Universal School Of Investigation, 1950's, 1960's, 1970's
Universal School Of Investigation was operated as a detective training academy in the 1950's, 1960's, 1970's by William Patterson. It was part of a company called Universal Detectives which was a well known detective agency in California for many decades. This manual is the basic manual used by the school which was published to be sold outside the school in the late 1970's. It was a very good basic textbook for it's time and had photos and forms in it. This was one of the first private investigation books sold through Thomas Investigative Publications and has one of the longest track records for sales. Thomas Investigative Publications, Inc. sold thousands of them. It was the standard basic text used in the training of private investigators for many years. The book pages were typed out on a typewriter and old-time pasted onto layout boards for printing. The manual sold well from the 1970's through the mid 1990's. Below are photos of it's contents. Note the vintage photos of equipment. .

Photo Of The Contents Of Two Pages From The Universal Detectives Manual

Photo Of The Contents Of Two Pages From The Universal Detectives Manual
Notice the Old Reel-To-Reel Tape Recorder, Minox Spy Camera, CB Car Radio And Hand-Held
Walkie-Talkie. State-Of-The-Art Equipment In It's Time For Private Investigators!

In 2007, I received an email from one of the sons of William Patterson informing me that his father had passed away. He simply died of old age. William Patterson was at the top of the private investigative profession in the Hollywood California area in the 1940's and 1950's. The name of his agency Universal Detectives is now part of the rich history of private investigation. Not only was his agency internationally known, his school was a Mecca for those wanting training in private investigation. We will miss him and I am sure I will see this old gumshoe again in a life in the hereafter!

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From The Ralph D. Thomas PI Vintage Collection
THOMAS INVESTIGATIE PUBLICATIONS, INC.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INVESTIGATIVE SPECIALISTS, INC.
SPY EXCHANGE AND SECURITY CENTER
P O Box 82148, Austin, Texas 78708
Showroom: 9513 Burnet Road, Austin, Texas 78758
Phone 512.719.3595 Fax 512.719.3594
Email: RThomas007@aol.com

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Copyright: 2008, Thomas Investigative Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.
Thomas Investigative Publications, Trademark, 1981.
National Association Of Investigative Specialists, Inc, Trademark, 1986.
Spy Exchange, Trademark, 1999