Author Topic: US Diplomat Was Investigated for Spying as a Kid Because He Kept Writing Boeing Asking for Photos  (Read 623 times)

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Offline EC

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Couldn't think where else to put this, as we don't have a sweetly innocent and rather funny section. Still, history doesn't have to be ancient.

By most standards, Robert F. Dorr lived the most all-American, patriotic life anyone possibly could. He served in the Air Force, he was a diplomat with the State Department from the 1960s to the 1980s, and he went on to be a successful author and TV pundit about military affairs. But as a teenager, Dorr was investigated by the FBI for potential espionage. His crime? He kept writing to Boeing asking for photos of their planes.

Dorr died in June from a brain tumor at the age of 76, and will be remembered for his writings on military history. But his newly released FBI file, obtained by Gizmodo through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, is actually quite humorous in retrospect, given his interests. Back in the 1950s, when he was still just a kid, the Pentagon and the FBI were concerned that he might be a spy.

When he was 14 years old, Dorr wrote multiple letters to companies like Boeing, asking for 8x10 glossy photos of their latest planes. His devotion was like that of a fan enamored with his favorite singer. But the FBI was alerted to this unusual activity and opened an investigation.

More: http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/us-diplomat-was-investigated-for-spying-as-a-kid-becaus-1793554752

The FBI reports are worth the time to read.  :laugh:
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