SCHOOL THESIS

our nation’s very beginning, becoming more significant during World War II and the
creation of the atomic bomb 6 and exploding during the 1980s, known as the decade of the
spy.
While Congress and the public clamor for greater accountability and oversight of
the security clearance program, this may not be realistic given the changed and changing
conditions of an increasingly decentralized workforce and declines in hiring. The federal
government continues toward a more mobile workforce, working via telework or remote
work sites, partly as a result of the seemingly constant reduction in agency budgets, as
well as long, time-consuming commutes. With more outside distractions and less direct
human interaction, it would appear that knowledge of co-workers’ habits would decrease
and lead to less oversight. Self-reporting of violations significant to holding a clearance
reinforces the responsibilities and roles of the security clearance holder, but with what
frequency do employees relay dramatic changes in their lives, for example, attempts to
overthrow the U.S. government, bankruptcy, arrests for misdemeanors, or misuse of
government information systems? By the very nature of the requirement to self-report,
my experience is that it is rarely done. In fact, in almost nine years of government
service, I do not know of a single case where a fellow employee reported he or she was
declaring bankruptcy, using illegal drugs, involved in any type of skullduggery, et cetera.
However, with the current culture of people willingly posting personal
information online, persons could unwittingly self-report. Such innocent postings could
include pictures taken on a trip overseas where the person is clearly engaging foreign
nationals; or perhaps that casual picture taken at a beach party that shows the person is
inebriated and perhaps a few “joints” lying around, or a casual comment about not being
able to make a mortgage payment. While these postings are on the Internet, one could
argue they are not public, but rather intended for viewing by “friends” or “contacts” of
the poster. That then presents a dilemma for those friends and contacts who are
6 During the course of the Manhattan Project, counterintelligence agents “handled more than 1,000
general subversive investigations, over 1,500 cases in which classified project information was transmitted
to unauthorized persons, approximately 100 suspected espionage cases, and approximately 200 suspected
sabotage cases.” Manhattan District History, Security Information Book I-General, Volume 14-Intelligence
and Security, September 26, 1952, Federation of American Scientists, http://fas.org/sgp/library/mdhistvol14.pdf,
S2-3.
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