Talk:Secret service
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In the USA, AFAIK, "secret service" always refers to the United States Secret Service. I think we may need some kind of disambiguation here.
- I think this was far better the way it used to be. Haven't you ever heard of 007? Who does he work for? --Daniel C. Boyer 17:54 12 Jul 2003 (UTC)
[edit] USSS
The United States Secret Service is not a secret service.
According to the American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, a secret service is: "1. Intelligence-gathering activities conducted secretly by a government agency. 2. A government agency engaged in intelligence-gathering activities."
According to United States Secret Service: The Secret Service has primary jurisdiction over the prevention of counterfeiting of currency and U.S. treasury bonds and notes, and protection of the President, Vice President, their immediate families, other high ranking government officials, past presidents and their spouses, certain candidates for the offices of President and Vice President, and visiting foreign heads of state and government (all called "protectees").
[edit] Secret and Service
Presumably, two of the criteria of a secret service are that such an organization should: (i) be a service (i.e. a body in government employ) and (ii) be "secret".
Question: what is it in terms of secrecy that defines a secret service ? Not wanting to be difficult, but genuinely seeking info on this, let's take the USSS as an example, as opposed to "secret services" in general. What is it about the USSS that is "secret" ? For example, is it that members are not allowed to have their faces photographed for the press, as in the British SAS ?
[edit] Confederate Secret Service
I'm hoping to work on a series of linked articles about secret operations during the US Civil War. During the Civil War the term secret service meant spies and saboteurs, not secret police. the Secret Service article really needs to be cleaned up. If the term relates to too many thigns, maybe this should just be a portal to "see also" secret police (domestic); spies and saboteurs, the USSS, etc.
