See government's first file (5)
I believe the answer is:
grasp
'see' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'government's first file' is the wordplay.
'government's first' becomes 'g' (1st letter of 'government').
'file' becomes 'rasp' (rasp is a kind of file).
'g'+'rasp'='GRASP'
(Other definitions for grasp that I've seen before include "Catch on" , "Understand; hold tight" , "Hold - understanding" , "Keep tight hold" , "Seize - comprehend" .)