BUGS leader got visited by the FBI.

In the far, far gone days when my little Reagan appointment included clearance for Federal jobs, lower clearances were a matter of phone calls from OPM personnel. You gave them three starting references and they then got three from each of those; the check was pretty thorough.

But when you got up to my own clearance and anything above a certain level, the FBI had a very effective method.

It scared the living hell out of my friends and relations. In their last exciting episodes of the Life of Bob, it was everywhere from unexplained visits to Africa to dealing with the Klan and militant black groups.

Then the FBI showed up.

And the FBI did NOT say, “We are doing a background on a cleared government appointee.”

Two agents would walk up, show their badges and say, “Do you know Robert Whitaker?” The exact approach they used with criminal fugitives.

It was enormously effective. During the whole questioning the FBI never told them whether I was being cleared for a job or being chased down on a charge.

I got a few pretty panicky calls about that.

Actually, it doesn’t really matter WHY they need, “Just the facts, ma’am,” as they face the same penalties for lying FOR me or lying AGAINST me. So the FBI is never going to be friendly or hold your hand.

Of course, all this was true a generation ago.

The “X-Files” had Agent Mulder doing the sort of routine calls lower-level OPM staff did for routine civil service clearances, and by phone.

In my experience, no such call ever went out of the FBI, least of all checking their OWN newbies’ backgrounds.

Any international demonstration like ours is going to be checked out.

Deal with them the way they deal with you, objective, FACTUAL, and little or no humor started on your side. Watching the old “Dragnet” program wouldn’t hurt.

I was reading a book by a former cop. He made a point which is well worth remembering. He said, “When I walk up to the car door on a possible traffic violation, it is the fifteenth person I have stopped that day and there will be fifteen or twenty more.

But for the driver it is a unique event. Even for somebody who gets lots of tickets, my showing up is not routine.”

When you get questioned, try to keep in mind it’s all in a Day’s work for the guy with the badge, be he DHS, FBI or a county deputy.

Tell the truth and let him get on to the next fifteen people.