PSUMagazine                              FALL 2005      FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY                                                              Revealing his life as a corporate spy

For the past 30 years, no one suspected William “Bill” Klausman was a spy. As the owner of a tavern, a Hallmark shop, and a sporting goods store, Klausman appeared to be an average, personable guy. But behind the scenes he has led a double life as a freelance consultant in corporate espionage. Lawyers, private investigators, and corporations hire Klausman to collect information on businesses involved in shady dealings like embezzlement and counterfeiting. A master of disguise, Klausman infiltrates companies by assuming fake identities, which run the gamut from district manager or bank auditor to television newscaster. He says his most amazing role came when he posed as a psychiatrist to uncover records of foul play.

“I can go into these situations and portray anyone,” says Klausman.  As a kid I wanted to be an actor, and this is the quintessential acting job, but here you only get one chance with your lines," he says. Klausman relies heavily on his instincts, and if he thinks someone’s onto him, he¹ll change identities in midstream or pull out of the job. His anonymity is so important that most of Klausman¹s clients don¹t know who he really is.

One longtime client who knows Klausman well is Alan Crowe, a respected West Coast private investigator with an office in downtown Portland. “Bill has done jobs for me that were pretty incredible. He melds into any situation and gets information others cannot,” says Crowe. Initially, Klausman dabbled in a variety of professions and briefly served as a deputy sheriff, where he discovered he had strong crime-solving abilities. While at a police academy in the late 1960s, he applied to the CIA. He decided not to join, but a few years later a lawyer who¹d been affiliated with the agency offered him his first clandestine assignment. Now Klausman has captured his experiences on paper, and his first book, The Amacon Cover, was released in May. Drawing from actual cases, he fictionalized the details and blended events to protect those involved. He says that a second book of short stories is waiting in the wings. Klausman describes himself as semi-retired. Although he¹s divulged his secret career, he said he isn¹t worried about getting caught.  “I¹m sneaky,” he explains. “And I never leave footprints.”                                     ­Kelli Fields (from PSU Magazine, fall 2005)

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