The MAISON CENTRALE at CLAIRVAUX, located at approximately 15 kilometers of BAR-SUR-AUBE, sheltered its batch of Communists and other persons in charge for left which them activity put under the fire of the projectors or of which denouncement - current in these disturbed times the arrest had caused.

The monastic buildings of the famous abbey transformed into prison were the place of detention of 1117 people in 1941, 332 in 1942, 147 in 1943 and 150 in May 1944.

These prisoners belonged - at least with regard to some of them to competence to the Special Police station to TROYES.

The jail at CLAIRVAUX will be also the place of detention of Jews and one knows, for example, that the convoy n° 36 of September 23, 1942 left the BOURGET-DRANCY with 1037 Jews including 53 coming from CLAIRVAUX.

The letter of June 4, 1941 presented hereafter is interesting in the sense that its author, a railwayman, fact state of the denouncement of which it was victim and which it never affirms not to have belonged to the Communist Party nor exerted any trade-union responsibility.

It specifies in addition that the visits are authorized but that it can send only one letter per week. The mail coming from outside is not fixed quotas for. It evokes also a possible release or the transfer in a camp.