# A few questions about the Secret Service

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-secret-service/89303>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 24, 2001, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-secret-service/89303 "2001-10-24T13:02:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-secret-service/89303/1 "2001-10-24T13:02:25Z")

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1. Why is it called the “Secret Service”? They aren’t very secretive.

2. Just how is it that they got the not-so-obviously connected jobs of investigating counterfeiters and protecting the President? It’s my understanding it started out as an anti-counterfieting force, but why did they become bodyguards? They now protect not just the President, but the VP, the Pres- and VP-elect, major Pres and VP candidates, ex-presidents, ex-presidents’ widows, foreign missions, etc; isn’t that sort of a REALLY big job without hunting down funny money too?

3. So why doesn’t the FBI do this stuff, anyway?

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**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-secret-service/89303/2 "2001-10-24T13:11:52Z")

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Here’s a good place to start:  
[http://www.treas.gov/usss/faq.htm](http://www.treas.gov/usss/faq.htm)

Hope this helps.

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**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-secret-service/89303/3 "2001-10-24T13:14:43Z")

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Sorry about that, **RickJay**. I see now that that FAQ has really nothing that answers any of your questions. It looks like my mission in life this week is to tick you off. 🙂

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**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-secret-service/89303/4 "2001-10-24T13:34:47Z")

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The reason that the FBI doesn’t do it is that the Secret Service (founded in 1865) is older than the FBI (founded 1908). Of course, merging or abolishing government agencies is neigh impossible in Washington, so both services exist in parallel to this day.

According to the FBI’s history page, one reason the FBI was created was that the Secret Service was independent of the Department of Justice and the Attorney General. The FBI was created (using Secret Service agents) to give the DOJ an investigative branch:

[http://www.fbi.gov/fbinbrief/historic/history/origins.htm](http://www.fbi.gov/fbinbrief/historic/history/origins.htm)