F.B.I. These letters stand for Federal Bureau of Investigation. The bureau is a part of the United States Government. In it there are 35,437 workers.
If someone commits a crime against the United States, the F.B.I. tries to find out who the criminal is. It has solved many puzzling cases. The stories of a good many of these cases are just as thruling as any made-up detective stories.
But the F.B.I. does much more than try to solve crimes after they are committed. It tries to prevent crime. In wartime, guarding against spies is an important part of the work of the F.B.I. Helping the government hire workers who will be loyal is another important task.
The F.B.I. helps states and cities fight crime, too. One F.B.I. file is especially helpful. This is the fingerprint file. In it are the fingerprints of every known criminal in the whole country.
F.B.I. agents have a nickname. It is "G men," short for "government men." G men do not wear uniforms.
As soon as he joins the F.B.I. a new agent begins a period of training. He learns what the duties of an F.B.I. man are and how to sort out and follow up clues. He also learns how to defend himself. He must be able to shoot with either hand and be able to handle a pistol, a rifle, a shotgun, and a submachine gun. He also must learn how to use jujitsu.
There are strict rules an F.B.I. agent must follow. J. Edgar Hoover, the former head of the F.B.I., explained why: "One man didn't build the F.B.I., but one man can tear it down."
