Aaron Hoffstein
SPECIAL TO THINK & ASK
NEW YORK CITY

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The private investigator confirmed his suspicions. Journalist Jeffrey Allen Miller was targeted on a 'watch list' by the FBI for "spreading propaganda. What the hell does that mean, I asked." The man didn't elaborate. Miller said, "But it was not uncommon for journalists, but obviously you are guilty without a hearing."

As the man only offered to speak a few minutes, "my mind was racing to do two things -- first, I had to verify this guy was legitimate for the $2,000 I'd paid. And second, I needed to know what they've got on me and less about 'how' the FBI got it."

In what he describes as "something like a drug deal," Miller had left the payment in a laundromat dryer in Chinatown per the instructions of the private investigator weeks earlier. As the investigator reported his findings on the telephone, Miller was immediately convinced that the man was credible.

"It did cross my mind that this guy, I've never met, was working for the FBI, but that is just another joke on me for pursuing the investigation in the first place." The investigator told Miller that a woman was let into his apartment to observe in November 2002. "She posed as social worker and offered me $30 cash to answer 'anonymous questions' for nationwide survey," Miller said.

The woman sat quietly in his apartment and sorted through her own paperwork. "But the investigator said that she made notations of my body movements, apartment furnishings, and wrote that the telephone rang four-times while she was there, but that I did not answer."

The investigator repeated additional events to Miller that no one would have known unless they were by his side at the time. "Sneaking a fag one night outside in relative's backyard in California, when no one was home," Miller said. "And he detailed a spur-of-the moment drive to the beach one evening to take photographs of the sunset in an area he said was known for drug trafficking and prostitution." Miller said the man described the automobile and liscence plate number and that he was parked suspiciously for 23 minutes.

The investigator also named a friend of Miller's from high school who was questioned. Miller and his friend regularly speak on the telephone, "although he and I do not agree on the government's role, of all my friends, he was likely the best candidate to interview because my friends in New York know what has been going on," Miller said.

Miller later contacted his high school friend who verified he'd been questioned under the premise that Miller was up for a community service award in New York City.

And the investigator told Miller that the FBI had been in touch with his employer, IBM; although there was no further information about the content of that connection. "As he told me this, I realized the damage was done.

"More than most, my employer had a good reputation for leaving employees alone to do what they wanted outside of working hours," but he was concerned that if his name had a red flag on some list at IBM, perhaps the next layoff round would include him.

All roads led to his website, Think & Ask, the investigator told him and the FBI was on his trail first in October 2002 shortly after Miller's story on Afghanistan was published. The conversation ended; "It was as if he was on a timed-telephone, we were cut-off without saying goodbye." When Miller dailed the number a second and third time, the out-of-service recording played.

"Of course, I had questions for him, but that was the extent of our conversation, and quite honestly I felt the investment to confirm what I suspected was worth the money," Miller said. "But what do I do with this information now? I have no protection."

How the FBI determines who they will investigate and "to what extent they will go to really cause you hardship," is simply an unknown, he said. Under the provisions in the U.S. Patriot Act, any Federal investigation or probe is justified, even without cause.

During July and August 2003, Miller returned to Paris for work, and like all of his prior preparations to leave the United States, "nothing ever happened on my departure -- I check in, go through security and onto the plane." But similarly to his early trip abroad in March, when he returned to JFK, customs officers detained him.

"This time I was ready," Miller said. At the first check-point "where they swipe your passport," Miller was friendly with the customs agent, "and he was sweet back, you know, asked me where I'd been and had I enjoyed Paris." The guy chatted with Miller briefly, "but his face and tone changed when he swiped my passport.

"I immediately leaned into his counter space to see if I could read what was on the computer monitor." The customs agent mumbled under his breath, "that 'Oh, this can't be right.'" Miller said that all he could see was the black screen, green text, and flashing green text. "He told me to wait a minute, and he called someone."

Customs agents escorted Miller to a holding area, and then accompanied him to retrieve his luggage. "They went through luggage, asked me every question imaginable about my trip 'Where had I been, What did I do, Why had I visited France, and why I stayed two months,' and 'Who was my employer.'" This time, Miller told customs that he was a self-employed journalist. He did not mention he was employed with IBM.

"I was not sure what would come of my 'inaccurate' employment answer, I assumed they knew everything already so I had nothing to lose, except I did want to hint, that as a journalist, I would be keeping notes."

After two hours passed, customs allowed Miller to leave. "What I was thinking at the time was, if they really wanted to get me big-time, they could plant drugs in my luggage and that would pretty much be the end of me," he said.

Before the year was out, Miller was given notice of layoff from IBM after nine years with the company.

"With a company the size of IBM and with so many employees, it is impossible to know details of what goes on behind HR policy, and what is truly written in your employee record that only managers have access to," Miller said.

From the official transcripts of Miller's employee reviews however, he was given high ratings for his contributions and skills. "I know many employees at IBM who were laid off due to lack of performance, and I suspected that I too might just be given a poor rating as they'd given me the axe."

Contrary to his suspicion, he was given the highest rating possible for his last year. "That did not make sense, although it translated into a higher bonus for 2003," Miller said.

In Fall 2004, Miller, while extending his job search to Europe, left the United States for seven weeks and when he returned to JFK on 7 December 2004, "I walked through customs in five minutes flat, they swiped my passport... nothing happened. They didn't wink, squirt, or care. And this time, I felt it.

"I think the damage is done, if the ultimate goal of these investigations is to 'get you where it hurts,' they've succeeded, I no longer had a job as the country actually goes through its worst hiring recession of all time," Miller said. "Mission accomplished!"

While his professional future remains uncertain, Miller says that he'll continue to investigate for news stories. "There is really nothing left for them to take away from me while I'm alive, so, my spirit to carry on and uncover 'unjustice' must match theirs."

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