7. Publish and Be Damned
Hoover begins to lose control of the American narrative. Emily Maitlis on the legacy of arguably the most powerful figure in 20th-century America.
Hoover begins to lose control of the American narrative.
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. In the first of an 8-part series, Emily shows how though his job was to enforce the law...he would not always be bound by it.
Producer: Neal Razzell
Research: Louise Byrne
Editor: Hugh Levinson
Production Coordinator: Janet Staples
Sound: Tom Brignell
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- Wed 22 Jun 2022 13:45Â鶹Éç Radio 4
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The People vs J Edgar Hoover
An examination of how the first director of the FBI's iron grip still permeates America.