Black v. United States

BOWMAN, Circuit Judge.

On the basis of the government’s assertion of the state secrets privilege, the District Court1 dismissed the plaintiffs Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) and Bivens claims. The plaintiff, William C. Black, Jr., appeals. We affirm.

I

Black is an electrical engineer who possessed government security clearances and worked on military-related projects for various defense contractors. In November 1986 he lectured at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich where a Soviet mathematician, his office mate, allegedly asked him intrusive and suspicious questions. This contact…