Bureau CL

According to Jeffreys, a British TV journalist, the FBI has recouped favor with the American public after its civil rights violations of the '60s. Here he recounts the bureau's impressive accomplishments against organized crime, public corruption, espionage and terrorism since the 1972 death of J. Edgar Hoover, the first director. Based on unrestricted interviews with FBI personnel during his research for a forthcoming PBS series, Jeffreys offers fresh information on recruiting, training and tactics in the field, plus detailed descriptions of investigations, augmented with verbatim transcripts of wiretappings. He sheds light on internal politics at FBI headquarters in Washington, including the dismissal of William Sessions, director from 1988 to 1993. If he is critical of the bureau on several counts-for wasting resources on Cold War-type counterespionage, for instance-Jeffreys nevertheless makes his case that the FBI is unrivaled among law enforcement agencies-though ``not to be trusted in any kind of politically sensitive area.'' Photos not seen by PW. (Feb.)