What Not To Write On Your Safety Clearance Kind
as reported within the [REDACTED] checklist and RISKS
Date: 01 Apr 88 1620 PST
From: Les Earnest <LES...@S...>
Topic: The “earlier account” referred to in RISKS-6.51
e-t-a-o-n-r-i Spy and the FBI
Studying a e book bought me into early trouble–I had an FBI document
by age twelve. This weird incident induced an issue a lot later
after I wanted a safety clearance. I realized that I may receive
one solely by concealing my sordid previous.
A buddy named Bob and I learn the e book “Secret and Pressing,” by
Fletcher Pratt [Blue Ribbon Books; Garden City, NY; 1942] which was
an early widespread account of codes and ciphers. Pratt confirmed the best way to
use letter frequencies to interrupt ciphers and reported that probably the most
incessantly occurring letters in typical English textual content are
e-t-a-o-n-r-i, in that order. (The letter frequency order of the
story you at the moment are studying is e-t-a-i-o-n-r. The upper frequency
of “i” in all probability displays the truth that _I_ use the primary particular person
singular so much.) Pratt’s e book additionally handled extra superior
cryptographic schemes.
Bob and I made a decision that we wanted to have a safe solution to
talk with one another, so we put collectively a slightly elaborate
jargon code based mostly on the rules described within the e book. I do not
keep in mind precisely why we thought we wanted it–we spent a lot of
our time exterior of college collectively, so there was ample time to
speak privately. Nonetheless, you by no means may inform if you may have to
ship a secret message!
We made two copies of the code key (an outline of the best way to encrypt
and decrypt our messages) within the type of a single typewritten
sheet. We every took a duplicate and carried it on our individuals in any respect
instances once we have been sporting garments.
I really did not put on garments a lot. I spent almost all my time
exterior faculty sporting only a saggy pair of maroon swimming trunks.
That wasn’t thought-about too bizarre in San Diego.
I had not too long ago been given glasses to put on however typically saved them
in a tough case within the pocket of the trousers that I wore to high school.
I figured that this was an excellent place to cover my copy of the code
key, so I fastidiously folded it to one-eighth of its unique measurement
and caught it on the backside of the case, beneath my glasses.
Each probability I bought, I went physique browsing at Previous Mission Seashore. I
normally glided by streetcar and, since I needed to switch Downtown, I
wore garments. Sadly, whereas I used to be using the trolley dwelling
from the seaside one Saturday, the case carrying my glasses slipped
out of my pocket unnoticed. I reported the loss to my mom that
evening. She chastised me and later referred to as the streetcar firm.
They mentioned that the glasses hadn’t been turned in.
After a couple of weeks of ready in useless for the glasses to show up, we
started to lose hope. My mom did not rush getting alternative
glasses in view of the truth that I hadn’t worn them a lot they usually
price about $8, a big sum at the moment. (To me, $8 represented 40
spherical journeys to the seaside by streetcar, or 80 admission charges to the
motion pictures.)
Unknown to us, the case had been discovered by a patriotic citizen who
opened it, found the code key, acknowledged that it should belong
to a Japanese spy and turned it over to the FBI This was in
1943, simply after residents of Japanese descent had been compelled off
their property and brought away to focus camps. I keep in mind
listening to {that a} native grocer was secretly a Colonel within the Japanese
Military and had hidden his uniform at the back of his retailer. A number of
folks really believed these items.
About six weeks later, after I occurred to be off on one other
escapade, my mom was visited by a person who recognized himself as
an investigator from the FBI (She was a college administrator,
however occurred to be at dwelling engaged on her Ph.D. dissertation.) She
observed that there have been two extra males ready in a automobile exterior. The
agent requested a variety of questions on me, together with my
occupation. He reportedly was fairly upset when he realized
that I used to be solely 12 years outdated.
He ultimately revealed why I used to be being investigated, confirmed my
mom the glasses and the code key and requested her if she knew the place
it got here from. She did not, in fact. She requested if we may get
the glasses again and he agreed.
My mom informed the investigator how glad she was to get them again,
contemplating that they price $8. He did a gradual burn, then mentioned
“Girl, this case has price the federal government hundreds of {dollars}. It
has been the highest precedence in our workplace for the final six weeks. We
traced the glasses to your son from the prescription by analyzing
the recordsdata of almost each optometrist in San Diego.” It apparently
did not happen to them that if I have been a actual Japanese spy, I’d
have introduced the glasses with me from headquarters.
The FBI agent gave again the glasses however saved the code key “for
our data.” They apparently weren’t absolutely satisfied that they
have been dealing simply with youngsters.
Since our communication scheme had been compromised, Bob and I
devised a brand new key. I began carrying it in my pockets, which I
thought was safer. I do not keep in mind ever exchanging any
cryptographic messages. I used to be all the time prepared, although.
Just a few years later after I was in school, I bought a summer season job on the
Naval Electronics Lab, which required a safety clearance. One in every of
the questions on the applying type was “Have you ever ever been
investigated by the FBI?” Naturally, I checked “Sure.” The subsequent
query was, “In that case, describe the circumstances.” There was very
little area on the shape, so I answered merely and actually, “I used to be
suspected of being a Japanese spy.”
After I handed the shape in to the safety officer, he scanned it
shortly, regarded me over slowly, then mentioned, “Clarify this”–pointing
on the FBI query. I described what had occurred.
He bought very agitated, picked up my type, tore it in items, and
threw it within the waste basket.
He then bought out a clean type and handed it to me, saying “Right here,
fill it out once more and do not point out that. If you happen to do, I am going to make
positive that you simply by no means get a safety clearance.”
I did as he directed and was shortly granted the clearance. I
by no means once more disclosed that incident on safety clearance types.
On one other event a lot later, I realized by probability that placing
sure provocative data on a safety clearance type can
enormously pace up the clearance course of. However that’s one other story.
Les Earnest
Edited and transformed to HTML by Dan Bornstein,
danfuzz@milk.com.