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Allen Clayton West

Allen Clayton West would later claim (and it is believed by many historians) to have masterminded the escape.

Convict Allen Clayton West, a native of New York, was also brought into the scheme – though he later claimed that he had been the one to design the plan that resulted in the successful escape. Some have strongly disputed his claim, since Morris had previously masterminded similar types of escapes, and pertinent reading materials on fabricating the apparatus used in the escape had been found in his cell. The style of this escape was also reminiscent of Morris’ earlier bank heists.

West resided in cell #140 on the same tier as Morris and the Anglins, and regardless of who had actually masterminded the scheme, he proved to be the perfect accomplice. West carried a reputation as an arrogant criminal. He was serving out his second term at Alcatraz for a relatively unglamorous crime, interstate transportation of stolen vehicles. West also had a history of failed and aggressive escape attempts. In one such attempt at a Florida prison, West had held a gun to the Associate Warden’s head, demanded his car keys and then escaped in his car. West had become acquainted with John Anglin while serving time together at the State Penitentiary in Florida.

The plan for the Alcatraz escape started to take shape in December of 1961. It was a complex strategy that involved the design and fabrication of ingenious lifelike dummies, water rafts, and life preservers, all made from over fifty rain coats acquired from other inmates (some donated and others stolen), and a variety of crudely fashioned tools. In later interviews with the FBI and Alcatraz Prison Officials, West indicated that he had masterminded the escape, and had brought Morris in last of all, after the Anglins. Although it is still unclear who actually conceived the scheme, West’s interview provides significant insight into the planning and details of the escape. It establishes that he was at least a key participant, and likely the most reliable source of a specific chronology for the planning sequence and the escape itself.

In the FBI interview, West stated that he began pondering the idea of escaping from Alcatraz in May of 1961. It was apparently common knowledge among inmates that there were eight ventilator holes in the ceiling of C Block that had not been used for several years. The vent covers had allegedly been cemented closed, according to many of the inmates in the general prison population. West stated that during a routine painting assignment he noticed that one of the ventilators had not been cemented shut. He said that after covertly examining the vent opening, he determined that that it would be possible, with minimal labor, to make a successful escape onto the cellhouse roof. West also claimed that during one of his painting assignments he had noticed that there was a vent duct which ran down the side of the cellhouse. He stated that given these two factors, he felt that a well-planned escape could conceivably succeed.

During a routine painting detail, inmate Allen West noticed that one of the roof ventilators had not been cemented shut. This marked the beginning of his collaboration with Morris and the Anglins on one of the greatest prison escapes ever recorded.

At around this time plumbers were working in the utility corridor, and after they had completed their work, West was ordered to clean out the refuse from inside the narrow space. While cleaning smaller particles from the floor on his hands and knees, he noticed something wrapped in soiled paper and hidden beneath a cement support. When he opened the package, he found that it contained several old rusty saw blades and some makeshift metal files. He guessed that they had been hidden for ten to twenty years, based on their severely rusted condition.

West said that sometime after making this discovery he reported his finding to John Anglin, who was apparently already aware of the possibility of escaping through one of the ventilation