George Kennan 
Siberia and the Exile System 

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. I was so nearly paralyzed with astonishment at this wholly unexpected greeting that for a moment I could hardly re ply; but I managed to thank him and ask him to take a seat. We had a pleasant chat of ten minutes with regard to the roads, the weather, our Siberian experiences, the changed appearance of Irkutsk, etc., and then Captain makofski said: I understand that you are interested, among other things, in prisons and the exile system. I think you will find the city prison here in good condition. I will send some one to show you through it, and I will not forewarn the prison officers that you are coming – you shall see it just as it is every day.