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The Bulldog Detective: William J. Flynn and America's First War Against the Mafia, Spies, and Terrorists
America in the early twentieth century was rife with threats. Organized crime groups like The Mafia, German spies embedded behind enemy lines ahead of World War I, package bombs sent throughout the country, and the 1920 Wall Street bombing dominated headlines. Yet the story of the one man tasked with combatting these threats has yet to be told. The Bulldog Detectice is the first book to tell the story of William J. Flynn, the first government official to bring down the powerful Mafia, uncover a sophisticated German spy ring in the United States, and launch a formal war on terrorism. As the Director of the Bureau of Investigation (the forerunner to the FBI), Flynn would become one of the most respected and effective law enforcement officials in American history.
Long before Eliot Ness and the Untouchables went after Al Capone and the Italian mob in Chicago, Flynn dismantled the first Mafia family to exist in America. The success against the Mafia made Flynn famous, with front-page stories about him in newspapers across the country. His rise through the ranks was swift. As Chief of the Secret Service (then an organization devoted to intelligence rather than protecting the president), Flynn, nicknamed “the Bulldog” for his tenacity in pursuing leads, again won national acclaim when he uncovered a sophisticated German sabotage campaign in the United States on the eve of American entry into World War I. As the Director of the Bureau of Investigation, Flynn would devise the first counterterrorist strategy in U.S. history in his investigation of the anarchist terrorists leaving bombs across the country. He would also appoint an ambitious library clerk named J. Edgar Hoover to the Bureau’s newly created Radical Division. Flynn’s distinguished career came to an inglorious end, however, when he was unable to find the perpetrators of the infamous Wall Street bombing in September 1920. He never again returned to government service, instead turning to editing a detective fiction magazine called Flynn’s that became one of the most popular magazine publications of its time.
In this riveting and well-researched biography, the first devoted to the man who became one of this country’s greatest detectives, author and terrorism expert Jeffrey D. Simon reveals the fascinating, exciting, and at times tragic story of William J. Flynn.
Long before Eliot Ness and the Untouchables went after Al Capone and the Italian mob in Chicago, Flynn dismantled the first Mafia family to exist in America. The success against the Mafia made Flynn famous, with front-page stories about him in newspapers across the country. His rise through the ranks was swift. As Chief of the Secret Service (then an organization devoted to intelligence rather than protecting the president), Flynn, nicknamed “the Bulldog” for his tenacity in pursuing leads, again won national acclaim when he uncovered a sophisticated German sabotage campaign in the United States on the eve of American entry into World War I. As the Director of the Bureau of Investigation, Flynn would devise the first counterterrorist strategy in U.S. history in his investigation of the anarchist terrorists leaving bombs across the country. He would also appoint an ambitious library clerk named J. Edgar Hoover to the Bureau’s newly created Radical Division. Flynn’s distinguished career came to an inglorious end, however, when he was unable to find the perpetrators of the infamous Wall Street bombing in September 1920. He never again returned to government service, instead turning to editing a detective fiction magazine called Flynn’s that became one of the most popular magazine publications of its time.
In this riveting and well-researched biography, the first devoted to the man who became one of this country’s greatest detectives, author and terrorism expert Jeffrey D. Simon reveals the fascinating, exciting, and at times tragic story of William J. Flynn.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 15, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 30, 2024
William J. Flynn deserved a biography and author Jeffrey Simon has delivered on that need. A New Yorker, who worked his way up from detective to police commissioner to Chief of the US Secret Service and Chief of the Bureau of Investigation, Flynn arguably was one of the most influential investigators and intelligence operators in modern US history.
The Bulldog Detective also craved public attention, upset his superiors with public grandstanding and taking credit for others' successes. He wrote self-aggrandizing articles and semi-autobiographical, embellished accounts of his exploits, some of which turned into movies. The asserted interagency competition between the USSS and the Bureau of Investigation between 1914 and 1917 likely stemmed from Flynn's behavior alone. He was a complicated man, overly ambitious, and irreverent of established rules. His insubordination and overstepping of the legal bounds of the Secret Service’s mission caused damage to Justice Department investigations during the years leading up to the US entry into the First World War, and eventually got him fired in 1917. His subsequent stint as Chief of the Bureau of Investigation 1919 to 1921 ended in disgrace. Flynn's career never recovered after that.
Simon does a great job synthesizing Flynn’s career using a wide variety of mostly secondary sources, as well as Flynn's writings. He also worked with Flynn’s grandson, who related anecdotes, supplied letters, as well as photographs.
This is a worthy read, spellbindingly written, and an important biography that adds to our understanding of intelligence history in the 20th century. Five Stars!
The Bulldog Detective also craved public attention, upset his superiors with public grandstanding and taking credit for others' successes. He wrote self-aggrandizing articles and semi-autobiographical, embellished accounts of his exploits, some of which turned into movies. The asserted interagency competition between the USSS and the Bureau of Investigation between 1914 and 1917 likely stemmed from Flynn's behavior alone. He was a complicated man, overly ambitious, and irreverent of established rules. His insubordination and overstepping of the legal bounds of the Secret Service’s mission caused damage to Justice Department investigations during the years leading up to the US entry into the First World War, and eventually got him fired in 1917. His subsequent stint as Chief of the Bureau of Investigation 1919 to 1921 ended in disgrace. Flynn's career never recovered after that.
Simon does a great job synthesizing Flynn’s career using a wide variety of mostly secondary sources, as well as Flynn's writings. He also worked with Flynn’s grandson, who related anecdotes, supplied letters, as well as photographs.
This is a worthy read, spellbindingly written, and an important biography that adds to our understanding of intelligence history in the 20th century. Five Stars!
January 28, 2024
Outstanding writing that captures the spirit of a man that worked to thwart criminals. The details and narrative are organized such that the book is the mark of a true historian with passion.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews