From KALLISTE@delphi.comThu Sep 19 20:07:45 1996
Date: Thu, 19 Sep 1996 16:23:54 -0500 (EST)
From: KALLISTE@delphi.com
To: jya@pipeline.com, jqp@globaldialog.com, tenega@aol.com,
    jw-rh@ix.netcom.com, bigred@duracef.shout.net, jlavis@communique.net,
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    akimery@citizen.infi.net, pwatson@utdallas.edu, garb@ix.netcom.com,
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    germanic@netcom.com, eric@remailer.net, sandfort@crl.com,
    loboazul@icsi.net, bdolan@use.usit.net, fathom9@aol.com,
    defraud@tpi.net, L.L.Grabbe@theol.hull.ac.uk, JMcCorm215@aol.com,
    jdtabor.uncc@uncc.campus.mci.net, zns@interserv.com, tbyfield@panix.com,
    drdean@bio.win.net, rpedraza@sierra.net, kalliste@aci.net
Subject: Laundering Numbers

                         Laundering Numbers

                         by J. Orlin Grabbe

        Back in June, in "How to Launder Money in the Copper Market (I)",
I reported that Sumitomo had fired its trader for $2.6 billion in "copper 
trading" losses.  Sumitomo itself, *The Wall Street Journal*, and other 
financial publications reported only $1.8 billion in losses, and continued 
to report that figure in the following months.  Today Sumitomo announced 
that it had "revised upward" its estimate of losses from $1.8 billion to
$2.6 billion.  Ho hum.

        Now maybe the media will revise upward its estimate of 900 FBI
files in the White House "Big Brother" data base (WHODB) to the proper 
figure of about 2045.  The WHODB is connected to the FBI data base just  
as it is connected to the Secret Service data base and FinCEN.  But when
the White House requested an FBI file (and these requests were always
honored), the White House would place the request in the front end of the
FBI system.  (There is a barrier that prevents further access.)  A 
designated FBI agent would consider the request, approve it (automatically
in the case of the Clinton White House), and then upload the file from
the FBI data base directly into the WHODB.  An audit trail keeps track  
of who requested the file, and who uploaded it.

        Then, over at the White House, if Craig Livingstone wanted a hard
copy of the FBI file, he would hit the print button and print the file out
on a laser printer.

        The files could also be transferred by sending a computer disk
over to the White House by courier, but this was not the normal procedure.
(Many people have an image of FBI files being collections of bulging
manila folders, which someone would have to type into the WHODB for them
to appear there.  This image is not correct.  The equation actually reads
"requested FBI file"=="file turned over to White House"=="file found in 
the WHODB").

September 19, 1996
Web Page: http://www.aci.net/kalliste/