An examination, half a century on from the first director of the FBI's death in office in 1972, of how Hoover's iron grip still permeates contemporary America.
An examination, half a century on from the first director of the FBI's death in office in 1972, of how Hoover's iron grip still permeates contemporary America.
Hoover takes on legendary gangsters of the 1930s and builds his own myth. J Edgar Hoover built then ran the FBI for almost five decades. He turned it from a bureaucratic backwater into a premier crime fighting and counterintelligence force. In the process, he arguably became America’s most powerful man. He’s been dead 50 years and still his shadow looms over the US. Today’s fears of a ‘deep state’ - of unaccountable government officials working against the public in their own interest – can be traced back to him. His job was to enforce the law...but he would not always be bound by it. Presenter: Emily Maitlis Producer: Neal Razzell Researcher: Louise Byrne Production Coordinator: Janet Staples Sound: James Beard Editor: Hugh Levinson