“For countless ages man has cast his eyes up to the stars and wondered: Is there an alien standing behind me with a ray-gun?”

Entry 1:

During the cold war many American agents were discovered by the KGB because of the quality of their forged Soviet Passports. Not that the CIA’s were poor, rather the opposite, they were too perfect. Authentic Soviet passports had cheap steel staples holding them together which quickly rusted. The CIA used stainless steel.

Customs officers always make me nervous. Their disaffected and bored stare, which all government workers posses, would be reassuring if there wasn’t an undercurrent of intense scrutiny present. Maybe it’s that quality of their eyes, or jet lag, but whatever it is the dreaded customs officer always puts me on edge.

So there I was jest before 8 a.m., wobbling toward the customs officer at Gatwick. I read some where that jet lag causes “diminished mental performance”. How “diminished” was I? No time to think, can’t think, have to deal with customs.

My passport is stitched together, no staples. I wonder if all U.S. passports have stitches. The customs officer demanded my identity and I forked it over. She thumbed it and asked curious questions. The jet lag had effectively handicapped me mentally, so some of my answers were suspicious. Why is she still eyeing my passport? Is she looking for staples?

R. S. James, Secret Agent for OSU, has successfully infiltrated the British Isles. As suspected the customs officer was poorly trained in the fine art of detecting foreign operatives. He is free to travel to Bath and continue his clandestine mission. R. S. James, Secret Agent for OSU, is going to explore England.