Federal Bureau of Investigation

Within the U.S. Department of Justice, the agency responsible for dealing with violations of federal law. [Page 252]The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) originated from a force of special agents created in 1908 by Attorney General Charles Bonaparte during the administration of Theodore Roosevelt. Both Bonaparte and Roosevelt were Progressives, and they shared the conviction that efficiency and expertise, not political connections, should determine who could best serve in government. After Roosevelt appointed him attorney general, Bonaparte used Progressive methods to create a corps of special agents. At the time, the corps of 34 agents did not have an official name. In 1909, Attorney General George Wickersham, Bonaparte's successor, named the force the Bureau of Investigation.

Today, most Americans take for granted that the nation needs a federal investigative service, but in 1908, the establishment of this type of agency at the national level was controversial. During the 1800s, Americans usually relied on local governments to fulfill most government responsibilities. At the dawn of the Progressive Era in the early 20th century, however, the American people looked to the federal government to produce justice in an industrial and increasingly urban society.

Early Years

When the FBI was established, few crimes had been designated federal offenses. The bureau primarily investigated violations of law involving national banking, naturalization, antitrust, and land fraud. The first major expansion of the bureau's jurisdiction came in June 1910 with the passage of the Mann Act, which made it a crime to transport women over state lines for immoral purposes. This law provided a means by which the federal government could investigate criminals who violated state laws but had no other federal violations.

Because the early bureau provided no formal training, previous law enforcement experience was considered desirable in new hires. Over the next few years, the number of agents grew to more than 300. Field offices were located in major cities and a special agent in charge, who was responsible to Washington, DC, headed each office. Several field offices were located near the Mexican border, where agents concentrated on investigating smuggling and neutrality violations and collecting intelligence.

After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, the bureau's work increased again. The bureau acquired responsibility for the Espionage, Selective Service, and Sabotage acts, and assisted the U.S. Department of Labor by investigating enemy aliens. In October 1919, the passage of the National Motor Vehicle Theft Act gave the bureau another tool by which to prosecute criminals who evaded the law by crossing state lines.

The Prohibition Years

Crime soared between 1921 and 1933 as gangsterism and public disregard for Prohibition, which made it illegal to sell or import intoxicating beverages, grew. Because of its narrow jurisdiction, the bureau had limited success in investigating the criminals of the gangster era. For example, it investigated gangster Al Capone as a fugitive federal witness. Federal investigation of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), a terrorist white supremacy movement, also required creativity. The bureau used the Mann Act to bring Louisiana's philandering KKK leader to justice. Through these and other investigations, the Bureau of Investigation slowly gained stature and its role grew more important.

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