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The creation of the BOI
The BOI or BI, also known as the Bureau of Investigation, was founded by Teddy Roosevelt in 1908 to investigate corruption in government. -
Mann ("White Slave") Act
The first major expansion in Bureau jurisdiction came when the Mann ("White Slave") Act was passed, making it a crime to transport women over state lines for immoral purposes. It also provided a tool by which the federal government could investigate criminals who evaded state laws but had no other federal violations. -
Change in leadership
Stanley W. Finch, the first director of the BOI, became the Commissioner of White Slavery Act violations in 1912, and former Special Examiner A. Bruce Bielaski became the new Bureau of Investigation Chief. -
US enters WW1
During Woodrow Wilson's administration, the Bureau's work was increased again. As a result of the war, the Bureau acquired responsibility for the Espionage, Selective Service, and Sabotage Acts, and assisted the Department of Labor by investigating enemy aliens. -
Motor vehicle theft act
William J. Flynn, former head of the Secret Service, became Director of the Bureau of Investigation in July 1919 and was the first to use that title. In October 1919, passage of the National Motor Vehicle Theft Act gave the Bureau of Investigation another tool by which to prosecute criminals who previously evaded the law by crossing state lines. -
Back To “normalcy ”
With the return of the country to "normalcy" under President Warren G. Harding , the Bureau of Investigation returned to its pre-war role of fighting the few federal crimes. -
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The "Lawless" Years
The years from 1921 to 1933 were sometimes called the "lawless years" because of gangsterism and the public disregard for Prohibition, which made it illegal to sell or import intoxicating beverages. -
Hoover’s era
J. Edgar Hoover becomes the head of the BOI. -
Stock market crash
The stock market crash and the Great Depression brought hard times to America. Hard times, in turn, created more criminals--and also led Americans to escape their troubles through newspapers, radio, and movies.To combat the crime wave, President Franklin D. Roosevelt influenced Congress in his first administration to expand federal jurisdiction. Noting the widespread interest of the media in this war against crime, Hoover carried the message of FBI work through them to the American people. -
Federal crimes
Congress passed a federal kidnapping statute. This also led to the congress increasing the bureau’s jurisdiction allowing their agents to pursue, arrest and carry guns. -
B.O.I to D.O.I
The name was changed from bureau of investigation to division of investigation -
D.O.I to F.B.I
The name was finally changed from Division of investigation to federal bureau of investigation -
WW2
As these events unfolded in Europe,the American Depression continued. At the time,labor unrest, racial disturbances, and sympathy for the Spanish Loyalists presented an opportunity for the American Communist Party to grow.The FBI was alert to these Fascist and Communist groups as threats to American security. Authority to investigate these organizations came with President Roosevelt's authorization through Secretary of State Cordell Hull. -
FBI in WW2
With the actual outbreak of war in 1939, the responsibilities of the FBI escalated. Subversion, sabotage, and espionage became major concerns. In addition to Agents trained in general intelligence work, at least one Agent trained in defense plant protection was placed in each of the FBI's 42 field offices. The FBI also developed a network of informational sources, often using members of fraternal or veterans' organizations. -
The Draft
In 1940 and 1941, the United States moved further and further away from neutrality, actively aiding the Allies. In late 1940, Congress reestablished the draft. The FBI was responsible for locating draft evaders and deserters. -
USA enters WW2
War for the United States began December 7, 1941, when Japanese armed forces attacked ships and facilities at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The United States immediately declared war on Japan, and the next day Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.The FBI was in a wartime mode. FBI Headquarters and the 54 field offices were placed on 24-hour schedules. The FBI arrested previously identified aliens who threatened national security and turned them over to military or immigration authorities. -
WW2 ends. The Allies win
In April 1945, President Roosevelt died, and Vice President Harry Truman took office as President. Before the end of the month, Hitler committed suicide and the German commander in Italy surrendered. Although the May 1945 surrender of Germany ended the war in Europe, war continued in the Pacific until August 14, 1945. -
FBI expands again
Despite the threats to the United States of subversion and espionage, the FBI's extended jurisdiction, but the Bureau did not surpass the number of Agents it had during World War II--or its yearly wartime budget--until the Korean War in the early 1950s. After the Korean War ended, the number of Agents stabilized at about 6,200, while the budget began a steady climb. The FBI's role in fighting crime also expanded in the postwar period through its assistance to state and local law enforcement. -
FBI influences civil rights
The turning point in federal civil rights actions occurred with the murder of voting registration workers , Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney near Philadelphia, Mississippi. the FBI conducted the investigation as it had in previous, less-publicized racial incidents. The confluence of unambiguous federal authority and local support for civil rights allowed the FBI to play an influential role in enabling African Americans to vote, serve on juries, and use public accommodations on an equal basis. -
Crime Control and Safe Street Act
Although federal racketeering and gambling statutes were passed in the 1950s and early 1960s to aid the Bureau's fight against mob influence, the two strongest weapons for combatting organized crime were given to the FBI during President Richard Nixon's Administration. The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act provided for the use of court-ordered electronic surveillance in the investigation of certain specified violations. -
Hoover’s death
FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover died on May 2, 1972, just shy of 48 years as the FBI Director. He was 77. The next day his body lay in state in the Rotunda of the Capitol, an honor accorded only 21 other Americans. -
Clarence Kelley
Clarence Kelley's appointment as Director on July 9, 1973. Kelley, who was Kansas City Police Chief when he received the appointment, had been an FBI Agent from 1940 to 1961. -
FBI Guidelines
The FBI had traditionally used its own criteria for intelligence collection, based on executive orders and blanket authority granted by attorney generals. After congressional hearings, Attorney General Edward Levi established finely detailed guidelines for the first time. The guidelines for FBI foreign counterintelligence investigations went into effect on March 10, 1976 -
A new director
Director Kelley resigned and was replaced by former federal Judge William H. Webster. -
FBI’s split
following an explosion of terrorist incidents worldwide, Webster made counterterrorism a fourth national priority. He also expanded FBI efforts in the three others: foreign counterintelligence, organized crime, and white-collar crime. -
Olympic’s bodyguard
the FBI acted as lead agency for security of the Los Angeles Olympics. In the course of its efforts to anticipate and prepare for acts of terrorism and street crime, it built important bridges of interaction and cooperation with local, state, and other federal agencies, as well as agencies of other countries. -
Change in directorship
former federal Judge William Steele Sessions was sworn in as FBI Director. -
Operation Safe Streets
By November 1991 the FBI had created "Operation Safe Streets" in Washington, D.C.--a concept of federal, state, and local police task forces targeting fugitives and gangs. It was now ready to expand this operational assistance to police nationwide. -
Freeh becomes director
Louis J. Freeh was sworn in as Director of the FBI on September 1, 1993. -
Russian FBI branch
Director Freeh officially announced the historic opening of an FBI Legal Attache Office in Moscow, the old seat of Russian communism. -
HIPAA and the Economic Espionage Act
In 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and the Economic Espionage Act were passed in the closing days of the 104th Session of Congress, then signed into law. These new statutes enabled the FBI to significantly strengthen its criminal programs in health care fraud and the theft of trade secrets and intellectual property.