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RECORDED: [location unknown], 1976-10-16 & 24 SUMMARY: In an interview by Scott Dixon of CFAX Radio, former BC cabinet minister Robert E. Sommers (1911-2000) discusses "the Sommers Affair" of the 1950s. While serving as BC's Minister of Lands and Forests (1952-1956), Sommers was accused of accepting bribes in connection with the issuance of forestry management licences by his department. A number of forestry company officials were charged with giving bribes, and Sommers was charged with receiving them. Sommers was eventually tried, and in 1958 he was convicted on five of the seven counts. As a result, he was the first elected politician in the British Commonwealth to be jailed for corruption. Sommers discusses some details of the episode and its impact on the Social Credit government of W.A.C. Bennett; his own actions in response to the allegations; and his arrest and conviction. He also discusses the role of Attorney-General Robert Bonner.