The Most Feared Man In America

This biography of J. Edgar Hoover differs from all previous books on the subject. My book posits and documents the existence of two political myths about Hoover. One is a God myth, which was created intentionally by a long-standing FBI public relations campaign. The other myth is a Devil myth that emerged in reaction to the God myth. Both of these mythic perceptions are unidimensional stereotypical depictions of the man, which obscure the reality of the former FBI director. The author uses declassified FBI memoranda to shed light on the personality and professional performance of Mr. Hoover through examination of his marginalia. Hoover’s handwritten comments in the margins of FBI memos are candid and fascinating manifestations of his true self.