The FBI: A History

by Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones

This fast-paced history of the FBI presents the first balanced and complete portrait of the vast, powerful, and sometimes bitterly criticized American institution. Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones, a well-known expert on U.S. intelligence agencies, tells the bureau’s story in the context of American history. Along the way he challenges conventional understandings of that story and assesses the FBI’s strengths and weaknesses as an institution.   Common wisdom traces the origin of the bureau to 1908, but Jeffreys-Jones locates its true beginnings in the 1870s, when Congress acted in response to the Ku Klux Klan campaign of terror against black American voters. The character and significance of the FBI derive from this original mission, the author contends, and he traces the evolution of the mission into the twenty-first century.   The book makes a number of surprising that the role of J. Edgar Hoover has been exaggerated and the importance of attorneys general underestimated, that splitting counterintelligence between the FBI and the CIA in 1947 was a mistake, and that xenophobia impaired the bureau’s preemptive anti-terrorist powers before and after 9/11. The author concludes with a fresh consideration of today’s FBI and the increasingly controversial nature of its responsibilities.    

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Crime, American History, Politics

320 pages, Hardcover

First published September 28, 2007

About the author

Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones was born in Wales and grew up in the ancient town of Harlech. He attended the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, then the Universities of Michigan, Harvard and Cambridge, where he obtained his PhD. He was active in anti-apartheid, anti-Bomb, anti-Vietnam War and pro-civil liberties campaigns and aimed at a career in politics, but then settled down to family life and scholarly pursuits. He was a Professor of American History at the University of Edinburgh, where he is now emeritus. He played rugby in Wales, England and America, and remains a keen fan, his other interests being opera, vegetable gardening, and snooker.
Rhodri’s latest book, published in different formats in the United States and the UK, tells the story of how FBI detective Leon Turrou hunted down a German spy ring in 1938 and then conducted an effective propaganda campaign against the Nazis. He is currently writing a history of the CIA, and researching the Glasgow background of the private detective Allan Pinkerton.
For further information:
“Learning the Scholar’s Craft" (2020): https://hdiplo.org/to/E221
Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodri_...

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jones is a professor of American history at Edinburgh University. The book suffers from his not being an American and total reliance on secondry sources. His singular criteria for judging the success of the FBI is how well it has enforced civil rights. This leads him to indict the Bureau when the problem was the Congress dominated by southerners. Anti-lynching laws were needed but not passed. The Bureau's job is to enforce the law something it can not do if there is no law.

Much of the book descibes the Bureau's organization structure:essential information but dull. At best, this is a poor academic study.

[Anne Marshall]

Far too dry.

[Can Şarman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book strongly reminded me of the story of the scorpion and the frog. The scorpion stings the frog simply because it’s in its nature. In many ways, the FBI operates the same way—doing what it does because that’s its nature.

While reading, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the book was trying to absolve the FBI of its sins. Because of that, every page pushed me to form counterarguments instead. At some point, I stopped questioning specific actions and started questioning the nature of the FBI itself.

The FBI is essentially a weapon. A necessary one, perhaps—but a weapon nonetheless. A weapon whose casing changes with every administration, one that isn’t dismantled once a problem is solved. And for this weapon to justify its existence, there must always be a threat—natural or manufactured.

The book constantly circles around an identity crisis within the FBI. But the truth is, the FBI doesn’t really have an identity. It’s a weapon that doesn’t know where to aim its barrel. A scorpion that stings, doesn’t fully understand why it stings, and simply says, “It’s in my nature.”

[Charles Mournet · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book the FBI: A History, examines what the FBI did and how they grew into a huge organization. One of the key figures of the FBI is the man know as J. Edgar Hoover this book explains his role although it is not the main aspect he is normally credited for building the FBI from the ground up.

I think this book shows many things, whether it is determination or heroics. The FBI may have a lot of information that is relatively swept under the eyes of the nation, but they protect us from many dangers, and for that we owe them appreciation. I think we see how when determination reaches such great height, anything can indeed happen which is very reaffirming in a sometimes manipulative society.

So overall I think this book shows one reason why america is so safe, and how determination can lead to great success.

[Troy]

Didn't realy care for this book much it did alot of repeating and just not interesting enough.

[Kenzie Barnett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brings an interesting perspective and outlook, especially at aspects normally overlooked in the organization. Fairly good and useful for research.