Attorney General Joins Director to Celebrate FBI’s 100th Anniversary

On July 26, 2008, the FBI will celebrate 100 years of public service. In conjunction with events hosted by FBI field divisions across the country and legal attaché offices around the world, several events are being held today in Washington, D.C., in honor of this milestone.

This morning, FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III commemorated the centennial with a wreath laying at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. He was later joined by FBI employees, a host of dignitaries, law enforcement partners, and others at a ceremony at the National Building Museum. Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey and Director Mueller delivered remarks during the ceremony. The United States Marine Corps provided music and presented Colors. Two thousand guests, including representatives from more than 100 countries, attended the event. The FBI’s oldest living retired Special Agent, Walter Walsh, was also in attendance. In addition to the many heroes who serve the FBI on a daily basis, the Director acknowledged Special Agents Rodney Miller, Jay Tabb, Bruce Bennett, and Jennifer Keenan, as well as Newark Joint Terrorism Task Force member Detective Tom McHale of the Port Authority Police Department, for their significant contributions to the country since 9/11.

Later today, FBI employees will attend a reception with Director Mueller and former FBI Directors William S. Sessions, William H. Webster, and Louis Freeh, to dedicate the William H. Webster Conference Room at FBI Headquarters. Director Mueller and Deputy Director John Pistole will also host a reception for foreign dignitaries and the FBI’s international law enforcement partners. Today’s events will conclude with a reception hosted by the Society of Former Special Agents for current and former FBI employees at the Newseum. Five thousand square feet of the Newseum is dedicated to the “G-Men and Journalists: Top Stories of the FBI’s First Century” exhibit, which opened officially on June 20, 2008.

“Over the past century, the FBI has grown, changed, and adapted to meet whatever challenges it has faced. As we begin our second century of service, the FBI remains committed to upholding our mission of protecting America,” said Director Mueller.

The FBI was established on July 26, 1908, by Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte as the Bureau of Investigation with just 34 special agents, and was officially renamed the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1935. The FBI has grown to over 30,000 employees, including more than 12,000 special agents and over 18,000 professional support employees, in 56 field offices, more than 400 resident agencies, and 62 legal attaché offices worldwide.