
(CBS News) A secret FBI file on Steve Jobs is revealing new details about the late Apple co-founder and chief executive officer.
From
the file, it seems Jobs spent some time working for the government,
reportedly on satellite and software-related programs. In fact, in 1988,
Jobs held a "Top Secret" clearance. He lost that cl
earance
in 1990. It's not known if Jobs was aware of his FBI file, but he was interviewed during the background check and cooperated.
The FBI file also includes what his friends and co-workers actually thought of him -- a
nd some of it is not nice.
The
FBI file, released
under the Freedom of Information Act, gives us new
insights into Jobs' personality. His colleagues respected his genius,
but many found him to be stubborn and demanding.One worker at
Apple Computer called Jobs, "A deceptive individual who is not
completely forthright and honest." Another colleague defended Jobs
saying he was a man of "...high moral character and integrity."
But,
multiple friends and associates warned he could be abrasive and had a
"tendency to distort reality in order to achieve his goals."

The
comments come from a 191-page file the FBI compiled in 1991. Agents were
conducting a background check after President George H.W. Bush
appointed Jobs to the Presidents Export Council.
Among
the more than two dozen people interviewed, they universally said Jobs,
while not perfect, was a worthy presidential adviser. But, one
co-worker cynically noted, "...honesty and integrity are not required
qualities to hold such a position."
The FBI investigation revealed there were troubles in his personal life.
One
colleague said Jobs initially "mistreated" a daughter he had out of
wedlock by failing to support her. But, added "...recently Mr. Jobs has
been more supportive."
He was C+ high school student with a 2.65
grade point average. And Jobs admitted to
the FBI that he was a casual
drug user in the early '70s and "experimented with marijuana, hashish,
and LSD." But Jobs assured agents he "never sold any drugs" and was
never convicted of a crime.
The file, though, does reveal Jobs was
the target of extortion. Handwritten notes seen in the file were made
by the FBI in 1985 after someone phoned in a bomb threat that targeted
Jobs and Apple. The caller, who demanded $1 million, was never paid and
never found.
This article was originally posted on CBSnews.com as Steve Jobs file reveals frank assessments