The impact of the “Red Scare” and the “Palmer Raids” on FBI policy in the 1920s

The article highlights the changes in the policy of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (until 1935 – Bureau of Investigation). The condemnation of the “Palmer Raids” in mass media and the ensuing negative reaction of the Congress forced the Bureau's management to operate in secrecy, as after the repeal of martial laws, the organization had lost its legal base to prosecute radicals and presumable spies of other countries, especially those of Soviet Russia. This article provides an analysis of ways that federal agents could proceed with gathering data on the activities of the Communist party in the US under such conditions. Moreover, this article focuses on the role of John Edgar Hoover in these processes during his period as a Deputy Director at the Bureau of Investigation (1921-1924) and at the beginning of his period there as a Director. Finally, it pays special attention to the Bureau's attempts at cooperation with other services and the Congressional Committee to investigate communist activities in the United States.