The Birth of the FBI: Teddy Roosevelt, the Secret Service, and the Fight Over America's Premier Law Enforcement Agency
(eBook)

Most people believe the Federal Bureau of Investigation began under J. Edgar Hoover in the 1920s or 1930s. Many also naturally assume it was developed for the express purpose of fighting crime. However, the reality is very different. The reality is it began years earlier, in 1908, under President Theodore Roosevelt. In The Birth of the FBI: Teddy Roosevelt, the Secret Service, and the Fight Over America's Premier Law Enforcement Agency, Willard Oliver details the political fight that led to the birth of America's premier law enforcement agency. Roosevelt was concerned about conservation and one issue he wanted enforced were the fraudulent land deals being perpetrated by many people, including some members of Congress. When he began using the Secret Service to investigate these crimes, Congress blocked him from doing so. The end result of this political spat was Roosevelt's creation of the FBI, which heightened the political row between the two branches of government in the final year of Roosevelt's presidency. The truth of the matter is, the premier law enforcement agency in the United States was actually created because of a political fight between the executive and legislative branches of government. The Birth of the FBI reveals the true story behind the birth of the FBI and provides some useful insight into an important part of our American history. The Birth of the FBI traces the roots of the struggle between President Roosevelt and Congressman Tawney in the creation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Willard M. Oliver, PhD, is a professor in the College of Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State. His areas of expertise include policing (ex. Police stress, small-town and rural policing, community policing, Homeland Security & policing, etc.), public policy of crime & criminal justice, and the history of criminal justice. He is the author of several other books pertaining to the history of criminal justice (as well as other areas of criminal justice and policing), including August Vollmer: The Father of American Policing (2017), A History of Crime and Criminal Justice in America 3rd ed. (2017), Killing Congress (Lexington, 2014), Introduction to Homeland Security (2014), Crime, History, and Hollywood (2013), and Killing the President (2010). Readers will no doubt note the resemblance between early-20th century political conflicts between the White House, Congress and the press, and today's political clashes. Having covered the FBI for many years and having interviewed FBI senior leaders as well as street agents, including the legendary undercover FBI agent Joseph Pistone - better known as the name he assumed when he infiltrated the Bonanno Cosa Nostra crime family for six years in the late 1970s, Donnie Brasco - I was most interested in reading this well-researched, interesting and enlightening backdrop of the issues and political intrigue that surrounded the creation of the predecessor to the FBI. RECOMMENDED . . .Oliver recounts some colorful personalities, including Allan Pinkerton, head of the famous detective agency, and Representative James A. Tawny, who vehemently opposed the FBI's creation. This book provides an accessible, entertaining look at an important piece of US government history. Meticulously researched, The Birth of the FBI . . . is a fast-paced, engaging narrative that describes the origins of U.S. federal law enforcement. [Oliver] weaves together a wealth of information on the machinations that led to the establishment of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. After the revolution, counterfeiting was one of the most serious crimes plaguing the U.S. The federal government used contractors-the legendary Pinkerton detectives-to ferret out counterfeiters. Eventually, the Treasury Department established its own anti-counterfeiting unit, the Secret Service (which wouldn't assume its current job of protecting the president until after the assassination of William McKinley). Its a