Category: Crime, Justice, and Intelligence

Criminals, Outlaws, Law Enforcement, Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), etc.

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

by US National Archives, posted in FBI Records, Records Reference and Research

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”

by US National Archives, posted in FBI Records

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 CIA in Guatemala

by jclingerman, posted in CIA & NSA, Hispanic/Latinx History, Military Records, State and Foreign Affairs

By Jason Clingerman In June 1954, Guatemalan president Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán was overthrown in a coup that was orchestrated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and carried out by the Guatemalan exile Colonel Carlos Castillo Armas. Arbenz was targeted in large part because of his land reform policies that affected U.S. companies, namely the United … Continue reading The CIA in Guatemala

Enforcing the Voting Rights Act

by jclingerman, posted in Civil Rights, DOJ Records

By Jason Clingerman On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law. While this was a major milestone in ensuring that no one could “deny or abridge the rights of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race and color,” violations of individual voting rights … Continue reading Enforcing the Voting Rights Act

How the West was Won: Marshal Dake, the Earp Brothers, and the Tombstone Shootout

by US National Archives, posted in Crime, Justice, and Intelligence

On October 26, 1881, a 30-second gunfight became the stuff of legend. Today marks the 130th anniversary of the shoot-out at the O.K. Corral, and to commemorate the occasion, Katie Beaver, a summer intern in textual processing, wrote the following post. One of the most well-known stories of the “Wild West” comes from Tombstone, Arizona: … Continue reading How the West was Won: Marshal Dake, the Earp Brothers, and the Tombstone Shootout

Legends in the “Twin Territories”

by US National Archives, posted in African American History, Crime, Justice, and Intelligence

This post was written by Katy Berube, who was a summer intern in textual processing. When Deputy Marshal Bass Reeves began to sing softly to himself, people who knew him ran for cover.  An uncommon reaction, you might think, but from many accounts it was best to steer clear of a singing Bass Reeves as … Continue reading Legends in the “Twin Territories”

The U.S. Marshal Service and The Supreme Court

by US National Archives, posted in African American History, Civil Rights, Crime, Justice, and Intelligence

This post was written by Katie Beaver, a student intern working with civilian records.  It is a follow-up to A few good lawmen.   The American South was a particularly tumultuous area after the Civil War and during the occupation of the U.S. Army. Slaves became freedmen and gained the rights of citizenship per the Constitution. … Continue reading The U.S. Marshal Service and The Supreme Court

Deputy Marshal v. Deputy Marshal

by US National Archives, posted in Crime, Justice, and Intelligence

This post was written by Katy Berube, a student intern working in civilian processing.  It is a follow-up to the post A few good lawmen.   As guns unloaded into British subject and cattle investor, John H. Tunstall, in the dusty, remote hills of the New Mexico Territory on February 18, 1878, the grab for power … Continue reading Deputy Marshal v. Deputy Marshal

A few good lawmen

by dehenderson, posted in Crime, Justice, and Intelligence, Records Reference and Research

Today's post is written by Denise Henderson. A few months ago, I was asked to locate a record about Pat Garrett, the famous sheriff who killed Billy the Kid in 1881 when cowboys and cattle thieves made the West wild and dangerous and a place in serious need of law enforcement.  Understanding the index to, … Continue reading A few good lawmen

After 200 years, a glimpse into The Art of Secret Writing

by US National Archives, posted in CIA & NSA

Today's post is written by James Rush, a supervisory archivist in the textual processing unit at Archives II. On June 8, 2011, the National Security Agency announced that it had declassified and released to the National Archives and Records Administration over 50,000 pages of historic records relating to cryptology and the history of intelligence gathering. … Continue reading After 200 years, a glimpse into The Art of Secret Writing