Who Killed Malcolm X? Family Files $100 Million Lawsuit Against FBI, NYPD & Others to Find the Truth

[peppertree]

7. Among the general public, absolutely

Hoover, despite hating the press, was good at working them - and even better at keeping them "in line."

Same went for film and tv executives - some of whom fell over themselves putting out puff/propaganda pieces to stay in good graces with the Director (he insisted people call him that - except, presumably, his toy boys).

Consequently, the public, in the '50s and '60s, generally had this "heroic" imagine of Hoover - as devoted to flag and country, even to the point of being 'married to his job' as they say.

But Washington insiders knew him for the extortionist he was - or soon found out the hard way.

And he liked it that way, as it kept people afraid of him. He especially made a point of collecting dirt on U.S. presidents, who secretly had 'favorite' secretaries (FDR and Ike), yooge libidos (JFK and LBJ - who famously referred to his own as "akin to an Arabian sheikh's" ), and bisexuality (Nixon - who was an inveterate horse gambler besides).

Of course, J. Edgar had a warehouse - full of skeletons, as you know - including a gambling habit, for which he began embezzling from the FBI to cover, until the mafia began fixing horse races for him after he whined that "there is no mafia in the United States today" (!).

But because they knew who they were dealing with, the mafia made sure to gather its own dirt on the Director.

Well - let's just say it looked like what Trump probably has on his pal Lindsey.

History's mysteries.