Future of the FBI

Archive Report

Criticism of the Fbi and Its Chief

For the second time in its 62-year history, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is under widespread attack. The bureau was tainted half a century ago by the scandals of the Harding administration, but it soon surmounted them and built a reputation for incorruptibility under J. Edgar Hoover, its director since 1924. Today the FBI stands accused of overzealousness. Critics contend that it has exceeded its authority by monitoring the activities of persons—including members of Congress—not involved in or suspected of any federal crime.

The controversy centers on Hoover himself. The director, after 47 years at the job, is the very embodiment of the bureau he has molded in his image. Numerous persons argue that Hoover, at the age of ...

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