But what if the FBI was actually the "bad guy" in the room where a failure to swap information even between agency departments, let alone the CIA, meant thousands of people had lost their lives?
The three letters of FBI are synonymous with J. Edgar Hoover, who stars in a book by Tim Weiner called Enemies: A history of the FBI.
Perhaps stars is a too glamorous word for how Hoover is portrayed in the book. It is hard sometimes to understand whether Weiner admires or loathes the founding director of the FBI.
Early on in the book, Weiner dismisses any suggestion that Hoover was gay, despite his long-standing domestic relationship with his deputy Clyde Tolson, to whom he left his estate upon his death.
The rumours of a "tyrant in a tutu" are put to rest on page 106, despite the evidence stacking up for the rest of the book that Hoover was so outwardly homophobic as to draw attention that he was covering up his own homosexuality.
Weiner dismisses all of the evidence with a quote from a loyal Hoover lieutenant for many years, Cartha "Deke" DeLoach: "He abhorred homosexuality. That's why so many homosexuals were dismissed by the Bureau."
That aside, the book portrays the FBI as an error-prone, bigoted and highly secretive organisation that broke the law, disregarded edicts from US presidents, blackmailed and cajoled lawmakers to do its bidding and saw itself as outside international law.
Disturbing evidence compiled by the author piles up, leading readers to believe that the FBI failed miserably to identify the terrorists in several key events, including the September 11 attacks in New York.
The distrust and pure hatred between the FBI and CIA all boils down to the culture instilled by Hoover and carried on by his replacements.
Hoover was nearly sacked many times but managed to escape censure until the end, thanks to an endless supply of dirt on people in power.
Whether or not Hoover was evil is left up to readers to decide, but the man was twisted and his view on the US and most of its citizens was extreme.
Weiner goes on to demonstrate that although Hoover died in 1972, his legacy has lasted through to today.
FBI directors continued to either fear the Hoover legacy or were so politically attached they were doomed to follow the line of their masters. The "do not file" files are still active, the secrecy remains and Weiner makes it appear as if nothing will change.
High-ranking Mark Felt, disillusioned with several aspects of his job and lack of advancement, was eventually unmasked as the infamous Deep Throat source of The Washington Post.
When the machine turns on itself, you know there is trouble.
• Dene Mackenzie is the political editor of the Otago Daily Times.
