test case to challenge the implicit ban, so as to publish the work without fear of prosecution. It therefore made an arrangement to import the French edition of the book, and to have a copy seized by the United States Customs Service when the ship carrying the work arrived. Despite advance warning to Customs of the anticipated arrival of the book, the local official declined to confiscate it, stating "everybody brings that in." He and his superior were finally convinced to seize the work. The United States Attorney then took seven months before deciding whether to proceed further. While the Assistant U.S. Attorney assigned to assess the work's obscenity felt that it was a "literary masterpiece," he also found it obscene within the meaning of the law. Read Less