FBI releases dossier on Steve Jobs
— -- The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Thursday released a dossier on late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, disclosing details on his drug use and ability to "distort reality."
The FBI files, released under a Freedom of Information Act request, were gathered for investigations into a potential presidential appointment by George H.W. Bush and a bomb threat against Apple.
"Several individuals questioned Mr. Jobs' honesty stating that Mr. Jobs will twist the truth and distort reality in order to achieve his goals," said the FBI documents.
The former Apple CEO held a legendary corporate status that included a talent known as his "reality distortion field" ability to convince people of the truth as he saw it. It was widely considered part of his unusual marketing genius at Apple.
Interviews of people who knew Jobs also disclosed information about his drug use, according to the FBI documents.
"During the 1960s and early 1970s, Mr. Jobs may have experimented with illegal drugs, having come from that generation," said a person whose name was redacted from the FBI file.
Jobs, of course, was also known as something of a counterculture corporate rebel. He was widely known as a big fan of Bob Dylan, who dated folk musician Joan Baez, who also reportedly dated Jobs briefly.
Jobs was a card-carrying member of a generation that celebrated a hippie counterculture.
An unidentified FBI interviewee stated, "Mr. Jobs used illegal drugs, including marijuana and LSD, while they were attending college."
The documents with the FBI were in part a moral character background check of the corporate icon.
To that end, interviews were also conducted of those who said Jobs wasn't "not supportive" of the mother of his child born out of wedlock and their daughter. However, they stated "recently he has become more supportive."
Jobs dated Chris Ann Brennan, who gave birth to Lisa Brennan-Jobs in 1978. Jobs denied paternity for years but later acknowledged Lisa as his daughter. It's widely thought Jobs named the Apple Lisa computer, which employed a user interface aimed at businesses and led to the Macintosh, after his daughter.
Jobs died in October after a long bout with pancreatic cancer.
Apple did not respond to requests for comment.
