The Bureau: The Secret History of the FBI

Ronald Kessler

St. Martin's Press, Jul 13, 2003 - Political Science - 577 pages

No institution is as critically important to America's security. No American institution is as controversial. And, after the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court, no institution is as powerful. Yet until now, no book has presented the full story of the FBI from its beginnings in 1908 to the present...

The Bureau
The Secret History of the FBI

Based on exclusive interviews-including the first interview with Robert Mueller since his nomination as director-The Bureau reveals why the FBI was unprepared for the attacks of September 11 and how the FBI is combating terrorism today. The book answers such questions as: Why did the FBI know nothing useful about al-Qaeda before September 11? What is really behind the FBI's more aggressive investigative approaches that have raised civil liberties concerns? What does the FBI think of improvements in airline security? How safe does the FBI think America really is?

An Award-winning investigative reporter and New York Times bestselling author of Inside the White House, Ronald Kessler answers these questions and presents the definitive history of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Bureau reveals startling new information-from J. Edgar Hoover's blackmailing of Congress to the investigation of the September 11th attacks.

What people are saying

Review: The Bureau: The Secret History of the FBI

User Review  - Carol Rich - Goodreads

A well written, fascinating book, I was amazed at the history of the FBI, of some of its current practices, and the courage of those who are FBI agents. The author shows that foibles and misdeeds of ...

Review: The Bureau: The Secret History of the FBI

User Review  - Paul - Goodreads

Long, not terribly interesting. Some good background, but overall, not great.

About the author

Ronald Kessler is the New York Times bestselling author of twelve works of non-fiction, including The Sins of the Father, Inside the CIA, Inside Congress, The Season, and Inside the White House. A former Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post investigative reporter, Kessler has won sixteen journalism awards, including two George Polk awards and the Associated Press' Sevellon Brown Memorial Award. He lives with his wife, Pamela, in Potomac, Maryland.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Bureau: The Secret History of the FBI
• Author: Ronald Kessler
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2003
• ISBN: 0312989776, 9780312989774
• Length: 577 pages
• Subjects: Law / Forensic Science; Political Science / American Government / General; Political Science / Intelligence & Espionage; Political Science / Law Enforcement