1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 233 Theodore: It wasn't my fault after all!

Thursday, March 5th.

Billy Hawke almost arrived late.

The young man, who was even stronger than Bernie, strode into the office with a smug look on his face, immediately attracting the attention of Bernie and Theodore.

Billy Hawke immediately stopped and asked the two men:
"I'm not late, am I?"

Bernie, who had just finished distributing newspapers and was about to return to his workstation to read them, shook his head:
"No, almost."

This job used to be done by Billy Hawke.

In the morning, someone would leave the newspapers at the door. Billy Hawke was usually the first one there. He would distribute the newspapers and then clean the office.

After Theodore and Bernie arrived, they would sometimes take a few minutes to browse the newspaper before officially getting to work.

Billy Hawke breathed a sigh of relief, ran to his seat, and apologized repeatedly.

"Sorry, I overslept today."

Bernie nodded:
"Understandable."

He flipped open the newspaper and pointed to his neck:

"here."

Billy Hawke touched his fingers, but found nothing there, puzzled.

Theodore looked up and glanced up:
"Red."

Billy Hawke was somewhat embarrassed and stammered, unsure of what to say.

Bernie reminded him not to let the supervisor see.

During the selection and training, Agent Blake taught them that this was a matter of inadequate appearance.

Billy Hawke said "Oh," and quickly changed the subject, asking the two if they were going to continue their fieldwork.

Theodore pointed to the newspaper in his hand, preparing to read it before going to the Seventh Precinct.

The newspaper delivery staff will arrange the newspapers in a fixed order.

At the very top is the Washington Star, which has good relations with the FBI.

The Washington Star published a front-page headline: "Born from compromise: Congress agrees on a stripped-down surveillance bill, Hoover wins key tool!"
The article points out that yesterday afternoon, Congress formally passed a bill entitled the "Government Employees Communications Security and Oversight Act".

The bill authorizes the FBI to conduct protective surveillance of communications by certain groups of people.

The scope of supervision mainly includes telephone calls, telegrams, letters, and packages.

The scope of the bill has been significantly narrowed from all government employees to personnel classified as top secret.

The FBI will have the authority to intercept, open, and inspect these individuals' letters and packages, and to monitor and record their communications.

Most employees of government departments who handle "classified" and lower-level information are not subject to this act.

The bill requires the FBI to certify to a three-person security committee, composed of representatives from the Attorney General, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of State, that the surveillance of a particular department or household has a “reasonable and specific necessity” rather than being an indiscriminate mass wiretapping.

Monitoring the communications of employees' family members requires a higher standard of approval.

The FBI must prove that the family member has “suspicious behavior or connections” and cannot automatically trigger surveillance simply because the family member is an employee.

Only after the Security Committee approves the application is the FBI allowed to send technicians and professional supervisors to the homes and workplaces of the individuals on the list to supervise the installation and commissioning of equipment.

This list of personnel under supervision will be subject to extremely rigorous review, and the FBI cannot arbitrarily add or remove personnel from the list.

The FBI's oversight work will also be subject to strict scrutiny.

The bill specifically stipulates that if monitored individuals believe their rights have been violated, they can file a complaint with a three-person security committee. Furthermore, information collected under this law cannot be used directly for criminal prosecution; its sole purpose is to revoke or deny the individual's security clearance.

A reporter from the Washington Star asked Chief Justice Matthew J. Daren of the Supreme Court about the bill.

Matthew J. Darren publicly expressed his opposition:

“We have only set up a few flashing warning lights on the road to abuse of power, but we have not changed the direction of the road.”

“Granting governments the power to monitor their citizens’ homes, even for national security purposes, runs counter to our most cherished tradition of freedom.”

He issued a warning:
"Today's compromise may be the foundation of tomorrow's tyranny."

Some radicals even stated directly:
"This is a stain on freedom! An insult to the Constitution!"

“John Edgar Hoover and his FBI agents were granted permission to monitor everyone.”

"This is only his victory!"

Members of the Elephant Party also publicly expressed their support for the bill:
"This is not a perfect bill, but it is a necessary balance to protect our national secrets. We trust Director Hoover, but we also trust the checks and balances in the United States. Judicial and congressional oversight will ensure that power is not abused."

Some supporters of the bill even publicly denounced the opponents, calling them traitors and Soviet spies, and suggested that the FBI should thoroughly investigate these opponents.

The bill had only been passed one night, less than 24 hours, and the newspapers were already filled with a cacophony of complaints.

The Washington Star, The Washington Post, and many other mainstream media outlets devoted their entire front page to this bill.

Newspapers were filled with expert interpretations of the bill, analyses of its impact after its passage, and opinions from various sectors on the bill.

Theodore carefully read the newspaper reports about the bill.

He suspects the passage of the bill is related to the communications security report he submitted.

Bernie had thought of that too.

He gave Theodore a deep look, turned the newspaper, and read the next page.

The bill, which has garnered significant attention and sparked considerable discussion, along with its related media coverage, failed to elicit a single word of discussion among the three individuals in an office on the basement floor of the Department of Justice building.

Theodore and Bernie quickly skimmed the front page and flipped to the next page.

As for Billy Hawke, by the time they got to the second edition, he had almost finished reading it.

Billy Hawke is even less interested in politics than Theodore and Bernie; he sees things like communications security laws and wiretapping as justifiable.

He lived this kind of life while serving in the Lejeune Battalion.

The second page of the newspaper was filled with entertainment news such as celebrity gossip, and was much less impressive than the front page.

Bernie read a report in a corner at the very back of the second edition.

Reports indicate that the DC Fire Department may have made errors in the conclusions of investigation reports on multiple fire incidents, and there are rumors that the FBI assisted the DC Police Department in arresting a repeat arsonist.

The arsonist had set fires multiple times over the past decade, disguising them as accidents.

The DC Fire Department's accident investigation report on this arsonist concluded that the fire was caused by an accident.

The Washington Star has inquired with senior officials at the DC Fire Department and the DC Police Department about this matter, but received the response that "it involves confidential information and we cannot comment."

Reporters also inquired with the FBI, but received no response.

The article concludes by stating that the newspaper's reporters will continue to follow up on this matter.

This article sparked a discussion between Bernie and Billy Hawke.

They both agreed that the arsonist mentioned in the article was the same arsonist they had arrested.

The two also had a heated discussion about the source of the article's information.

Bernie believes the information was leaked by a police officer.

Just like that officer from the fourth precinct before.

Billy Hawke, however, believes the reporter more likely obtained the information from the DC Fire Department.

The two quickly shifted their discussion from their sources to their concerns about the bald firefighter's situation.

They haven't been in contact with the bald firefighter since they parted ways on Monday, and they don't know the outcome of his report to his supervisor.

Theodore suddenly interrupted:

"I've contacted them."

Bernie and Billy Hawke both looked at him.

Bernie asked him:

"When?"

Theodore closed the newspaper, folded it, and stuffed it into the drawer.
"last night."

He casually picked up the notebook and waved it around:
“The previous fire accident investigation reports he provided have been completed, and I need new reports.”

He said he had just finished compiling a few more copies and could deliver them today.

He checked the time:

"Twenty minutes left." "We'll head to the Seventh Precinct after Michael Francis Kelly brings the report over."

The other two had no objection to this arrangement.

Billy Hawke asks Theodore about the bald firefighter.

Theodore shook his head:

"I don't know, I didn't ask."

Bernie gave him a "I knew it" look.

Theodore hesitated for a moment before asking Bernie to help him invite the bald firefighter to join the FBI.

Bernie thought about it and agreed.

Billy Hawke went to the fifth floor and got the results of the FBI lab's reconstruction of the deceased's identity.

The laboratory determined that the deceased was petite, 160cm tall, weighed approximately 100-110 pounds, had a slender waist, and relatively full breasts and hips.

上胸围约为30-34英寸（大约76到86厘米），下胸围约为25-29英寸（63到73厘米）。

腰围约24-27英寸（61到68厘米），臀围约34-37英寸（86到94厘米）。

Since this was the first time conducting this study, the researchers were relatively conservative in their use of data.

Using the upper and lower limits of this data will result in two completely different body types.

Bernie questioned the data.

He believed that this physique was a bit too healthy for a prostitute at the bottom of the profession.

Bernie used the example of prostitutes in the neighborhood near Rose Street in Felton's West End.

The prostitutes there were either very thin or very fat; very few had such a voluptuous figure.

His chest was so thin it looked like two tattered sacks; he was slender and his skin was loose and sagging.

His fat body looked as if it had been inflated, round and plump like a rugby ball.

Billy Hawke asked Bernie curiously:

"How do you know so clearly?"

Bernie paused for a moment:

“I worked as a street police officer (patrolman) in Felton for a long time.”

“My jurisdiction happens to be in the Rose Street area.”

"Rose Street is Felton's red-light district."

Bernie gave a brief introduction to Rose Street and its surrounding ecology.

Theodore stared at him for a moment, then shook his head:
"The ones you're talking about are prostitutes who have been living in a state of mistreatment for a long time."

"The deceased may have only recently entered this lifestyle, and the nutrients accumulated during the peak of his career have not yet been used up, so he can still maintain his basic physique."

Bernie habitually translates Theodore's words:

"You mean, she was recently dumped by a pimp?"

Billy Hawke agreed with Theodore's analysis.

He provided corroborating evidence from another perspective:
"If the deceased was really as you say, how could the killer have chosen him?"

"Anyway, if I were the murderer, I would never choose a skinny old woman with two pockets hanging from her chest."

Bernie countered him:
"If the murderer would hire a prostitute like her (referring to the deceased), why would he care about her appearance?"

“She suffers from multiple sexually transmitted diseases, her clothes look cheap, and she doesn’t look young anymore.”

"The fact that the murderer was able to find her means that the murderer may not be wealthy and could only afford this price."

He believes that if the murderer could afford more money, he would never have targeted the victim.

He should at least find a healthy prostitute.

Bernie told the two that customers who frequent this type of business should prioritize health, followed by appearance, and then personal preferences such as skin color, hair color, and body shape.

Only customers who can't afford much money will prioritize appearance.

The less money a customer has, the fewer conditions they will focus on.

Theodore couldn't help but retort:
"Their primary concern should be gender."

Bernie fell silent.

Billy Hawke asked Bernie:
"Is this something you learned when you were a street cop in Felton?"

Theodore looked at Bernie.

Bernie nodded.

Billy Hawke remarked that Bernie knew more about the prostitution industry than Walter Pritchett.

Theodore nodded in agreement.

Bernie glanced at Theodore, silently picked up the phone, and contacted Coast Guard Region 5 headquarters to inquire about the salvage results.

The major answered the phone.

The major told him that the three salvage teams had already sailed around their respective salvage areas, and the diving team had already carried out underwater salvage operations at several suspicious locations.

So far, there has been no harvest.

The major took the initiative to introduce the professor's work.

The professor is revising his model, and if all goes well, he is expected to reduce the salvage area by half by noon today.

Theodore, who was listening nearby, was somewhat surprised.

It was only after inquiring that we learned that the major had provided the professor with a large amount of hydrological data on the Potomac River.

Around nine o'clock, the bald firefighter appeared at the office door.

He was wearing a slightly worn dark brown jacket and carrying a stack of eight reports in his arms.

Theodore took the report and flipped through it; it was full of slips of paper.

The bald firefighter explained that the note contained his annotations on the report.

He worried that Theodore would forget his explanations, and with these annotations, he wouldn't have to keep contacting him for advice.

Theodore took the report, thanked him, and then stared at Bernie.

Bernie pointed to the report and asked the bald firefighter:

"Did you write all of these?"

The bald firefighter nodded.

Bernie looked serious and asked again:
"How did the report go?"

The bald firefighter paused for a moment, smiled at the group, and then shook his head.

"I do not know."

"I am still suspended from my duties."

He looked at Theodore:

"I submitted that report, but there's still no result."

Bernie glanced at Theodore and extended an invitation:
"Perhaps you should join us."

Theodore nodded in agreement.

The bald firefighter waved his hand, refusing again:
"Thank you, but no thanks."

“After I went back last time, I thought about it carefully.”

"I've been a firefighter my whole life, and this is all I know how to do."

"You can come to me anytime you encounter problems in the future, but let's forget about me joining you in solving cases."

"The arsonist's case has made me realize that I am not a good fit for you."

Theodore nodded again.

So it wasn't my problem after all!
(End of this chapter)