J. Edgar Hoover was a man of contradictions. As the Director of the FBI from 1924 to 1972, he spearheaded homophobic, racist, and anti-communist policies – which arguably shaped half a century of the United States. But he also had an intimate personal relationship with a man and he believed in the role of government to support social conservatism. 

Beverly Gage is the author of “G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century”, which won a Pulitzer Prize in Biography. She is a 20th-century American historian at Yale. She also wrote “The Day Wall Street Exploded” which examined the history of terrorism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

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Show notes: 

(0:00) - Who is J. Edgar Hoover?

(1:54) - Intimate Relationship with Clyde Tolson

(3:17) - The Lavender Scare and Government 

(6:16) - Early Years and Racist Fraternity

(8:04) - FBI surveilling Civil Rights Movement Leaders

(10:58) - Impact of Anti Communism and McCarthyism 

(14:30) - Social Conservatism and Big Government

(16:50) - Process of Writing Biography 

(20:39) - An “Incredibly Honest” Paper Trail

(22:31) - Legacy and Impact 

(23:55) - Reflection