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'''J. Edgar Hoover''' (1895-1972) was the aggressive director of the [[FBI]] for 48 years until his death.  Hoover was a staunch opponent of [[Communism]], and organized crime. He founded the FBI's 'public enemies' program, under which such criminals as [[John Dillinger]], [[Bonnie Parker]] and [[Clyde Barrow]] were successfully caught.  Lionized by conservatives for his use of modern scientific methods to stop crime and train local police departments, he was demonized by liberals who falsely charged he was a cross-dresser.

'''J. Edgar Hoover''' (1895-1972) was the aggressive director of the [[FBI]] for 48 years until his death.  Hoover was a staunch opponent of [[Communism]], and organized crime. He founded the FBI's 'public enemies' program, under which such criminals as [[John Dillinger]], [[Bonnie Parker]] and [[Clyde Barrow]] were successfully caught.  Lionized by conservatives for his use of modern scientific methods to stop crime and train local police departments, he was demonized by liberals who falsely charged he was a cross-dresser and homosexual.

==Career==

==Career==

John Edgar Hoover was born in Washington to well-education minor government officials. He graduated from public schools, and, skipping college, earned law degrees at night from George Washington University in 1916 and 1917.  In 1917 he went to work for the Department of Justice (DOJ), which expressed the prevailing [[Progressive Era]] emphasis on [[Efficiency|scientific efficiency]] and professionalism.  Hoover promoted this philosophy throughout his career, As an administrator of alien enemy matters, he dealt with detention or parole for citizens of Germans and Austria who violated the World War I Alien Enemy Act. After the war, he moved up to assistant to Attorney General [[A. Mitchell Palmer]] and effective head of the General Intelligence Division, where he collected publicly available information on radicals. Reading radical literature convinced him that Communists posed as much danger to the United States as they had to Russia in 1917. He never deviated from this opinion.

John Edgar Hoover was born in Washington to well-education minor government officials. He graduated from public schools, and, skipping college, earned law degrees at night from George Washington University in 1916 and 1917.  In 1917 he went to work for the Department of Justice (DOJ), which expressed the prevailing [[Progressive Era]] emphasis on [[Efficiency|scientific efficiency]] and professionalism.  Hoover promoted this philosophy throughout his career, As an administrator of alien enemy matters, he dealt with detention or parole for citizens of Germans and Austria who violated the World War I Alien Enemy Act.  

 

After the war, he moved up to assistant to Attorney General [[A. Mitchell Palmer]], a liberal Democrat. Hoover became effective head of the General Intelligence Division, where he worked with state and local offiicals to collected information on radicals. Hoover and his staff compiled data (using index cards) on 450,000 potential radical aliens by 1921. He orchestrated the federal arrests of thousands of radicals and deported 250 of the most dangerous aliens, most notably anarchist [[Emma Goldman]]<ref>She had tried to murder a leading industrialist, but the pistol used by her accomplice missed the target.</ref>.

 

Reviewing radical pamphlets calling for a violent overthrow of the U.S. government convinced him that Communists posed a significant danger to [[republicanism|American values]]. He agreed with the Congress and courts that held that aliens seeking the overthrow of the government can be deported, and put it into action.  

 

===Crime Buster===

===Crime Buster===

As the nation reeled from the Great Depression, the news media (newspapers, newsreels, magazines and films) glorified a new breed of outlaw, the glamorous gangster. The standard script included a cops-and-robbers soap opera complete with blood, sex, death, money and amazing, hair-raising escapes. The media coined colorful nicknames for them -"Gentleman Johnny" Dillinger, "Pretty Boy" Floyd, Alvin "Creepy" Karpis, "Ma" Barker, Bonnie and Clyde, and "Baby Face" Nelson.  The hapless cops were depicted as stupid Keystone cops (after the the famous buffoons in the silent movies). Money from illegal liquor fueled the gangs, and provided fast cars that crossed state lines.   

As the nation reeled from the Great Depression, the news media (newspapers, newsreels, magazines and films) glorified a new breed of outlaw, the glamorous gangster. The standard script included a cops-and-robbers soap opera complete with blood, sex, death, money and amazing, hair-raising escapes. The media coined colorful nicknames for them -"Gentleman Johnny" Dillinger, "Pretty Boy" Floyd, Alvin "Creepy" Karpis, "Ma" Barker, Bonnie and Clyde, and "Baby Face" Nelson.  The hapless cops were depicted as stupid Keystone cops (after the the famous buffoons in the silent movies). Money from illegal liquor fueled the gangs, and provided fast cars that crossed state lines.