I borrowed the title for this essay from a very popular weekly radio show (over 400 episodes) of the exact same name, broadcast during some of my growing up years 1945-1953. Before television became the focus of our attention we listened to radio, usually as a family gathered around the one piece of furniture providing our in-home entertainment. The show cited above was a favorite because it was exciting and reinforced our teachings from other sources (parents, schools, churches, the friendly constable on the beat) about distinguishing right from wrong. We came to accept the FBI as the world’s leading crime-fighting organization. We applauded its existence and personnel, were assured it could do no wrong, and even wondered how we could join up. A seemingly impossible dream.
But there are other forces at work within the entity. The FBI has always had a lot more going on than just catching bad guys, domestic and foreign. Behind the scenes and out of sight of an often naive and generally admiring public, the FBI engages in many questionable activities. President Harry Truman warned in 1945 the FBI was becoming dangerous. Truman stated: “We want no Gestapo or secret police. The FBI is tending in that direction. They are dabbling in sex-life scandals and plain blackmail. J. Edgar Hoover would give his right eye to take over, and all congressmen and senators are afraid of him.”
http://canadafreepress.com/article/this-is-your-fbi
Fast forward. Today’s entertainment offerings include a popular TV show (one of mine anyway) titled “Forensic Files”. While not exclusively about the FBI, every episode features the awesome technology used to solve difficult crime cases. Much of that technology is produced by FBI laboratories and used free of charge by law agencies in every jurisdiction across the country. So far, so good. What’s not to like? (By the way, at one time, and maybe still the case, it was more difficult to become an FBI agent than to be accepted at an Ivy League school. Another impossible dream for most of us.)
But there are other forces at work within the entity. The FBI has always had a lot more going on than just catching bad guys, domestic and foreign. Behind the scenes and out of sight of an often naive and generally admiring public, the FBI engages in many questionable activities. President Harry Truman warned in 1945 the FBI was becoming dangerous. Truman stated: “We want no Gestapo or secret police. The FBI is tending in that direction. They are dabbling in sex-life scandals and plain blackmail. J. Edgar Hoover would give his right eye to take over, and all congressmen and senators are afraid of him.”
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