Originally Posted by jasec

However, that's my point really: applying for the GE program means that you are volunteering significant additional information to the US authorities. Giving appropriate answers to the questions on the ESTA form does not guaranty that you will be accepted: they can (and presumably do) carry out further checks on you and can reject your application for whatever reason they choose. So - I am saying that by volunteering extra information in a GE application (such as your police record) then if rejected for GE you potentially increase the risk of you being rejected when you make a subsequent normal ESTA application since the US authorities will now hold a whole load of information on you that they did not have any right to previously.