From The Secret Files Of J. Edgar Hoover by Athan G. Theoharis

From the Publisher

Documents from the late FBI director's secret files reveal for the first time the shocking extent of FBI activities in spying on prominent Americans and political groups. A grimly fascinating--and profoundly disturbing--self-exposure by one of the false American deities of the 20th century. --Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

Publishers Weekly

These selections from Hoover's official and confidential file, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, reveal how the former FBI director was able to advance his own bureaucratic, political and moralistic agenda by ``indirect blackmail'' throughout his 48-year tenure. Excerpts from memoranda, letters and phone transcriptions include FDR adviser Harry Hopkins's entreaty that the Bureau wiretap his residence and tail his wife; compromising conversations between Navy ensign John Kennedy and a gossip columnist suspected of being a German spy; Nixon staffer H. R. Haldeman's request for ``a rundown on homosexuals known and suspected in the Washington press corps''; and the full text of the notorious FBI-written letter encouraging Martin Luther King Jr. to commit suicide. As Theoharis aptly remarks, these files document the perils that unelected officials can pose for a constitutional government. Hoover's willingness to authorize illegal investigative techniques is clearly revealed here. Theoharis is a professor of history of Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis. (Sept.)

Library Journal

Today, years after his death, Hoover's name still sends shivers down many a spine in Washington. Theoharis, a coauthor with John Stuart Cox of a previous Hoover biography, The Boss ( LJ 6/1/88), has made skillful use of the Freedom of Information Act and public documents to compile a sketch via FBI files of Hoover's propensity for wiretapping, bugging, and developing files on public persons with or without the knowledge of his nominal boss, the U.S. Attorney General. After an insightful history of the Bureau, section one presents selected files examining the alleged and real sexual indiscretions of JFK, Robert Kennedy, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Martin Luther King Jr. Pointing out evidence against King, Theoharis notes that King tried to have Hoover fired, earning him the wrath of the FBI. Subsequent chapters examine the FBI's ``investigative'' techniques, its relationship with Presidents and the McCarthy committee, and the uses of public relations and the role of the director. Highly recommended for general libraries and specialized researchers. See also Curt Gentry's J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets , reviewed in this issue, p. 110.--Ed.--Frank Kessler, Missouri Western State Coll., St. Joseph

Booknews

Some of the sleaziest from J. Edgar Hoover's five secret files--none of the documents ever meant to be disclosed. Theoharis finally got to them through the Freedom of Information Act. There is a grim fascination in the wide range of surveillance and monitoring applied to nearly everyone but actual criminals. Published by Ivan R. Dee, Inc., 1332 North Halsted Street, Chicago, IL 60622-2632. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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