J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets

I found Curt Gentry’s biography on J. Edgar Hoover to be interesting and enlightening. A solid 4 star book.

As with many men who aspire to or achieve greatness and Hoover was both, Hoover was a complex enigma of a man. A converted Presbyterian who considered 2 career path of either a Presbyterian Clergy or Law Enforcement he was a man of early and mid 20th century beliefs and biases.

To say Hoover brought a sense of purpose and professionalism to the FBI is without doubt. That his length of tenure was dramatically too long and that he betrayed many of the aspects of professionalism is also beyond doubt.

Hoover allowed his prejudices against minorities to color his priorities, specifically in his persecution of Martin Luther King Jr. His show more overriding belief in the evils of international communism led to many of his early successes but ultimately led him to pursue this overwhelmingly over other cases , even when the facts warranted other allocation of resources and colored his view if the anti war movement. His refusal to accept the existence of organized crime and the Mafia was unconscionable.

His insecurity allowed him to build few close relationships and led to him trying to find information to blackmail or or influence others to support him. His acceptance of internal corruption and willingness to engage in it himself was unpardonable for the head of the FBI.

A great man who was greatly flawed.

A wonderful book to gain insight into J. Edgar Hoover as a person and leader. show less

A compelling and thorough account of America's Policeman.

It's very frightening to see how long one man can endure at such a high reach of power for so long, and be thought as indispensable and terrifying at once. His utterly calculating and harshly efficient personality led him through crises from disgruntled WWI veterans' riots through to the Watergate coverup - it was arguably his death that led to a collapse in Nixon's defenses, and his later resignation.

With all of these scary details, the biography makes for an interesting read.

J.Edgar Hoover has come to symbolize in the minds of many, an evil right wing fanatic and political genius. This book, in very readable terms describes his life as FBI director and explains his longevity. It explains the role of Hooves famous "files" as well as their role in his remarkable success in Washington politics. It describes events from Hoover's entry into the department which was to become the FBI, his struggles with political adversaries, the rise to prominence in the era of Dillinger and Ma Barker, his emergence as a Cold War warrior and anti-communist as well as the excesses he committed in his pursuit of his goals. This is a great book if you want to understand the era of post WWII politics in American history.

I really looked forward to reading this book but I have been very disappointed. How can a book about J. Edgar Hoover be boring? I don't know, but this one was to me. I've read 3/4 of the way through, so I can honestly say that I gave it a good try.

J. Edgar Hoover was a sad person. His ambition, ego and political maneuvering was very sad. His whole life was about his job as Director of the FBI. He was very close to his mother while she was alive but after her death, he had no one that he was close to except Clyde Tolson as his Associate Director of the FBI. Clyde Tolson was a little too close of a friend if you know what I mean. They were inseparable. But Hoover's life comes off as so one dimensional and sad. And it is scary to know what show more the FBI (Hoover) did and, I'm sure, continues to do as the Big Brother of our nation. The spying, tailing, wire tapping, mail opening, bugging, blackmailing, etc. goes on even more now than then. And it wasn't (and isn't) always for the protection of America or it's citizens. It's mostly for the protection of the elite, the politicians, and for the best of their little empires. Politics are just so sleazy and corrupt. Yuck! I prefer the simple life. show less

interesting- as many awful things as Hoover did, I felt like the author took every chance he could to speculate on the fact that he was probably more awful, even though proof was not yet available.That felt inappropriate.
The things that evidence exists for filled hundreds of pages with some prettyupdetting reading. an education

This book is not only a great biography of J. Edgar Hoover, it is also a comprehensive history of the FBI and the early 20th century in America.

The Epic biography of the longest serving FBI chief. There are some files important than those about nuclear deals and some people eminent than US Presidents.
An Eye opener about the man and his secrets.