SOME THINGS TO AVOID
The disappearee must be like a chameleon if he wants to stay a free man. That is, he must be able to blend in with his surroundings and avoid attracting attention to himself. If this fails and he finds himself being interrogated for some reason, a traffic violation, for example, he must be prepared with a reasonable-sounding life story that is backed up with some documentation. In short, the lamster must be prepared for identity checks at all times and proceed with caution to avoid them.
There are many cases of disappearees who have been able to outlast intensive investigations only to blow everything through an act of sheer stupidity.
Take the celebrated case of Patricia Hearst. Her kidnappers/companions were well known to the law enforcement folks, yet even the vaunted Federal Bureau of Investigation could not find hide nor hair of them for over a year. With all the money involved, and the fantastic amount of publicity surrounding the case, you can believe it was one of the most thorough manhunts ever launched. Yet a few of Miss Hearst's original group were only located and ventilated because one of them ripped off a pair of 98 cent socks in a sporting goods store!
For those who seriously desire to stay free, then, here are some tips from those who "have gone before."
The Paper Trail
Nobody, whether vanisher or "straight" can avoid laying a paper trail as he moves through life. The disappearee must be very careful in the initial stages of his new life not to make a slip. One mistake in documenting an identity could surface many years later, catching the disappearee off guard as he believes he has made it free and clear.
No matter what malarkey government agencies spout, all records, both private and official, must be presumed to be open to inspection by all comers. Social Security, withholding reports filed by employers, licenses, even Federal Income Tax returns are more or less open to the general public. And the information these records contain is always available to official investigative agencies.
Along these lines, withheld taxes are usually turned in by employers during April, July, October and January for the preceding quarter. This means that a man who works, even under his own name and Social Security number, in January, February and March can quit on April Fools Day and be on his way long before the reports that will pinpoint his location are processed.
Union pension plan payments and health and welfare contributions are often filed on a monthly basis and these records, too, are available for inspection. As a general rule, however, unions make a more conscientious effort to protect the privacy of their members than governmental agencies or commercial institutions.
An example of the extent to which snooping is conducted by so-called law enforcement agencies came to light recently when a well-to-do artist received a packet of cancelled checks from his bank. Neatly wrapped around the package was an interdepartmental memo addressed to the bank employees who process customers' monthly statements. It gave the artist's name and account number, then went on to say, "This memo is to authorize you to read checks to the FBI before sending the statement to the customer." The italicized words were underlined in red ink.
The memo also contained the name and phone number of FBI agent Bud Watkins. While the FBI declined to comment on this item, Wells Fargo Bank admitted the memo was authentic. The artist was never charged with the commission of any crime. He believes the memo was included with his statement intentionally by a bank employee who wished him well.
The police blandly excuse their unlawful acts with the age-old alibi that they do it only for the greater public good. Of course, that's their interpretation of the public good. In their eyes this permits them to conduct illegal searches, seizures, bugging, beatings in back rooms, unlawful opening of first class mail, delving into supposedly confidential records and the like. And don't forget tapping telephones and accessing telephone company records.
The answer for the prudent disappearee should be self-evident. He must conduct himself with utmost propriety at all times and, as the late columnist Charles McCabe put it so well, "Stay out of government buildings insofar as possible."
Publicity
The disappearee should attempt to keep out of the public eye as much as possible. While we have already discussed the reasons for not taking a job as a TV reporter, radio announcer, bellhop or other highly public job, there are subtler ways that vanishers trip themselves up through publicity.
Stay away from public activities like rallies, marches, protests, etc. Such events are swarming with media photographers. You never know when you'll wake up one morning and see your smiling face on page one.
You should also avoid membership in publicity-seeking clubs. Their membership records may be available to the authorities or other investigators looking for you. A number of disappearees have been found when their pictures turned up in small club newsletters.
As a photographer myself, I can tell you that there are a great number of people who are absolute masters at avoiding the camera or spoiling shots. Their faces are always partially obscured by someone else's head or some object. And it happens enough that I know it is not coincidence; they watch out for cameras and keep themselves out of the line of fire.
Some people just run into bum luck and have their identities revealed. A good example of this is the old William Desmond Taylor murder case. Taylor was a top Hollywood movie director of his time who wound up murdered one day. In a case like this the police immediately make a thorough, painstaking investigation, starting from scratch. And
