Lily Rosenthal
Mr. Baugh
U.S. History—Per. 7
11 December 2015
Historical Investigation Research Paper On July 5th, 1865 an agency was created called the United States Secret Service. To this day, it remains an important part of keeping the U.S. safe. Its purpose is to serve as protection for chief individuals and their families—specifically the president. This organization evolved into the first national intelligence and counterintelligence agency in the United States. While this agency is known as one of the most secure and protective services, they have not always succeeded. An infamous date in November 1963 was an example of one of those times in which the Secret Service failed. This failure occurred when Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated …show more content…
One way that the Secret Service transformed was in the increase in sheer amount of power. This power came predominantly from the rise in number of employees and money provided by the government. Before the assassination, 513 people were a part of the Secret Service, 351 of these being special agents. It may seem as if 500 plus people, whose purpose is to ensure safety to the president, a single person, would be more than enough, but this notion was clearly invalidated. Since the time of the assassination, the Secret Service has grown to a whopping 3,400 members. Similar to the growth in people, there was a major growth in funding. The preceding budget was $5.5 million dollars, but this number quickly rose after 1963, to $17 million dollars in 1968 (5 years after the assassination), $150 million in 1981, and finally, about $1.6 billion dollars today. Primary sources have shared that these increases in amenities were triggered directly by the failure of the Secret Service to do their job and protect the president that fateful day in November 1963. These changes combined with various others show just how much Kennedy’s death influenced the president’s security for decades to come. (Dwyer, Devin. "5 Ways JFK's Assassination Changed Secret Service"; Rossoll, Nicki. "Five Ways Kennedy's Assassination Changed Presidential Security Forever”; Shinkman, Paul D. "After JFK: …show more content…
Congress granted 23 statues in order to strengthen the Secret Service and expand their responsibilities. Amongst these responsibilities was the ability to deny certain requests of the president. One well-documented detail from Kennedy’s presidency was the fact that he saw people as his asset. Before leaving for the Dealey Plaza, Kennedy had asked the Secret Service to back off on the security so that he could create a greater connection with his supporters. Today, these orders would no longer be followed, for the president’s own safety. Other privileges were taken away from the president after this incident as well, such as riding in open cars, and unplanned trips/strolls. The look of the Secret Service has also altered since the ‘60s in order to create the image of power for the Service. The quintessential image of black sunglasses, unbuttoned suit jackets, earpieces, and well-groomed muscly men carrying machine guns noticed through the rolled down windows of black SUV’s has created the authoritative reputation for this organization. This image of strength helps to deflect possible attackers. Although many actions had to be taken in order to increase the authority of the Secret Service, it was all in good interest, and has prevented any assassinations since that of John F. Kennedy. Hopefully, as time goes on, further advancements,
Mr. Baugh
U.S. History—Per. 7
11 December 2015
Historical Investigation Research Paper On July 5th, 1865 an agency was created called the United States Secret Service. To this day, it remains an important part of keeping the U.S. safe. Its purpose is to serve as protection for chief individuals and their families—specifically the president. This organization evolved into the first national intelligence and counterintelligence agency in the United States. While this agency is known as one of the most secure and protective services, they have not always succeeded. An infamous date in November 1963 was an example of one of those times in which the Secret Service failed. This failure occurred when Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated …show more content…
One way that the Secret Service transformed was in the increase in sheer amount of power. This power came predominantly from the rise in number of employees and money provided by the government. Before the assassination, 513 people were a part of the Secret Service, 351 of these being special agents. It may seem as if 500 plus people, whose purpose is to ensure safety to the president, a single person, would be more than enough, but this notion was clearly invalidated. Since the time of the assassination, the Secret Service has grown to a whopping 3,400 members. Similar to the growth in people, there was a major growth in funding. The preceding budget was $5.5 million dollars, but this number quickly rose after 1963, to $17 million dollars in 1968 (5 years after the assassination), $150 million in 1981, and finally, about $1.6 billion dollars today. Primary sources have shared that these increases in amenities were triggered directly by the failure of the Secret Service to do their job and protect the president that fateful day in November 1963. These changes combined with various others show just how much Kennedy’s death influenced the president’s security for decades to come. (Dwyer, Devin. "5 Ways JFK's Assassination Changed Secret Service"; Rossoll, Nicki. "Five Ways Kennedy's Assassination Changed Presidential Security Forever”; Shinkman, Paul D. "After JFK: …show more content…
Congress granted 23 statues in order to strengthen the Secret Service and expand their responsibilities. Amongst these responsibilities was the ability to deny certain requests of the president. One well-documented detail from Kennedy’s presidency was the fact that he saw people as his asset. Before leaving for the Dealey Plaza, Kennedy had asked the Secret Service to back off on the security so that he could create a greater connection with his supporters. Today, these orders would no longer be followed, for the president’s own safety. Other privileges were taken away from the president after this incident as well, such as riding in open cars, and unplanned trips/strolls. The look of the Secret Service has also altered since the ‘60s in order to create the image of power for the Service. The quintessential image of black sunglasses, unbuttoned suit jackets, earpieces, and well-groomed muscly men carrying machine guns noticed through the rolled down windows of black SUV’s has created the authoritative reputation for this organization. This image of strength helps to deflect possible attackers. Although many actions had to be taken in order to increase the authority of the Secret Service, it was all in good interest, and has prevented any assassinations since that of John F. Kennedy. Hopefully, as time goes on, further advancements,