So, reading a fiction book about conspiracies which is full of a deceptive mix of real history and fictional history that is difficult to separate, I came upon a passage that seemed to indicate that the FBI existed for years prior to its official incorporation to the US government. Lo and behold the FBI's own history page appears to support this claim. Does anyone know about any sources of information about what the FBI was like during this period of unofficial existence?
http://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/history/origins.htm
http://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/history/origins.htm