Born on January 1, 1895, in Washington, D.C., J. Edgar Hoover was the long-time director of the FBI (1924-1972) and spent much of his career gathering intelligence on radical groups and individuals and "subversives," Martin Luther King Jr. being one of his favorite targets. Hoover's methods included infiltration, burglaries, illegal wiretaps and planted evidence, and his legacy is tainted because of it. He died in Washington, D.C., on May 2, 1972.
J. Edgar Hoover was a director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, lawyer, and criminologist. Born January 1, 1895, in Washington, D.C. to Annie Marie Scheitlin Hoover and Dickerson Naylor Hoover. Hoover attended night classes at George Washington University while working as a clerk at the Library …show more content…
In December of 1919, afraid of Garvey's growing influence, Hoover hired the first black agent in the Bureau's history: James Wormley Jones. Jones was sent to gather intelligence on Garvey, and the resulting information led Hoover and his group to sabotage Garvey's Black Star Line, a series of ships meant to transport goods between the black communities of North America, the Caribbean and Africa. As a result, Garvey's Black Star service went bankrupt, and the leader began entertaining thoughts of …show more content…
Naming him "the most dangerous Negro in the future of this nation," Hoover used COINTELPRO to initiate around the clock surveillance on King, hoping to find evidence of communism or sexual deviance. Hoover used an illegal wiretap.He was convinced he had proof of King's infidelitous behavior, and attempted to push reporters into publicizing the recording. The media refused. Instead, Hoover sent the tape directly to King's office, suggesting he commit suicide or face exposure. COINTELPRO and its tactics remained a secret until it was revealed to the public in 1971. Its exposure resulted in some of the harshest criticism of Hoover and the FBI. Reports revealed that its methods included infiltration, burglaries, illegal wiretaps, planted evidence, and false rumors. Also some experts say the group also arranged the murders of certain
J. Edgar Hoover was a director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, lawyer, and criminologist. Born January 1, 1895, in Washington, D.C. to Annie Marie Scheitlin Hoover and Dickerson Naylor Hoover. Hoover attended night classes at George Washington University while working as a clerk at the Library …show more content…
In December of 1919, afraid of Garvey's growing influence, Hoover hired the first black agent in the Bureau's history: James Wormley Jones. Jones was sent to gather intelligence on Garvey, and the resulting information led Hoover and his group to sabotage Garvey's Black Star Line, a series of ships meant to transport goods between the black communities of North America, the Caribbean and Africa. As a result, Garvey's Black Star service went bankrupt, and the leader began entertaining thoughts of …show more content…
Naming him "the most dangerous Negro in the future of this nation," Hoover used COINTELPRO to initiate around the clock surveillance on King, hoping to find evidence of communism or sexual deviance. Hoover used an illegal wiretap.He was convinced he had proof of King's infidelitous behavior, and attempted to push reporters into publicizing the recording. The media refused. Instead, Hoover sent the tape directly to King's office, suggesting he commit suicide or face exposure. COINTELPRO and its tactics remained a secret until it was revealed to the public in 1971. Its exposure resulted in some of the harshest criticism of Hoover and the FBI. Reports revealed that its methods included infiltration, burglaries, illegal wiretaps, planted evidence, and false rumors. Also some experts say the group also arranged the murders of certain