lw
Absent Comrade
Good morning folks!
I wanted to bring to your attention a new document found during my ongoing review of FBI released documents.
I also want to preface this by saying that I probably will not be able to answer a lot of questions about these men for the simple reason that we’d have to fully examine the background of each one of them. Some of the more “media friendly” like Bryce, "Doc" White, Winstead, Sloan, Hurt, McKee, Campbell, Walsh and others, I’ve addressed to some degree at my website. (If interested, readers can do a “site search” there of the various names.) As we all know, those above have been addressed by writers, researchers and more for years now.
The subject matter of "Hoover's gunslingers," if I might use that cliche, has been written about for many years. In essence, those who entered the FBI during the turbulent 30s because of their shooting abilities, and who may, or may not have had, any college background. (By the way, Winstead entered the FBI in 1926; there is nothing in his FBI background in file revealing any sharp shooting potential or abilities with firearms.)
What I offer here, and which is readily evident, is that there is, in fact, "more to the story" of the gunslingers (a term I use broadly).
The attached list found contains some important wording; “unusually well qualified in the use of firearms…by reason of experience and temperament.”
As you’ll see, there were quite a few agents with unique firearms abilities listed by name and office of assignment. Assistant Director, Harold Nathan reviews them at the end of the doc and it’s there that we see the backgrounds - prior law enforcement, military and no doubt just others who were able to develop the use of firearms better than others and whose “temperament” was perhaps better than others. (In some cases, he doesn't agree with SAC assessments.)
Most of these men are virutally unknown today but no doubt rank among the well qualified of the early Bureau and were sent on the same dangerous assignments as the likes of Hurt, and others we hear about.
Collectors may desire to keep an eye out for handguns belonging to these unknown agents who haven’t received the media attention over the decades as much as others.
The document is dated June, 1934 which was the middle of the gangster era and give or take, there were about 400 agents in the Bureau at the time. Unless I missed them, I make note that notable firearms instructors in Washington, D. C. are not shown on here, to wit, Frank Baughman, John Vincent, Myron Gurnea and others.
See the attached .pdf file
Cheers
Larry Wack (SA, FBI - Ret.)
historicalgmen.squarespace.com
I wanted to bring to your attention a new document found during my ongoing review of FBI released documents.
I also want to preface this by saying that I probably will not be able to answer a lot of questions about these men for the simple reason that we’d have to fully examine the background of each one of them. Some of the more “media friendly” like Bryce, "Doc" White, Winstead, Sloan, Hurt, McKee, Campbell, Walsh and others, I’ve addressed to some degree at my website. (If interested, readers can do a “site search” there of the various names.) As we all know, those above have been addressed by writers, researchers and more for years now.
The subject matter of "Hoover's gunslingers," if I might use that cliche, has been written about for many years. In essence, those who entered the FBI during the turbulent 30s because of their shooting abilities, and who may, or may not have had, any college background. (By the way, Winstead entered the FBI in 1926; there is nothing in his FBI background in file revealing any sharp shooting potential or abilities with firearms.)
What I offer here, and which is readily evident, is that there is, in fact, "more to the story" of the gunslingers (a term I use broadly).
The attached list found contains some important wording; “unusually well qualified in the use of firearms…by reason of experience and temperament.”
As you’ll see, there were quite a few agents with unique firearms abilities listed by name and office of assignment. Assistant Director, Harold Nathan reviews them at the end of the doc and it’s there that we see the backgrounds - prior law enforcement, military and no doubt just others who were able to develop the use of firearms better than others and whose “temperament” was perhaps better than others. (In some cases, he doesn't agree with SAC assessments.)
Most of these men are virutally unknown today but no doubt rank among the well qualified of the early Bureau and were sent on the same dangerous assignments as the likes of Hurt, and others we hear about.
Collectors may desire to keep an eye out for handguns belonging to these unknown agents who haven’t received the media attention over the decades as much as others.
The document is dated June, 1934 which was the middle of the gangster era and give or take, there were about 400 agents in the Bureau at the time. Unless I missed them, I make note that notable firearms instructors in Washington, D. C. are not shown on here, to wit, Frank Baughman, John Vincent, Myron Gurnea and others.
See the attached .pdf file
Cheers
Larry Wack (SA, FBI - Ret.)
historicalgmen.squarespace.com
