Enemies: A History of the FBI

"Enemies" is a fairly thorough and interesting history of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from inception to the present day. The author's thesis is that the FBI for much of its history operated outside the law, essentially taking for granted that to protect the nation it was necessary to engage in warrentless wiretaping and break-ins. The author contends that far from being a criminal prosecution agency, the FBI has considered itself to be primarily an intelligence agency. This despite the fact that, as the author points out, the FBI to this day does not have a charter from Congress spelling out its mission.The author covers the Hoover years with insight and in my opinion is relatively even-handed in his treatment of this complicated man. Perhaps the most insightful portion of this piece is the author's analysis of the Watergate scandal. Hoover had provided political intelligence to many presidents (even as he intimidated Presidents with his feared secret files) but became cautious as he got older. When Nixon was faced with relentless and pervasive leaks within his administration, he asked Hoover to engage in extensive wiretapping and other forms of surveillance in order to identify the leakers. Hoover turned him down, leading to Nixon's formation of the now-infamous "Plumbers" unit (called that based upon their mission to stop leaks) formed by G. Gordon Liddy. Hoover was certain that this would blow up in Nixon's face and he was right. What perhaps even Hoover did not foresee was the fact that "Deep Throat" was within the FBI and assisted in bringing about Nixon's demise.The author's analysis is subject to criticism. He is adamantly opposed to the former practice of the FBI of tapping the phones of known Communists and other foreign enemies. On the other hand, he seems supportive of the arguably unreasonable searches conducted routinely by the TSA; never mind the Constitution's provisions against unlawful and unreasonable searches. I guess it is OK to abuse ordinary Americans, but we must scrupulously guard the rights of foreign spies and terrorists.There were some areas of the FBI's history that I would have liked to have known more about. Some of this information may simply not be available. Weiner does a better job examining the FBI's war against the Mafia than some other authors who have covered the same subject, but more would still have been better. I suppose this subject should really be addressed in a complete book. Also, I finished this piece with questions about the FBI's effectiveness against the Soviet KGB. The author does an excellent job explaining that, just prior to World War Two, the Soviet intelligence agencies operated in the USA and Canada almost completely unfettered. The US literally had no counterintelligence agency or capability. Fantastically, Weiner explains that the OSS, the American predecessor agency to the CIA formed during the war, actually thought that Soviet intelligence was and would continue to be an ally, and gave the Russians sophisticated US intelligence devices and technology to America's infinite harm. Did the FBI morph into an effective counterintelligence agency against the Russians? This book does not provide answers to the question. Perhaps there is no way of knowing.Overall, I found this to be a good read even if I rejected some of the author's analysis. RJB.

Tim Weiner's excellent treatment of the FBI's 100-year-old history of domestic spying is destined to be the seminal work on the subject.Not too long ago, Weiner got a call that his 27-year-old Freedom of Information Act request for declassification of J. Edgar Hoover's secret intelligence files had been granted. Three banker's boxes of documents appeared. Together with other recently-declassified files, numerous interviews and other reliable sources, primary and secondary, Weiner crafts (with 60 pages of illuminating endnotes) a riveting and revealing history of the FBI's domestic surveillance.Weiner recounts the admonitions of Founding Fathers, such as Hamilton and Madison, that a free nation must be ever-vigilant; but, in conducting such vigilance, must not compromise civil liberties. President-by-President, we see a constant tension between the two tenets. The consistent thread, for the first 60 years, is J. Edgar Hoover.This is not the Hoover of the Clint Eastwood movie. The Hoover Weiner describes as an "American Machiavelli" seems relatively uncomplicated. He always hated Communism. He resisted aiding the civil rights movement (until late, cajoled by LBJ) because he believed the movement was fostered by the Soviet Union and U.S. Communist Party. He had "evidence"--e.g., a close confidant of MLK was a Communist. For Hoover, and many of the Presidents, the end justified the means, unconstitutional as they were. But Weiner points out that even Hoover had his limits. Hoover's refusal to carry out Nixon's directive to spy on Democrats led Nixon to organize "the Plumbers" of Watergate and other disasters.At the other end of the FBI Director spectrum is Robert Mueller. Weiner recounts how Mueller told G. W. Bush he and other top FBI officials would resign unless the administration ceased unconstitutional spying after September 11. Mueller prevails, and, as Weiner states, has set a crisp, above-reproach tone for the FBI this century (as the longest-serving Director after Hoover). Whereas Hoover's mantra was, "Don't do anything that embarrasses the Bureau" (which allowed for a lot of unsavory things), Mueller plainly has instilled a "Do the right thing" ethos.I found the writing anything but dry. Weiner states he believes in largely letting the records speak for themselves. And the records here are often near-incredible. (Personally, I would have liked a photo section). Weiner does a remarkable job of not injecting himself while weaving a century's worth of activities into a highly readable account.In this respect, the book is quite different from, but no less triumphant than, "A Legacy of Ashes." There, Weiner wisely chose to be judgmental; recollections, impressions, theories, documents and prior accounts were scattered to a thousand winds. Weiner's judgment was the necessary compass (not for nothing did it win a Pulitzer and the National Book Award!).In contrast, the author has no need to constantly judge and forge a path in "Enemies." Plenty of principals in the FBI's history have judged. In the main, as Weiner relates, breaches of civil liberties, e.g., secret military tribunals; warrantless tapping) sadly were repeated. Other lessons have been learned. The FBI's mission necessarily is a work-in-progress. As the Founding Fathers foresaw, the tension between security and civil liberties will always be with us. It is a blessing that we have someone of Weiner's immense gifts to remind us of this.P.S. Earlier this week Terri Gross on NPR's "Fresh Air" had a terrific interview of Weiner on his new book, at the end of which they played the tape of LBJ congratulating Hoover on the FBI's breaking the case of the three white civil rights workers' murders. You hear Hoover deliberately telling LBJ key things only when and as Hoover wants them revealed. Listen to the podcast before, during or after reading the book!

An interesting read: how the FBI & CIA acted like a couple who weren't speaking to each other; how the war on terror was just one in a series of wars on terror; how the FBI destroyed thousands of lives on hunches. But nothing about the state sanctioned assassinations of the 60s - JFK's murder comes as a surprise even though they were watching every communist in the country and Lee Harvey Oswald was a communist and Frank Hamptons murder by the FBI as made to appear like justified retaliation...you have to look elsewhere to find out just how pernicious the FBI were.

It is also a extremely readable book on the rise of the FBI and Edgar Hoover.

Breaking the myth of an incompetent agency

Am only part way through this mammoth audio book. Had no idea how the FBI was established and the influence it had over the decades.

Good delivery. Good price. Book has started well. Interesting to read about anarchists and communists in the early 1900s.