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Hoover's FBI
RE-Enacting the Past: Essays on the Evolution of Modern English Historiography (Variorum Collected Studies)
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Atlas for the Great War (The West Point Military History Series)
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Gardens of Colony and State: Gardens and Gardeners of the American Colonies and of the Republic Before 1840
Twice Round the Loggerhead: The Culture of Whaling in the Azores
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Inside Hoover's FBI: The Top Field Chief Reports

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Inside Hoover's FBI: The Top Field Chief Reports
Neil J. Welch , and David W. Marston
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0385172648

FBI and Martin Luther King, Jr: From "Solo" to Memphis

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FBI and Martin Luther King, Jr: From "Solo" to Memphis
David J. Garrow
Manufacturer: W W Norton & Co Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0393015092

The Union Station Massacre: The Original Sin of J. Edgar Hoover's FBI

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A Very Enjoyable Book
You won't get the truth from the "Hooverized" FBI
Friendly Fire
Not worth the trees it took to publish
Awesome

The Union Station Massacre: The Original Sin of J. Edgar Hoover's FBI
Robert Unger
Manufacturer: Kansas City Star Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1933466081

Product Description

The Union Station Massacre tells the story of how a bloody shoot-out in Kansas City in 1933 became the lynchpin for J. Edgar Hoover's successful tranformation of the FBI from a powerless subagency into a law-enforcement juggernaut. Using dubious authority and outright lies, Hoover's FBI turned the massacre case into a witch-hunt for "Pretty Boy" Floyd and Adam Richetti. Floyd was gunned down in a field in Ohio, and Richetti was convicted of murder and executed, based on perjured testimony and manipulated evidence. All the while, the FBI scrupulously avoided the truth. The Union Station Massacre strips away years of legend to reveal what truly happened that June day in 1933. The story it tells will change the way Americans look at J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI.

Customer Reviews:

A Very Enjoyable Book.......2006-02-18

The book is well written, holding my attention throughout. It was read within a week.

You won't get the truth from the "Hooverized" FBI.......2004-08-20

Excellent research into the big story of the mid-thirties that was used by the FBI to gain more power, all in the hands of one man, J. Edgar Hoover. Americans tired of sanitized & slanted history will appreciate the "What really happened" angle of this non-fiction read. Unger has done a great job filling in the blanks regarding the beginnings of the most abusive reach of power by a single American, J. Edgar Hoover, in our modern history. Without romantizing or glorifying the violence of the era, Ungers excellent research opens pages that might have been lost forever. A very good read.

Friendly Fire.......2003-08-16

This is as close as anybody's yet come to the definitive work on the Kansas City Massacre. I don't buy the popular notion--as Unger seems to--that "Pretty Boy" Floyd and Adam Richetti were the victims of a frameup. But the author's central theme, that most of the damage inflicted at the Union Station was actually done by a federal agent attempting to work an unfamiliar shotgun, is soundly based on ballistics evidence from the FBI's own files (conveniently hidden from the public for years afterward). A shocking indictment indeed of Hoover's FBI, with coverups dating all the way back to its gangbusting debut.

Not worth the trees it took to publish.......2002-10-25

This book demonstrates an incredibly simple-minded and miopic world view, shoehorning facts into a thesis to achieve the desired result.

Awesome.......2002-10-09

This book was not only historicaly accurate and well researched but also very entertaining. I highly recommend it.

The Bureau: My thirty years in Hoover's FBI

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The Bureau: My thirty years in Hoover's FBI
William C Sullivan
Manufacturer: Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Federal Jurisdiction | Administrative Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Hoover's FBI: The Inside Story by Hoover's Trusted Lieutenant
The Bureau: The Secret History of the FBI
From the Secret Files of J. Edgar Hoover

ASIN: 0393012360

The Last Crusade: Martin Luther King Jr., the FBI, and the Poor People's Campaign

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The Last Crusade: Martin Luther King Jr., the FBI, and the Poor People's Campaign
Gerald D. McKnight , Fbi , and Poor People's Campaign
Manufacturer: Westview Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0813333849

The True Story of J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI

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The True Story of J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI
Barry Denenberg
Manufacturer: Scholastic Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0590441574

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Hoover's FBI
William W. Turner
Manufacturer: Thunder's Mouth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1560250631

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No Left Turns: The FBI in Peace and War
Inside a Cult of Personality
nothing's changed

No Left Turns: The FBI in Peace & War
Joseph L Schott
Manufacturer: Praeger
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Federal Jurisdiction | Administrative Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

No Left Turns: The FBI in Peace and War.......2007-02-28

This is the finest book written from the insider's view of the FBI during the Hoover Administration. It lists many of Hoover's quirks and gives insight into the organizational strengths and weaknesses up to the time of his death. This book would have never been written while Hoover was alive. Joe Schott provided a true classic that should be read by anyone in the criminal justice system, especially the FBI. A real collector's item.

Inside a Cult of Personality.......2003-03-18

The left turn is the most dangerous for an automobile since it involves two different streams of traffic. This is JLS' humorous history in a very serious agency. The television series "The FBI" was phony; the only inspectors he knew were those who investigated FBI employees (p.8), Could the show have ended after J Edgar Hoover's death because Hoover could no longer pull strings?

After graduating with an MA in English, WW II veteran JLS applied for a job as clerk in Washington; jobs were scarce in Texas. He was accepted, and showed up late. (He had learned one thing in the Army: never admit a mistake or oversight.) His story of getting on the wrong bus worked! JLS attended college in the morning, then worked 1 to 10pm. Chapter 2 tells how he got promoted - by applying for another job! Most employees would report any word or deed that suggested disloyalty to the Director. (There are other places like this.) Page 42 tells of a farewell party for a SAC which ended his career. Was he set up by a rival?

Chapter 5 warns you to be careful in your compliments! Chapter 6 tells of the importance of being ignorant. Was there a scandal in your office? "I've been too busy doing my work to pay attention to office gossip." Chapter 7 tells of the Metropolitan Life Insurance weight tables and how they were applied to agents. One solution was to extend height or enlarge frames - on paper. One agent knew the difference between perception and reality. Were these tables ever scientifically validated? There were two items in the news recently: obesity is at an all time high, and so is life expectancy! Isn't science wonderful?

Chapter 13 tells of a visit by J Edgar Hoover to Senator Lyndon B Johnson in Texas. There was quite a lot of behind the scenes activity. This would not occur in other government agencies because of civil service regulations. Maybe high-level officers in some corporations could tell similar stories? I wonder if this will be repeated at Homeland Security in the future? Chapter 14 tells how the Bureau catered to every whim of the Director, from toilets to television sets. Does absolute power corrupt absolutely? After I read about J Edgar Hoover in the 1950s "Readers Digest", I was disappointed to discover the reality afterwards. Chapter 15 tells of the personal concerns of Hoover. Anyone who wanted a promotion had to see him for his personal approval. There were no guarantees; some whim could result in condemnation to the Field. When Clarence Kelley took over, one of his first actions was to send Administrators into the Field, and replace them with men from the Field. This gave knowledge and experience to all; the Administrators could live by their rules.

I guess any Police Chief must rule with an iron hand. Could it help if this ruler has a trusted, loyal friend or relative who could serve as a counselor to filter opinions for feedback? The one substantive fault in the lack of any mention of the events of November 1963.

nothing's changed.......2002-06-29

Read it twenty years ago, thought it couldn't be true. I found out that unfortunately, it still is...

Puppetmaster: The Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover

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An insider view
Good book!
absolute power . . .
An Unscrupulous Way To Stay In Power
Where's the Beef!

Puppetmaster: The Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover
Richard Hack
Manufacturer: New Millennium
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets
The Bureau: The Secret History of the FBI
It's Not about Me Journal
Winning with Integrity: Getting What You're Worth Without Selling Your Soul
Official and Confidential: The Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover

ASIN: 1893224872
Release Date: 2004-04-12

Customer Reviews:

An insider view.......2007-01-12

None of these reviewers seem to have been in the circus. No mention of Judge Williaml Webster in 1950 in Hack's book. Surprise that JE was friendly to Robert Kennedy and the others in that clan, other accounts had it that they did not work together well. Hack's book id a sort of aerial view of Mr.Hoover's career.

Good book!.......2007-01-11

This book was exactly what I wanted...to learn about J. Edgar Hoover's life. It was interesting!

absolute power . . ........2004-12-23

I knew nothing about Hoover before reading this book, but Hack does a comprehensive job in this bio. Hoover is portrayed as a higly intelligent, organized man, who had too much power for his (or the country's) good.

Hoover's need for fame was a double edged sword: It helped promote the FBI and it's intentions, but it also put public image over real substance. The most interesting parts of the book were Hoover tracking down old-time mobsters, and his obsession with Martin Luther King Jr. and his ties to the communist party.

The biggest problems with the book were lack of technical details (Hack throughout mentions illegal wire taps and "black bag jobs", but never goes into details of how they were implemented), and apparent embellishment of the truth. For example, Hack goes into detail in converstaions between 2 people which there are no sources for. This is confusing and detracts from the overall authenticity of the book.

Overall, this was a great book to learn about this unusual leader. I think it paints a farily balanced picture of him, not as an evil man, but of a smart control freak and media hound that was given too much power for too long.

An Unscrupulous Way To Stay In Power.......2004-09-23

Richard Hack has written a biography that really doesn't tell us anything we didn't already know about J. Edgar Hoover, a strange man who headed the F.B.I. for several decades. Hoover kept files on the skeletons in the closet, both real and imagined, on people whose behavior he wanted to control. Hoover used this blackmail to remain in office throughout the changes in the political climate in Washington. His idea of a good read would be to remain home and sift through the files of various individuals and entertain himself with the perceived weaknesses of others. The man who had files on so many people should have had a file himself. Perhaps it gave him comfort to know others had problems that he had a difficult time facing in himself. He was a glory hunter who wanted the credit to go to him in highly publicized cases such as the cases of John Dillinger and "Baby Face" Nelson. Hoover didn't like the publicity Melvin Purvis got in the Dillinger case, so he had him eventually removed from the F.B.I. Hoover also didn't want to admit to the existence of the mafia. Perhaps he wanted to concentrate on two bit gangsters rather than accept the challenge of organized crime. It's scary to think the F.B.I. had such a strange man at the helm for so many years. The improvements made during his tenure could certainly have been made by someone else during all these years.

Where's the Beef!.......2004-07-09

Richard Hack's book, "Puppetmaster: The Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover", is well documented, concise, and well presented, but I had to ask myself "where's the beef". There is simply nothing new in this biography of America's number one policeman. The book is 407 pages long. I read to page 357 and finally had to put it down for keeps - there was simply nothing new in this book to entice me to keep reading. The book is well suited for individuals that have very little to no knowledge of the life of J. Edgar Hoover.

I must admit that I was surprised by what I did not find in this new book on Hoover's life. Hoover has always been referred to as the "keeper of secrets". I would have thought that with so many reputed secrets, Richard Hack would have uncovered something new, never-presented material, but such was not the case with Hack's book. I look forward to the day when some of Hoover's well kept secrets are uncovered and brought to life in a new book. But until then there are no new discoveries to be found in "Puppetmaster: The Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover". I would like to recommend Curt Centry's book, J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets as an alternative to "Puppetmaster".

J. Edgar Hoover: Powerful FBI Director (Historical American Biographies)

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educational book to read

J. Edgar Hoover: Powerful FBI Director (Historical American Biographies)
Thomas Streissguth
Manufacturer: Enslow Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0766016234

Customer Reviews:

educational book to read.......2006-05-17

If you are a parent and are reading this review, do not laugh, for I am over the age of 9-12. One of my daughters love to ready history and biography, and she brought this book home. After looking at the cover, I thought "hmmm interesting.J.Edgar Hoover." I picked up and read and thougth "cool book." This book sum up the life of J.Edgar Hoover. The summary fulfilled my curiosity of J.Egar Hoover and his life as a director of BI and how he asked the Government to confrimed it as FBI. The captures of crimininals were short and they moved my interest to reading more of the captures and the crimininals. J.Edgar Hoover described in this book as a power hunger person, but yet, extremely hard working person. A little of a brown noser, but a clever and hard working person.

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