G-Man summary

In 1924, after yet another regime change, a new attorney general was appointed. Having a career already somewhat tainted by scandal from the Palmer Raids, the 29-year-old Hoover fully expected to be fired by Harlan Fiske Stone.

Instead, in May of that year, Stone called him into his office and made him acting director of the bureau of investigation. But there were conditions. Hoover wanted to shape the bureau into something more respectable, more gentlemanly, and more independent.

And he had Hollywood to thank for it. For the previous few years, Hollywood gangster movies had ruled the silver screen. But somehow, a law had been passed that forbade directors from representing law enforcement as anything but a success. The narrative of the gritty outlaw loner didn’t particularly change, and neither did the violence, they just turned James Cagney into an agent rather than a criminal.

Hoover wasn’t a fan of the movies, but he was a fan of the attention that they brought him. Suddenly, he found himself gaining celebrity. Even becoming a household name. He opened up the FBI office for tours and did his best to make an appearance, especially if high-profile visitors came in.

Hoover and the FBI amassed most of their identity and power over the course of the Roosevelt administration. In the years leading up to Pearl Harbor, America seemed to revert back to its pre–Word War I fear and paranoia, primarily targeted against fascism and communism. Roosevelt responded by empowering the FBI and Hoover to lead the way in intelligence gathering.

Throughout the pre-war years, Hoover teamed up with the British to lay the groundwork for central intelligence. As a result, he gained access to eyes and ears all over the world. This was a little more than what Hoover considered to be the scope of the FBI and he was as uncomfortable about it as he’d been about entering into the world of law enforcement. In the end, though, he also embraced it. For a short while, at any rate.

During World War II, Hoover and his FBI became more involved in central intelligence. Even though he didn’t want to expand beyond domestic law enforcement, Hoover still felt frustrated when he was pulled back and international investigations were handed over to the newly formed Central Intelligence Agency.

He was further frustrated by the Truman administration which wasn’t nearly as friendly to the FBI as Roosevelt had been.

Entering the 1960s, Hoover and his FBI quickly found themselves out of touch with the mindset of the new generation. Everything from their belief system to their style of dress came off as antiquated and out of touch.

When John F. Kennedy appointed his brother Robert as attorney general, he quickly clashed with Hoover over their ideals and ways of thinking.

Edgar Hoover was undeniably one of the most influential leaders in shaping America as we know it today. In hindsight, we can see that much of what he hated in others was a result of what he hated in himself. From physical weakness to his own homosexuality and cruelty, Hoover condemned them all even while embodying them himself. As a child, he was small. His father suffered from depression. Yet he held up and promoted the masculine ideals of athleticism and strength. As he grew, he sought power even as he tried to ingratiate himself with those in power. He fought injustice even as he committed injustices. These contradictions between his personality and his public persona shaped how he addressed crime, politics, and government. He lived through and was involved in events like the Palmer Raids, Japanese internment, McCarthyism, and the Kennedy and King assassinations. For better or worse,  Hoover’s status as a legend is set in stone.