"Public Enemies" by Bryan Burrough

[Pangloss]

I read this a few weeks ago and have been meaning to mention it here. Historian/journalist Burrough is mainly known for his 2003 book "Barbarians at the Gate", about RJR Nabisco, and has recently published a new book called "The Big Rich", about the rise and fall of Texas oil fortunes. Public Enemies was a 2009 publication, and was made into a movie starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale that seemed to bear almost no resemblance to the book at all.

 

Burrough's thesis is fascinating -- that the FBI as we know it was created by a sequence of events that took place over only 18 months in 1933 and 1934. This era, commonly known today as the "public enemy era", but which at the time was known by a phrase used by the Roosevelt government which resonates even today: "The War on Crime".

 

The FBI prior to that time was not a law enforcement entity. They were mainly lawyers, fresh out of law school, and did not even have permission to carry weapons. Their job was to enforce J. Edgar Hoover's new vision of using science and technology to track down interstate criminals.

 

At that time, the country, wrapped up in the Great Depression, was not used to the idea of an interstate criminal. Organized crime was still in its infancy, and cases like Al Capone had been rare -- federal laws to fight such criminals did not yet exist, and of course the main need for dealing with Capone and his type had seemed to end with the repeal of prohibition.

 

In fact the very idea of a national police force was downright terrifying, raising a specter of fascism and communism that seemed anathema to the American way of life. Isn't that interesting? Seems like we're still having that debate *today*.

 

According to Burrough, what changed people's minds was not a recognition of a general problem that would continue to plague the country as technology and the population grew, but rather a series of media events that galvanized the public.

 

In short, five small bank robbery gangs created the modern FBI: John Dillinger, the Barker gang, Baby-Face Nelson, Pretty-Boy Floyd, and Bonnie and Clyde. What's really interesting is that all of these media events, which have always been portrayed to the public as completely separate, were in fact connected. One of the most fascinating aspects of the book is that he presents the 18-month period in chronological order. It's not unusual, for example, for a car chase involving, say, Bonnie and Clyde to pass right by the hotel where, say, John Dillinger is recuperating from a gun fight. And many of the people in these gangs knew each other and worked together on some criminal actions, such as bank robberies and kidnappings.

 

Burrough's depth is amazing, and apparently augmented by the fact that many of the connections between these gangs have only been recently revealed with the opening of FBI case files in the late 1990s. Many of the stories of these gangs have been portrayed to the public already in film and television, but Burrough focuses on the harsh reality of their actions and the consequences they had on gang members, law enforcement officials, and families.

 

Absolutely fascinating. Historical writing at its very best.

[Moontanman]

Your review of this book does indeed indicate it would be a great read, I'll have to check it out.