Trump Thought A.C. Venture Could Tarnish Name

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MARCH 30--Last week's stirring installment of "The Apprentice"--during which the Trump wannabes visited The Donald's depressing Atlantic City gambling dens--reminded us of a confidential FBI document detailing how the developer once fretted about building in the shabby seaside resort.

According to the 1981 bureau memo, a copy of which you'll find here, Trump told agents that he was worried that the A.C. venture might one day "tarnish his family's name" and that he could be exposed to organized crime figures. But tough-guy Trump persevered--and even offered to place undercover FBI agents in his casino operation.

In our favorite part of the memo, Trump humors an agent by asking his "personal opinion" as to whether he should build in Atlantic City. The agent, Damon Taylor, responds that there were "easier ways that Trump could invest his money." Considering the financial mess Trump's gambling empire has become, he should have listened to the G-man.

As for the unnamed source referred to in the document, that would be the late Danny Sullivan, a Mafia associate (and bureau snitch) who once worked for Trump as a labor consultant. (4 pages)