Bicentennial Memoir, by Edna Yorke

 

A BICENTENNIAL MEMOIR OF

THE DEPARTMENT OF EXTRANATURAL AFFAIRS (1988)

by Edna Yorke

 

The history of the Department of Extranatural Affairs begins officially in 1788, when it was established under George Washington on the explicit advice of Thomas Jefferson, though it had already existed in an inchoate and private form since 1782. As with many American institutions, Benjamin Franklin is held to be its earliest originator.

It was Franklin who founded the Society of Extranatural Investigations in 1768, a private club dedicated to the study of anomalous phenomenon, in an effort to scientifically explain their origins and the psychology that led to the spread of wild beliefs. To his mild disgruntlement, a significant number of cases proved to be impervious to 'rational' analysis. The outbreak of the Revolutionary War served as an adequate excuse for Franklin to drop his association with the Society, and in his absence it soon disbanded, but not without first inspiring its young Secretary, Samuel Frobisher, to re-imagine it as a profitable and useful industry.

Frobisher, a trained lawyer with an ecclesiastical background, had experienced contact with several strange phenomenon in his young life, and was neither credulous nor dismissive of accounts of peculiar happenings. It was his belief that such instances must be investigated, either proved or disproved, and if proved dealt with appropriately. Despite his religious background, he was something of a skeptic, never immediately placing unknowns into a spiritual framework, which helped establish several categories which the Department recognizes today, such as Cryptid, Extraterrestrial, and Earth-Energy. Nor did Frobisher press agents to subscribe to any set religion, even though much of the phenomenon investigated responds to sacramental stimulus. "Whatever Works" seems to have been his motto, and this practical attitude and freedom of conscience continue to be hallmarks of the Department today.

It was a chance association with Frobisher and a service rendered him that led Thomas Jefferson to officially confirm the Department and appoint him its very first Director, making it an established if obscure office of the federal government. Its constant but shadowy utility to the people of the United States made its position secure, even if it remained a somewhat private, backdoor secret throughout the first half of the 19th Century, seldom spoken of unless by necessity. "Enlightenment" continued to be the governmental attitude, and the Department has never published an official position on the irreducibly extranatural cases. They are always "being studied."

The second half of the Nineteenth Century was a period of increased activity for the Department. This was partly due to the expansion of the country into unexplored territories, the influx of immigrants with their various beliefs and practices, the blossoming of "crackpot sciences" and personal religious cults, and especially the increased interest about the Afterlife in the deathly wake of the Civil War. The Director at this time was Joshua Williams; it was mainly due to his tireless activities and logistic policies that extranatural affairs were brought into a semblance of order by the end of the century.

Benjamin Creed, the third Director of the Department, inherited a smoothly running machine that for the first third of the Twentieth Century found itself slowly running down as its very efficiency reduced the need for it, or at least the perception of that need. Only the insights of a few highly placed government officials kept it supplied for its continued existence. World War Two saw the Department struggling with increased activity but diminished capacity, and the aftermath of the war saw an increase of "hard-boiled" outlooks that threatened the Department's existence.

The DEA might have died a peaceful death if it wasn't for the unexpected demise of Creed in the early 1950's. He was replaced by ex-army man and junior senator Tyrone Lovett as a stop-gap measure. Lovett became convinced of the necessity of the Department, and after his confirmation proceeded with youthful energy and military precision to re-invigorate the organization. This was just as well, as the 1960-1975 period saw a vast increase in occult and "weird" activity. Lovett's work came to be seen from an annoyance at first to visionary in the outcome. He continues to guide the Department through challenging waters to this day.

And so the year of 1988 finds the Department in its Bicentennial Anniversary. It has lasted through two hundred years, forty Presidents, many wars, political upheavals, and a mere four Directors -- certainly a record for any government bureau. It continues its tradition of discretion, public service, and political and philosophical neutrality, no matter what the private beliefs of its agents. "Whatever Works" -- and working for the good of American citizens, continues to be the motto for the Department of Extranatural Affairs.