History of John Smith Griffin
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Marriage - 1932

A detailed record was kept of everything that you did and once each month a curve would be drawn on the production of the unit. If you fell below the middle of the curve you were called into the front office and told in no uncertain terms to increase the quantity and quality of your work. Of course this made it very difficult as half of the staff had to be below the average. Lateness was not tolerated at all. If you were late even though you had a good excuse you were called into the front office and given a warning and if you were late a second time they asked for your resignation. The "Bureau" as we called it, had a policy of calling people in at 4:25 p.m. (we worked until 4:30) and asking them for their resignation effective at 4:30 the same day. Several of the people I worked with were so treated. They were never told why except that their work was unsatisfactory. I have always felt that this policy was followed to keep all of the employees on their toes and make it so that you were trying a little extra hard to do a good job. In those days jobs were very hard to get and these policies could be followed without any difficulty.

I had been working at the FBI about a month when I was called into the front office and told that they were going to change over their filing system and that they were asking for volunteers to work nights to do this job, and that it would take several months. After working nights at Sears, and knowing that I could not very well go to school on a night job I certainly did not want to go to work nights again. I was told to think it over for a day or so and let them know. A few days later I went back in to see the big boss (a Mr. Schilder) and told him my problems and ,that if in view of what I told him he thought I should work nights I would be willing to do so. This was my first big mistake. I was told in no uncertain terms that it was my decision to make and that I was not being compelled to work nights. I then told him I chose not to work nights. I had not much more than left the office before I realized that I had made a bad mistake. The next day I went back in and told Schilder I would work nights. I just could not afford to lose my job.

During all of this time I was writing to Dorothy and we were making plans to be married just as soon as I got a steady job. So when I received my appointment at the FBI I urged her to come back. She was teaching school and could not come until the school year was over in June. So we planned on being married shortly after school was out. As June approached I notices that her letters were getting more and more critical of various things I did and said. I sent her a photograph of myself and she wrote back telling me that I had gained too much weight. I immediately went on a diet and lost 25 pounds during the next six weeks. Her attitude, however, did not change much.

One day late in May I received a letter from her telling me that she was not coming back. She said that she had finally come to the conclusion that she was not in love with me but was in love with a fellow that had been married and divorced and with whom she had been going while I was on my mission. Unless one has gone through a similar experience it would be hard to understand what I went through the next few days. A day or two after receiving Dots letter I received one from Mother telling me that Dorothy had been to see her and told her in substance what she had told me in her letter. This was after showers had been given her and after it had been generally announced that we were to be married. I tried to forget by keeping busy at other things. I played a lot of tennis and went swimming and tried to keep occupied. Gorden Nickelson and a Van Dyke fellow use to play tennis with me and Gordy had a ford convertible in which we use to go to the swimming pool. All during this time I prayed fervently that Dorothy would change her feeling towards me and would decide to come back after all. week or so passed and I heard nothing more from her. The shock of this news began to wear off a little and many of my friends told me that it was the best thing for me as I would be in a much better position to do my school work if I were not married.

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