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J. Edgar Hoover - USA's most powerful man 1942 -1972 ?

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  • 28-02-2008 6:10pm
    #1
    McArmalite
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,476 ✭✭✭


    Was Hoover America's most powerful man during the above time period - and not the elected Presidents ? I mean, Hoover was very much behind " the reds under the beds " type scares during this period. He used the FBI to carry out burglaries, arrest and illegal wiretapping on anything or person whom he considereed in his warped mind to be 'un American'. Many tens of thousands of innocent people were labeled as communists or subversives, Civil Liberties groups, Orson Welles, Martin Luther King, etc. Even members of the liberal National Lawyers Guild were among the small number of solicitors who were willing to defend people accused of subversion, and for this the NLG became a particular target of Hoover's. The offices of the NLG were burglarized by the FBI many times between 1947 and 1951, with the FBI useing its illegally obtained information to alert the prosecuting teams about the planned legal strategies of NLG defense lawyers.

    It has also been said that Hoover was the real guiding hand which brought about the political witch hunting called McCarthyism - Hooverism was more like it - the use of the Big Lie. with Senator McCarthy been little more than his puppet. As for his and the FBI's so called brillant assault on organised crime, the local state police deptartments had nothing but contempt for Hoover and his FBI, alleging that when they had done most of the spadework, the FBI stepped in taking control and Hoover and co. claiming the honours.

    ( BTW, sorry to say but could we stick to the subject of the thread, Hoover's influence on America 1942 -1972, and avoid the conspiracie theories of " Did he organise Kennedy's assinantion "...." was he a homosexual cross dresser " etc. These are worhwhile subjects if anyone wants to start a thread on them, but can we avoid going off on a tangent on them).


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    #2
    donaghs
    Registered Users Posts: 2,737 ✭✭✭donaghs


    Interesting all right. Can anyone think of anyone in American public life who kept a top job for so long? From about 1924 onwards...


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    #3
    McArmalite
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,476 ✭✭✭McArmalite


    The fella in effect was almost a dictator with unlimited power to insinuate and destroy anyone. He also Machiovellian style got rid of anyone whom he thought might be a threat to his career. Several capable people had their career destroyed because of him. Because of Hoover's long and controversial reign, FBI directors are now limited to 10-year terms.


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    #4
    Fabio
    Registered Users Posts: 2,253 ✭✭✭Fabio


    I know you said don't bring up the Kennedy assasination but in the context it really has to come up because if he was a part of it then yes he was most definatley more powerful than any president and had Johnson in his back pocket.


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    #5
    McArmalite
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,476 ✭✭✭McArmalite


    Fabio wrote: »
    I know you said don't bring up the Kennedy assasination but in the context it really has to come up because if he was a part of it then yes he was most definatley more powerful than any president and had Johnson in his back pocket.
    Well to be truthful, the whole Kenneddy assination conspiracy theories bores me to death, Castro is blamed, Hoover, the CIA, the Mafia, KKK, KGB etc.


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