The Most Interesting Facts About the U.S. Secret Service
Abraham Lincoln Established The Agency The Day He Was Assassinated
In a bit of sad irony, President Abraham Lincoln established the Secret Service on April 14, 1865 - the day John Wilkes Booth struck him down. However, another 36 years would pass before presidential protection became part of the organization's duties.
There Has Never Been A Traitor In The Secret Service
- Photo:
- Pfc. Gabriel Silva
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
While the NSA, CIA, and FBI have all been infiltrated by crafty foreign agents, no Secret Service agent has ever exploited their rank.
- Photo:
The FBI Came Out Of The Secret Service
In 1908, the Department of Justice needed agents to conduct investigations on a national level, so they pulled from the Secret Service. Those nine agents became the Bureau of Investigation, which would eventually become the Federal Bureau of Investigation, better known as the FBI.
Secret Service Agents Actively Kept FDR's Disability Hidden
The Secret Service protected President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's public image by hiding his disability. As the President's polio prevented him from walking, Secret Service agents would frequently chase paparazzi if "undesirable" pictures of the President were taken, such as when he had to be carried by agents because his wheelchair couldn't roll over certain terrain.
Photographers would have their cameras confiscated or "accidentally" destroyed.
The Secret Service Made Use Of Al Capone's Car For FDR
After Pearl Harbor, the Secret Service needed extra armored protection for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, but funds were limited. Fortunately, while they were waiting for FDR's Sunshine Special to be upgraded, they were able to acquire a vehicle formerly used by infamous gangster Al Capone.
The Secret Service Was Originally Created To Stop Counterfeit Currency
Initially, the Secret Service was created as a division of the Treasury Department. In the aftermath of the Civil War, when the Secret Service was established, over one-third of American currency was counterfeit. Quickly, though, the department's purview was broadened to handle anyone "perpetrating mass frauds against the government," putting them up against groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, among others.
In 1894, the division would undertake the responsibility of presidential protection, though originally on an informal basis.
