Big Fraud in the Far Abroad, Part V: It's Still Mostly About Me

By turns, I was furious, outraged, and feeling utterly betrayed after the phone call from my friend. This began some of the darkest days of my career in the Foreign Service. I always had prided myself on honesty and integrity at work. I now felt that a quarter-century of dedicated service, of always going where sent without question, of keeping the secrets, and of doing what I was told had to be done was being flushed away. I could barely breathe. I got up from my chair and stormed out of my office, tore across the front office suite, opened the Ambassador's door and barged into his office. He was meeting the RSO. Both were startled to see me, and, I imagine, the fury in my face and to hear it in my voice.

Before either could say anything, I snapped out, "Am I being investigated? If so, for what? If not, why is Mr. BS telling half the Dulles VIP lounge that I am?"

The Ambassador went pale and then red, he snapped his jaw shut. He looked at the RSO, who made a nodding gesture, pointed at the Ambassador, and said, "Sir, you should tell him, unless you want me to."

I stood glaring at one and then the other. "Well? What the hell is going on?"

The Ambassador said, "Sit down." I did. He then proceded, "It was my decision not to include you in the investigation we have on Long and AC. You deal with her multiple times a day, and I thought it would be uncomfortable for you to have to deal with her knowing that she was being investigated."

I stood up, "I quit. I hand in my resignation right now." The Ambasador asked the RSO to leave the room. "Stop being a baby. You took one for the team. Suck it up."

I wasn't buying it. "I don't understand this at all. Who else knows about this investigation?" He rattled off about five names. "You trust them more than you do me? People under me have kept this secret from me? What do you think they thought? No wonder, BS is going around saying I am being investigated. This stinks."

The Ambassador said, "Look, maybe I made a mistake. To his credit, the RSO was opposed to my decision. I don't know anything about why BS is going around saying you're being investigated. You're not. You can confirm that with the RSO. I am going to send BS a message now and straighten this out. Get read in on the investigation. Tell the RSO I said to give you everything."

I got up and left without another word. Yes, I got read in on the investigation--details to follow--but the relationship with the Ambassador and the RSO never fully recovered. We remained professional and cordial on the surface, but something had died. I just wanted to get out of Colombo. I decided to stay, however, because now I really wanted to see this investigation through to the end.

I sent a rocket email to the office of the Director General demanding that they step in and tell BS to knock it off. I got back an unctuous message saying that, of course, the DG was concerned about the reputation of FSOs, and, of course, the DG could not approve of the maligning of an FSO, and, of course, the DG worried about the compromise of sensitive investigations, but the DG's office knew nothing about any investigation and I would have to take this matter up elsewhere. I still have that email; it's in the Public Storage unit I will be emptying tomorrow.

I did take the matter up elsewhere. I demanded that the RSO send a message to the head of State Department Security in Washington telling him that BS was risking compromise of a major investigation, and maligning me. The RSO did so. To his credit, the head of DS, a former USAF General and a man of considerable integrity, read the Riot Act to BS. The Ambassador, also to his credit, called BS, who told him, "Yeah, that was my bad. If I absolutely have to, I will apologize to Amselem." He never did apologize, but did stop interfering in my onward assignment. Clearly, BS, a strong supporter of Long and no fan of mine, had been embarrassed by the investigation of his pet FSO. He had been pushing her for a cushy, and much sought job in New Zealand. BS went on to achieve infamy for leaking certain classified information to a journalist, and allowing another person to take the blame. You can probably guess who this is, but that's all I will say about him. Lawyers, you understand.

Next episode will be more interesting, and won't be all or even mostly about me. I will lay out what the investigation had picked up about Long. Events will begin to move faster, too. Won't just be me whining about how the system mistreated me.