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Show - J I An n-.,- , 'V ' vf ' ' , ; l. , . tt ;; - - V. j - 13 .vA by Larston D. Farrar - " I T. ' v77 : V - J s ' came 'l'" IXctlong acq, a home end karaea that old ' son ;had decided; to j be" a bus driver when Ke grew up. G-m- an, "Wouldn't you like to do what padjy does?H the agent asked. his son saidjl want to wear a uniform and do lots of exciting things nice a bus driver does." The sighed, took off his suit jacket, and picked up the news- paper.' On the front page, under a ..banher headline, yere the details of 'A a tough case he had just finished at tlieiskof his life . .Why do inost young bqys prefer to be fius drivers,? airline pilots, fire- -. menrtianyone wthV unixorm rather than Psychologists say it's berausej'.G-menspeei- al agents of the Federal Bureau .of Investigation are not connected in the budding . mind with swashbuckling adventure, as are cowboys, Canadian mounties, W "No,M G-m- G-m- f'Vv.'" Author of "Washington Lowdown" ' f In' man calls his office by radio. i " k '1 .' FBI, an en? orfiremen. , It's not until the average young-stgets older and finds out that er L : fight with their wits as well as their guns that he thinks much about the FBL He then begins to see some of tne more subtle ways in which law enforcement operates. And when he learns that the starting pay of an FBI special agent is $5,915 a "year f( some earn more than $10,000 a year after acquiring experience!) the youth thinks eveh more G-m- en Family Weekly Magazine, November 4, 1956 seriously boutJbecoming a , the average when he reads of the salaries paid to some experienced wonders if he wouldn't fit into the FBI. It's possible that you might have the qualifications of a Don't be too disappointed if you don't, though. Remember that there are only 6,000 special agents of the FBI in a population of some 168 million persons. The bureau actually has about 14,500 employees, but many of them fill clerical, stenographic, or scientific posts. The themselves work out of some 52 field offices which are connected by telephone, teletype,- - and radio so they can stay in touch with one another and with FBI headquarters. John Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI and the No. 1 for more than 30 years, is just as satis-fle- d that the is not the hero of small fry who like lots of noisy fighting and shooting. "We have striven for decades to. get a certain type of man for the FBI," rjoover explains. "We have sought those who 'fit' our agency physically, mentally, morally, and G-m- an. boys-father- G-m- en, G-m- an. G-m- en G-m- G-m- an an socially. A man's personality is weighed just as carefully as his Educational qualifications or his physical abilities when he applies for a spe cial agent's job. "Unobtrusiveness is a prime char acteristic of a good FBI agent," Hoover says. "We want men who blend into the landscape, so to speak, who are able to take on protective coloration by making themselves a part of whatever group they may happen to be in." In fact, the man next door to you may be an FBI man. They come and go without fanfare or benefit of armored car. Many of them live quietly in typical suburbs, and their neighbors may never know the important seldom, if job they hold. A ever, shoots or shouts his way home. But what about you? Are you a man in a blue serge suit? Could you G-m- be a G-ma- an n? First, how about the physical remust be neither quirements? physical weaklings nor muscle-boun- d giants. The FBI wants men of average build. It will not take a man less than five feet, seven inches tall in his stocking feet. This is a written rule. And while there is no specific rule on maximum height, the agency probably would not accept a man six feet, four inches, or taller. This is to blend into crowds, because must not draw attention to themselves because of unusual physical characteristics, good or bad. must be male American citizens, willing to serve in any part of the United States or its territorial possessions. Their weight must G-m- G-m- G-m- en en, en be proportionate to their height, which means they must be neither too fat nor too thin. They must have excellent eyesight with no color blindness, although minor deficiencies may be corrected with glasses. A also must have normal hearing be able to hear ordinary conversation at a distance of 15 feet with each ear. An applicant must be G-m- an at least 25 years old but not over 40. JJTow about the educational requirements? To be considered for a job, you must be a of a resident law school, or graduate an accounting-scho- ol graduate with at least three "years "of practical accounting andor auditing experience. The personality requirements are the most difficult, for many prospective r -- men, according to those who have made the grade. Director Hoover does not want either extroverts (show-off- s) or introverts (shrinking violets) in his organization. A prospective Gman must prove, in many interviews and situations, that he has an easy approach to different kinds of people in different neighborhoods and gatherings, that he has clear speech, good poise in various social situations, tact, judgment, and resourcefulness. ;man never knows where his next' assignment will take him," Hoover points out, "He must have G-ma- n's |