It is difficult to get information about NATLFED and its entities because the organization is institutionally secretive. An internal memo quoted in the "East Bay Express" in 1984 gave the following instructions on withholding information from outsiders: We regard outside inquiry from a position of distrust. ... Never ask to know more than you need to know if you agree with the goals and strategy of the group. It's unfair to burden a comrade with unneeded information, and also unprofessional. The standard answer to any question you have not been instructed to answer is 'It's not my department.'