The FBI: A Comprehensive Reference Guide - part II

I never knew how great the Freedom of Information Act was until I got this book. In the previous article, I talked about the first chapters. Here are the rest.

Chapter three, titled "Controversies and Issues," is broken down into three periods: the early years from 1908 to 1924, the Hoover years, from 1924 to 1972, and the modern era, from 1972 to the present. Poveda did an excellent job of presenting an objective view of the Bureau in this chapter. Starting with the controversy surrounding the creation of the agency, he moves forward through the “Slacker” raids of 1918 (rounding up those who did not register with the Selective Service during World War I), the Gangster Era, Cold War Anticommunism, a rich discussion of organized crime, Watergate, and wraps up with Ruby Ridge and Waco.

Chapter four looks at FBI Oversight and liaison relationships. This sounds dry, but it really isn’t because the content is pretty fascinating. I didn’t know, for example, that the Attorney General was originally the supervisor for the FBI. This chapter looks at the relationships between the Bureau and the White House, Congress, law enforcement (local and foreign), and other intelligence agencies.

Chapter five examines the traditions and cultures of the FBI, again beginning with the early years as a government-level detective agency and working up through chronological changes. Formal agent training, the addition of the Fingerprint Division, the G-Man image, Public Enemies, domestic and foreign intelligence operations, and modern operations such as profiling, DNA analysis, and improved relations between the Bureau and State and local law enforcement are all issues covered in this chapter.

Chapter six is about the organization of the Bureau, including all of its divisions, and ends with a description of the day-to-day activities of an agent. Chapter eight talks about buildings such as the J. Edgar Hoover Building — FBI Headquarters — and the Academy, as well as field offices and other facilities.

Chapter nine is about the organization in popular culture, from the early heroes to the pre-G-Man image to the “New Age FBI.” There is a great list of movies featuring FBI agents, a discussion of radio shows and comic strips,

Chapter ten has biographies of famous and/or important FBI people: agents, directors, Attorneys General and a pretty cool list of “firsts.” Robin Ahrens, for example, was the first female special agent killed while on duty. (She was shot by other agents during the arrest of an armored car thief in 1985.)

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