J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI
By Bruce Shawkey One of more controversial figures of the 20th Century was J. Edgar Hoover, (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972). Some say he was more powerful then the U.S. presidents he supposedly served under because of all the secret files he maintained on everyone, and threat of being labeled a communist, which reached its heyday in the 1950s. In 1958, Hoover wrote a book, Masters of Deceit The Story of Communism in America and How to Fight It, which was basically a 400-page rant to scare readers there was a communist lurking in every shadow. The book begins: "Every citizen has a duty to learn more about the menace that threatens his future, his home, his children, the peace of the world-and that is why I have written this book. If you will take the time to inform yourself, you will find that communism holds no mysteries. Its leaders have blueprinted t heir objectives. The time is far too late not to recognize this "ism" for what it is: a...
