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Just a few words
(by Michael Dennehy - August 20, 2008)
I got a surprise call the other day from the office. The office was the New York Office (NYO) of the FBI in Manhattan where I had worked as an agent for 28 years. It was a surprise because I have been retired for 12 years. Did they want me for a special undercover operation like “Secret Agent” or some such? I have had periodic contact with “the office” over the years mainly because I’ve been asked to do caricatures of employees retiring or being transferred. I’ve been doing them since 1980 and have three to four volumes of drawings I had done in that time. I can’t remember the last time I actually set foot in the office.
Turns out I can put my “James Bond” suit away for another day. The office was having a party to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the FBI. Kathy the assistant director’s secretary said they wanted me to come in as one of the guest speakers. (No! I was not one of the original agents!). Kathy said I only had to say a few words. Well! They can’t have it both ways.
So on a recent Friday morning Kay and I drove into the city. It didn’t take long to remember what a traffic nightmare driving in NYC can be. As we crossed westward on Canal Street traffic was bumper to bumper. It wasn’t enough that trucks were double-parked narrowing the passage but you have taxis and busses pulling out unannounced. And then to add to the excitement you had cyclists racing along what little space was left. Sitting there I couldn’t ignore the irony of folks in cars costing 25, 30, 40 thousand dollars going nowhere and pedestrians moving rapidly along to their appointed destinations.
The office is at Federal Plaza in Foley Square. Kathy said when we arrive to call up to the office and she’d send someone down to help us get in. I pulled over to the curb on East Broadway and made the call. We were chased once by a traffic cop so we moved to the other side of the street. Obviously he didn’t know who he was dealing with – a guest speaker no less. The young cop came down and gave us instructions how to circle around to the garage. Seeing the confused look on my face he decided to ride with us.
As we came around to the garage entrance I realized I had not visited the office since 9/11. The street was blocked off. As we approached the entrance one of those heavy metal barriers automatically rose up from the street preventing us from going any further. Then a security guard came over and checked us out or should I say in. The barrier came down. Getting into the office was like going through security at the airport. We had to empty our pockets and pass through an X-ray machine.
Once in we went up to the conference room. There were about 100 people there. As soon as we entered 10, maybe 12, young ladies came up and hugged and kissed me. I still got it! I was expecting Kay to say something like: “So that’s why you loved your job.” Actually they were close friends of both Kay and I. They were intelligence analysts that worked on the squad I supervised for the last years of my career. We’ve kept in contact and they have been to the house for dinner. I didn’t recognize many agents. Most agents I knew had retired or transferred to other offices.
The festivities started and Kathy was the M.C. She introduced the current Assistant Director of the NYO. He spoke briefly of his pride of being an FBI agent and expressed his gratitude to the employees of the NYO for their fine work. Next there was a brief video about the FBI. Then all were asked to stand and say the FBI Pledge. Next, and perhaps the hit of the event was a FBI recruitment video made in 1960. It was black and white and featured the employees of the FBI that year. There they were – FBI agents attired in the dark suits, white shirts and ties capped off with a signature fedora. Hair was short-cropped and parted. There was no facial hair allowed. And of course all agents were men. The narrator reviewed the jurisdiction of the FBI at the time: bank robbery, organized crime and espionage. The narrator repeatedly pronounced espionage as “espionidge” which drew a chuckle each time it was uttered.
Perhaps what got the most laughs were the scenes of the FBI agent coming home from work. There he is playing with his young boys and the wife was in the kitchen cooking dinner attired in a modest dress and apron. It had the look and the sound of a “Father Knows Best” episode of 1950s TV fame. In the audience, the women agents, some of whom are bosses as well, got a big kick out of the film.
After the film (a hard act to follow) I was introduced. Kathy mentioned my reputation as being “laid back” no doubt informed of this by the young ladies that greeted me. So of course I slowly ambled to the podium bringing a bit of laughter along with the applause. I briefly spoke of my career. After three years in the US Marine Corps I applied for the agent position and off Kay and I went. First four months in training at Quantico Va. Then six months tours each in Minneapolis, Minot ND; Cincinnati then Dayton, Ohio. Finally a year in defense language school, Monterey Calif. before being transferred to NYO in 1968. Kay and I felt like true vagabonds. I worked all major violations, fugitives, kidnappings, bank robberies, organized crime, even some undercover assignments – you name it – before retiring in 1996. I too expressed my pride in having been with the FBI and appreciated the great work by the people associated with the bureau.
I closed on a somber, or should I say, sober note. I appreciate the FBI’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) headed up by Barbara Gormley, RN, for helping me identify and deal with my alcoholism. In a very real sense the FBI and Barbara saved my life. I encouraged the employees to utilize EAP should they find themselves or someone they loved in a situation.
It was a fine celebration. Happy 100th birthday, FBI.
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