On February 9, local time, the FBI released a 1991 background investigation report on Steve Jobs, who was working at NeXT Computer Company at the time. (Steve Jobs). The reason for conducting a background check on Jobs was that the then George W. Bush administration wanted Jobs to serve as an adviser to the Export Council. The documents were made public after Jobs' death under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act.
In fact, there is nothing particularly surprising in this 191-page report, and most of the "highlights" have basically been mentioned in the "Jobs Biography". However, we can use this report to understand how the FBI conducts a "background check" on an ordinary person.
Step 1: Questionnaire
On pages 8-24 of this report, there is a "Questionnaire for Sensitive Positions" (Questionnaire for Sensitive Positions) filled out by Jobs himself - Standard Form 86). In addition to basic personal and family information, the questionnaire also includes questions about military service, criminal records, and work status.
How did the FBI conduct a background check on Steve Jobs?
In the family survey on page 12 of the questionnaire, except for his late mother, the names of everyone else have been blacked out. However, we can see from the "Relationship Code" item that Jobs did not enter his biological father and mother into the form, nor did he fill in the relationship between his mother and mother as "adoptive parents."
Step 2: Database investigation
The next step in the FBI background investigation is to check all information related to Jobs in various databases, including National Crime Information Center (NCIC, 26 pages), Electronic Information Surveillance Management System (ELSUR, 30 pages), Department of Justice (DOJ, 144 pages), Secret Service (Secret Service, 145 pages), bank records, etc.
Of course, there is no criminal record of Jobs in these databases, and the application and receipt for each investigation are visible in the report. It is worth mentioning that the FBI also asked the White House to verify whether Jobs was already serving in the White House (page 143), which seemed superfluous...
Step 3: Social Relations Investigation
The FBI's investigation of Jobs's social relations is mainly divided into: 1. Interview with Jobs himself; 2. Investigation of Jobs' acquaintances and friends; 3. Investigation of Jobs' workplace; 4. Investigation of Jobs' neighbors. Each of these was conducted in the form of interviews and forms the bulk of this report.
In the investigation report, Jobs was basically called the "Appointee". Based on the specific content of each interview, it can be seen that the FBI mainly asked and investigated the following issues:
Jobs’ personal situation, including personality, etc.
Jobs’ work status, and his work status.
Jobs’ history of drug abuse. (Each interviewee was asked whether he knew that Jobs had smoked marijuana and LSD)
Whether Jobs was biased and discriminatory on certain issues, such as racial issues, gender issues, etc.
Do you think the U.S. government can trust Steve Jobs and let him hold important positions?
The "best version" of the report is mainly concentrated between pages 39-48, which contains the core content of about seven interviews. Basically, the vast majority of the interviewees believed that Jobs was a very smart and successful leader, and most people did not know that Jobs had smoked marijuana and LSD. His neighbor also said that after Jobs moved in, he specifically asked whether the landscape of his house would block the neighbor's view (page 85).
However, it is not all praise. In an interview on page 53, the name of the interviewee has been omitted, but according to some details, he should be Steve Jobs at Apple. entrepreneurial partners. In the interview, interviewees believed that Jobs was "not honest" and "was not willing to distort the facts to achieve his own ends." He also gave an example, but it was erased by the FBI.
Later, the interviewee also mentioned that Jobs "smoked marijuana and LSD freely" in college, but he did not see it with his own eyes. He also pointed out that Jobs did not initially support his ex-girlfriend and illegitimate daughter, but has now begun to support him again. Finally, he concluded that even though he and Jobs were not friends, he still believed that Jobs would be suitable to serve in government.
On page 55, another interviewee said that Jobs's "moral character is suspect" (his moral character is suspect) and that he is "no longer friends with Jobs." Because at that time Jobs did not provide him with Apple equity as promised, which might have made him very rich. He also pointed out that Jobs alienated many people in order to achieve his own goals and the fact that he had an illegitimate daughter. But he also believed Jobs was suited to serve in government.
On page 64, another Apple employee said that Jobs’ lifestyle changed after he joined some “Eastern or/and Indian mystical religion” (presumably Zen Buddhism). A lot has changed and started living a "Spartan" life. At the same time, he also pointed out that Jobs was not an engineer in the true sense, but an "innovative force" in the technology community.
Troublesome FBI...
After reading the entire 191-page report, we can basically understand how this so-called "background investigation" is done. After the first round of investigation of the respondent, the FBI will also conduct a supplementary investigation through "Special Inquiry" (such as the interview with IBM on page 131).
In addition, the report also focused on an ongoing lawsuit at the time, in which Apple sued Jobs over the dispute between the Macintosh and Lisa. Court records are attached to the report, and it is noted several times that this report will not be officially completed until the appeal is concluded (page 33).
In short, this FBI report can definitely be described as "every detail". They examined all aspects of Jobs - including birth certificate, adoption record (78 pages), real estate, education experience, and workplace. And so on - all the relevant departments were individually inquired.