Part One traces the emergence of the Hoover FBI in the context of the New Deal expansion of Federal authority and examines the eventual role of domestic intelligence in the organizational power of the FBI. FBI lawlessness is viewed in relation to the characteristics of the Hoover FBI as well as the broader political and social milieu of the bureau. Part Two analyzes the scandal and reform events of the 1970's and considers how the abuses of the Hoover era were finally publicly disclosed, how they led to a major scandal, and the immediate impact of these disclosures on the post-Watergate FBI. Part Three examines the "new" FBI, tracing the development of the new investigative priorities in the postscandal bureau and suggesting why organized crime and white-collar crime were neglected in the "old" FBI. It also considers the influence of the Reagan administration on these priorities. Part Four assesses how the Hoover FBI was transformed and raises questions about the dangers (potential and actual) of this transformed bureau. 259 references, subject index.