As A one-time religious affairs correspondent, I thought cracking Vatican secrecy on the next Archbishop of Dublin was as tough as it gets. But here in Washington trying to find out who is going to be the next American ambassador in Dublin is even tougher.
The White House has been giving little away on President Clinton's next ambassador to the Park to replace Mrs Jean Kennedy Smith, who is due to leave next month.
"You reporters will be the last to know," a White House aide said condescendingly. "First, the President has to decide, then there are the FBI background checks, then the Irish Government has to agree and only then will you be told."
"So the President could have already decided and the FBI is already going through the past life of `X' as we speak?"
"That is possible," replied the official, "but I am not saying that."
Those who follow Irish affairs on Capitol Hill are worried that if the President does not pick a name out of the hat soon, there will be no ambassador in Dublin until next spring.
Ten members of Congress this week wrote to President Clinton urging him "to make a speedy decision".
They point out that time is running out because whoever is appointed will have to be confirmed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
But the Senate will not sit for much longer in this mid-term election year and so the next ambassador might not be confirmed until next year.
"Such a long-term vacancy in Ireland would be most troublesome to all concerned because of the critical role which the United States plays today in ensuring progress towards peace and reconciliation throughout Ireland. A knowledgeable, experienced envoy in Dublin is critical if our country is going to continue to play that role effectively," the Congressmen say. The names on the letter include that of Patrick Kennedy, nephew of the present ambassador.
The Congressmen suggest that Paul S. Quinn, a Washington lawyer with strong Irish connections, is such a person. But will he get the job?
Mr Quinn says he has the backing also of former Senator George Mitchell, who certainly had the ear of the President during the peace negotiations.
But the word around the corridors of power is that the President's choice is Mike Sullivan from Wyoming. "Mike who?" has been the almost universal reaction.
Up to now the list of those claiming the inside track included Paul Quinn; Mark Gearan, head of the Peace Corps; Tom Donahue, a former trade union leader; Bruce Morrison of visa fame; and Education Secretary, Richard Riley.
Mr Riley, a charming former Governor of South Carolina with Cavan antecedents, was believed to have Dublin for the asking but regretfully passed because he knew the President badly wants him to stay in his present Cabinet post.
But with Mr Riley apparently gone, a new list at the White House seems to have been dusted off.
This is of those political supporters to whom the President owes a job for services rendered.
Hence the arrival out of the Rockies of the former Governor of Wyoming, Michael J. Sullivan. When his fellow Governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton, was looking for all the help he could get in the mountain states during his 1992 campaign for the presidency, Mike Sullivan was his man.
What exactly Mr Sullivan was able to deliver is not sure. Wyoming is strongly Republican and it spurned Mr Clinton for George Bush in 1992 and for Bob Dole in 1996. But the President and Mr Sullivan have become close friends and talk frequently.
Mr Sullivan in 1992 was described as "the least pompous or pampered of governors - he has no bodyguard and answers his own phone". He campaigned successfully twice for governor "in a trademark stetson with a hole in it".
The FBI might have to look into that hole in the stetson. How did he get it? It is no joke being checked out by the FBI. They go back to your school-friends and ask about any foibles like tearing wings off insects. You are also in trouble if you did not pay your au pair's social security as some Clinton appointees found to their cost.
CONTACTED by The Irish Times, Mr Sullivan admitted to seeing his name in print as a prospective ambassador to Ireland. Has he ever been there?
"No, I have not been to Ireland, except in my dreams," was the poetic answer. "I have roots that go back to west Cork, Longford and Wicklow and other places."
What about the criticism in the Irish Voice that he is "a name completely unknown in Irish-American circles who appears to have no street credibility whatever with Irish Americans"? "Sullivan was apparently a good ally for Clinton when he needed help and organisation in the west during Clinton's 1992 run for the presidency. On Irish issues, however, Sullivan has never developed even a minor profile," the Irish Voice complained.
Mr Sullivan thinks about that for a while and then says: "I don't think I should be commenting on those comments. It's up to whoever makes the decision to determine whether my appointment is appropriate."
He seems to be learning diplomacy fast. Is he a big contributor to the Democratic Party?
"No. I have contributed but I am not a large contributor."
How does he feel about being a possible ambassador? "I'm honoured even to be considered for the position because I appreciate the significance of it under any circumstances and particularly at this time."
Back to the White House. This time there is a cautious "on background" that Mike Sullivan is emerging as the "top candidate" but the President has not yet made the final decision.