The Strength of the Wolf
The Secret History of America's War on Drugs
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
The Strength of the Wolf is the first complete history of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (1930–1968). Working undercover around the globe, the FBN's charismatic “case-making” agents penetrated the Mafia and its French connection. In the process, however, they uncovered the national security establishment's ties to organized crime. Victims of their freewheeling methods and unparalleled success in hunting down society's predators, the agents were ultimately targeted for destruction by the FBI and CIA. Based largely on interviews with case-making agents, The Strength of the Wolf provides a new, exciting, and revealing chapter in American history.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Before the Drug Enforcement Administration was created in 1973, before the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs was founded in 1968, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) served as the country's primary drug law enforcement agency. In this thoroughly researched history, Valentine (The Phoenix Program; The Hotel Tacloban, etc.) offers an in-depth look at the FBN's obscure organization and its various activities, which lasted from 1930 until the end of the '60s. Valentine writes extensively about Harry J. Anslinger, the commissioner whose"personality, policies and appointments" defined the agency and the government's war on drugs for more than 30 years. He describes how FBN officers were trained to"make arrests, gather evidence for presentation in court, test and handle seized narcotics, tail suspects without being seen, and rule their informants with an iron fist." Drawing upon interviews with former agents and federal officers (such as Howard Chappell, George Gaffney and Col. Tully Acampora), Valentine also provides firsthand accounts of bureau operations both at home and abroad, and of business relationships fostered among FBN ranks. Despite the volume's ambitious premise and Valentine's hard work, however, this lengthy history will probably fail to engross most casual readers since its material proves dense and, occasionally, difficult. But for political historians and those already interested in the history of the war on drugs, Valentine's unearthing of rare primary sources should prove invaluable. 16 pages of b&w photos