But more important than the missing info are the questions raised about the FBI's competence. They got his name wrong. They thought he was married, when of course he was at the time a notorious homosexual. They were endlessly verifying his address, and the fact that he was black, throwing away thousands of dollars on incompetents that couldn't even get the facts right. He didn't take any of this lightly at all, and he had something of a nervous disposition.
Any writer needs a great deal of time to concentrate, even to write a short story.
These things ripple over. Not that Baldwin would have failed to appreciate the peculiarity of the situation. On the other hand, it is difficult to draw the line between the effect of the FBI's surveillance, however invasive it may have been, and Baldwin's already keen perception of his tenuous position in society. More Media and Entertainment forums. APB Multimedia Inc. All rights reserved.