Gillen, Vincent P.

Vincent W. Gillen, born April 30, 1910, was by training an attorney. However, between the 1930s and 1955, he worked as an FBI agent, corporate personnel officer, and college professor. In the late 1950s he purchased FIDELIFACTS, a franchise which specialized in pre-employment screening.

In January 1966, General Motors hired Vincent Gillen to conduct an investigation of Ralph Nader. Nader, author of Unsafe at Any Speed (1965), accused General Motors and other automobile manufacturers of knowingly building unsafe vehicles. This action led to Gillen and representatives of General Motors to be called as witnesses at a congressional hearing later that year. In December 1966, Ralph Nader sued General Motors and Vincent Gillen for invasion of privacy. The case continued for four years until it was settled out of court.