What is a good U.S. run agency for a Steampunk spy story?

[Elusive Sleuth]

As stated in the subject, I am writing a Steam punk or gaslight fantasy (due to my lack of scientific brilliance and the impracticalities of the genre to start with) espionage story set in an alternate history of the early 1910's focusing on agents of United States and British Intelligence caught up in a cold war with Germans, Russians, and Terrorists from the Balkans as well as their respective allies. So I need an agency for an American character. I was thinking O.N.I. (office of naval intelligence) because they are the only one I could think of from that era. I would also enjoy any advice you could lend me for anything else in the story. Criticism on initial thoughts would also interest me. I plan on emulating early Ian Fleming for inspiration more then likely. This story may never see the light of day but I still love to write to boost my own undeserving ego!

Thank you for any assistants.

 

[Lilani]

I think the best thing you can do for yourself is grab some books and do some research. If you're going to write a period piece, you want to immerse yourself in that time. Grab both fiction and nonfiction books about that period, and maybe find some movies about espionage in the early 1900s if you can. Learn not just about what agencies were spying and how they spied on each other, but also how people in general lived back then. Get a feel for the architecture and lifestyle--remember, back then a lot of places still didn't have electricity, and there certainly wasn't any air conditioning and only heat through fireplaces. Also running water may not have been everywhere, as well as indoor plumbing (because you never know when your story might need to address where poop goes). Then there's how people talked, slang, what counted as a swear word back then, what languages they spoke, that sort of thing.

So just dive right in, and have fun. Remember, you're going to be adding in your stuff to this world, so having plenty of material and knowledge to work with will only make your story better. Having lots of details and knowledge of the era at your disposal will give you the freedom to embellish your story with details that will bring your world to life. Because if you don't know how the history went for real, how are you going to do an alternate version of it?

 

[Superlative]

back in those days intell was done by the departments of State, War, Treasury and Navy in the united states. I would go with one of those, or simply invent an agency. if were talking steampunk why can't there be a department of steam and electric powered devices?