How long were you stationed in Jedda?
18 MONTHS (SEPTEMBER 1987 TO FEBRUARY/MARCH 1989)
How many visa applicants per day / week / month did you usually get? (approximately)
THIS VARIED DEPENDING ON TIME OF YEAR (E.G, FOLLOWING THE HAJ OR MAJOR FEAST DAYS, APPLICATIONS SHOT UP.) FIGURED I ADJUDICATED ABOUT 45,000 APPLICATIONS A YEAR. ROCK BOTTOM, MAYBE AVERAGED 100 PLUS PER DAY. WHEN IT WAS REALLY BUSY, HAD ONE OF MY STAFF INTERVIEWING WITH ME ALONG WITH THE CIA CASE OFFICER (ANDY WEBER) AS WELL.
How many of them (or what percentage of them) did you usually approve?
THIS DEPENDED ON THE NATIONALITY FOR THE MOST PART, ALTHOUGH REASONS GIVEN FOR THE TRAVEL PLUS OTHER INFO DEVELOPED DURING THE 2-MINUTE INTERVIEW, SUCH AS TYPE OF JOB THEY HAD PLAYED A ROLE. E.G., ETHIOPIANS WERE NEARLY ALWAYS REFUSED WHILE EUROPEANS WEREN'T. INDIANS, PAKISTANIS, OTHER NATIONALITIES WITH HIGH FRAUD PROFILES GOT REFUSED OFTEN AS DID NURSES FROM CHINA AND THE PHILIPPINES (THEY KNEW THE MINUTE THEY GOT OFF THE AIRPLANE THEY HAD A JOB AND COULD GET PERMANENT RESIDENCE EASILY.)
How many times (or what pct of the time) were you overruled after you decided not to issue a visa?
THIS VARIED AS WELL. THIS AND THE FOREGOING QUESTION HAVE BEEN OFTEN ASKED OF ME. I COULD GO A WEEK AND ONLY GET A COUPLE OF DEMANDS TO ISSUE A VISA "OR ELSE" OR IT COULD BE SEVERAL TIMES A DAY. AS A GUESSTIMATE, WOULD SAY THAT THIS HAPPENED ON AT LEAST 200 OCCASIONS. THIS EXCLUDES CASES WHERE THE GUY HAD A CLEAN PASSPORT FROM A LOW-FRAUD COUNTRY AND A BELIEVEABLE COVER STORY. NO IDEA HOW MANY OF THESE SLIPPED THROUGH.
Were you ever given explanations or further information about why your decision was not considered final?
NO, NOT REALLY. THERE WAS ONE SUDANESE THE POLITICAL OFFICER, KAREN SASAHARA (REALLY A CIA CASE
OFFICER)HAD DEMANDED A VISA FOR AND JUSTICE STEVENS, WHOM I THINK MORE AND MORE WAS ANOTHER SPOOK, TOLD ME HE HAD ISSUED HIM A VISA "FOR NATIONAL SECURITY REASONS"--AND NEVER EXPLAINED WHAT THEY WERE. SAME WAS FOR THE TEEN-AGED CHILDREN OF A FILIPINO ELECTRICIAN. STEVENS GAVE HIM STUDENT VISAS FOR THE GIRLS TO ATTEND HIGH SCHOOL HERE AFTER I HAD REFUSED THEM, SAYING THE GUY HAD BEEN VERY HELPFUL TO THE CONSULATE (BUT NOT ELABORATING).
Were you ever visa officer anywhere else?
NO. WAS HIRED AS AN ECONOMIC OFFICER AND EVERYONE HAS TO DO A STINT ON THE VISA LINE. (TOO MANY
APPLICANTS AND NOT ENOUGH OFFICERS.) FORGOT TO TELL YOU THAT THE CIA BASE CHIEF DEMANDED THAT I GIVE HIS STAFF DAILY ALL THE APPROVED VISA APPLICATIONS AND PASSPORTS BEFORE I WOULD BE ALLOWED TO ISSUE ANY VISAS. THIS HAD STEVENS' APPROVAL (AND WOULD NEVER SAY WHY.) WILL SAY THAT IN OTHER ASSIGNMENTS NEVER SAW OR HEARD OF THIS. WAS ONCE TOLD BY PHIL AGEE, THE FORMER CIA CASE OFFICER, THAT HE THOUGHT THIS VISA FUNNY BUSINESS WAS A "LOCAL OPTION" THAT DEPENDED ON THE CIA BASE OR STATION CHIEF. WAS ALSO TOLD BY MARVE GROENEWEG, A RETIRED CONSULAR OFFICER NOW WORKING PART TIME IN THE INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE AT STATE, THAT ONLY ONCE WAS HE APPROACHED BY A CIA CASE OFFICER WHO WANTED TO TROLL HIS VISA APPLICANT FILES.
If so, did anybody ever overrule you there? And if so, how often did that happen?
ASIDE FROM THE BOYS AT JEDDAH, THERE WERE A FEW MORE ELSEWHERE. BOB SAGE WAS A CIA ARABIC LINGUIST ASSIGNED AT JEDDAH TO NSA'S SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE OPERATION. HE WAS LATER TRANSFERRED TO BAGHDAD JUST BEFORE THE FIRST GULF WAR. SEEMED PLEASANT ENOUGH AND TOOK CARE OF MY CATS ON OCCASION. (BUT WHO KNOWS?). IN STUTTGART, TWO SPOOKS CONFIRMED INDIRECTLY BY STATE'S LEGAL ADVISOR'S OFFICE WERE DOUGLAS JONES AND DAY OLIN MOUNT.
