Read complete books and articles on: FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)

Federal Bureau of Investigation - (FBI), division of the U.S. Dept. of Justice charged with investigating all violations of federal laws except those assigned to some other federal agency. The FBI has jurisdiction over some 185 investigative matters, among them espionage, sabotage, and other subversive activities; kidnapping; extortion; bank robbery; interstate transportation of stolen property; civil-rights matters; interstate gambling violations; and fraud against the government. Created (1908) as the Bureau of Investigation, it originally conducted investigations only for the Justice Dept. After J. Edgar Hoover became (1924) director of the Bureau of Investigation, Congress gradually added one duty after another to the jurisdiction of the bureau and reorganized (1933) it with wider powers as the Division of Investigation in the Dept. of Justice. Under Hoover's direction, it undertook a dramatic battle against the organized crime of the prohibition era. In 1935 it was designated the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI played an important role in raising the standards of local police units through the FBI Academy. During Hoover's final years as director (he served until his death in 1972), the bureau became highly controversial and was the frequent target of attack from a wide variety of liberal groups. During the Watergate affair it was revealed that the FBI had yielded to pressure from top White House officials, acting on behalf of President Richard M. Nixon, to halt their investigation of the Watergate break-in. The FBI subsequently cooperated with the White House "inquiry" into the break-in, which was actually attempting a cover-up, and acting FBI director L. Patrick Gray destroyed files belonging to one of the convicted Watergate conspirators, E. Howard Hunt. Gray resigned (Apr., 1973) after his role became public. In June, 1973, Clarence M. Kelley was named director. He was followed by William H. Webster (1978–87), William S. Sessions (1987–93), Louis J. Freeh (1993–2001), and Robert S. Mueller 3d (2001–).

See H. A. Overstreet, The FBI in Our Open Society (1969); W. W. Turner, Hoover's FBI (1970); R. O. Wright, ed., Whose FBI? (1974); J. T. Elliff, The Reform of the FBI Intelligence Activities (1979); F. M. Sorrentino, Ideological Warfare: The F.B.I.'s Path Toward Power (1985).

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16 of the Best Books and Articles on: FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

The FBI Nobody Knows » Read Now
by Fred J. Cook. 436 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...414 Index 425 The FBI Nobody Knows 1 An Agent Talks The...agent who was willing to talk about the FBI nobody knows. Jack Levine was his...for naming the next Director of...
2.

J. Edgar Hoover and His G-Men » Read Now
by William B. Breuer. 254 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

As the blood of criminal violence flowed through the streets in early 1920s America, the FBI was rendered helpless by unholy alliances with crooked politicians and shady dealings. A dynamic, young J. Edgar Hoover would change all that. After being named director of the FBI, Hoover quickly whipped...
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As the blood of criminal violence flowed through the streets in early 1920s America, the FBI was rendered helpless by unholy alliances with crooked politicians and shady dealings. A dynamic, young J. Edgar Hoover would change all that. After being named director of the FBI, Hoover quickly whipped the bureau into crime-fighting shape through mass firings of "political hacks" and painstaking screening of new recruits. Hoover's meticulous revitalization of the FBI resulted in the forming of a small, coldly efficient force that eagerly awaited its chance to battle the criminal element. Once Congress removed limitations on making arrests and carrying firearms, Hoover and 600 "G-Men" took to the streets, matching guns and wits with America's most notorious gangsters in an all-out war. The G-Men rapidly nailed ruthless criminals and well-known kingpins such as John Dillinger, "Baby Face" Nelson, "Pretty Boy" Floyd, "Ma" Barker and her sons, "Machine Gun" Kelly, and "Creepy" Karpis (who was personally apprehended by Hoover). Through gripping accounts of actual incidents, William Breuer brings the reader to the front lines of battle with Hoover and his crimebusters. Thrilling manhunts, thwarted mayhem, and tense confrontations dominate the action as the FBI tracks down the most dangerous hoodlums, kidnappers, and marauders of the era. Breuer also examines the social obstacles of pursuing justice during that bleak period in American history. Citizen apathy spurred by the Depression further stacked the odds against the G-Men as they chased desperadoes across the landscape. Somehow, the FBI achieved unprecedented success in the face of almost insurmountable odds. This powerful volume demonstratesthe stunning evolution of a tattered, corrupt organization into a disciplined unit priding itself on integrity and a tireless dedication to duty. Most of all, Hoover's mystique and the sheer force of his will can be felt with
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3.

The U.S. Intelligence Community ("Federal Bureau of Investigation" begins on p. 141) » Read Now
by Jeffrey T. Richelson. 526 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

This book provides a detailed overview of America's vast intelligence empire -- its organizations, its operations (from spies on the ground to satellites thousands of miles in space), and its management structure. Relying on a multitude of sources, including hundreds of official documents, it...
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This book provides a detailed overview of America's vast intelligence empire -- its organizations, its operations (from spies on the ground to satellites thousands of miles in space), and its management structure. Relying on a multitude of sources, including hundreds of official documents, it provides an up-to-date picture of the U.S. intelligence community that will provide support to policymakers and military operations into the next century.
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4.

Fixing the Spy Machine: Preparing American Intelligence for the Twenty-First Century (Includes discussion of the FBI in multiple chapters) » Read Now
by Richard R. Valcourt, Arthur S. Hulnick. 223 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

With the end of the Cold War and the dawning of a new century, the U.S. intelligence system faces new challenges and threats. The system has suffered from penetration by foreign agents, cutbacks in resources, serious errors in judgment, and what appears to be bad management; nonetheless, it remains...
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With the end of the Cold War and the dawning of a new century, the U.S. intelligence system faces new challenges and threats. The system has suffered from penetration by foreign agents, cutbacks in resources, serious errors in judgment, and what appears to be bad management; nonetheless, it remains one of the key elements of America's strategic defense. Hulnick suggests that things are not as bad as they seem, that America's intelligence system is reasonably well prepared to deal with the many threats to national security. He examines the various functions of intelligence from intelligence gathering and espionage to the arcane fields of analysis, spy-catching, secret operations, and even the business of corporate espionage.
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5.

Spying on America: The FBI's Domestic Counterintelligence Program » Read Now
by James Kirkpatrick Davis. 198 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

"COINTELPRO"--an acronym for "Counterintelligence Program"--is the code name the FBI gave to the secret operations aimed at five major social and political protest groups: the Communist party, the Socialist Workers party, the Ku Klux Klan, black nationalist hate groups, and the New Left movement...
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"COINTELPRO"--an acronym for "Counterintelligence Program"--is the code name the FBI gave to the secret operations aimed at five major social and political protest groups: the Communist party, the Socialist Workers party, the Ku Klux Klan, black nationalist hate groups, and the New Left movement. Spying on America, the first book to chronicle all five of the operations, tells the story of how the FBI, from 1956 until COINTELPRO's exposure in 1971, expanded its domestic surveillance programs and increasingly employed questionable, even unlawful, methods in an effort to disrupt what amounted to virtually our entire social and political protest process. Violations of citizens' constitutional rights were rampant, and the secret operations actually resulted in a number of deaths. At the time, neither the public nor the news media knew anything about COINTELPRO. In vivid detail, Spying on America demonstrates that the system of checks and balances designed to prevent such occurrences was simply not functioning--until an illegal act uncovered the secret activities. The book opens with the daring raid on a Media, Pennsylvania, FBI office by a group that adeptly used its booty--about 1,000 classified documents--to make COINTELPRO operations public. The burglars, who called themselves the Citizen's Commission to Investigate the FBI and with whom the FBI never caught up, used sophisticated techniques releasing copies of incriminating documents to the media at carefully timed intervals. Spying on America draws on newspaper and magazine articles, interviews with many of the people involved, and FBI memos to trace the historical beginnings and operating methods of COINTELPRO against each of the fivetargeted groups. In vivid detail, the author re-creates the reactions of the bureau--including the subsequent policy changes--as well as the response of the news media and the resulting shift in public attitudes toward the F
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6.

The Boss: J. Edgar Hoover and the Great American Inquisition (Includes discussion of the FBI in multiple chapters) » Read Now
by Athan G. Theoharis, John Stuart Cox. 489 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...presidents and attorneys general, is contained in the files of the FBI. While presidential libraries and other depositories house...supervision of the attorney general. By...
7.

Agents of Repression: The FBI's Secret Wars Against the Black Panther Party and the American Indian Movement » Read Now
by Ward Churchill, Jim Vander Wall. 509 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...in Charge, the official title for an FBI agent in a supervisory position, often...the Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI is a highly successful...
8.

The Last Crusade: Martin Luther King Jr., the FBI, and the Poor People's Campaign » Read Now
by Gerald D. McKnight. 192 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

In The Last Crusade, Gerald McKnight examines the Poor People's Campaign, the last large-scale demonstration of civil rights-era America, & the systematic efforts of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover & his executive officers to subvert King's ambitious effort to force the federal government to live up to...
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In The Last Crusade, Gerald McKnight examines the Poor People's Campaign, the last large-scale demonstration of civil rights-era America, & the systematic efforts of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover & his executive officers to subvert King's ambitious effort to force the federal government to live up to its promises of a Great Society. The book also looks at King's last days as he helped Memphis sanitation workers in their labor-cum-civil rights struggle with a recalcitrant & racist city government. Although there is no persuasive evidence that the FBI & the Memphis police conspired to assassinate King, McKnight marshals evidence to show that neither agency was blameless. Contents: Introduction. King, Vietnam, & the Transformation of the Civil Rights Movement. The Road to Washington Goes Through Memphis. Memphis: Days of Rage, Days of Sorrow. "The Poor People Are Coming! The Poor People Are Coming!" Resurrection City-Shantytown Among the Cherry Trees. Conclusion.
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9.

Stalking the Sociological Imagination: J. Edgar Hoover's FBI Surveillance of American Sociology » Read Now
by Mike Forrest Keen. 240 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

It is now common knowledge that the FBI and its long-time director, J. Edgar Hoover, were responsible for the creation of a massive internal security apparatus that undermined the very principles of freedom and democracy they were sworn to protect. While no one was above suspicion, Hoover appears to...
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It is now common knowledge that the FBI and its long-time director, J. Edgar Hoover, were responsible for the creation of a massive internal security apparatus that undermined the very principles of freedom and democracy they were sworn to protect. While no one was above suspicion, Hoover appears to have held a special disdain for sociologists and placed many of sociology's most prominent American figures under surveillance. Using documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, this volume portrays the FBI's stalking of the sociological imagination, offering a detailed account of its investigations within the context of an overview of the history of American sociology. This groundbreaking analysis of a previously hidden chapter of American intellectual history suggests that the activities of Hoover and the FBI marginalized critical sociologists such as W.E.B. Du Bois and C. Wright Mills, suppressed the development of a Marxist tradition in American sociology, and likely pushed the mainstream of the discipline away from a critique of American society and towards a more quantitative and scientific direction.
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10.

G-Men: Hoover's FBI in American Popular Culture » Read Now
by Richard Gid Powers, Daniel M. Finnegan. 280 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...G-men, Hoovers FBI in American popular...terrible in wrath. His Federal Bureau of Investigation was venerated like...then head of the Bureau of Investigation, told Congress...
11.

War on Crime: Bandits, G-Men, and the Politics of Mass Culture » Read Now
by Claire Bond Potter. 252 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...articulated the benefits of an interventionist state. If, by 1954, the director could introduce a best-selling history of the FBI by stating that he and his men were "never...
12.

Surveillance in the Stacks: The FBI's Library Awareness Program » Read Now
by Herbert N. Foerstel. 176 pgs.

Collections: Education, Entire Library

"Foerstel, himself one of the leaders in the effort to expose the FBI's notorious spies in the stacks' program, writes as a partisan of privacy rights with a well-earned distrust of the FBI's efforts to excuse itself from observing those rights. In fairness to the other side, however, he also gives...
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"Foerstel, himself one of the leaders in the effort to expose the FBI's notorious spies in the stacks' program, writes as a partisan of privacy rights with a well-earned distrust of the FBI's efforts to excuse itself from observing those rights. In fairness to the other side, however, he also gives full play to the arguments of national security and for the prevention of the flow of sensitive' information into foriegn hands. In this extensively documented and thoroughly researched tale, he offers many stories of the courage and fortitude of librarians opposed to this program, from the jailing of Zoia Horn to the eloquent indignation of Columbia University's Paula Kaufman and the tenacious Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee. Less happy is his picture of the heavily politicized National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) and others who have acquiesced to the spying. The chapters on the political ramifications of the program and the legal context of library confidentiality are also valuable--although it is possible to argue with some of Foerstel's conclusions. But this illuminating, cautionary work is bound to remain an authoritative source on a vitally important subject." Library Journal ." . . the book can be compelling and even, melodramatic as it may sound, frightening reading." Booklist
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13.

Challenging the Secret Government: The Post-Watergate Investigations of the CIA and FBI » Read Now
by Kathryn S. Olmsted. 255 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...government: the postWatergate investigations of the CIA and FBI / by Kathryn S. Olmsted. p. cm. Includes bibliographical...legitimize the agency. The Federal Bureau of...
14.

Break-Ins, Death Threats, and the FBI: The Covert War Against the Central America Movement » Read Now
by Ross Gelbspan, Ross Gelbspan. 251 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...Break-ins, death threats and the FBI: the covert war against the...threshold of the inner sanctum of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Varelas decision to bring...
15.

Profiles in Murder: An FBI Legend Dissects Killers and Their Crimes » Read Now
by Russell Vorpagel. 300 pgs.

Collections: Psychology, Entire Library

More suspenseful than a detective thriller, Profiles in Murder packs a punch that few novels deliver -- and this book is all true.t FBI legend Russ Vorpagel, along with Robert Ressler, helped put the FBI Behavioral Science Profiling Unit on the map, as immortalized in The Silence of the Lambs.
Here...
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More suspenseful than a detective thriller, Profiles in Murder packs a punch that few novels deliver -- and this book is all true.t FBI legend Russ Vorpagel, along with Robert Ressler, helped put the FBI Behavioral Science Profiling Unit on the map, as immortalized in The Silence of the Lambs.
Here in this thrilling book, he reveals the inside story on how psychological profiling and old-fashioned detective work helped crack cases of serial killings, sex crimes, celebrity murders, hostage taking, terrorist crimes, and police cover-ups. Vorpagel -- the hard-boiled detective, yet disarmingly engaging guide -- takes us back in time to the actual scenes of the crime. His infectious enthusiasm not only inspires us to adopt his brilliant detective mindset and sleight of hand logic, but draws us in to experience the unbridled euphoria of solving the crime. This master detective skillfully transports us to the dramatic scenes leading up to each of these grisly crimes, subtly dropping clues, as he finetunes our own sense of detective logic.
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16.

There's Something Happening Here: The New Left, the Klan, and FBI Counterintelligence » Read Now
by David Cunningham. 366 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

"Cunningham's landmark study of the FBI's response to Sixties protest couldn't be more timely. We gain fresh and disturbing insight into the culture and dynamics of the agency at a time when once again it has been empowered to monitor political dissidence. We need this history so as to avoid...
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"Cunningham's landmark study of the FBI's response to Sixties protest couldn't be more timely. We gain fresh and disturbing insight into the culture and dynamics of the agency at a time when once again it has been empowered to monitor political dissidence. We need this history so as to avoid repeating it."--Richard Flacks, author "Making History: The American Left and the American Mind
"Cunningham reveals the programs and priorities of the FBI's domestic surveillance in the 1960s with an eye for the telling detail, and with extensive new research. He shows how the extreme bureaucratic centralization of the agency often handicapped, rather than helped, field agents who had creative ideas about how to pursue the FBI's goals. This is the most important book on how the FBI shapes its agenda and its actions, in relation to targeted groups, in some time. At a time when the FBI is being called on to deal with new public threats, we need the insights of this work."--Jack A. Goldstone, Hazel Professor of Public Policy, George Mason University
"For years political scientists and social movement scholars have theorized and sought, in various ways, to measure 'political repression.' Despite these efforts, the actual social and organizational dynamics that shape repression have largely remained a black box. By fashioning a rich, systematic account of the origins and operation of the FBI's notorious COINTELPRO program, Cunningham has gone a long way toward redressing this problem."--Doug McAdam, co-author of "Dynamics of Contention
"This is a timely book. Cunningham's thoughtful, thoroughly researched history of the FBI's purposeful repression of dissident movements under the COINTELPRO's NewLeft and White Hate programs raises disturbing questions about the FBI's conduct of 'terrorist' investigations dating from the 1970s and intensified in the aftermath of September 11."--Athan Theoharis, author of "Chasing Spie
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