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Option  9:  J  Edgar  Hoover  1895-­1972  –  CONTENTS    

Syllabus  Notes  –  Pg2-­18      Quotes  –  Pg18-­20      Questions  Answered  –  Pg21-­26                                                                                    

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Option  9:  J  Edgar  Hoover  1895-­1972    Principal  focus:  Through  the  study  of  J  Edgar  Hoover,  students  gain  an  understanding  of  the  role  of  this  personality  in  a  period  of  national  or  international  history.      Students  learn  about:      1  Historical  context    

–    The  period  of  the  USA’s  emergence  as  a  world  power    –    Growth  of  social  conservatism  and  anti-­‐communism    –    The  Prohibition  era    –    The  Great  Depression    

 2  Backgrounds    

–    Family  background  and  education    –    Entry  into  the  civil  service  as  a  clerk  in  the  Library  of  Congress    –    Law  degree  1916;  appointment  as  an  intelligence  clerk  in  the  Department  of  Justice  1917    

 3  Rise  to  prominence    

–    Appointed  as  a  special  minister  to  Attorney  General  A  Mitchell  Palmer    –    Coordination  of  the  Palmer  Raids  1919    –    Appointed  as  Director  of  the  Federal  Bureau  of  Investigation  (FBI)  1924    –    Role  of  the  FBI  during  World  War  II    –    Post-­‐war  period:  relationship  to  US  presidents    

 4  Significance  and  evaluation    

–    Hoover’s  creation  of  the  FBI  as  one  of  the  world’s  great  law  enforcement  agencies    –    Creation  of  iconic  media  images  of  the  FBI  and  J  Edgar  Hoover    –    The  challenge  of  finding  the  ‘real’  J  Edgar  Hoover    –    Evaluation:  for  example  super-­‐patriot,  flawed  egomaniac?    

 Background:    Family  Background  and  Education:  • J  Edgar  Hoover  was  born  on  1st  January  1895  in  Washington  DC  in  a  middle  class  

neighbourhood-­‐the  youngest  of  4  children  • Parents  were  Dickerson  Naylor  Hoover  Snr  and  Anne  Marie  Scheitlin    • Encouraged  by  mum  to  join  the  local  Lutheran  Church  choir,  went  on  to  teach  Sunday  school  • In  his  teens,  Hoover  switched  denominations  to  become  a  Presbyterian-­‐  was  assistant  

superintendent  of  the  church’s  junior  department  • His  father  had  a  nervous  breakdown  in  Hoover’s  early  high  school  years  and  never  

recovered    High  School  and  University:  • Hoover  went  to  Central  High  School  where  he  took  up  debating  • He  was  obsessive  in  everything  he  did  at  school  • His  school  described  him  as  a  “gentleman  of  dauntless  courage  and  stainless  honour”  

(Kessler)-­‐  he  was  valedictorian  on  graduation  in  1913  • He  studied  law  at  Washington  University  at  night,  whole  working  at  the  Library  of  Congress,  

receiving  his  bachelors  degree  in  1916,  and  masters  degree  in  1917  

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 Entry  Into  the  Civil  Service  as  a  Clerk  in  the  Library  of  Congress:  • While  at  the  library  of  congress,  Hoover  used  the  Dewey  Decimal  System  of  cataloguing-­‐  he  

subsequently  used  this  filing  system  at  the  Justice  Department’s  Investigative  Units  in  the  coming  years  

• Hoover  received  his  masters  and  was  licensed  to  practice  law    1917  and  the  Post-­‐War  Period:  • US  declared  war  on  Germany  and  Austria-­‐Hungary  in  April  1917  • Proclamation  of  war  authorised  the  Justice  Department  to  apprehend  and  detain  ‘enemy  

aliens’  • Congress  enacted  the  Espionage  Act  • The  Bureau  of  Investigation  (BI)  began  investigating  individuals  who:  

o Opposed  military  conscription  o Sowed  dissension  within  the  armed  forces  o Wilfully  aided  foreign  adversaries  

• “Overnight,  the  bureau  had  been  transformed  from  an  agency  that  merely  investigated  violations  of  criminal  law  to  one  that  investigated  spying  and  was  responsible  for  the  internal  security  of  the  country”  –  Kessler  

• BI’s  transformation  required  new  recruits;  in  July  1917,  Hoover  joined  the  Justice  Department  as  a  clerk  on  the  legal  staff  as  part  of  this  expansion-­‐  job  carried  conscription  exemption  

• Americans  persuaded  by  govt  action  to  assist  in  the  war  effort;  Germans  became  an  obvious  target  for  the  Justice  Department  

• Believed  that  Hoover’s  main  task  at  beginning  of  war  was  to  supervise  the  registration  of  Germans,  Austrians  and  Hungarians,  monitor  their  association  with  the  US  

• “J.  Edgar  Hoover’s  exact  duties  during  WW1  have  long  been  a  mystery,  obscured  by  time,  missing  documentation,  and  perhaps  some  intentional  camouflage”-­  Curt  Gentry  

• Late  1917,  Hoover  also  began  monitoring  activities  of  radicals,  communists  in  the  US  • At  22  years  of  age,  Hoover  was  asked  by  John  Lord  O’Brian,  the  special  assistant  to  the  

Attorney-­‐General,  to  head  the  Enemy  Alien  Registration  Section  • Thus,  Hoover  required  a  secretary-­‐  hired  Helen  Gandy  who  went  on  to  be  his  secretary  for  

55  years  until  his  death  Rise  to  Prominence:    Appointed  as  a  Special  Minister  to  Attorney  General  A  Mitchell  Palmer:    Palmer  and  the  ‘Red  Scare’:  • O’Brian  assisted  Hoover  in  retaining  his  position  by  discussing  the  bright,  young,  energetic  

officer  with  the  new  Attorney  General,  A.  Mitchell  Palmer  (Gentry)  • Ronald  Kessler  on  Hoover,  “He  dressed  better  than  most,  and  a  bit  on  the  dandyish  side.  He  

had  an  exceptional  capacity  for  detail  work…His  superiors  were  duly  impressed”  • Between  1919-­‐1924,  Hoover  served  as  special  assistant  to  the  Attorney  General  • By  1919,  with  the  German  menace  ended,  Attorney-­‐General  Palmer  decided  that  the  way  to  

fame  and  power  was  to  crack  down  on  the  growing  momentum  of  US  radicals,  socialists  and  communists  now  emboldened  by  the  continuing  success  of  the  Bolsheviks  in  Russia  

• Radicals,  anarchists  and  socialists  had  mailed  explosive  devices  to  36  prominent  business  magnates,  i.e.  John  D.  Rockefeller  and  J.P.  Morgan  

 Co-­ordination  of  the  Palmer  Raids  1919:  

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• On  2nd  June  1919,  Palmer’s  house  was  bombed  • Similar  explosions  occurred  in  8  other  cities  across  the  US  within  the  hour  • Hoover  was  the  Bureau  of  Investigation’s  alien  expert  and  was  placed  in  charge  if  the  round-­‐

up  of  the  radicals  • As  special  assistant  in  the  Anti-­‐Radical  Division  of  the  BI,  Hoover  was  given  carte  blanche  by  

Palmer  to  bring  the  bombers  to  justice  and  end  the  radical  threat  to  the  US  • Nathan  Miller  explains  how  Hoover  manipulated  events  to  his  advantage,  “Radicalism  was  

equated  with  communism…gross  violations  of  civil  rights  and  personal  freedom  became  commonplace  in  the  name  of  Americanism…Hoover  played  upon  the  Attorney-­General’s  fears  and  exploited  the  issue  of  radicalism  to  enhance  his  agency’s  power  and  prestige”  

• The  Alien  and  Sedition  Act  (1918)  made  it  legal  to  deport  aliens  who  promoted  anarchism  

• In  August  1919,  the  US  Communist  Party  was  formed,  with  a  membership  of  60,000,  90%  of  whom  were  aliens  

• Also  the  Communist  Labour  Party  was  formed,  membership  of  10,000  (most  US  citizens)  • Both  organisations  became  the  target  of  Hoover,  he  launched  his  career  “as  an  anti-­

Communist  crusader”  • Hoover  used  the  skills  acquired  at  the  Library  of  Congress  to  record  info  about  

individual  radicals  on  450,000  index  cards  • 6000  radicals  arrested;  those  caught  up  in  raids  were  badly  beaten  by  agents  and  police;  

500  deported  • Emma  Goldman  was  deported  for  her  anarchist  beliefs  despite  being  a  US  citizen  (Russian  

born)  • Agents  under  Hoover’s  supervision  illegally  entered  homes  and  labour  organisations  

suspected  of  radicalism  • The  Sacco  and  Vanzetti  arrests  were  “an  offshoot  of  the  same  whipped-­up  anti-­red  hysteria”-­

Morison  • Palmer  emerged  as  a  national  hero  in  early  1920    Civil  Rights  Abuses:  • Civil  rights  activists  assisted  in  the  legal  defence  of  the  arrested  • President  Wilson  had  told  Palmer  during  an  executive  cabinet  meeting,  “Do  not  let  this  

country  see  red!”  • Criticisms  were  growing  of  the  General  Intelligence  Division’s  (GID)  abuse  of  civil  rights  • Palmer  issued  a  series  of  warnings  of  a  revolutionary  plot  to  overthrow  the  govt-­‐  didn’t  end  

up  happening-­‐  criticised  Palmer  for  his  ‘cry  wolf’  tactics-­‐  support  for  him  decreased    

Why  Hoover  Remained  in  Power:  • Hoover  managed  to  stay  clean  despite  criticisms  of  Palmer  and  GID  • Factors  in  Hoover’s  favour:  

o He  belonged  to  no  political  party;  never  voted  in  presidential  elections-­‐  Claire  Potter  says,  “had  no  political  entanglements”  

o He  demonstrated  loyalty  to  his  superiors  o He  was  highly  qualified  for  his  positions  o He  was  willing  to  assist  presidents  when  they  felt  his  assistance  was  required  o He  was  a  consummate  politician,  “he  made  sure  that  those  in  power  knew  that  he  was  

aware  of  possible  indiscretions”-­Kessler  • New  Attorney  General,  Harry  Daugherty,  began  reorganisation  of  the  Department  of  Justice-­‐  

Hoover  survived  • Daugherty  transferred  the  General  Intelligence  Division  from  the  Department  of  Justice  

to  the  Bureau  of  Investigation  which  remained  under  Hoover’s  control  • Daugherty  made  William  Burns  director  of  BI,  Hoover  was  named  as  assistant  chief  of  the  BI  

in  1921  

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• Under  Burns,  Hoover  ran  the  day  to  day  basis,  as  well  as  being  involved  with  Burns  confrontations  with  Congress  

• In  1921,  Hoover’s  father  died;  he  became  only  support  to  his  mother  • Hoover  was  embarrassed  by  corrupt  reign  of  Harding  presidency;  he  considered  resigning,  

and  Daugherty  was  asked  to  resign  by  Coolidge-­‐  Department  of  Justice  became  known  as  the  Department  of  Easy  Virtue  at  this  time  

• Daugherty  wanted  to  reorganize  the  Department  of  Justice  by  mostly  replacing  Republicans  with  Democrats  

• Hoover  readily  survived  his  purge  and  had  no  problem  pledging  allegiance  to  the  new  administration  

• Daugherty  knew  Hoover  had  information  of  Harding’s  political  opponents  and  radicals;  Hoover  was  not  averse  to  sharing  it  

• Gentry-­  “he  saw  in  the  change  an  opportunity  to  more  upwards”  • Gentry-­  “Hoover  made  himself  indispensible  to  Daugherty”  • Hoover  networked  with  members  of  congress,  established  a  congressional  base  of  his  own  • Hoover  was  a  genius  as  self-­‐aggrandisement  • Gentry,  he  was  “highly  ambitious”    Key  People  Who  Lent  Hoover  Support:  • Albert  Johnson-­‐  chairman  of  the  powerful  House  Immigration  and  Naturalisation  

Committee  • Lawrence  Richey-­‐  Commerce  secretary  and  confidante  of  Herbert  Hoover,  belonged  to  the  

same  Masonic  lodge  as  JEH  • Major  General  Ralph  H  Van  Deman-­‐  was  “the  father  of  American  intelligence”,  they  held  a  

mutually  beneficial  relationship  where  they  shared  information  with  each  other,  Deman  awarded  Hoover  reserve  officers  commission  in  the  army’s  military  intelligence  division  

 Senator  Wheeler:  • He  was  a  democrat  senator  • Wanted  to  investigate  the  ‘Tea  Pot  Dome’  Scandal  • JEH  started  to  investigate  Wheeler’s  private  life,  example  of  Hoover’s  willingness  to  play  the  

political  game      

Appointed  as  Director  of  the  Federal  Bureau  of  Investigation  1924:    

Hoover  and  Stone:  • President  Coolidge  appointed  Harlan  Fiske  Stone  as  the  new  Attorney-­‐General  with  a  

mandate  to  clean  up  the  Justice  Department  • Stone  called  for  resignation  of  William  Burns  in  May  1924-­‐  Hoover  given  job  of  acting  

director  of  BI  • Hoover  agreed  to  the  job  on  certain  conditions:  

o The  bureau  was  to  be  divorced  from  politics  o Promotions  based  on  ability,  not  seniority  of  favouritism  o The  bureau  was  to  be  responsible  only  to  the  attorney-­‐general  

• Stone  instructed  Hoover  to:  o Limit  the  activities  of  the  Bureau  to  investigations  of  violations  of  federal  law  o Follow  the  directions  from  the  attorney-­‐general  conducting  the  work  of  the  Justice  

Department  o To  reduce  staff  by  firing  incompetents  o To  hire  only  people  with  legal  training  or  accountancy  backgrounds  

• Hoover  began  restructuring  the  Bureau  to  impose  discipline  and  accountability  through  a  clear  chain  of  command  

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• Hoover  was  at  the  top  of  command,  known  as  the  Seat  of  Government  (SOG)  • Hoover  created  6  separate  divisions  with  Special  Agents  in  Charge  (SAC)  who  all  met  

weekly  who  were  in  charge  of  separate  field  agents  • Hoover  was  made  permanent  director  of  the  BI  in  December  1924  • Stone  and  Hoover  began  a  rebuilding  process:  

o Cut  staff  from  441  agents  to  339  agents  in  1929    o Training  schools  named  National  Police  Academy  established  to  raise  skills  in  

scientific  investigation,  establish  BI  procedures  and  enforce  a  behaviour  code  to  increase  efficiency  

o Created  a  triangle  of  standardization  and  control  with  systematic  record  filing  o Hoover’s  own  standards  became  that  of  all  employee’s,  no  drinking  alcohol  o Applied  modern  management  and  supervised  collection  of  fingertip  files  and  the  

establishment  of  crime  laboratories  o Hoover  fought  for  BI  agents  to  have  the  power  to  arrest  and  have  guns  o Stone  said  BI  must  stop  collecting  information  on  politics  and  life  however  Hoover  

continued  to  widen  his  secret  files  by  resorting  to  illegal  wire  tapping,  bugging  and  mail  opening  

o Got  rid  of  dollar  a  day  men  (not  formally  appointed  but  claiming  to  act  as  consultants)  

o Asked  for  the  return  of  all  Bureau  property  of  assets  and  re-­‐evaluated  every  employee  

o Agents  were  to  dress  in  a  similar  manner-­‐  dark  suits,  ties,  white  shirts  o Agents  became  interchangeable,  expected  to  do  case  work  of  others  if  needed  o Agents  had  to  have  an  appearance  described  by  Hoover  as  “all-­American”  

• The  changes  at  the  BI  from  1924  to  1932  under  Hoover’s  direction  determined  its  form  over  the  next  50  years.  These  reforms  made  it  internally  different  from  the  lacklustre  Bureau  of  Prohibition  and  subsequently  more  effective  as  Hoover  “strove  to  convince  congressmen,  policeman  and  the  public  that  federal  enforcement  could  work”  –Claire  Potter  

• “Hoover’s  genius  was  not  in  innovation  but  in  recognizing  good  ideas  and  finding  ways  to  implement  them”  –Gentry  

• Upon  his  appointment  as  director  in  1924,  Hoover’s  “main  change  was  standardisation”  (Gentry)  

• Gentry-­  Hoover  began  to  “systematically  and  aggressively”  reform  both  the  BI  itself,  and  also  its  public  image  

• Stone  wanted  the  BI  to  concentrate  strictly  on  violations  of  law,  however  Hoover  was  convinced  that  information  was  his  claim  to  power  so  continued  to  secretly  engage  into  lifestyles  

• Hoover  had  criticism  from  head  of  ACLU  (American  civil  liberties  union)  due  to  his  ongoing  obsession  with  radicalism  and  unionism    Hoover  proved  the  restructuring  of  the  bureau  was  not  focused  on  that  and  gained  the  support  of  the  Attorney  General  

• Hoover’s  Obscene  file  created  24th  March  1925  kept  separate  to  other  FBI  files    he  recognized  the  value  of  gossip  which  could  be  used  to  discredit  his  adversaries  or  be  used  for  favours,  he  went  to  all  measures  to  accumulate  this  information  from  individuals  to  huge  public  figures  

• Stone  said  that  Hoover  was  a  “man  of  exceptional  intelligence,  alertness  and  executive  ability”  

 Why  was  JEH  Determined  to  Alter  the  BI’s  Image:  • Scandals  had  heightened  fears  about  the  BI  • Questions  raised  about  honesty  and  ability  of  detectives  • Americans  were  afraid  that  the  BI  would  act  as  a  partisan  workforce-­‐  and  therefore  be  a  

threat  to  democratic  society  • Theoharis  and  Cox,  JEH  saw  the  BI,  “as  a  reflection  of  himself  and  demanded  of  its  agents  

the  same  puritanical  standards  of  conduct  that  he  demanded  of  himself”  

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• Theoharis  and  Cox,  “the  organisation  became  an  image  of  its  director”    The  Lindbergh  Case:  • Charles  Augustus  Lindbergh  Jr  was  the  son  of  famous  aviator  Charles  Lindbergh  • The  baby  was  kidnapped  in  May  1932,  and  his  body  was  found  2  months  later  a  short  

distance  from  the  Lindbergh  home  • Hoover  wanted  to  be  involved  in  the  case,  but  couldn’t  because  it  was  a  state  offence  • The  ‘Lindbergh  Law’  was  enacted;  meant  in  the  case  of  kidnapping,  the  FBI  could  be  

involved,  even  though  it  wasn’t  across  state  lines  • At  the  end  of  September,  Hoover  arrested  Bruno  Hauptman  for  the  Lindbergh  case,  however  

the  credit  was  back  on  Purvis  for  the  killing  of  Charles  ‘Pretty  Boy’  Floyd  • Hauptman  was  sentenced  to  the  electric  chair,  died  in  April  1936-­‐  he  proclaimed  his  

innocence  until  his  death    

The  Gangster  Era:  • Hoover  benefited  from  the  New  Deal’s  war  on  crime-­‐  lots  of  crime  in  bank  depression  era  • The  New  A-­‐G  Cummings,  published  a  ‘public  enemies  list’  that  was  primarily  directed  

against  a  crime  wave  in  the  Mid  west  • They  were  depicted  as  ‘robin  hoods’  robbing  from  the  rich  to  the  poor  • The  gangsters  gained  Hoover  personal  recognition  and  earned  the  BI  a  good  reputation  • The  members  of  the  list  had  been  involved  in  kidnapping  and  bank  robbery.  Notable  ones  

included:  o George  ‘Machine  Gun’  Kelly:  captured  in  September  1933,  reportedly  shouted  “Don’t  

shoot,  G-­Men”-­‐  it  was  used  afterwards  in  the  movies,  showed  status  of  bureau  o John  Dillinger:  Dillinger’s  case  was  a  state  one,  but  when  he  escaped  from  prison  and  

crossed  state  lines,  Hoover  had  jurisdiction  to  deal  with  Dillinger.  Melvin  Purvis  killed  him  in  July  1934.  Dillinger  was  public  enemy  number  1.  Purvis  directed  the  operation,  but  was  forced  out  of  the  bureau  as  Hoover  was  upset  he  took  so  much  public  credit.     Richard  Gid  Powers,  “in  a  matter  of  hours,  Purvis  was  famous  in  the  country”   Claire  Potter,  “Hoover  saw  it  as  a  great  personal  betrayal”  

o Charles  ‘Pretty  Boy’  Floyd:  shot  to  death  in  Oct  1934  by  Purvis  o Alvin  ‘Creepy’  Karpis:  Hoover  got  personal  credit  for  the  arrest  of  Karpis  in  May  1936.  

Karpis  claimed  in  his  autobiography  that  Hoover  hid  around  the  corner  until  he  had  been  secured,  and  that  his  hands  were  tied  with  an  agent’s  necktie.  Karpis  was  Hoover’s  first  arrest  

• Hoover’s  vilification  of  efficient  and  courageous  FBI  agents  such  as  Melvin  Purvis  can  be  read  to  have  been  expedient  on  Hoover’s  behalf  to  maintain  his  image  as  the  head  of  the  bureau  

• In  May  and  June  1934,  Congress  passed  a  package  of  9  major  crime  bills:  o Sanford  Ungar  said  they  were  “one  of  the  most  important,  if  least  recognised,  New  Deal  

reforms”  o They  gave  the  federal  govt  for  the  first  time,  a  comprehensive  criminal  code,  and  the  BI  

also  vast  new  authority  with  which  to  enforce  it  o Under  the  new  laws,  the  robbery  of  a  national  bank  was  a  violation  of  federal  law  o Special  agents  of  the  BI  were  given  the  right  to  make  arrests,  execute  warrants  and  carry  

firearms  o Gentry,  “the  days  of  the  small  Bureau  were  over.  Gone,  too,  were  the  days  when  special  

agents  were  merely  investigators”    

Hoover  and  the  Media:  

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Pittsburgh  Post  Gazette-­‐    September  1933  

• Machine  Gun  Kelly-­‐  He  said  “don’t  shoot  G-­‐Men”;  this  used  to  highlight  the  public  relations  campaign  regarding  the  G-­‐Men,    initiated  by  JEH  o JEH  emerged  as  a  public  hero,  gentry  commenting  on  JEH’s  use  of  the  

media  to  gain  public  attention  and  adulation,  stated,  “Hoover  went    straight  to  the  masses”  

o Used  this  saying  of  Kelly’s  in  G-­‐Men  movies  Henry  Suydam  (journalist)  

• Washington  Bureau  Chief  of  the  Brooklyn  Eagle-­‐  wrote  article  lavishing    praise  on  JEH  and  BI  o Suydam  placed  on  JEH’s  list  to  receive  releases  and  documents  issued    

by  BI  o Was  later  hired  as  a  special  assistant  to  handle  BI’s  press  relations  o He  put  JEH  in  touch  with  leading  radio  and  movie  producers  e.g.    

J.  Warner  Louis  B.  Nichols,  “L.B”,  Nick  the    Great  

• Most  influential  figure-­‐  hired  to  promote  BI  • Helped  orchestrate  the  highly  publicised  manhunt  for  Karpis  • By  1935,  Cummings  crusade  against  crime  had  become  a  popular  crusade  

the  hero  of  the  piece  was  no  longer  Cummings  but  JEH  • Nichols  was  the  greatest  propagandist,  Hoover  took  him  on  his  side  

Warner  Bros-­‐    G-­‐Men    

• April  1935  released  feature  film,  G-­‐Men  • James  Cagney  acted  as  an  FBI  agent  became  the  prototype  of  good    

policeman  Courtney  Ryley  Cooper  

• Published  “Ten  Thousand  Public  Enemies”  the  first  of  many  mass  market  books  about  the  BI  o  Mythologised  the  BI  o Cooper  wrote  about  G-­‐MenG-­‐Men  was  designed  to  enable  the  

administration  to  manipulate  public  opinion-­‐  justified  this  on  the    grounds  that  only  an  aroused  public  opinion  could  turn  the  tide  against  crime  

Walter  Trohan   • Trohan  was  a  journalist  for  the  Chicago  Tribune’s  Sunday  magazine  • He  wrote  an  article  entitled,  “Chief  of  the  G-­‐Men—Record  of  his  Career”,  it  

displayed  all  the  elements  of  a  high-­‐level  conspiracy:  o “for  Mr.  Hoover,  like  the  cautious  conspirator,  did  not  disclose  himself  to  a  

startled  public  until  he  was  certain  he  could  command  its  attention”    • Later  on,  Trohan  changed  his  view  of  Hoover  and  supported  him  for  his  anti-­‐

radicalism    • Sue  Rosenfeld  said  “he  gave  the  public  an  image  to  identify  with”  and  became  

according  to  Gentry  “a  symbol  of  law  enforcement”    The  Roosevelt  Years:    Anti  Radicalism:  • From  1934,  Roosevelt  secretly  had  JEH  investigate  American  Nazi’s  and  Nazi  sympathisers  • August  1935,  FDR  discussed  “subversive  activities”  with  Hoover,  particularly  fascism  and  

communism  • Gentry,  “Hoover  became  obsessed  with  anti-­radicalism”  • JEH  interpreted  this  request  as  permission  to  resume  domestic  surveillance  activities  • By  late  1939,  JEH  had  resurrected  his:  

o General  Intelligence  Division  o And  setup  a  Custodial  Detention  List  of  those  individuals  who  might  need  to  be  rounded  

up  in  case  of  war  • JEH  regularly  sent  FDR  reports  on  his  (FDRs)  right-­‐wing  critics  

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• The  request  for  Hoover  to  monitor  the  right-­‐wing  nevertheless  afforded  Hoover  an  opportunity  to  monitor  the  left  as  well  

• Hoover  and  Cordell  Hull  (secretary  of  state)-­‐  25th  August  1936,  FDR,  JEH  and  Cordell  Hull  met-­‐  formal  presidential  authorisation  for  broad  scale  anti-­‐subversive  investigations  

• Surveillance  Program-­‐  enlarged  surveillance  program  to  focus  on  domestic  political  radicals  and  trade  union  activities;  5th  Sept  1936  ordered  all  FBI  field  offices  “to  obtain”  from  all  possible  sources,  information  concerning  subversive  activities  being  conducted  in  the  US  by  communists,  fascists  and  any  groups  advocating  overthrow  of  US  govt  

• Hoover’s  manipulation  of  Cummings-­  JEH  deliberately  briefed  Cummings  that  his  meeting  with  FDR  and  Hull  had  taken  place  on  1  Sept  when  it  hadn’t.  He  also  misrepresented  FDR’s  instructions  to  investigate  ‘subversive  activities’  

• Hoover  moves  beyond  FDR’s  brief-­  Although  FDR  had  requested  a  limited  survey  of  foreign  directed  movements,  Hoover  initiated  a  broad  intensive  investigation  of  domestic  radical  activities  that  extended  to  spying  on  the  nation’s  college  campuses  

• JEH’s  relationship  with  FDR-­  FDR  felt  he  could  combat  JEH  • FBI’s  control  of  “espionage,  counter  espionage  and  sabotage  matters”-­  All  investigations  

involving  said  matters  to  be  confined  to  the  FBI,  and  military  and  naval  intelligence  services-­‐  FDR  forbade  any  other  investigative  agencies  from  conducting  such  investigations  

• Hoover  and  the  Special  Committee  on  Un-­American  Activities  (Dies  Committee)-­  JEH  linked  selected  confidential  information  from  FBI  files  to  members  of  the  committee  to  enable  them  to  publicise  the  ‘Red  Menace’.  He  attempted  to  win  over  the  committee  and  secured  the  appointment  of  sympathetic  state  thus  ensuring  the  committee  would  not  change  the  FBI  

• February  1940:  Arrest  of  radicals-­  Ordered  his  agents  in  Detroit  and  Milwaukee  to  participate  in  simultaneous  arrests  of  radicals  accused  of  having  enlisted  volunteers  who  fought  against  Franco  in  Spanish  Civil  War,  liberals  were  outraged  

• Not  everyone  was  fooled  by  Hoover  and  the  G-­‐men    the  conservatives  who  deplored  the  New  Deal  believed  Hoover  had  turned  the  Bureau  into  everything  it  wasn’t  meant  to  be  

• Hoover  learnt  he  had  enemies  and  got  the  media  on  his  side  producing  articles  in  favour  of  the  top  cop  

• One  of  these  enemies  was  conservative  chairman  Kenneth  Mckellar  who  reduced  the  Bureau’s  budget  accusing  Hoover  of  being  a  glory  finder,  wasting  tax  payers  money  and  ridiculed  his  crime  statistics  

• Hoover  responded  to  McKellar  as  Hoover  used  his  mastering  of  statistics  claiming  he  made  savings  in  the  budget  through  fines  and  more  captures  then  any  other  enforcement  agency    

Role  of  the  FBI  During  WW2:  • 1940-­‐1945-­‐  the  FBI’s  greatest  expansion  took  place,  went  from  900  agents5000  agents,  

employees  doubled  from  7000  to  14000  • After  outbreak  of  WW2,  JEH  lobbied  to  expand  FBI  jurisdiction  globally  • JEH  hoped  to  gain  a  position  to  control  overseas  operations.  However,  William  Donovan  was  

given  authority  by  FDR  to  start  the  Office  of  Strategic  Services  (OSS)-­‐  the  forerunner  of  the  CIA  o Its  main  aim  was  to  develop  a  relationship  with  British  Intelligence  

• 8-­‐18  December  1941,  FDR  placed  JEH  temporarily  in  charge  of  censorship;  JEH  covertly  arranged  to  have  items  of  mail  from  selected  individuals  opened  and  photographed  and  filed  the  info  for  his  own  personal  use-­‐  he  continued  this  practice  after  the  war  

• Agents  recruited  to  JEH  during  the  war  had  strong  personal  loyalty  to  him  • 1936  Hoover  asked  to  look  into  subversive  activities  of  Fascism  and  Communism  for  the  

president  

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• Hoover  interpreted  this  as  permission  to  continue  surveillance  as  he  created  a  list  of  individuals  to  round  up  in  public  emergency  

• Gentry  says  FBI  expanded  exponentially  under  Hoover  administrations  • 1938  Annie  Hoover  died  • A  deal  was  struck  between  ACLU  (American  civil  liberties  union)  and  Hoover  where  the  

ACLU  promised  to  purge  itself  of  any  known  communists  and  Hoover  would  keep  ‘House  of  Un-­American  Activities’  away  from  ACLU  

• After  war  broke  out  Hoover  lobbied  to  have  jurisdiction  globally  to  become  an  intelligence  agency,  his  goal  was  thwarted  

• One  of  the  most  potent  enemies  made  during  the  war  was  Eleanor  Roosevelt  • They  were  at  opposite  ends  of  the  table  when  it  came  down  Bureau’s  tactics  • Hoover  investigated  first  lady’s  social  secretary  Helm  and  other  associate  and  first  Lady  

accused  Hoover  of  wasting  time,  Hoover  never  forgave  her  and  saw  her  as  a  Bureau  enemy  • 8-­‐18  December  1941,  FDR  placed  JEH  temporarily  in  charge  of  censorship;  JEH  covertly  

arranged  to  have  items  of  mail  from  selected  individuals  opened  and  photographed  and  filed  the  info  for  his  own  personal  use-­‐  he  continued  this  practice  after  the  war    

How  Hoover  Ignored  Serious  Organised  Crime:  • Although  they  were  enemies,  they  also  competed  for  newspaper  space  • Without  Hoover,  mafia  wouldn’t  have  reached  the  height  and  power  it  did  • Prohibition  gave  life  to  the  criminal  gangs  • Hoover  refused  to  stalk  crime  syndicates,  denying  the  existence  of  the  mafia  • Hoover  was  probably  scared  that  the  FBI  would  become  corrupt  if  it  came  into  contact  with  

the  Mafia  • Hoover  was  scared  the  Mafia  would  show  him  up  • Hoover  concentrated  on  easier  targets  to  hit  then  the  Mafia  to  gain  light  in  front  of  the  

public  • Hoover  thought  Mafia  was  no  immediate  threat  to  established  order    they  believed  in  

capitalism  and  hated  socialism  • Hoover  had  more  important  problems  to  tackle  then  gambling  and  prohibition  that  was  the  

main  income  for  Mafia  • Mafia  kept  Hoover  happy,  and  Hoover  left  Mafia  alone  • Anthony  Summers,  “J  Edgar  Hoover  did  nothing  about  the  mafia”  

 1940–1945:    OSS  and  Donovan  (Bardsley):  • JEH  wanted  to  expand  FBI  jurisdiction  globally  and  hoped  to  form  a  relationship  between  

the  FBI  and  British  Intelligence  • However,  the  head  of  British  intelligence  favoured  William  Donovan  (AG  at  the  time)  who  

eventually  set  up  the  OSS  (office  of  Strategic  Services)  • JEH  stopped  co-­‐operating  with  British  intelligence  operatives  • When  the  Britain  double  agent,  Popov,  reported  information  about  information  about  Pearl  

Harbour  to  British  intelligence  and  JEH  got  to  hear  about  a  possible  invasion  by  the  Japanese-­‐JEH  did  nothing  

• After  OSS  created  under  Donavon,  Hoover  went  completely  sour  and  this  was  controversial  with  the  attack  on  Pearl  Harbour  by  the  Japanese  

• Gentry  claims  it  was  odd  that  Hoover  didn’t  inform  the  presidents  that  2  Germans  were  ordered  to  study  the  defences  of  Pearl  Harbour  for  the  Japanese    

JEH  and  SIS  (C  Gregg  Webb):  • This  period  helped  Hoover’s  reputation  as  America’s  watchdog  

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• 24  June  1940-­‐  FDR  gave  the  FBI  responsibility  for  foreign  intelligence  work  in  the  Western  Hemisphere  

• JEH  immediately  established  the  Special  Intelligence  Service  (SIS);  was  supposed  to  operate  with  military  and  naval  intelligence  

• FDR’S  directive  was  “in  response  to  a  wave  of  espionage  that  had  erupted  inside  the  US”  (C  Gregg  Webb)  in  1938  as  a  response  to  Hitler’s  rise  to  power  and  redoubling  of  intelligence  efforts  by  Germany,  Japan  and  Italy  in  US  

• JEH  “constructed  a  top-­notch  organisation”  (C  Gregg  Webb),  especially  effective  in  Latin  America  

• Many  historians  claim  he  was  aggressive  in  running  the  SIS  in  wanting  to  increase  his  powers  

• However,  post-­‐war  he  failed  to  expand  into  global  work  was  replaced  by  SOS  and  CIA    

Relationship  with  Presidents  • Americans  felt  secure  behind  their  monopoly  of  the  atomic  bomb    • Fear  of  a  Russian  bomb  now  came  to  dominate  American  thinking  • The  Soviets  denoted  their  own  bomb  in  1949    • In  1939  and  again  in  1943  Presidential  directives  had  authorized  the  FBI  to  carry  out  

investigations  of  threats  to  national  security  • This  role  was  clarified  and  expanded  under  President  Truman  and  Eisenhower  • Any  public  or  private  agency  or  individual  with  information  about  subversive  activities  was  

urged  to  report  to  the  FBI  • 1946  Atomic  Energy  Act  gave  FBI  responsibility  for  determining  the  loyalty  of  individuals  

and  having  restricted  access  to  Atomic  energy  data  • President  Hoover  and  Eisenhower  gave  the  FBI  responsibility  for  investigating  allegations  

of  disloyalty  among  employees  • After  the  Korean  War  ended  the  number  of  agents  stood  at  about  6200  while  the  budget  

began  a  steady  climb  in  1957  • Through  Hoover’s  speeches,  articles,  testimony,  and  books  the  FBI  helped  alert  the  public  of  

the  Communist  threat  • Congress  gave  the  FBI  new  federal  laws  to  fight  civil  rights  violations,  racketeering,  

gambling  such  as  the  Crimes  Abroad  Aircraft  Act  1961  • The  1950’s  and  the  early  60’s-­‐  the  Bureau  began  to  fight  mob  influence  through  the  Omnibus  

Crime  Control  and  Safe  Streets  Act  1968    

Hoover,  Truman  and  Eisenhower:  • Hoover  persuaded  Roosevelt  to  give  the  FBI  the  task  of  investigating  both  foreign  espionage  

in  the  US-­‐this  included  the  collection  of  information  on  those  with  radical  political  beliefs  • By  intimidation,  the  FBI  obtained  the  information  needed  to  convict  Harry  Gold,  David  

Greenglass  and  Julius  Rosenberg  of  spying  • Establishment  of  the  ‘House  of  Un-­American  Activities  Committee’    (HUAC)  to  investigate  into  

the  entertainment  industry  and  the  decision  by  the  major  media  networks  to  blacklist  artists  who  were  known  to  hold  left  of  centre  political  views  

• Hoover  took  out  detailed  investigations  of  those  he  thought  had  dangerous  political  views  for  example  his  investigation  of  those  opposed  to  the  Vietnam  War  

• At  the  same  time  Hoover  virtually  ignored  organized  crime  and  his  investigations  into  political  corruptions  was  mainly  used  as  means  of  gaining  control  over  politicians  in  powerful  positions  

• 1959  Hoover  had  489  agents  spying  on  communists  but  only  4  on  the  mafia  • Truman  made  it  clear  that  he  did  not  want  personal  contact  with  the  director  and  insisted  

that  communication  be  made  through  the  Attorney  General  or  through  Truman’s  aide,  Brigadier  General  Harry  Vaughan  

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• Truman  had  no  intention  of  letting  Hoover  extend  his  power  and,  in  fact  was  planning  to  limit  Hoover’s  existing  power  

• With  the  approval  of  the  Attorney  General,  the  bureau  launched  a  very  thorough  surveillance  of  Alger  Hiss  and  his  wife  Priscilla  

• Hoover  decided  he  would  leak  the  information  and  force  Hiss  to  resign  • 1947  HUAC  announced  that  it  was  investigating  Communist  influences  in  the  American  

movie  industry  and  Hoover  pulled  out  all  the  stops  to  help  it  • Hoover  had  been  the  one  source  of  the  Stevenson  and  Kefauver  material  • Relationships  between  Hoover  and  the  Whitehouse  improved  dramatically  when  

Eisenhower  replaced  Hoover  • Vice  President  Nixon  was  also  deeply  in  Hoover  debt  after  the  Alger  Hiss  case  • Herbert  Brownwell,  the  new  attorney  general  got  along  well  with  Hoover  • Brownwell  gave  Hoover  the  approval  to  use  microphone  surveillance  but  only  in  national  

cases,  permission  that  Hoover  extended  under  the  Kennedy’s  • He  had  reached  the  height  of  his  power  • Big  FBI  case-­‐Hoover  discovered  atomic  scientists  as  communists  taking  down  a  chain  of  

communists  known  as  the  Rosenberg  conspiracy  • Julius  Rosenberg  discovered  to  be  apart  of  a  spy  ring  and  arrested  in  1950  for  giving  

information  to  Soviets’  • Not  long  after  Rosenberg  executions,  the  cosy  relationship  between  McCarthy  and  Hoover  

began  to  deteriorate  as  McCarthy  was  getting  out  of  control  and  criticized  his  friend  Ike  • McCarthy  was  becoming  a  liability  to  Hoover  • Counter  Intelligence  Program  1956  (COINTELPRO)  was  the  name  given  to  the  campaign  to  

infiltrate  and  disrupt  the  activities  of  the  Communist  party  in  the  US,  aimed  at  destroying  the  party  through  dirty  tricks  

• Hoover  planned  mass  jailings  in  1950  of  12,000  Americans  he  suspected  of  disloyalty  • Arrests  were  necessary  to  protect  the  country  against  “treason,  espionage  and  other  forms  of  

sabotage”  (Hoover)  • Truman  passed  legislature  authorising  detention  of  radicals  but  only  in  times  of  national  

emergency,  December  that  year  national  emergency  declared  • Hack  said  that  Hoover  was  in  “his  element”  throughout  the  tense  and  unpredictable  

years  of  McCarthyism  in  the  1950s    

McCarthyism:  • McCarthyism  is  the  politically  motivated  practice  of  making  accusations  of  disloyalty,  

subversion  or  treason  without  proper  regard  for  evidence.  The  term  specifically  describes  activities  associated  with  the  period  in  the  United  State  known  as  the  Second  Red  Scare,  lasting  roughly  from  the  late  1940’s  to  the  late  1950’s  and  characterized  by  heightened  fears  of  communist  influence  on  American  institutions  and  espionage  by  Soviet  agents  

• Many  thousands  of  Americans  were  accused  of  being  Communists  or  communist  sympathizers  and  became  the  subject  of  aggressive  investigations  and  questioning  before  government  or  private  industry  panels,  committees  and  agencies.  The  primary  targets  of  such  suspicions  were  government  employees,  those  in  entertainment  industry,  educators  and  unionist  activities  

• McCarthy  was  arguably  one  of  the  most  hated  senators  of  US    he  capitalised  on  fear  of  Communism  and  accused  some  of  the  most  influential  Americans  as  Communists  

• Hoover  covertly  and  illegally  shared  FBI  files  and  information  with  McCarthy  during  the  height  of  the  Red  Scare  

• McCarthy  used  Hoover  as  a  source  of  information  and  Hoover  took  advantage  of  McCarthy’s  position  in  the  national  spotlight  to  wage  a  proxy  war  

• Truman  “and  I  recognized  him  as  a  fake  and  phony  and  as  a  real  menace  to  our  country  and  our  principles  of  freedom  and  democracy”  

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• Truman  and  his  administration  were  major  targets  of  McCarthy  for  being  soft  on  communists  

• A  number  of  incidences  signalled  to  Hoover  that  he  should  disassociate  himself  from  McCarthy  

• “By  the  spring  of  1954  Hoover  was  telling  Eisenhower  that  McCarthy  had  reached  a  point  where  he  was  actually  impeding  the  investigation  of  Communists”-­Gentry  

• McCarthy  would  have  most  likely  remained  an  unknown  senator  if  it  wasn’t  for  Hoover  

COINTELPRO  (Counter  Intelligence  Program):  • Counter  intelligence  Program  was  a  series  of  covert  and  illeagal  projects  conducted  by  the  

FBI  aimed  at  investigating  and  disrupting  dissident  political  organizations  within  the  United  States  

• FBI  used  covert  operations  from  its  inception  however  formal  COINTELPRO  operations  took  place  between  1956  and  1971  

• The  motivation  was  the  protection  of  national  security,  preventing  violence  and  maintaining  the  existing  social  and  political  order  

• Targets  were,  Communist  and  socialist  orgamizations,  women’s  rights  movement,  nationalist  groups  and  those  in  the  non-­‐violent  right  wing  movements  such  as  Martin  luthar  King  

• FBI  agents  told  to  expose,  disrupt,  misdirect,  discredit  or  otherwise  neutralize  the  activities  and  movements  of  these  party  leaders  

• The  program  was  secret  until  1971  when  FBI  office  in  Media  was  burglarized  by  a  group  of  left  wing  radicals  calling  themselves  the  Citizens  Committee  to  investigate  the  FBI  

• Several  collections  of  documents  were  taken  and  information  was  passed  to  news  agencies,  Hoover  declared  COINTELPRO  over  

• Methods:  o Infiltration    discredit  and  disrupt  o Psychological  warfare    plant  false  media  stories  o Harassment  through  legal  system    make  them  appear  to  be  criminals  o Extralegal  Force  and  Violence    threatened,  instigated  and  conducted  break  ins,  

vandalism,  assaults  and  beating  

Relationship  with  The  Kennedy’s:    • John  Kennedy  was  22  years  younger  than  Hoover  and  Robert  Kennedy  was  30  years  

younger  • Hoover  and  his  rigid  beliefs  had  isolated  him  from  the  youth  culture  that  was  emerging  in  

American  society  • John  Kennedy’s  legendary  love  life  was  thoroughly  documented  in  Hoover’s  files  and  

encouraged  Kennedy  to  not  anger  Hoover  on  suspicion  of  the  files  • Relationship  between  Bobby  and  Hoover  was  tense  • Even  before  Kennedy  became  Hoover’s  boss,  the  FBI  director  had  significantly  changed  his  

attitude  to  organized  crime  • 1961  Bobby  Kennedy’s  crusade  against  organized  crime,  Hoover  made  it  a  major  priority  

and  was  supported  by  new  crime  laws  from  Kennedy  that  strengthened  Bureau  jurisdiction  • The  Kennedy’s  target  of  gangsters  was  not  the  only  source  of  tension  between  Bobby  

Kennedy  and  Hoover,  another  was  the  Bureau’s  attitude  towards  Afro-­‐Americans  and  the  civil  rights  movement  

• Hoover  just  did  not  see  an  expanded  role  for  people  of  colour    • Naturally  this  bigotry  like  all  of  Hoover’s  other  beliefs  became  part  of  the  entrenched  

culture  of  the  Bureau  • Hoover  bombarded  Kennedy  with  memoranda  linking  King  with  two  hardcore  Communists-­‐  

alleged  these  men  were  seeking  to  gain  control  over  King  and  hence  over  the  Southern  Christian  Leadership  Conference  and  the  civil  rights  movement  

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• Bobby  was  appalled  Hoover  associated  King  with  communism;  Hoover  asked  for  wiretaps  and  Bobby  reluctantly  agreed,  as  he  believed  a  refusal  would  lend  credence  to  the  allegation  of  communist  influence,  and  by  permitting  the  tap,  this  would  demonstrate  the  contrary  

• The  wire  taps  that  night  in  the  Williard  Hotel  had  revealed  a  rich  extramarital  sex  life  for  King;  Hoover  was  appalled  

• Kennedy  era  saw  the  address  the  issues  of  crime,  race  and  poverty  rather  then  subversion  • Hoover  intensified  attention  to  charismatic  King  and  civil  rights  movement  • Tapes  of  King’s  affairs  were  later  mailed  anonymously  to  him  • Robert  was  given  directions  to  keep  the  Director  at  bay  

Relationship  with  LBJ:  • Hoover  sent  to  Johnson  a  preliminary  report  indicating  the  Oswald  was  the  lone  

assassin,  a  view  that  never  changed  regardless  of  information  to  the  contrary  • The  Bureau’s  initial  internal  investigation  after  the  assassination  convinced  Hoover  that  

the  FBI’s  handling  of  the  case  was  so  deficient  that  the  only  way  to  minimize  criticism  was  to  fix  all  blame  on  Oswald  as  a  lone  assassin,  unaided  by  any  conspiracy  

• LBJ  as  president  meant  a  whole  new  lease  on  life  for  Hoover,  Johnson  was  one  of  his  oldest  and  closest  friends  in  government  

• Johnson  waived  the  retirement  age  of  Hoover  • Hoover  gave  Johnson  his  unswerving  loyalty,  everything  Johnson  asked  to  be  done  was  

done  • The  Bureau  was  used  to  collect  political  information  on  Johnson’s  enemies  and  

eventually,  to  disrupt  the  activities  of  organizations  that  Johnson  perceived  as  a  threat  • Hoover  began  to  bypass  Bobby  Kennedy  and  go  straight  to  Johnson  • Hoover  saw  the  rise  in  crime  rate  as  a  failure  of  traditional  morals  • LBJ’s  accomplishment  as  president  was  crushing  the  rampant  terrorism  going  on  in  the  

South  • Hoover  directed  massive  investigations  of  racial  violence  and  he  forestalled  more  

violence  by  disrupting  and  eventually  destroying  the  South’s  network  of  murderous  Klan’s  

• Demonstration  of  Hoover’s  loyalty  to  LBJ  evident  in  that  he  put  aside  his  own  prejudices  and  focused  the  Bureau  on  breaking  the  power  of  the  Klans  

• Hoover  did  everything  he  could  to  discredit  ML  King  • Hoover  hated  King  for  his  promiscuous  terrible  private  life  of  sex,  gambling  etc  • Hoover  initiated  the  largest  man  hunt  in  FBI  history  of  3000  agents  to  find  King’s  killer  

despite  hating  him    • Hoover’s  anxiety  about  what  he  regarded  as  Kennedy’s  radical  departures  meanwhile  

led  him  to  cement  his  relations  with  his  old  friend,  the  free  wheeling  Lyndon  Johnson  • The  vice  president  continued  dealings  with  a  host  of  unsavoury  characters  that  

threatened  to  end  his  political  life  and  his  vulnerability  played  directly  into  Hoover’s  hands  for  the  director  kept  in  his  files  questionable  information  about  Johnson  

• Hoover  had  supported  policies  of  every  president,  his  relationship  with  Johnson  was  unique:  o Johnson  was  not  afraid  to  turn  to  Hoover  for  information  o Johnson  like  Hoover  enjoyed  derogatory  information  and  like  confidentiality  

• Johnson  sought  to  contain  efforts  of  civil  rights  activists  as  they  could  hurt  his  election  credentials  

• Hoover’s  intelligence  service  to  Johnson  was  performed  illegally  • Johnson  as  a  president  could  no  longer  afford  to  challenge  Hoover  as  the  director  might  

retaliate  • During  a  rare  press  conference  in  November  1964,  Hoover  gave  a  strong  vent  to  his  

prejudices-­‐  He  savagely  attacked  Martin  Luther  King  Jr  on  the  same  score,  Hoover  branded  him  the  most  notorious  liar  in  the  country  

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• Defending  the  FBI’s  civil  records,  he  denounced  the  criticisms  of  fanatic  pressure  groups    and  made  crude  attempts  to  discredit  his  critics  who  called  for  his  resignation  

• Johnson  characterized  the  public  disagreement  between  Hoover  and  King  as  a  difference  between  strong  minded  individuals  and  defended  their  rights  to  freedom  of  expression  

• Hoover’s  growing  intemperateness  was  an  aspect  of  ageing  alone  and  the  decline  of  Clyde  Tolson  

• Tolson  suffered  a  serious  minor  stroke  in  the  late  1960’s  and  was  taken  care  of  by  Hoover  

• Hoover  insisted  on  Tolson  returning  to  work  prematurely  as  he  was  in  denial  of  his  compatriots  decline  

• Hoover’s  patriotic  image  was  being  overlooked  by  an  undeclared  war,  student  revolts  and  scepticism  of  the  Cold  War  

• Hoover  and  the  FBI’s  action  in  South  East  Asia  attracted  large  anti-­‐war  movement  which  changed  the  course  of  human  events  and  Hoover  if  he  had  lived  long  enough  would  have  finally  been  on  the  losing  side  

• J  Edgar  Hoover  Foundation  1965  was  created  to  safeguard  the  heritage  and  freedom  of  the  USA  and  promote  good  citizenship  through  the  appreciation  of  its  form  of  government  

• Hoover’s  detractors  were  gathering  strength  and  were  galvanized  by  press  releases  that  the  FBI  had  been  bugging  and  wire  tapping  

• Hoover’s  secret  operations  had  finally  been  unravelled  by  a  committee  led  by  Chairman  Long  

Hoover  and  ML  King  • Hoovers  agency  stood  for  fair  and  decent  law  enforcement,  the  rule  of  law  and  was  a  

model  of  integrity  and  efficiency  • Hoover  was  an  national  hero,  responsible  for  putting  killers  away  • Hoover  was  getting  old  and  he  believed  the  world  were  questioning  and  rejecting  

fundamental  values  • He  detested  the  growing  culture  of  promiscuity  and  questioned  racial  equality  • King  publically  criticised  the  Bureau  and  Hoover  was  suspicious  of  his  activities  • Bobby  was  furious  when  Hoover  asked  to  wiretap  King  • However  no  attorney  general  could  fully  exercise  control  over  Hoover  • Katzenbach  (AG)  agreed  to  wire  tap  and  King  was  suspected  of  no  crime  • FBI  tapes  however  caught  King  having  extramarital  affairs  • Horrowitz  and  Carroll  said,  “the  King  incident  illustrates  the  enormous  power  

Hoover  derived  from  domestic  surveillance”  

The  Files:  • Official  and  Confidential  File,  Personal  and  Confidential  File  and  about  a  draw  and  a  half  

of  Bureau  files  kept  in  Hoover’s  office  under  lock  and  key  • Had  personal  correspondence,  tax  records,  memorabilia  etc.  • If  these  files  were  exposed  to  the  public  it  would  have  jeopardized  his  tenure  as  Director  

and  blacked  the  reputation  of  the  Bureau  • Hoover’s  personal  file  was  a  formidable  collection  and  its  destruction  forever  limits  our  

understanding  of  how  he  operated,  the  scope  and  nature  of  the  information  he  personally  collected  

• Sixty  four  of  164  folders  held  derogatory  information  on  two  presidents,  a  first  lady,  a  cabinet  member  and  countless  other  prominent  personalities    

Hoover  and  Nixon:  • Hoover  helped  Nixon  immensely  by  supporting  on  the  Alger  Hiss  case  • Hoover  gave  Nixon  his  first  big  political  boost  and  they  were  good  friends  

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• Nixon  was  a  victim  forced  forever  to  defend  himself  against  unrelenting  unscrupulous  enemies  

• Nixon  saw  Hoover  as  a  man  who  could  help  him  fight  those  many  enemies  just  the  way  he  had  done  for  LBJ  and  other  presidents  before  him  

• Nixon’s  staff  saw  Hoover  as  a  tired  old  relic  who  lived  in  the  past  • Hoover  continued  his  COINTELPRO  against  the  Black  Panthers  and  the  new  left  • Like  Johnson,  Nixon  had  to  deal  with  leaks  and  demonstrations  • Nixon  counted  on  Hoover  to  control  these  leaks  and  demonstrations  that  were  undermining  

his  presidency  • Nixon  arranged  for  Henry  Kissinger  to  provide  Hoover  the  name  of  those  individuals  

suspected  of  leaking  critical  information  • Hoover  refused  as  these  wiretaps  were  reckless  and  very  dangerous  if  the  American  public  

got  wind  of  them  • 1970  relations  between  White  House  and  Hoover  were  very  strained  • While  Hoover  was  in  sympathy  with  Nixon  on  controlling  student  activists  and  black  

nationalists,  he  was  not  about  to  jeopardize  his  own  position  by  involving  the  Bureau  in  widespread  intelligence  gathering  programs,  except  for  ones  that  he  closely  supervised  such  as  COINTELPROs  

• Nixon  was  not  pleased  and  called  the  heads  of  intelligence  agencies  to  the  White  House  to  tell  them  they  are  inefficient  in  providing  anti-­‐war  movement  activity  

• FBI  was  under  siege  after  public  found  out  about  COINTELPRO  after  burglary  • Documents  were  now  being  released  on  its  large  expenditures  on  bullet  proof  limousines,  

poor  record  on  minority  hiring,  capricious  firing  of  an  agent  whose  wife  had  died  and  sagging  morals  

• Hoover  was  no  longer  untouchable  but  a  target  • April  Hoover  and  the  FBI  had  to  fend  off  full  scale  investigations  of  practices  • Pentagon  Papers  were  leaked  and  Hoover  found  out  Daniel  Ellsberg  had  leaked  the  

information  • Hoover  gave  it  low  priority  however  when  Nixon  found  out  he  was  furious  and  saw  Ellsberg  

as  apart  of  a  conspiracy  whilst  Hoover  refused  to  interrogate  him  • 1971  was  not  a  good  time  for  Hoover,  William  Sullivan  his  protégé  had  betrayed  the  

director  • Nixon  decided  to  get  rid  of  Hoover  but  lost  his  nerve  when  Hoover  refused  to  take  Nixon’s  

gentle  prodding  to  resign  • Beard  sent  a  memo  to  ITT  officials  to  settle  antitrust  actions  in  exchange  for  $400,000  

Republican  campaign  contribution  • John  Dean  of  Watergate  sent  to  Hoover  to  take  part  and  Hoover  agreed  however  the  only  

problem  was  that  the  letter  was  not  a  forgery  and  Hoover  refused  to  change  the  lab  reports  despite  overwhelming  pressure  

• Hoover  never  made  it  to  his  fifty-­‐five  year  anniversary,  he  died  at  the  age  of  77  on  May  2nd  1972  

• Painter  said,  “Hoover  was  more  powerful  than  the  presidents  he  served”    

Significance  and  Evaluation:    Evaluation:  • Despite  his  overpowering  “stridently  conservative”  views,  Hoover  ultimately  

“standardised,  professionalised  and  modernised”  the  FBI  • Theoharis  posits  that  the  agency,  though  privy  to  crucial  decryptions  of  Soviet  messages  

provided  by  US  military  intelligence,  broadly  failed  to  use  the  information  to  ferret  out  and  prosecute  Soviet  agents  and  their  American  contacts  

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o He  argues  further  that  as  of  the  late  1940’s,  Hoover  politicized  the  FBI  as  he  increasingly  deflected  FBI  resources  into  monitoring  American  individuals  and  organizations  whose  beliefs  and  activities  he  deemed  subversive  

• Theoharis  offers  a  chilling  portrait  of  a  national  law  enforcement  agency  turned  to  largely  political  purposes  and  away  from  the  real  needs  of  national  security  during  a  dangerous  period  of  the  Cold  War  

• Theoharis  and  Cox  also  maintained  that  Hoover  had  ulterior  motives  in  pursuing  improvements  and  changes,  as  seen  through  the  FBI’s  proficient  handling  of  the  mid-­western  crime  war  of  the  mid-­1930s  and  the  capture  of  violent  criminals  such  as  John  Dillinger  

• FBI  shot  itself  in  the  foot  by  depending  on  information  obtained  illegally,  such  as  through  break  ins  and  wire  taps,  the  inadmissibility  of  such  evidence  precluded  prosecution  in  numerous  instances  

• Horrowitz  and  Carroll,  “most  successful  bureaucrat  in  American  history”  • Anthony  Murtagh  (former  FBI  agent)  Hoover  structured  an,  “organisation  designed  to  

perpetuate  a  sort  of  dictatorial  control  of  both  the  FBI  and…the  minds  of  Americans”  • Richard  Hack  found  no  evidence  of  J.Edgar  Hoover’s  bisexuality  • Hoovers  sex  drive  was  virtually  non-­‐existent  • He  and  Tolson  took  annual  inspection  trips  to  Miami  area  and  Southern  California    • Hoover’s  fame:  

o Virulent  and  unceasing  anti-­‐communism  o Destruction  of  independent  criminals  in  the  Depression  period  o Ability  to  create  and  expand  the  FBI’s  influence  within  the  government  intelligence  

community  by  any  means  necessary  o Acquisition  of  salacious  material  about  anyone  he  thought  was  subversive  and  useful  to  

black  mail  • Painter  says  “while  biographers  of  the  late  1950’s  lionized  Hoover,  those  of  the  1990’s  

emphasized  scandalous  aspects  of  his  life”  • Despite  this,  during  Hoover’s  lifetime  the  FBI’s  known  successes  combined  with  the  

Bureau’s  highly  successful  public  relations  campaign  made  Hoover  one  of  the  most  admired  Americans  

• By  1935  Attorney  Generals  were  unwilling  to  challenge  him  • Hoover  often  dealt  directly  with  presidents  and  vice  versa  • Attributes  his  longevity  to  the  requested  intelligence  assistance  he  provided  each  

administration  and  the  support  he  commanded  from  the  public,  the  media  and  Congress  • He  left  the  legacy  of  a  professional  American  law  enforcement  community  and  a  FBI  

internationally  respected  for  its  competence  and  efficiency  • His  body  was  the  first  other  then  a  president  to  lie  in  the  ‘State  rotunda’  • Greatest  achievement  were  the  creation  of  the  most  effective  federal  law  enforcement  

agency  in  the  world  and  the  infusion  of  professional  and  scientific  methods  into  American  police  work  at  all  levels  

• Hoover  must  be  recognised  as  a  major  portal  through  which  the  American  public  regained  their  positive  impression  of  law  enforcment  following  the  corruption  enquiries  of  the  1920s  and  30s  

• Deloach  “prestige  drove  the  FBI  into  becoming  the  world’s  foremost  law  enforcement  agency.  New  innovations  introduced  under  his  watch  –  the  centralization  of  finger  prints  for  used  by  all  authorized  police  organizations;  the  famed  FBI  laboratory  also  used  by  such  organizations;  the  solution  of  crimes  through  scientific  analysis;  the  intense  and  constant  training  of  agents  and  police  in  new  methods;  the  National  Crime  Information  Center  –  not  only  brought  higher  standards  to  his  profession,  but  forever  branded  him  as  the  father  of  modern  day  law  enforcement”  

• Kessler  complains  “There  is  nothing  about  Hoover  bugging,  harassing  and  trying  to  discredit  Martin  Luther  King,  acts  then  Attorney  General  Katzneback  called  shocking  and  grossly  improper  when  he  found  out  about  them.  There  is  nothing  about  illegal,  surreptitious  entries  

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or  about  bureau  spying  on  political  activities  at  the  1964  Democratic  National  Convention  for  the  Johnson  White  House.  There  is  no  mention  how  Hoover  had  FBI  agents  paint  his  house  each  year;  build  a  front  portico,  a  redwood  fence,  a  rear  deck,  and  a  flagstone  walk  at  his  home,  or  install  artificial  turf  and  plant  outside  his  home.  Nor  is  there  reference  to  Hoover’s  pocketing  a  portion  of  the  royalties  from  Master’s  of  Deceit  after  Bureau  employees  wrote  the  book  on  government  time.”  

• “Hoover  remained  throughout  his  professional  life  a  creature  of  the  1920’s”-­Painter  • He  ended  his  life  embittered  and  isolated,  the  FBI  a  monument  of  his  past  • Power  said  Hoover’s  greatest  achievements:,  “reorganising  he  Bureau  along  

progressive  and  scientific  lines  in  the  1920s,  spearheading  a  dramatic  and  convincing  display  of  govt  power  during  the  gangster  days  of  the  early  New  Deal,  demonstrating  to  the  public  during  WW2  that  it  was  adequately  protected  against  Nazi  espionage  and  sabotage,  reassuring  a  tense  and  nervous  nation  that  it  was  safe  from  communist  subversion  during  the  great  surges  of  international  communist  expansion  that  followed  the  two  world  wars”  

• Joseph  Rosenberg  said,  “his  decision  to  ignore  organised  crime  activity  was  the  main  reason  the  Mob  was  able  to  flourish  during  and  after  prohibition”  

• Joseph  Rosenberg,  “Hoover  was  more  concerned  about  bureaucratic  intransigence  than  civil  liberites”    

Man  and  Myth:  • Known  for  his  organisational  genius,  for  professionalising  and  standardising  the  FBI,  re-­‐

establishing  confidence  in  the  US  govt  and  building  an  organisation  that  has  lasted  • On  his  death  it  was  said  the  US  has  lost  a  “giant  amongst  the  patriots”  (Gentry)  • Or  his  criticisms:  

o He  defied  the  original  charter  of  the  FBI  o He  had  a  negative  attitude  to  black  militants  o He  used  the  FBI  for  personal  financial  gain  and  personal  glorification  o He  was  always  more  threatened  by  the  left  than  the  right  o McCarthyism  was  largely  fed  and  sustained  by  Hoover  o He  knew  Ethel  Rosenberg  was  innocent  and  allowed  her  to  be  executed  o He  used  illegal  means  in  his  activities  and  was  never  held  responsible  for  this            

J  Edgar  Hoover  Quotes  and  Sources:    • His school described him as a “gentleman of dauntless courage and stainless honour” -

Kessler he was valedictorian on graduation in 1913

• “Overnight, the bureau had been transformed from an agency that merely investigated violations of criminal law to one that investigated spying and was responsible for the internal security of the country” – Kessler

• He had an exceptional capacity for detail work…His superiors were duly impressed” –Kessler

• Hoover played upon the Attorney-General’s fears and exploited the issue of radicalism to enhance his agency’s power and prestige”- Miller

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• President Wilson had told Palmer during an executive cabinet meeting, “Do not let this country see red!”

• Claire Potter says Hoover “had no political entanglements”

• “He made sure that those in power knew that he was aware of possible indiscretions”-Kessler

• Gentry- “he saw in the change an opportunity to more upwards”

• Gentry- “Hoover made himself indispensible to Daugherty”

• Gentry, he was “highly ambitious”

• Upon his appointment as director in 1924, Hoover’s “main change was standardisation” (Gentry)

• Gentry- Hoover began to “systematically and aggressively” reform both the BI itself, and also its public image

• Theoharis and Cox, JEH saw the BI, “as a reflection of himself and demanded of its agents the same puritanical standards of conduct that he demanded of himself”

• Theoharis and Cox, “the organisation became an image of its director”

• Richard Gid Powers, “in a matter of hours, Purvis was famous in the country”

• Potter, “Hoover saw it as a great personal betrayal” (Purvis)

• Sue Rosenfeld said “he gave the public an image to identify with”

• Became according to Gentry “a symbol of law enforcement”

• Gentry, “Hoover became obsessed with anti-radicalism”

• Anthony Summers, “J Edgar Hoover did nothing about the mafia” • Theoharis and Cox believed that Hoover tended to exaggerate the dangers of subversives

, and thus overstepped his bounds in his pursuit to eliminate this perceived threat

• Hack said that Hoover was in “his element” throughout the tense and unpredictable years of McCarthyism in the 1950s

• Arrests in 1950’s were necessary to protect the country against “treason, espionage and other forms of sabotage” –Hoover

• Church Committee on COINTELPRO, “many of the techniques used would be intolerable in a democratic society even if all the targets had been involved in violent activity”

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• James William Fulbright on McCarthyism, “he has started a prairie fire which neither he or anyone else may be able to control”

• Robert J Morris on McCarthy and Hoover, “they were fighting the same enemy”

• In 1964, Hoover branded ML King “the most notorious liar in the country”

• Horrowitz and Carroll said, “the King incident illustrates the enormous power Hoover derived from domestic surveillance”

• Painter said, “Hoover was more powerful than the presidents he served”

• Theoharis and Cox argue that as of the late 1940’s, Hoover politicized the FBI as he increasingly deflected FBI resources into monitoring American individuals and organizations whose beliefs and activities he deemed subversive

• Horrowitz and Carroll, “most successful bureaucrat in American history”

• Anthony Murtagh said, Hoover structured an, “organisation designed to perpetuate a sort of dictatorial control of both the FBI and…the minds of Americans”

• Deloach “prestige drove the FBI into becoming the world’s foremost law enforcement agency

• Deloach branded him as “the father of modern day law enforcement”

• Painter- “Hoover remained throughout his professional life a creature of the 1920’s”

• Joseph Rosenberg said, “his decision to ignore organised crime activity was the main reason the Mob was able to flourish during and after prohibition”

• Joseph Rosenberg, “Hoover was more concerned about bureaucratic intransigence than civil liberties”

• Gentry-“giant amongst the patriots”

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Outline the life of the personality you have studied (10 marks):  J. Edgar Hoover’s life was one of immense power and authority. J Edgar Hoover’s early years demonstrated his conservative and diligent nature. He was born in Washington DC to a conservative, middle class family. Throughout his life, he was strongly influenced by a domineering mother. Hoover’s meticulous attention to detail, which became invaluable during his time as chief of the FBI, became evident during his schooling career, where he was obsessive with everything he did. His participation in the debating team at school provided him with important speaking skills for the future. as did his leadership of the school cadet corps. After finishing school, he studied law at Washington University at night, whilst working at the Library of Congress, Thus his early life prepared him for the life of a bureaucrat. Hoover’s ability to work hard was recognised when he was recruited to the Justice Department in 1917 as a clerk on the legal staff. There he developed a unique filing system, with Kessler acknowledging, “He had an exceptional capacity for detail work…his superiors were duly impressed.” This was a factor in his promotion to special assistant to Attorney General Mitchell Palmer in 1919. It was in this period, where Hoover began to monitor the activities of radicals and communists in the US. Palmer placed a large emphasis on halting the growing momentum of ‘subversives and agitators’ and Hoover was instrumental in helping to lead this movement. After the Palmer Raids, Hoover continued to record information about individual radicals, . Hoover remained in this position under Harding’s government in 1920, and in 1921 was promoted to assistant chief of the Bureau of Investigation. He avoided the corruption that plagued the Harding administration, and subsequently retained his position under Coolidge. Later he was promoted to acting director of the Bureau of Investigation, and was made permanent director at the end of 1924. As director, Hoover began to “systematically and aggressively” (Gentry) reform the BI and its public image by modernising it, raising standards and using scientific methods to pursue crime, therefore, demonstrating how his life was devoted to the BI. Hoover’s desire for media attention throughout his life is evidenced in the Gangster Era. In the 1930’s, he earned himself and the bureau a sound reputation through his assault on bank robbers. This included the arrests of high-profile robbers Dillinger and Karpis, as well as Hoover’s personal arrest of Bruno Hauptman. The G-men movies were initiated depicting Hoover as a public hero, with Sue Rosenfeld acknowledging, “he gave the public an image to identify with” thus bringing himself to public notice Hoover’s early anti-radicalist tendencies were further exposed in the Roosevelt years. Roosevelt gave Hoover license to investigate American Nazis and Nazi sympathisers, as well as monitor FDR’s right-wing critics. However, Hoover abused these requests by expediently monitoring the left as well to collect information for his files. World War 2 saw the increasing surveillance of ‘subversive’ interests, with Hoover establishing the ‘House of Un-American Activities’ (HUAC). The Roosevelt years also saw an increase in Hoover’s authority with an expansion within the FBI, as the number of agents increased from 900 in 1940 to 5000 by 1945. However Antony Summers also claims this era was defined by the mafia, which “J. Edgar Hoover did nothing about”. It has been widely suggested that throughout his life, Hoover

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neglected fighting the mafia. He spent most of his life pursuing small time criminals, fighting those whom he viewed as being subversive and promoting his own public image and authority. Throughout his life, Hoover attempted to ingratiate himself with American presidents.. Truman made it clear in his presidency, that he didn’t want personal contact with Hoover, as he had no intention of letting Hoover extend his power. Hoover’s relationship with the White House improved dramatically when Eisenhower replaced Truman. This period was also characterised by ‘McCarthyism’, with Hack acknowledging that Hoover was “in his element” in this period. McCarthy was originally fed information by Hoover, however, Hoover disassociated himself from McCarthy after he leaked information against him, while Hoover was highly intolerant of anyone he viewed as acting against his own interests. Hoover who had spent much of his working life disrupting dissident political organisations within the US, formed Cointelpro at this time in order to further these aims. Hoover’s close relationship with Eisenhower differed from his relationship with the Kennedy’s in the early 1960’s. Hoover saw their youthful culture as being polemical to his conservative outlook. Hoover came into conflict with the Kennedy’s over organised crime and the civil rights movement. However his loyalty to LBJ led him to later take action against the Ku Klux Klan. This period of Hoover’s life was also characterised by his conflict with Martin Luther King. Hoover was opposed to racial equality and the Civil Rights Movement and called King “the most notorious liar in the country,”. Hoover commenced an illegal wiretapping operation against MLK, thus reflecting his lifelong conservatism and racist attitudes. Horrowitz and Carroll acknowledged, “the King incident illustrates the enormous power Hoover derived from domestic surveillance.” Hence, Hoover’s life in the period of the 1960’s was defined by his conservatism. Hoover’s last years were served under the presidency of Nixon. Hoover refused to take Nixon’s gentle prodding to resign, and it’s widely acknowledged that Hoover was losing touch with the world and was not as effective as in his earlier life. He died at the age of 77 on May 2nd 1972, having never married and leaving no offspring. He had lived a life of immense power. Painter sums up Hoovers life, claiming, “Hoover was more powerful than the presidents he served”.

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Assess the contribution of the personality you have studied to their period of national and/or international history (15 marks) Hoover’s contribution to his period of national history was immense, however it was also clouded by controversy, thus compromising some of his achievements. His positive contributions include the formation of a strong Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), his fight against gangsters, his espousal of patriotism and his WW2 surveillance which provided internal security for America. However Hoover’s negative contributions to his period of history can be seen in his role in McCarthyism, his upholding of conservative values and his inability to appreciate the changing needs and values of the time as well as his handling of the Mafia. Hoover’s main contribution to his period of history was his creation of the FBI. Unquestionably, Hoover was single-handedly responsible for facilitating the “FBI into becoming the world’s foremost law enforcement agency” according to Deloach, forever branding Hoover “as the father of modern day law enforcement” (Deloach). Hoover’s unprecedented and methodical changes to the bureau, by applying scientific theory to crime investigation, such as including the use of fingerprint files, defined law enforcement sequentially thereafter. His promotion of himself and the FBI was achieved through his close association with the media, giving the public “an image to identify with” (Sue Rosenfeld), thus illustrating how Hoover’s actions in promoting public opinion were integral to promoting the law enforcement agency. and making it the formidable institution it became. Hoover also standardised work practices and cut staff to improve efficiency. Hoover’s “exceptional ability for detailed work” (Gentry) meant he created a highly effective law enforcement agency, which was in contrast to the corruption that plagued the early 1920’s under the Harding administration. His organisational genius, and the professionalisation and standardisation of the FBI, is evident in that the bureau is still functioning today, even 40 years after his death. Hence, Hoover’s contribution to his period of national history was immense Hoover also positively contributed to his period of national history through his fight against crime. Hoover suppressed the gangsters, demonstrated through his arrest of Hauptman and the FBI’s murders of Floyd and Dillinger, thus earning himself and the FBI a solid reputation, with Powers acknowledging his ability in “spearheading a dramatic and convincing display of government power during the gangster days.” This cemented his position as “the most successful bureaucrat in American history” (Horrowitz and Carroll). The ‘G-men’ movies were instigated in the 1930’s to propagandise the FBI, with the Pittsburgh Post Gazette exclaiming, “Hoover went straight to the masses.” Courtney Ryley Cooper mythologised the BI and Hoover’s contributions in the era. Therefore, Hoover’s tactics in gaining the support of the public emphasised his positive contribution in this time period, whilst his fight against the gangsters demonstrated his affirmative impact on society. Hoover’s role in WW2 took on extra importance and he contributed to the formation of a General Intelligence Division, the SIS and the arrest of many neo Nazis and radicals. The period of WW2 reinforced Hoover’s reputation as America’s watchdog. The size of the FBI increased immensely from 900 agents in 1940 to 5000 in 1945. Hoover was wholly responsible in maintaining America’s internal security in World War Two. Hoover increasingly monitored Nazis and it’s been suggested that this positively contributed to America’s protection. Gregg Webb tells us the FBI’s

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positive contribution was “in response to a wave of espionage”, and is a testament to Hoover in that he was able to keep America safe in this period. Therefore, Hoover’s role in WW2 emphasised his positive contribution to national history. Furthermore, Hoover’s anti-radicalist stance helped to shape his period of national history by shaping perspectives, and can be seen to have been a negative contribution as this dovetailed into manipulation and underhand activities. Gentry stated, “Hoover became obsessed with anti-radicalism” and became committed to the surveillance of subversive activities. Hoover’s attitudes towards communism, radicalists and trade unions in his lifetime shaped public perspectives. Hoover ‘s assault on communism in America can also be interpreted as helping to foster ‘McCarthyism’, which instilled in ordinary Americans a fear of communism. This can be seen to have been a negative contribution as it spread unnecessary fear. Theoharis and Cox believed Hoover’s relationship with McCarthy was expedient on Hoover’s behalf and had ulterior motives. They believed he was fighting communism to benefit himself, as he was adding information to his files, hence illustrating his negative contributions through his expedient motives and his aid to the progression of McCarthyism. Hoover’s illegal surveillance and private files came to the fore after his death, which underlined his negative and illegal contributions to his period of national history. Hoover’s methods of wiretappings and ‘bugging’ may be viewed as setting a precedent for future directors and presidents to participate in similar activities. Some may read this behaviour as rationalising and setting a precedent for the ‘Watergate scandal’, because of Hoover’s reliance on underhand activites, thus showing how Hoover’s methods have made a negative contribution to national affairs. While Hoover’s contribution to his period of national history was undoubtedly immense, his neglect of organised crime, most notably the Mafia, undermines his positive contribution to this period of national history. Hoover formed a law enforcement agency designed to enforce the law, but ironically Hoover ignored the mafia until the Kennedy administration. It has been speculated that Hoover and the Mafia had a mutual relationship in relation to betting, thus clouding the view that he made a positive contribution to America. It’s also seen that Hoover overlooked the mafia to maintain his reputation as America’s ‘watchdog’, as it was very possible the mafia was unenforceable. Anthony Summers corroborates this stating, “J Edgar Hoover did nothing about the mafia.” As such, Hoover focused on easier targets to ensure his image with the public would remain unharmed. Furthermore, historian Joseph Rosenberg implies that Hoover’s contribution to his time period was negative stating, “his decision to ignore organised crime activity was the main reason the Mob was able to flourish.” Therefore it is evident that Hoover’s decision to delay fighting organised crime until the Kennedy administration, undermined his other successful contributions to this period of history. To conclude, Hoover undoubtedly contributed to this period of history in many ways. His ability to enact a “standardised, professionalised and modernised” (Gentry) law enforcement agency underpinned the FBI successes in this period of time in dealing with gangsters and setting up an agency that would transcend even himself. This led to the assessment of Hoover after his death as a “giant amongst patriots” (Gentry). Other positive contributions include his fight against the gangster era and his success in WW2. However his contributions are undermined when observing the prosperity of the mafia during this period, and the fear he instilled in ordinary Americans pertaining

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to communism. His underhandedness that was revealed after his death shattered his public image as being loyal, patriotic and hardworking.  Outline the main features in the background and rise to prominence of the personality you have studied  J. Edgar Hoover’s background and rise to prominence foregrounded the power he was to later accumulate. J Edgar Hoover’s background demonstrated his conservative and diligent nature. He was born in Washington DC to a conservative, middle class family. Throughout his life, he was strongly influenced by a domineering mother. Hoover’s father had a nervous breakdown in Hoover’s early high school years, from which he never properly recovered. Hoover’s meticulous attention to detail, which became invaluable during his time as chief of the FBI, became evident during his schooling career, where he was obsessive with everything he did. His participation in the debating team at school provided him with important speaking skills for the future, as did his leadership of the school cadet corps. Kessler tells us that his school described him as a “gentleman of dauntless courage and stainless honour”, and he displayed honour in his early life during the Harding administration as he was exempt from the corruption that plagued his presidency. He was recognised as a valedictorian on graduation in 1913. After finishing school, he studied law at Washington University at night, whilst working at the Library of Congress. Thus, his background was important in his rise to prominence. A major feature in Hoover’s rise to prominence was his ability to work hard. This was recognised when he was recruited to the Justice Department in 1917 as a clerk on the legal staff. There he developed a unique filing system, with Kessler acknowledging, “He had an exceptional capacity for detail work…his superiors were duly impressed.” This was a factor in his promotion to special assistant to Attorney General Mitchell Palmer in 1919. It was in this period, where Hoover began to monitor the activities of radicals and communists in the US. Palmer placed a large emphasis on halting the growing momentum of ‘subversives and agitators’ due to the Palmer Raids in this period, whereby his house was bombed by radicals. Hoover was instrumental in helping to lead this movement, especially as he came from a conservative background. Palmer gave Hoover ‘carte blanche’ to bring the bombers to justice and end the radical threat to the US. This was important in Hoover’s rise to prominence as it extended his early powers, while the Palmer Raids where the first time JEH was brought to public notice. After the Palmer Raids, Hoover continued to record information about individual radicals. Hoover remained in his position of special assistant to the attorney-general under Harding’s government in 1920, and in 1921 was promoted to assistant chief of the Bureau of Investigation. This was important in his rise to prominence, as he familiarised himself with the BI, through running the day to day business. He avoided the corruption that plagued the Harding administration, and subsequently retained his position under Coolidge. Claire Potter tells us that a significant factor in Hoover’s rise to prominence was the fact that Hoover “had no political entanglements.” This was important as Hoover was loyal to his attorney-general, regardless of the generals political party in government. Later he was promoted to acting director of the Bureau

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of Investigation, and was made permanent director at the end of 1924. Thus at a very young age, Hoover was given immense authority and responsibility for the internal security of America. As director, Hoover began to “systematically and aggressively” (Gentry) reform the BI and its public image by modernising it, raising standards and using scientific methods to pursue crime. Therefore, the transformation of the BI was a key feature in his rise to prominence. Hoover’s rise to prominence was largely facilitated by his handling of the Gangster Era. In the 1930’s, he earned himself and the bureau a sound reputation through his assault on bank robbers. This included the arrests of high-profile robbers Dillinger and Karpis, as well as Hoover’s personal arrest of Bruno Hauptman. The G-men movies were initiated by Hoover so as to depict him as a public hero, with Sue Rosenfeld acknowledging, “he gave the public an image to identify with” thus bringing himself to public notice. Therefore, his role in the Gangster Era was a key feature in Hoover’s rise to public prominence. Furthermore, a key characteristic of Hoover’s rise to prominence was the role he played in WW2. Roosevelt gave Hoover license to investigate American Nazis and Nazi sympathisers. The size of the FBI increased immensely from 900 agents in 1940 to 5000 in 1945. Hoover was wholly responsible in maintaining America’s internal security during World War Two. Hoover increasingly monitored Nazis and it has been suggested that this positively contributed to America’s security. Gregg Webb claims that the FBI’s affirmative contribution was “in response to a wave of espionage”, and is a testament to Hoover in that he was able to keep America safe in this period. Therefore, Hoover’s role in WW2 gained him recognition as an efficient and patriotic leader and was a key feature in his rise to prominence. Overall, the main features in Hoover’s background and rise to prominence were his conservative values and support for his country, his positive handling of the Gangster Era and his role in WW2 and his transformation of the BI into a powerful organisation.