cartoon w/Hoover in center surronded by vignettes of FBI agents duties

Happy Birthday FBI!

Today's post was compiled by the Special Access and FOIA Program staff at the National Archives at College Park, MD "Warning from the FBI" ca. 1941-1945 (NAID 516039; Local Identifier 44-PA-2313) In the Special Access and FOIA Program at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland, we conduct a review of records for information protected … Continue reading Happy Birthday FBI!

Richard Nixon and Elvis Presley in the White House

“Don’t Be Cruel”: Elvis Presley’s Visit to FBI Headquarters

Today’s post is by Megan Dwyre, Special Access and FOIA Program Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. Many of us are familiar with this photo of Elvis Presley’s famous meeting with President Richard Nixon, which took place on December 21, 1970. It is the most requested image in NARA’s holdings and the … Continue reading “Don’t Be Cruel”: Elvis Presley’s Visit to FBI Headquarters

When the FBI Used a Stamp Collecting Club as a Counterintelligence Tool

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. In doing research in declassified Federal Bureau of Investigation records at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., I ran across a file [105 -174254] describing a counterintelligence operation about a Chinese Communist stamp collecting club. Even though the … Continue reading When the FBI Used a Stamp Collecting Club as a Counterintelligence Tool

Fear and loathing at the National Archives

Today's post is written by College Park archivist Kylene Tucker. As part of my ADP (Archivist Development Program) rotation with the FOIA staff, I reviewed the FBI case file of Hunter S. Thompson from the Denver Field Office. The file covers 1965-1971 when Thompson lived in Colorado briefly, moved to California, and then returned to Woody … Continue reading Fear and loathing at the National Archives

The U.S. Secret Service: It Took 42 Years to Protect the President

Today's post (part one in a two-part series) is by National Archives Volunteer Bill Nigh. When I was assigned my first volunteer project, one associated with the U.S. Secret Service (Record Group 87), I wasn’t sure what to expect.  Like many my age, I picture the Secret Service agent climbing on the rear deck of … Continue reading The U.S. Secret Service: It Took 42 Years to Protect the President

Remembering Pearl Harbor

By David Langbart In the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor 71 years ago today, agencies of the U.S. government swung into action.  The Army and Navy immediately went on a war footing as did American diplomats in the Department of State and at embassies and consulates around the world.  Since the formal … Continue reading Remembering Pearl Harbor

An example of a FBI document, this one describing lab tests done on wine Khrushchev gave to Kennedy

The Challenge of Federal Bureau of Investigation Records: Abbreviations and Euphemisms

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher. The National Archives holds a substantial quantity of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) records. And in the forthcoming years even more records will be accessioned.  The FBI case files contain  a variety of documentation, including FBI agent reports; teletype-messages; prosecutive summaries; accounts of interviews and physical surveillance; letters; … Continue reading The Challenge of Federal Bureau of Investigation Records: Abbreviations and Euphemisms

“Thank you very, very much J. Edgar Hoover”

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher. On May 10, 1966, J. Edgar Hoover, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, wrote Alex Rosen, head of the Bureau’s General Investigation Division, thanking him for a gift certificate to a Washington, D.C. nursery.  The gift was in honor of Hoover’s anniversary as director.  “I shall … Continue reading “Thank you very, very much J. Edgar Hoover”

The gangster, the bank robber, the baby face, and a G-Man

By Denise Henderson Yesterday, I posted about Department of Justice press releases.  Today, I’d like to share a few of my favorites! One early press release, dated November 6, 1933, details the establishment of a federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island, which according to the release, “is a necessary part of the Government’s campaign against predatory … Continue reading The gangster, the bank robber, the baby face, and a G-Man