Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a Federal police force which is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). Title 28, United States Code (U.S. Code), Section 533, which authorizes the Attorney General to "appoint officials to detect... crimes against the United States", and other federal statutes give the FBI the authority and responsibility to investigate specific crimes. At present, the FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crimes and thus has the broadest investigative authority of any federal law enforcement agency. The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list has been used since 1949 to notify the public of wanted fugitives.

History of the FBI

The FBI originated from a force of Special Agents created on July 26, 1908, by Attorney General Charles Joseph Bonaparte during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. At first it was named the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) and it did not become the FBI until 1935.

Related Topics:
July 26 - 1908 - Charles Joseph Bonaparte - Theodore Roosevelt

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Under J. Edgar Hoover, who became director of the Bureau on May 10, 1924, the agency spent much of its energy on investigating political activists who were not accused of any crime (e.g., Albert Einstein as a socialist).

Related Topics:
J. Edgar Hoover - May 10 - 1924 - Albert Einstein - Socialist

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The FBI Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory (better known as the FBI Crime Lab) officially opened on November 24, 1932.

Related Topics:
FBI Crime Lab - November 24 - 1932

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During the 1930s, the agency played a prominent role in apprehending a number of well-known criminals who had conducted kidnappings, robberies and murders throughout the nation. These included John Dillinger, "Baby Face" Nelson, Kate "Ma" Barker, Alvin Karpis and George "Machine Gun" Kelly. It also played a decisive role in reducing the scope and influence of the Ku Klux Klan.

Related Topics:
John Dillinger - "Baby Face" Nelson - Kate "Ma" Barker - Alvin Karpis - George "Machine Gun" Kelly - Ku Klux Klan

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Beginning with the 1940s and continuing into the 1970s, the agency investigated cases of espionage against the United States and its allies. Eight Nazi agents who had planned sabotage operations against American targets were arrested.

Related Topics:
Nazi - Sabotage

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Although Hoover initially doubted the existence of a close-knit organized crime network in the United States, the bureau later conducted operations against known organized crime syndicates and families, including those headed by Sam Giancana and John Gotti.

Related Topics:
Organized crime - Sam Giancana - John Gotti

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Hoover's investigation of Martin Luther King was also notorious. The FBI found no evidence of any crime, but attempted to use tapes of King involved in sexual activity for blackmail. Further, the FBI sent anonymous letters to King encouraging him to commit suicide.

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In the 1990s, it turned out that the FBI's crime lab had repeatedly done shoddy work. In some cases, the technicians, given evidence that actually cleared a suspect, reported instead that it proved the suspect guilty. Many cases had to be reopened when this pattern of errors was discovered.

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Bureau of Investigation (BOI) Directors (1908–35)

• Stanley Finch (1908–12)
• A. Bruce Bielaski (1912–19)
• Acting director: William E. Allen (1919)
• William J. Flynn (1919–21)
• William J. Burns (1921–24)
• J. Edgar Hoover (1924–72)

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Directors (1936–present)

On July 1, 1932, the Bureau was renamed the United States Bureau of Investigation. One year later on July 1, 1933, it was linked with the Bureau of Prohibition and became known as the Division of Investigation. Finally, in 1935, the bureau was renamed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). After J. Edgar Hoover's death, the FBI imposed a policy limiting the tenure of future FBI directors to a maximum of ten years.

Related Topics:
July 1 - 1932 - 1933 - Bureau of Prohibition - 1935

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The FBI Directors from this period on are:

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• J. Edgar Hoover (1924–72)
• Acting director: Clyde Tolson (May 2–3, 1972)
• Acting director: L. Patrick Gray (1972–3)
• Acting director: William D. Ruckelshaus (1973)
• Clarence M. Kelley (1973–78)
• Acting director: James B. Adams (1978)
• William H. Webster (1978–87)
• Acting Director: John Otto (1987)
• William S. Sessions (1987–93)
• Acting Director: Floyd I. Clarke (1993)
• Louis J. Freeh (1993–2001)
• Acting Director: Thomas J. Pickard (2001)
• Robert S. Mueller III (2001–present)