c) Allegation of ATF agents checking
cars for "niggers"
Hayward alleged that ATF agents stopped cars entering the campground, surrounded them, rocked them, and shouted "got any niggers in that car?"
No one but Hayward claimed to have witnessed such behavior in 1989. Although individuals recalled observing similar conduct in later years, these observations could not have been made in 1989 because these witnesses did not attend the 1989 Roundup. [/ We found no information, however, that the persons engaging in such conduct in later years were employed by ATF. See infra pp. 76, 82, 90, 103. ] Hayward claimed that shortly after this alleged incident he mentioned it to his friends from Fort Lauderdale and they told him they had been through the same experience. One of these friends Hayward claimed was present did not attend the 1989 Roundup. We also found no record of a second friend's purported attendance in 1989. The one Fort Lauderdale friend we could identify as being present in 1989 did not report experiencing such behavior or discussing it with Hayward. [/ The one other friend Hayward identified as being present in 1989 was one of the persons identified as being involved in the 1995 Jack Scott confrontation and who refused our request for an interview. We also found no record of his attendance in 1989. ]
Hayward based his claim that the alleged perpetrators were ATF agents primarily on his belief that ATF agents ran the Roundup. He also claimed his Fort Lauderdale friends said something about their being from ATF. He admitted they did not identify themselves as ATF agents. As noted above, we were unable to corroborate this claim.
(ii) OIG findings
We did not find credible evidence to support Hayward's allegation that any persons were "checking cars for niggers" at the 1989 Roundup. Several of the persons he claimed could corroborate his story did not attend the 1989 Roundup, and no one else supported his claim.