sincewashington was the clearinghouse for illegal ex portstotaling millions u pon millions in a merican mer-chandise and materiel , it stood to reason that therewould be a range of safeguards , scores of delavane'sinformants both knowing and unknowing , that is , ideologically involved or sim ply hired orthreatened in the government agencies anddepartments related to the activities of palo altointernational .