The US President stands at his presidential podium, giving what could possibly be the
speech of his career to a massive crowd of assembled reporters and supporters.
It’s a rousing speech, one that would touch the hearts of millions and inspire generations
to come.
But not everyone was just here to listen.
Out in the crowd, a man in a long coat is hiding a revolver in his pocket.
He intends on accomplishing something that hasn’t been done successfully since the
death of John F. Kennedy: The assassination of a US President.
He waits as the speech drones on.
All eyes are on the President.
Then, he chooses his moment, and begins to push through the crowd in front of him.
He wants a clear shot.
When he’s at the front of the crowd, he pulls his weapon out of his coat, and draws
a bead on the man behind the podium.
The air is suddenly filled with shocked and terrified gasps.
A gunshot rings out, but it isn’t from the would-be assassin’s gun.
An eagle-eyed secret service agent had noticed what had been going on from the start.
He saw the telltale signs - the shiftiness, the sudden panic, the man reaching into his
coat.
He’d neutralised the threat with one well-placed shot from his standard issue Glock 19 9mm
pistol - a 2019 replacement for the Sig Sauer that’d been a secret service mainstay since
1998.
Agents already positioned among the crowd apprehend the injured suspect, while others
escort the president off the stage and into a secure location.
Certainly a scary situation for all involved, but thanks to the hard work and expertise
of the secret service, there were no fatalities.
The US Presidency is one of the most powerful global political positions.
Due to America’s prominence on the world stage, the US President is sometimes even
nicknamed “The Leader of the Free World.”
A presidential order can save lives or start wars, and a single presidential tweet can
collapse a stock market.
Because of the United States’ power, its partisan division, and its long history of
questionable foreign policy decisions, you don’t become the president without making
a lot of enemies - some of which would really, really like to see you compromised, captured,
held hostage, or even worse, killed.
It’s the sworn duty of the secret service to protect the US President and those around
him at any cost, up to and including their own lives.
And as it turns out, the secret service have been around for an incredibly long time, with
over 150 years of history at their backs.
But a lot has changed in the last century and a half, and no organization can stick
around that long unless it changes with the times.
That’s what we’re looking at today - The Evolution of the Secret Service, an exploration
into what made them the iconic group they are today.
Our tale begins all the way back in 1865.
It was April 14th, a mere few days after the conclusion of the civil war, and President
Lincoln was performing one of his final official acts as president before his own assassination
by John Wilkes Booth later that very night.
He signed the decree that would first bring the Secret Service into existence.
You may be thinking, “Pretty ironic that he’d create the secret service and then
be assassinated immediately afterwards”, but protecting the President wasn’t actually
the Secret Service’s primary directive.
You see, in the post-Civil War era, the United States had some big problems.
Among these was rampant counterfeiting.
These days, bills are built with a number of complex systems in mind to prevent counterfeiting,
but back in those days, no such technology existed.
As a result, it became a popular and profitable crime.
By the end of the Civil War, it’s estimated that one third to even half of the currency
in circulation in the US was counterfeit, and it was becoming a major threat to the
financial stability of the country.
These bands of self-interested criminals were coming closer to ruining the Union than even
the Confederacy itself.
The government needed a new task force specifically to deal with the counterfeiting threat, and
so the secret service was born, at first a subsidiary of the Treasury Department.
They proved to be effective at this task, and as a result, two years later in 1867,
they had their purview expanded to chase down anyone who perpetrated fraud against the US
government.
But of course, their power and reach was still somewhat limited in the 1800s.
Congress was terrified of the looming possibility of centralisation, and they wanted to give
power to the states rather than consolidating it to the federal government.
But of course, things couldn’t stay that way forever.
While the secret service was making life harder for counterfeiters and fraudsters, in 1881,
tragedy struck once again, and President James A. Garfield was assassinated.
This was the second US presidential assassination in 20 years, and it was starting to make the
country look bad.
Suddenly, congress started drafting some informal measures on tightening presidential security
and devoting a branch of law enforcement specifically to protect the president, but this was still
considered a much more “part time” affair than a permanent shift for the secret service.
There were still plenty of fake bills to hunt down.
In 1894, the Secret Service began the on-and-off duty of protecting then-President Grover Cleveland,
and they were effective in thwarting any attempts on his life.
It was during this period that the secret service built up their reputation for being
avid protectors of the highest seat of federal power, and this would serve them well with
what would happen not long after: The assassination of President Cleveland’s successor, William
McKinley, in 1901.
While McKinley’s murder at the hands of assassin Leon Czolgosz was the inciting incident,
the factors that led up to this change had been brewing for around thirty years at this
point.
First of all, the United States had evolved from a newly independent country, to a survivor
of civil war, to a major imperial power on the world stage.
They had appearances to keep up, and showing weakness while in such a position of power
could be incredibly dangerous.
Three presidents assassinated in a 36 year period was not a good look for the US - it
screamed disorder, incompetence, and worst of all, chaos.
Speaking of chaos, the other major factor in the secret service becoming a centralised
law enforcement agency was the rise in anarchist attacks on the Union since the 1870s.
The Chicago Haymarket Riot in 1886 was a particularly sobering reminder, and fears of violent insurgency
led to many members of the public and the government feeling unsafe.
Something clearly needed to be done - the US seemed to be facing a national security
threat that was greater than the desire for state sovereignty.
In the words of McKinley’s iconic successor, Theodore Roosevelt, “When compared with
the suppression of anarchy, every other question sinks into insignificance.”
Coupled with the growing fear of foreign threats, this was finally enough to make congress enshrine
the secret service with the duty of permanent presidential protection.
President Roosevelt was also a strong believer in centralisation, coming from the perspective
that more could be achieved with a truly united America, and this served as a major push behind
the secret service’s new responsibilities.
However, despite recognising the importance of the secret service as an institution, Roosevelt
wasn’t actually a huge fan of them on a personal level.
Roosevelt was once quoted as saying that the secret service was a, “very small but very
necessary thorn in the flesh”, an archaic term for an inconvenience.
This is likely because Roosevelt was pretty much the perfect example of a rugged, manly
outdoorsman, and probably frowned on the idea of needing protection.
In fact, Roosevelt was once shot during a speech by an attempted assassin, and yet persevered,
finishing the speech before seeking medical attention.
But this wasn’t the end of the secret service’s evolution as an organisation.
There are a few key dates in the 20th century that show important changes.
In 1930, the secret service took over the White House Police Force, and seven years
later, they took over the Treasury Police Force.
This all makes sense, seeing as - when you want to run a tight ship and prevent everything
from espionage to assassination - it’s beneficial to keep everything under the control of a
single, centralised group.
The secret service would later run into a predicament with President John F. Kennedy.
Much like Roosevelt, Kennedy didn’t like the idea of having the secret service surrounding
him constantly.
Their cautious security protocols would keep him boxed in, and prevent him from cultivating
his “man of the people” image.
Kennedy liked to shake hands and wave to his citizens from topless convertibles in motorcades,
courses of action that the secret service advised against.
Of course, this difference of opinion would later have fatal results, with the assassination
of President Kennedy in Dallas in 1963.
Nearly a decade later, in 1971, the secret service swore in its first five female agents.
After the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and the passing of the controversial Patriot Act, the secret
service was also tasked with managing a national network of Electronic Crimes Task Forces in
order to clamp down on perceived cyber threats to US national security.
In 2003, the parent department of the secret service also shifted - they now worked under
the department of Homeland Security rather than the Treasury Department.
In 2013, President Obama - himself a historic figure as the first Black US President - made
history by appointing Julia Pierson, the first female head of the secret service.
However, this appointment was sadly short lived.
In 2014, there were a number of severe presidential security breaches, including an armed man
climbing over the White House fence and breaching the Executive Mansion.
This led to Julia Pierson resigning from her position.
Views on the secret service can be complex.
While they have been undeniably useful in thwarting assassination attempts, including
a plot to murder President Obama, they’ve had some vocal critics in their time.
Iconic World War II war hero, General Patton, described them as “a bunch of cheap detectives,
always smelling of drink.”
The Secret Service themselves have even at times gone by the unflattering self-given
nickname “babysitters with guns.”
But given that there’s only been one successful presidential assassination since they started
doing their work - compared to three before - It’s safe to say that they’re doing
at least something right.
So, we’ve already discussed how the secret service went from counterfeiting cops to presidential
protectors, but who exactly does their protection mandate cover?
The President and the Vice President are obvious top priorities, but they also cover their
immediate families; former presidents, spouses and minor children under age 16; major presidential
and vice presidential candidates and their spouses; and foreign heads of state and their
spouses when they're visiting the U.S.
But it doesn’t just stop there.
The secret service are also responsible for protecting so called “National Security
Events” - typically extremely high profile events that would be attractive targets to
insurgents looking to make a violent point to a large audience.
One prominent example is the Super Bowl, one of the most popular United States sporting
events.
In these cases, the secret service will be given full control over the security of the
event, and coordinate with local law enforcement to ensure safety for all involved.
And there you have it: the 150 year journey of the secret service.
Next time you see one of these silent, suit-wearing bodyguards, complete with shades, sidearms,
and earpieces, you’ll know more about them than you ever did before.
And in case you were wondering, despite their evolution, they still stay true to their roots
even today.
The secret service collaborates with 46 Financial Crimes Task Forces, and they’re still the
nation’s leading law enforcement agency in the fight against counterfeiting.
After all, you’ve gotta respect the classics.
Now check out “How do they Actually Print Counterfeit Money?”
And “Day in the Life of a Secret Service Agent” to uncover some secrets of your own!