When
I was assigned to undercover investigations for the Food and Drug
Administration, I was issued a 1960 Studebaker Lark; 8 cylinders, 180
horsepower, 0 - 60 mph in 10 seconds, powerful and fast, (I once drove it
across the Delmarva Peninsula at 120 miles per hour); a very responsive and easy
to handle machine. I loved that car! With the exception of my lark, our 'official'
cars were all off-white, bore US Government license plates, and a logo on both
front door panels that proclaimed 'US Government Interagency Motor Pool, For
Official Use Only'. My Lark carried Maryland plates and was free of any
indications that it was other than a civilian's car. Apparently some one in the
General Services Administration purchasing department believed this to be an
ideal car for clandestine surveillance, stake-outs, tailing evil-doers,
etc.—NOT! It was definitely unfit for that kind of work. The Lark was brand new
on the American market, a compact of unique design in an era of much larger
cars, had only limited popularity (during the two years that I drove it around
my four state district, I saw only one other Lark), AND IT WAS LIME GREEN! It
stood out in a parking lot, anywhere around town, on the highway—and the motor
pool guys kept it shiny bright. It was just about useless for undercover work.
But it was the only unmarked car assigned to our agency and I had to share it
on occasion.
The
investigator in charge of the Raleigh-Durham satellite station needed an
unmarked car for an investigation. Instead of authorizing him to rent a car
locally, our chief investigator had him fly up to Baltimore and drive my Lark
back to his post. A week into his investigation he requested the help of
another investigator—I was 'it'. Instead of flying me to Raleigh, which would have been faster and probably not much more expensive, I was directed to drive one of the
marked cars assigned to us and drive my Lark back at the conclusion
of the investigation. I was issued a 1959 Plymouth sedan, the car I had
originally been assigned when I first joined the agency. It was a heavy,
low-powered dog and miserably uncomfortable on long drives. But it was the only
car the motor pool had available.
After
a miserable, nine-hour drive from Baltimore to Raleigh without the convenience
of even a mile of the new Interstate system, I checked into a motel in a suburb
north of town. As soon as I had brought my luggage to my room, I called the
resident investigator and told him where I was. He said that he would pick me
up at dawn the following morning and we would continue searching for our
suspect. I had checked in Monday and we called a halt to our unsuccessful endeavor
late Friday evening. We exchanged the Plymouth for the Lark, and I returned to
Baltimore the next day after an enjoyable, less time consuming drive in my lime
green Lark.
As
soon as I arrived at my desk Monday morning, I was told that the chief wanted
to see me immediately. With only a cursory greeting, he handed me an envelope
addressed to 'Whom it may concern, Interagency Motor Pool, Baltimore, Md.'
Inside was a letter from an irate citizen who stated that a government car she
described and included the license number, the 1959 Plymouth, had been parked
in front of the correctly identified motel for an entire week in the same spot;
it had never moved. She was sure that the driver of that car, a freeloading
government employee, had never left the motel and therefore must not have been
working. In other words, he was wasting her tax money and should be fired. The
chief had already talked to the Raleigh agent and told me I was cleared of that
charge. But he was still angry. Why had we two idiots not taken the Plymouth to
the GSA motor pool in Raleigh when I arrived and left it there? I had no
answer. He ended the interview with, "Always be aware that the public is
watching everything we do. They don't like us very much."
What do you think of this article? Please post your comment
on my Facebook Timeline, on Facebook, or send it to me at mailto:bfoswald78@gmail.com. Thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment