Mr. Schiff: Hi, welcome to "FBI 100, A Closer Look." I'm Neal Schiff of the Bureau's Office
of Public Affairs along with FBI Historian Dr. John Fox. John, July 26, 1908, marks the beginning of what we now know as the Federal Bureau of Investigation?
Dr. Fox: "On that date, Attorney General Charles Bonaparte conducted a small experiment. He put together a bunch of investigators; he assigned them to do the detective work for the Department of Justice and basically said, ‘We’ll see how it goes.’ Of course since then we’ve grown to an agency of more than 30,000 agents and professional support personnel. We’ve expanded not only across the country but across the world and our responsibilities entail some of the most serious matters our country faces. Protecting our national security and enforcing our federal criminal law.”
Mr. Schiff: John, as we celebrate the FBI’s first century, what does this mean for the Bureau?
Dr. Fox: "Neal, a milestone like a century is a great time to look back at how we’ve grown over time, about the work that we’ve done, about the challenges that we face. It’s a time to really reflect on who we are and how we came to do what we’re doing today.”
Mr. Schiff: How does the first 100 years of the FBI illuminate the future?
Dr. Fox: "I think it tells us some of the things that change in the matters that we face. Of course our jurisdiction has increased over time; people change; the laws change. But it also shows that there are some things that we’re going to face most definitely in the future. The FBI is charged with balancing and protecting American security while at the same time honoring and protecting the rights and liberties that we all expect as Americans. That’s not going to change. Those issues of balancing liberty and security are going to be with us. And of course what we have is a strong basis on which to build. We’ve got a century of doing just that with professionalism, with energy, and with a commitment to the people that we serve.”
Mr. Schiff: From the FBI’s Public Affairs office, along with Bureau Historian Dr. John Fox, I'm Neal Schiff with "FBI 100, A Closer Look."
Link:
"FBI,
This Week" ABC Radio Show Archives
Link:
FBI History
- Radio Sound Bytes