Liberia declares its independence from the United States, becoming the first democratic republic in Africa. More »
FBI founded
The Justice Department creates the Bureau of Investigations, now known as the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Founded to regulate interstate commerce under the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887, the first Bureau agents were actually borrowed from the Secret Service.
President Harry Truman signs the National Security Act of 1947, which reorganizes the War Department into the Department of Defense, established the United States Air Force, and creates both the National Security Council and the Central Intelligence Agency.
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