COMPUTER MEMORIES, Chapter 08

A SPY FOR THE FBI
(Nothing to do with Computers)

One day, while stationed at Fort Monmouth, NJ, I was called into the Major’s office and told to report to a certain building at a certain time. He very gruffly, and very sternly told me they would not tell him why I was going to that meeting, but I must — with much emphasis on the must — tell him what it was all about, when I returned. The building I went to was surrounded by guards, and during the next couple of hours, several high-ranking officers said that we were to keep an eye out for spies, problems of any kind, suspicions we might have, and anything out of the ordinary that we might see or hear, anywhere on the Army Post. We were forbidden to tell anyone that this meeting even took place, and certainly never tell anyone what we were supposed to be doing.

An unsigned letter was to be mailed each week to a Post Office Box in a nearby city, and they would not reimburse anyone for the stamp or the envelope. I remembered that number and the name of the city for many years, but never wrote it down, and have forgotten it by now. We were never to talk or associate with anyone else in the room, and were assured that other people would be watching all of us, to make sure. I told them that my Major had said I must inform him what this was all about, so they gave me a telephone number — I had to memorize it, not write it down — for the Major to call.

The Major was ready to court-martial me when I wouldn’t tell what had happened, so I again told him to call the phone number that I had memorized, and had mentioned to him a few minutes earlier. The number was dialed, then the Major demanded that the person on the other end of the line tell him what was going on. Then I saw his face turn to stone, and he almost came to attention in his chair, and said, “Yes sir! Yes sir!” and hung up. He turned to me and said if I ever got in even a little trouble, some part of my anatomy would be hung from the nearest flag pole, but he asked no more questions.

My duties in the IBM room required that I visit most every office on the Fort. Many times I had to be accompanied by a guard when I visited this office and that, where a high security clearance was required. Apparently the reason I was called to the meeting, was because, in the course of my daily work, I visited all parts of the Army Post. I really did look and listen while I worked, but was never aware of anything out of the ordinary. At times I would see someone who had attended the famous meeting, but of course we never spoke to each other.

I sent a report of “Nothing to report” weekly for the rest of the time I was in the Army, and never heard anything from anyone — so who knows! After I was discharged and returned home, some neighbors asked why someone, maybe the FBI, was asking questions, and was so interested in me. So I guess they really did do some investigating before inviting me to that meeting.

SEN. McCARTHY AND THE ROSENBERGS, AT FT. MONMOUTH
A couple of years later, in 1953 Senator Joe McCarthy focused his Anti-Communist hearings on spy rings at Ft. Monmouth, NJ. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg had worked at Ft. Monmouth, and had stolen some sensitive information while working there in the 1940s. It turned out that there were a number of Russian spies at Fort Monmouth in addition to the Rosenbergs, and perhaps they were involved with the Atom bomb secrets that were stolen, then given to the Russians. Apparently that’s the reason for the spy-hunter group I was a part of, but at the meeting, no one told us about the Rosenbergs, whose trial had resulted in their conviction on March 29, 1951. I don't remember the date of my famous "spy-meeting," so don't know if it was before or after the Rosenberg trial.

For all I know there may have been Russian spies at Ft. Monmouth years earlier, but the group I was a part of, seems to prove that someone tried to find them, before Senator McCarthy started his investigation. A few years after that, Congress decided Ft. Monmouth was so compromised by Soviet penetration that it had to be shut down. I don’t believe that ever happened, but some Google sites say it was to be closed, others say it stayed open. (It is still open today, but may soon be closed as a money saving measure, as part of the base-closing action.)

The bottom line is that while I was well aware of Senator McCarthy and his investigation of the US Army, and had heard the name "Ft. Monmouth" mentioned during that hearing, it wasn't until early in 2005, when I used Google to do some fact checking for this Tidbit, that I made the connection between being a "spy-for-the-FBI" at Ft. Monmouth, and the possible connection with the Senator and the Rosenbergs. Trivia galore! Google has tons of information about the Rosenbergs, McCarthy, and Ft. Monmouth, so have fun, if that’s of interest to you.

VISITS TO THE CONGRESSIONAL GALLERY
During many visits, over many years, whenever I had to be in Washington DC, I made sure I had time to visit the Capitol building, and visit in the gallery of the House of Representatives and the Senate. One time I was supposed to be at a cocktail party of some kind, and my boss was very unhappy to find I would prefer to visit the Capitol Building, instead of joining fellow employees in the lounge at a fancy hotel.

During those visits, when possible I rode the subway that connected the Capitol building with the Senate office buildings. I would make sure I had a very good “current event” question to ask, then jumped in the seat next to Senator Knowland, Senator Bricker, Senator Goldwater, Senator Cranston, and several others who were famous in those days. They were always polite, and held a friendly conversation with the little interloper.

SEN. McCARTHY'S LAST SPEECH
One last item of trivia on this subject: In those days it was easy to get a ticket to sit in the Senate gallery, and watch the proceedings. It was pure coincidence that I happened to be there in 1957 (while working for the RAND Corp.), when Senator McCarthy gave his last speech on the Senate floor. He died a few days later.