G-Man (slang expression)

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G-Man (plural: G-Men ) is a slang expression among gangsters in American for an FBI officer. Originally the term referred to any type of federal agent / police officer / investigator, with the "G" standing for "government", similar to the word GI (Government Issue).

This changed with the press reports about the arrest of "Machine Gun" Kelly . "Machine Gun" Kelly was one of the most wanted gangsters in the United States in the 1930s . According to some reports, when he was arrested on September 26, 1933 by the FBI, he was said to have “Don't shoot, G-Men! Don't shoot! ”” (“Don't shoot, G-Men! Don't shoot!”). However, he probably only used the term in his interrogations. This did not affect the coverage of the arrest. The expression G Shortly thereafter, it finally spread in America through the 1935 film 'G' Men, starring James Cagney in the lead role of a G-man.

In addition to the G-Men, there was also the "T-Men". These were the investigators of the United States Secret Service , which until 2002 the US Treasury ( Treasury Department ) was assumed and traditionally regarded as a rival of the FBI. Even today, the Secret Service is out for personal protection of the US president and for the prosecution of various offenses in white collar crime charge, however, the term T-One has not been widely distributed. Similar investigative bodies can be found in various American government agencies, such as the Post Office, but without the names that have become known for the investigators.

In the German-speaking world, the term gained a certain distribution through the Groschen novel series ( trivial literature ) about the fictional G-Man Jerry Cotton .

In the computer game series Half-Life as well as in various films with a conspiracy character , the G-Man is sometimes a mysterious figure who pulls the strings in the background unnoticed in the story.

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