VINSON: Hoover changes course of American history on The Murfreesboro Post

Sidebar Ads

VINSON: Hoover changes course of American history

Related Articles

Times-Free Press: DesJarlais fined for sex with 2 patients

Dispatch returns with live album on horizon

BURRISS: Press should be free to work without intrusion

Wartrace MusicFest to feature diverse lineup

Alexander: Prohibition on Corps’ dam restrictions passes

PICKIN' ON FILM: Love of movies born at father's knee

HUNTER: Pro wrestling heads to Nashville

Local actors romp through Shakespeare this weekend

GUEST EDITORIAL: Teachers deserve praise

HUD offices to close due to spending cuts

View All

By: MIKE VINSON, Post Columnist

Posted: Sunday, March 4, 2012 5:32 am

“We must never forget our history,” said J. Edgar Hoover.

Though it falls into the very genre I tend to enjoy, I didn’t make it a point to go to the theater and see the Clint Eastwood directed-produced movie “J. Edgar,” a brave take on J. Edgar Hoover, the Federal Bureau Investigation’s first and most controversial director.

However, a few days back, after the movie had been released on DVD, I rented a copy from Northside Video Store, here in McMinnville.

Wow, was I ever in for a learning experience!

With most readers having heard and read about Hoover ’s controversial career or seen the movie, or both, I’ll provide just a short, layman’s background, to ensure some of the younger readers aren’t left in the wake scratching their heads.

Hoover was born in 1895 and grew up in the Washington, D.C., area. An apt assumption is, early on, Hoover felt communism threatened the American way of life.

Raised and controlled by a seemingly domineering mother, Hoover earned his law degree and was appointed the FBI’s first official director in 1935 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a position he held until his death in 1972.

For the entirety of his career as director, Hoover maintained a vigilant lookout for communists and communist sympathizers.

Hoover never married, and rumors circulated that he engaged in a homosexual relationship with FBI Deputy Director Clyde Tolson, who never married, either, and to whom he left his estate upon his death.

However, Eastwood should be credited for doing a balanced job regarding Hoover’s actual sexuality.

While Eastwood gives strong implications that Hoover and Tolson could’ve been a romantic item, he — with the savvy only someone of his background could have —leaves enough space for the objective mind to counter with this another possibility.

The movie hints that Hoover and Tolson threw themselves into their careers, were nothing more than the closest of friends, and never consummated a homosexual act.

Further, Hoover laid the groundwork for fingerprinting, as we know it today.

Though it never has been definitively produced, strong evidence indicates Hoover kept confidential files on practically anyone and everyone who expressed any form of disdain for Hoover or the bureau.

The biggest lesson I gained from the movie “J. Edgar,” though, is the impact the Lindbergh baby kidnapping of 1932 had on American culture.

Charles Lindbergh Sr. rose to international fame when, in May 1927, he made a solo, nonstop flight in a single-seat, single-engine airplane from New York City, across the Atlantic Ocean, to Paris, France.

On March 1, 1932, Charles Lindbergh Jr., infant son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh, was abducted from the family’s upscale home in New Jersey.

The kidnapping became a national phenomenon or, as famous newspaper writer H.L. Mencken called it, the “biggest story since the Resurrection.”

A huge ransom was demanded by the abductors. Ultimately, it was paid by the Lindbergh family.

The FBI quickly intervened, with Hoover at the helm.

Sadly, Charles Jr.’s dead body was discovered May 12, 1932, near the Lindbergh home.

Bruno Richard Hauptman, a German immigrant, was arrested, tried and convicted of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping and murder. Hauptman was later electrocuted on April 3, 1936.

Resultant of the capture and conviction of Hauptman, kidnapping was legislated as a federal crime, which caused the nation to view Hoover and the FBI in a positive light, for a while, anyway.

Essentially, the Lindberg baby kidnapping forever altered the collective face of American law enforcement.

Love him or loathe him, I agree with Hoover’s statement, “We must never forget our history.”

However, I’ll gingerly add to it by stating: We, first, must take the time necessary to learn the same history”

Mike Vinson can be contacted at mike_vinson56@yahoo.com.

Tagged under Entertainment, History, J Edgar Hoover, Mike Vinson, Movie, Politics, Voices

Member Opinions:

By: Mr.Ricky50 on 3/4/12
"Without stepping on anyone's toes," or, "Observing from an intellectual, mature distance," best describes my take on Mr. Vinson's keen awareness of "J. Edgar's" place in history. We all enjoy a mystery, and as Dorothy Parker once said, "If you don't have anything nice to say about anyone, come sit by me."

Regardless of the public's opinion, which we all know conjures up, at best, a friendly debate, Mike V. has done his job -- a job well done -- in giving me, one of his readers, a brief, albeit concise, outline of Hoover's controversial, eminent career.

Although mentioned, Mr. Hoover's sexual position (no pun intended), takes a slippery backseat to his more passionate, or rather compassionate, approach to his loyalty to "doing the right thing."

What stood out for me in this article is the loudness of H.L. Mencken's claim to fame, "the biggest story since the Resurrection." Now, this caught my attention. Furthermore, it only solidifies Hoover's words: "We must never forget our history."

Okey Dokey,
RV

By: Gman1 on 3/5/12
Interesting how Lindberg kidbapping ties in with the movie about Hoover, never thought of it in that way. Most of all, I liked how Vinson didn't jump in on the gossip about Hoover being gay and left it open for a person to decide for himelf. But for what Mr.Ricky50 said above, I don't think Hoover had "loyalty to doing the right thing". I'd think more along the line that Hoover had a lot of power and would destroy anyone that threatened his power at the F.B.I. I guess you can say that this is Gman1 talking about the real 'G-Man'.