DEPARTMENT OF FUTURE PROJECTIONS - FORMERLY THE DEPARTMENT OF DISPLACED REVOLUTIONS
Date: Sun, 09 Sep 2001 19:06:02 -0400
From: Bruce Checefsky bchecefsky@gate.cia.edu
To: icols@va.com.au
Ok, yes, this is the Director of Resistance.
I am sorry for the delay but it is necessary afterall. My department requires it.
I seem to be lost in the hallway because I was in a different department last month.
Can you tell me where it is? I can't send an image. You see, my department forbids it.
I can just send my notes. only.Bruce Checefsky Director of Resistance ext. 11
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2001 00:38:08 -0400
From: Bruce Checefsky bchecefsky@gate.cia.edu
To: icols@va.com.auyes, of course, I have been here all the while.
The first three phases of the resistance project are now in place and I am pleased to announce that at least two have been more successful than we imagined.
The third phases is still under construction and we expect to have results in the coming weeks.
These are trying days indeed as we face a mountain of opposition in the restitution of the lost structure policy but given the state of affairs we are very pleased with the outcome.
It appears that our constituents share the same concerns for security but the development of previously untried strategies is proving a useful delay in gaining the needed information.
Our hats are off here at the Department of Resistance to all those who have made it possible.
On a personal note, I've decided not to pursue the previously undisclosed agenda as things appear more suitable to our needs.Renovations begin on the repairs to our facilities in October and I'm looking forward to removing the 8 qt. sauce pan from below the ceiling leak.
I'm yours,
Bruce Checefsky Director of Resistance ext.12
Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2001 21:54:58 -0500
From: Bruce Checefsky bchecefsky@gate.cia.edu
To: icols@va.com.auSunday, October 28, 2001
9:45 p.m. Office.The lights are off in the office because of the recent thunderstorm and the ceiling continues to leak but I've replaced the saucepan for a colorful ceramic vase I recently bought at IKEA. I didn't use company expenses for the decoration. It's dark in here and the noise from the forced air heating system could be heard well down the hallway. But I'm warm enough and the carpets will dry overnight.
It's the weekend and I'm working on the documents required for the upcoming conference in Sofia, Bulgaria. It's quite a mess over there in Sofia and I'm looking forward to the conference and meeting all the other members of the group. It's been a very long time since we last met and my memory is blurry because I'm getting older and it's not the same way it used to be when I was a young man. So it goes with many biological things and age. But thatıs getting away from the subject of my report. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the conference. The hotel is near everything we need to see and special arrangements have been made by several hotel employees to conceal certain elements of our discussions. I'm sure we will audio taped interviews from all the participants and several papers will be published in the coming months. I will post those on my web page as I receive them and in the order of their presentation. I expect controversy especially after the last meeting this summer where 12 participants were arrested and detained by local police. All but three were released in the days following our meeting and of those remaining two left the city and one remains unaccounted for. I spoke to his wife a few weeks ago and I'm afraid we fear for the worst. It's really a pity and a terrible loss to the organization. His children are too young to suffer such a tragedy.
The old is new again in Sofia and I expect we'll understand more about it following the conference. There has been a lot of discussion among other departments about attending international conferences and I'm a little confused by the uproar. These meetings are a necessary function of our work and its not enough to send our notes over the Internet and meet each other through virtual space. We have to meet face to face and while I appreciate the concerns of other departments I can honestly say we've never abused our privileges. Quite the contrary because I'm always working within the guidelines of our mission here at the department to reconstruct and implement our agenda proactively.
I can't say enough about how lucky we've been in the past few weeks. Even if the committee decides there is not enough information to bring a vote to the issue I think we'll present both sides well. The thunderstorms are subsiding and I think I'll pull my umbrella from the closet and put my rain coat on to grab a bite to eat at Lola. It's late and the kitchen will close soon. I don't sleep very on an empty stomach.
Subject: Director of Resistance Trial Begins
Date: Sat, 06 Apr 2002 13:18:45 -0500
From: Bruce Checefsky bchecefsky@gate.cia.edu
To: icols@va.com.auIt's been nearly six months since the trial began and I'm just now returning to my daily routine of coffee in the morning with warm milk and yogurt with mixed granola grains and nuts. The food at the retention center where I was held during the trial was not very good at all and the coffee had a taste as though the grounds were used to make three or four pots and then mixed with gravel and placed around the base of the half dozen apples trees in the orchard yard. The hall where I had been held for nearly six months was referred to as the retention center and it is quite different from the building where the regular prisoners are held. For one thing, there is clear glass in the upper portion of the window frame or rather clear plastic that has the effect of clear glass. Unlike the other place (and I can't tell you the name of the place because I swore not to reveal the whereabouts of the facility. It was one of the conditions of my release) there are no windows just tiny open slats in the cinder block construction near where the ceiling meets the wall.
The first few days of my confinement I was tied to the bed with rope made from rough hemp. It was cold and damp and dark except for the small rays of light that would shine through the tiny open slats near the ceiling. I complained bitterly about the conditions but none of the guards would listen to me. In the morning I could hear the roar of aircraft passing overhead and the sound of gunfire in the distance but the blindfold confused my orientation and the lack of food made me dizzy. My shoes had been removed the first day of my confinement along with my pants belt and wristwatch. It was impossible to move around the room and my limbs went numb. The blindfold was so wrapped so tight around my head it cut blood off from my brain. I started to hallucinate.
We drove more than 12 hours from the small village before arriving at our destination in the mountains. I sat in the backseat of a small car, no, not at all, I was slumped across the back seat. The windows were opened the whole while we were driving and the taste of dust stuck to the inside of my mouth. I was so parched by the time of our first stop I cried for water. They placed a glass container to my lips and poured a liquid into my mouth. My throat had swollen closed from the dry air and I coughed and the liquid spilled and drenched my shirt. It was a good feeling.
Subject: A few days before my abduction
That good feeling disappeared when I recalled a memo issued a few days before my abduction. It was an interoffice correspondence circulated throughout the Department of Future Projections issued on December 12.
__________________________________________________________________
Memo
December 12, 2001
TO: All Members of the Disclosure Committee on Environmental Changes and Recommendations, Department of Future Projections, and support staff.
It was brought to my attention during the meeting last month that environmental recommendations and modifications to existing platform systems submitted by mid-management directors reporting to the main office were scheduled to present their reports to the full committee in early November.
But our monthly attendance records indicate that several subcommittee members did not attend the meeting and no reports were given. It is my intention to request the vital statistical information and incorporate the document as part of the full report scheduled for the conference on January 6 in Luxembourg.
I wish to remind everyone in the Department of Future Projections that full compliance is required and all delinquent reports must be submitted to the archive office in due time. Please remember to double space your reports and use spell check to correct words and grammatical errors. The final report are presented to the full committee for review and every report reflects upon the accomplishments of our department.
If you need more time to compile the documents call my office by Thursday. All requests must be issued on Form 9267198-A.
The Director
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On the reverse side of the memo in dark blue ink written across the top ledge of the note were the letters CYLP. I glanced at the letters and wondered what message might be derived from the seemingly arbitrary sequence. A set of eight numbers near a dark coffee stain from the bottom of a mug in the lower left corner resembled a telephone code --- 94876340. I picked up the phone and dialed the number.
Several days following a phone conversation with a young man from the internal correspondence office I realized my mistake. A high priority, confidential memo issued in early December from the main office identified a remote location off the coast where the mission was planned. I recounted the phone conversation to the prosecutor during the trial. The judge looked dispassionately at the jury while they listened attentively but it was clear from their facial expressions that I was not convincing the jury that it was nothing other than a lie. But even when we believe we tell the truth we lie. We lie to save ourselves.
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Subject: Duct Tape
Date: 28 Mar 2003
From: Bruce Checefsky bchecefsky@gate.cia.edu
To: icols@va.com.auNow that we have entered a stage of conflict and confrontation, the results of which are unknown, I am asking Central Distribution located in Building K to distribute to all offices the necessary plastic wrappings (mil 4) and duck tape. The Director of Central Distribution has informed me that there are several colors of duct to choose from including white, yellow, red, blue, and black. I encourage you to contact and consult with the Department of Aesthetics prior to making a decision because there will be no opportunity to change your mind once the tape is delivered to your office.
I have also asked Central Distribution to send heavy grade steel wool to patch the holes in the walls to prevent more mice from invading our offices. As you know, the mice have been a problem for some months know and they appear to have figured out the peanut butter traps. They no longer are interested in the peanut butter and I have asked my assistant to try using salami pieces from the local Italian grocery store. Still, the traps have not been triggered for some time. On the other hand, we must remember that the mice could be useful should we face an attack using chemical weapons. The mice, like canaries used in the mines, could die early in an invasion indicating the use of biological weapons. I will let you decide whether to use the steel wool but please return it to Central Distribution if you decide not to use it.
Now, I shall briefly describe how to apply the plastic and duct tape to your windows and door jams. First, you should requisition a staple gun to attach the plastic to the wood surrounding the window. But remember the Business Office will charge you for repairs (I have to remember to send a memo about the upcoming changes in the parking policy initiated by the Business Office. Starting this summer, there will be a fee for parking your car in Lot A. It's a necessary change to policy to raise money for operating expenses. But in the face of the new charges you will recall that everyone received a salary adjustment last month). When you requisition a staple gun bring a current identification card. These are trying times and all guns must be registered with the Main Office. You will also have to ask for staples and supplies are limited so get there early. Once your staple supplies have expired a support division will be sent to your office to review the project and determine whether to allocate more staples. We have asked the Cabinet to approve supplemental funding in the budget next year to buy more staples and guns. They are deliberating the issue next month and we should have the transcripts of those discussions available on our web site.
The plastic should be carefully unpacked and spread out on the floor before applying it to the window jam. I recommend wearing gloves and a breathing mask. You will notice a residue on the plastic -- do not become alarmed! It is not the poison everyone fears most. But if you experience a rash or difficult in breathing immediately contact the Regency Office. They will instruct you on where to go and what to do. If you become sick you should isolate yourself from the field.
Please close the window before applying the plastic. It should be placed over the window and stapled along the jam. Since the staples are allocated use only 13 per side and nine along the top of the window and the bottom. If you require assistance please contact the Subdivision at extension 1524 and they will respond. Please ask for identification because there are reports of operatives wearing company uniforms to access sensitive materials. Once the plastic has been applied to the windows return the staple gun to the Main Office. The Head of Operations will contact you to review the installation. They are running six weeks behind schedule so please be patient.
In the event of a dirty bomb, the plastic will be of no use so don't attempt to apply it. Evacuate to the nearest radiation bunker along subdivision C.
Remember that today's security alert is "ice cream". Should it elevate to "beef" contact your supervisor immediately for more instructions.
It might take a while to resolve these difficult issues. It a complex and risky conflict. Do not advance the propaganda and anyone caught hoarding or selling allocated plastic and duct tape on the black market will be terminated. Please carefully review all of this information. If you have questions please contact our Directors Service Department between the hours of 6am and 11pm.
Bruce Checefsky
Director of Resistance
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Subject: hey all
Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2003 10:30:36 -0400
From: Bruce Checefsky bchecefsky@gate.cia.edu
To: icols@va.com.auDear Al,
I will do as instructed, of course, and release Rachel from her position. However, I have the obligation to my staff to ask for reconsideration, if I fail to do so I would have abnegated my responsibilities as a manager. But even a criminal is afforded an opportunity to plea their case one last time before their sentence is imposed. This is, essentially, my last plea.
The position Rachel occupies is essentially two positions; while the exhibit is on public view she provides support in organizing the next project by assisting in grant research and program development. Arguably, the gallery program has diminished in recent years and it would appear to the less involved that a reduction in programming would be equal, or near equal, to a need for less support. This is a fallacy. The extent to which research is needed for program development is only relative to the type of program under consideration; a program like scholastic arts needs less development than an exhibit which we curate, similar to the upcoming Wish You Were Here project. Rachel would install the scholastic arts show along with three other gallery assistants. It seems obvious that a large show would need more people to install. Similarly, it would appear there is less of a need for another person when a show is removed from the schedule but this is not entirely true and only linked to the scholastic show. What about the other shows?
In a sense, Rachel occupies a dual position and releasing her eliminates two positions, not one. Which position are we eliminating?
If the answer is both, as I imagine it might be, than I can't help think the targeted number of RIF is disproportionate to the gallery, in other words, I am eliminating two positions. My friend Tommy, who is a professional turkey hunter in Georgia, would say this is an ace.
It is imaginable as I approach the Wish You Were Here project -- a large, time consuming event-another person would have to be hired to help install the various complicated components of the exhibit. I have what may appear to others as a privileged opportunity in my budget to 'hire-as-needed', a type of pay-as-you go program, limited to the length of an installation, the number of days or weeks prior to an opening. Rachel is deeply familiar with the project. It's ironic. If her position were eliminated than I would need to hire an installer. Rachel is the obvious choice. But, on the other hand, if the reduction were intended to release people, others could not see Rachel. I would have to hire a Rachel-like person, familiar with installation practices, and available for the days needed to complete the project on time.
Finally, I accepted the CEC Fellowship to Russia -- you will recall my note from last month (or was it the month prior). The fellowship is professional development and The National Centre of Photography in St. Petersburg, the director and curator, have already arranged the various components of the project. The air ticket is purchased, a flat pre-paid, and visa granted. I intended to arrive in Russia on November 2.
In the final moments before the fall of Communism in Budapest, several journalists sat around a table at the café outside the Writer's Hotel along Andrassy utc., a few blocks from the city centre. They looked at each other but wrote nothing. It was obvious what took place that day.
