Editing Office of Naval Intelligence (section)

===Expansion===
Mason was succeeded as Chief Intelligence Officer by Lieutenant [[Raymond P. Rodgers]] in April 1885. In addition to intensifying ONI's research and surveillance of naval technology abroad, Rodger's four-year tenure saw ONI partner with the [[U.S. Department of State]] in gathering information on strategic maritime interests such as [[Panama]], [[Samoa]], and the [[Kingdom of Hawaii]]. ONI also began to develop capabilities in [[cryptography]], which would foreshadow its evolution into a full-fledged military intelligence office.

In 1890, one year after Rodgers' departure from ONI, the office was transferred from the [[Bureau of Navigation (U.S. Navy)|Bureau of Navigation]] to the [[United States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of the Navy]], solidifying its key role in the Navy's growth and development. ONI's emergence as a proper naval [[military intelligence|intelligence]] arm began in earnest with the [[Spanish–American War]] of 1898. Naval operations were critical in the conflict, and ONI was responsible for protecting Navy personnel, providing tactical support, and implementing counter-intelligence measures. Nevertheless, weaknesses in its intelligence gathering were revealed.

ONI grew in prominence under President [[Theodore Roosevelt]], a former [[Assistant Secretary of the Navy]] and naval enthusiast. His [[Big Stick Policy|expansionist foreign policy]] — and the central role the U.S. Navy played therein — made maritime intelligence more crucial. The sailing of the "[[Great White Fleet]]" around the world between 1906 and 1907, which included sixteen newly constructed steel [[battleships]], showcased new-found American seapower and validated ONI's efforts. By 1911, the U.S. was constructing [[super-dreadnought]]s at a pace that would eventually become competitive with Britain's [[Royal Navy]].<ref>{{cite book |last=O'Brien |first=Phillips P. |title=British and American Naval Power: Politics and Policy, 1900–1936 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gf1_mPYBwS8C&pg=PP1 |pages=7, 154–156 |year=1998 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-275-95898-5}}</ref>

American entry into the [[First World War]] in 1917 marked a turning point in the office's history. President [[Woodrow Wilson]] was an exponent of the importance of a strong navy to U.S. defense.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/heritage/famous-navy-quotes.html |title=Famous Navy Quotes: Who Said Them&nbsp;... and When |publisher=[[Naval History & Heritage Command]] |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-date=27 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170727135050/https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/heritage/famous-navy-quotes.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Under his administration, Congress authorized ONI's first major increase in personnel and funding, and expanded its role to include domestic security operations — namely the protection of U.S. ports, harbors, and maritime facilities from enemy infiltration and sabotage. ONI's mandate often entailed partnering with the departments of State, War, Justice, Commerce, and Labor. Due to the increasingly sensitive nature of its work, ONI also began to censor radio and mail communications, which further marked its development as a major intelligence office.

During the 1920s and 1930s, many of ONI's activities were dedicated to [[Japan]], which was an increasingly advanced and [[Japanese invasion of Manchuria|belligerent]] naval power. The office investigated Japanese fortifications in the Pacific, acquired information on Japanese military aircraft and weaponry, and partnered with the U.S. Army's [[Military Intelligence Division]] and the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] to monitor potentially subversive elements within the [[Japanese American]] community;<ref name=Niiya-ONI>{{cite web|last=Niiya |first=Brian |url=http://encyclopedia.densho.org/Office%20of%20Naval%20Intelligence/ |title=Office of Naval Intelligence |publisher=Densho Encyclopedia |access-date=2014-09-22}}</ref> ONI's director, Rear Admiral [[Walter Stratton Anderson]], met weekly with his counterparts in the FBI and MID to gather and share information on suspected internal threats. In 1929, [[Chief of Naval Operations]] [[William D. Leahy]] made permanent ONI's functions as an intelligence office, while in 1939, President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] granted the office considerable authority on matters of domestic security.

In the run up to Pearl Harbor, ONI was beset with challenges including disagreements with the [[Chief of Naval Operations]] and the [[FBI]] on who would in charge of naval counterintelligence both outside and with the borders of the United States. Partly as result of these challenges, ONI had four directors in the year 1941.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kirk |first1=Alan |title=Oral history interview with Alan G. Kirk 1961 |url=https://dlc.library.columbia.edu/catalog/cul:gtht76hgkr |website=Columbia University Oral Histories |access-date=17 December 2023}}</ref>