Humes, Plimpton, Mailer, and Maxwell T. Cohen, Buckley's lawyer, confronted Police Commissioner Stephen P. Kennedy at a raucous hearing.
In the autumn of 1960, Buckley's manager Harold L. Humes organized a series of club dates in New York City as well as for him to make another appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show (that was broadcast from the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York).
However, on October 19, 1960, while Buckley was making a public appearance at the Jazz Gallery in St. Mark's Place in Manhattan, the New York Police Department (NYPD) stopped him over allegations he had "falsified information" on his application to get a cabaret card; specifically he had omitted to record a 1941 arrest for marijuana possession.
[8] Due to opposition from the new Mayor, John Lindsay and his appointed Licensing Commissioner, the system was abolished in its entirety in 1967, with the New York City Council voting 35-1 to eliminate the required cards.
[9] The Council's discussion of the issue included the reading of a message from Frank Sinatra, who would not perform in New York City and had refused to apply for a cabaret card; he cited the application and investigation process to be "demeaning.