The FBI: A History

By: Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones

Narrated by: David Henry

This fast-paced account of the history of the FBI presents the first balanced and complete portrait of the powerful and oft-criticized institution. Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones offers a new take on the origins and mission of the bureau, the significance of J. Edgar Hoover’s term as director, the bureau’s pre-emptive anti-terrorist capabilities before and after 9/11, and more.

©2007 Yale University Press (P)2007 Yale University Press

Critic reviews

"A prolific historian of the United States intelligence community, Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones has now produced an informative survey of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.... Fascinating." (Kenneth O'Reilly, American Historical Review)

A Lightweight Read

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

It becomes most obvious right at the outset that the author has an agenda. So what the unsuspecting buyer gets is a rambling effort to present the agenda rather than a genuine historical critique of the FBI.

There are a number of books available tempered pro and con toward the FBI all of which deal with the Bureau's history in a far superior manner than does this read.

What was most disappointing about Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones’s story?

The story

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

disappointment (at having wasted good money)

Lukewarm on Events

Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones' study of FBI history leaves much to be desired. The text approaches the FBI's most recognizable episodes in a fairly cursory manner, treating the Bureau's war against organized crime, seperatist militias and religious cults, counterterrorism and counter-espionage as the background to the author's central theme: race.

As such, the book emerges principally as a study of the Bureau's often slow progress in diversifying its workforce in order to meet diverse threats.

Points of strength: exploration of FBI leadership and the role of the Attorney General, study of the Bureau's relationship with other intelligence agencies, and effective review of the Bureau's swings from popularity to notoriety and back again throughout the past 100 years.