J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets (Paperback)

by Curt Gentry (Author) "James Crawford had no reason to feel apprehensive..." (more)
Key Phrases: most secret files, brick agent, domestic intelligence division, Edgar Hoover, New York, White House (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In a richly textured biography of the former FBI director who died in 1972, Gentry, coauthor of Helter Skelter , takes a decidedly unfriendly look at the man and his career, revealing how Hoover found his niche in life as a "hunter of men," served under 10 presidents over a period of five decades, creating what Eleanor Roosevelt characterized as an American Gestapo. We're shown Hoover scheming to help Thomas Dewey replace Harry Truman in the White House in return for a promise that he would be appointed attorney general; making use of secret information on Senator Joseph McCarthy while at the same time contributing significantly to "McCarthyism"; stalking John F. Kennedy even before he went into politics; covertly helping Richard Nixon become president, then virtually forcing the Nixon administration to embark on the road to Watergate. Hoover believed that America's morality was very much his business and, as Gentry demonstrates, the director equated morality with sexual abstinence. His horrified fascination with homosexuality (mixed with a strong streak of misogyny) are masterfully depicted here, as well as his virulent racism, disclosed in fresh material on Hoover's efforts to destroy Martin Luther King Jr. It is hard to imagine another portrait of Hoover that could surpass this one for detail, depth and sheer vitriol. Gentry makes clearer than previous biographers how J. Edgar Hoover became and, for the greater part of his tenure, remained the most powerful man in Washington. Photos. 75,000 first printing; $100,000 ad/promo; BOMC selection; author tour.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Since his death in 1972, there has been an increasing fascination with Hoover and the immense power he wielded as director of the FBI. Although there have been two recent major biographies--Athan G. Theoharis's The Boss ( LJ 6/1/88) and Richard G. Powers's Secrecy and Power ( LJ 2/1/87)--this massive new study promises to be the most extensive and controversial yet. Gentry, who coauthored Helter Skelter ( LJ 11/15/74), has based his account of Hoover on more than 300 interviews and on access to previously classified FBI documents. Beginning with a behind-the-scenes description of Hoover's death and the search for his "secret files" that is novelistic in technique, Gentry paints a portrait of Hoover as the "indispensable man," with many provocative revelations about his political dealings. This is a chilling look at the darker side of American politics, especially concerning Hoover's enemies list and his relentless investigation of Martin Luther King Jr.'s personal life. The book's lively readability is balanced by lengthy footnotes and by an extensive list of source notes and interviews, and it will be in demand in both academic and public libraries. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/91; see also From the Secret Files of J. Edgar Hoover , reviewed in this issue, p. 125.--Ed.
- Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, Pa.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 848 pages
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. (February 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393321282
• ISBN-13: 978-0393321289
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #30,989 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece of careful documentation, March 12, 2006

By	David Robinson (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In the context of recent concerns about spying on Americans by the Executive Branch of government, it is timely to re-read this classic biography. Gentry skips sensationalism and scandal, but his carefully detailed portrait shows a nasty, bigotted old man who happily chiselled his employer.

So how did Hoover remain in power for half a century? Simply put, he had a file on everyone. And he wasn't afraid of using his minions to imply the threat of blackmail.

There's little evidence of active homosexuality by Hoover, indeed labelling someone a "fag" seems to have been his biggest threat. However, here we have a many who lived with his mother until his mid-40's, whose "Associate Director" was his daily companion whose adult sexuality at best could be called retarded.

Gentry's indictment of Hoover does not avoid his few good qualities -- he was a hard worker and an efficient administrator. The notes and footnotes are extensive, but do not interfere with a page-turning narrative for those who want to go quickly. In sum, it amounts to a crashing indictment of a man whose name does not deserve to be on a government building.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hoover and his FBI, January 19, 2002

By	Rolland W. Amos (Severn, MD United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Curt Gentry's book is about J.Edgar Hoover(JEH), the most powerful, most durable U.S.bureaucrat ever and about the KGB-, Gestapo-like organization (the FBI) that he created. Since JEH held his position for 55 years - he served under 8 presidents and 16 attorneys general- the book offers a multitude of extremely interesting historical moments involving the interplay between JEH, the FBI, and elements and major personalities of our government and society. While Gentry never resolves the issue of JEH's sexual orientation, he does adequately document why JEH can rightfully be described as ambitious, puritanical, vain, loquacious, cold and unemotional, neat, organized and resourceful, articulate, devious and manipulative, prejudiced, effective, smart, vindictive, energetic, feared, and, on some rare occasions, humorous.
The FBI's methods and techniques -legal and illegal- by which the FBI acquired the information and the secrets that filled FBI file cabinets - the secrets that constituted JEH's real power- are fully described: telephone (wire) taps/recordings, 'bugs' (surreptitiously mounted miniature microphones in the homes, offices, vehicles, organizations, etc., of FBI targets), 'black bag jobs'(breaking and entering operations to collect info, membership and mailing lists, etc.), burglaries (forced, illegal entries to steal or to plant incriminating evidence), mail openings (to and from targeted individuals and organizations), infiltrations (using FBI spies who are or become members of targeted organizations), paid and unpaid informants, 'news' leaks (to embarrass or discredit individuals or organizations), anonymous messages (to intimidate or coerce targeted individuals or organizations), and counter-intelligence programs (active measures and strategies implemented to generate family feuds, or internal conflicts between individuals or within organizations).
Also very interesting are those historical moments that Gentry identifies when JEH's responses and actions impacted upon the nation both significantly and negatively - like, for example, his long time policy that organized crime did not exist in the U.S., his secret but indispensable aid to Sen. McCarthy's anti-communist campaign, his failure to provide FDR with available intelligence that could have altered the events at Pearl Harbor, and his on-going advice to LBJ that anti-Vietnam protests were communist-inspired (vs. a true manifestation of genuine American opposition to the war).
In short, if you enjoy U.S. history - and you want 'the rest (or at least more) of the story' - you'll enjoy this book.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets, July 29, 2002

By	Joe Zika "Khemprof" (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets (Hardcover)

J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets by Curt Gentry is a biography of J. Edgar Hoover one of the most powerful men in Washington, D.C. In his time, Hoover kept files on everyone in power, he trusted no one and his paranoia isolated him further.

Hoover was a bachelor and a private man, but he was not a particularly honest man. He blackmailed, threw his influence around, used illegal wiretaps, and was seroiusly flawed as a human being. America's "number one cop" loved to use sexual slander as his favorite tool to destroy all who crossed his path.

This book reveals Hoover as a man who was frighteningly obsessed and had the power to change U.S. History and wasn't afraid to use it if it made him a national hero. Hoover was director of the FBI and during his tenure he manipulated presidents, the Supreme Court and Congress. No one was immune to him and his incorruptible FBI.

I found this book to be written well, as the narrative flows, the reader in enveloped into intrigue and into Hoover's web of paranoia. J. Edgar Hoover spread his political cancer far and wide making him virtually untouchable. A shocking tale of a man for nearly fifty years who would destroy anyone with his virtually unchecked power.

A very good read that will fascinate the reader and keep your intrest throughout.