Bonnie And Clyde Live On

WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- Bonnie and Clyde died in a shoot out with law enforcement 75 years ago. And on the anniversary, the FBI opened 1,000 never-before-seen pages of its file.

"They stole automobiles and took them across state lines. That was a federal matter and so the FBI had jurisdiction over that crime," says John Fox, FBI Historian. "Of course, we were working closely with other law enforcement agencies on other crimes, whether it was bank robbery or kidnapping."

Bonnie and Clyde not only robbed banks and killed police officers, but they also stole the hearts of the public. "Bonnie and Clyde were unique in the sense that it was a boyfriend and girlfriend so there was this kind romantic aspect to it," says Fox.

But Fox adds, the reality was " they were violent criminals." Still, the public's fascination with the couple remains 75 years later.

"We have authors, media, private citizens coming to the FBI," he says.

Visitors to the National Crime and Punishment Museum can see the original car from the Bonnie and Clyde film starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. And that's not all.

"The one unique thing that Bonnie did was she often times carried around with her a typewriter, and would write poetry," says Janine Vaccarello, COO of the National Museum of Crime and Punishment.

"They also carried a camera with them and they'd photograph themselves all the time," adds Vaccarello.

The couple were their own PR machine.

Meanwhile, Fox says there are no living FBI agents who worked directly on this case.