J.Edgar
I recently watched ‘J.Edgar’ directed by Clint Eastwood. Before watching the movie, I had, out of curiosity read the Wikipedia entry about J.Edgar Hoover, the first Director of the FBI who was credited with the introduction of fingerprinting, record-keeping, and forensics in the bureau. He was a controversial figure not only due to the way he worked but also due to his personal life.
At work, he transferred any agent who threatened to steal the spotlight from him, often resulting in a dead-end career for that agent. He fired men from the bureau on flimsy grounds based on his personal whims and fancies. He often took credit for tasks that were carried out by his subordinates and is portrayed as a glory hog, who embellished his own accomplishments. Despite this, he had at least two members of the bureau who were devoted to him: his personal secretary, Miss Helen Gandy who was devoted to her work and remained single her entire life and Clyde Tolson, his alleged homosexual partner. Hoover maintained voluminous files on all the prominent political figures in his time so that he could use it against them to force their arm if needed. These files were destroyed as per his orders upon his death by his personal secretary.
In his personal life, he was a loner who didn’t interact well with others. He mingled very little with the ladies and is rumoured to have had strong homosexual tendencies, which were supposedly covered up due to the conservative times he lived in. In the movie, when he tries to tell his mother that he was not interested in dancing with girls, his mother tells him the story of a boy nicknamed Daffy (after Daffodil)who was a homosexual that cross-dressed and eventually committed suicide. Hoover is said to have cross-dressed on occasion and supposed to have had a lifelong homosexual relationship with Clyde Tolson, whom he hired as his second-in-command in the bureau despite Tolson not having had the required qualifications. The two men ate lunch and dinner together every single day and holidayed together as well.
When Hoover died, Tolson inherited his estate and position in the bureau. After Tolson’s passing he was buried near Hoover.
The movie stars Leonardo Di Caprio as J.Edgar Hoover. He has done a fabulous job portraying a character with so many shades of gray. Naomi Watts plays Miss Helen Gandy. The movie is a must-watch for anyone interested in US political history.
I recently watched ‘J.Edgar’ directed by Clint Eastwood. Before watching the movie, I had, out of curiosity read the Wikipedia entry about J.Edgar Hoover, the first Director of the FBI who was credited with the introduction of fingerprinting, record-keeping, and forensics in the bureau. He was a controversial figure not only due to the way he worked but also due to his personal life.
At work, he transferred any agent who threatened to steal the spotlight from him, often resulting in a dead-end career for that agent. He fired men from the bureau on flimsy grounds based on his personal whims and fancies. He often took credit for tasks that were carried out by his subordinates and is portrayed as a glory hog, who embellished his own accomplishments. Despite this, he had at least two members of the bureau who were devoted to him: his personal secretary, Miss Helen Gandy who was devoted to her work and remained single her entire life and Clyde Tolson, his alleged homosexual partner. Hoover maintained voluminous files on all the prominent political figures in his time so that he could use it against them to force their arm if needed. These files were destroyed as per his orders upon his death by his personal secretary.
In his personal life, he was a loner who didn’t interact well with others. He mingled very little with the ladies and is rumoured to have had strong homosexual tendencies, which were supposedly covered up due to the conservative times he lived in. In the movie, when he tries to tell his mother that he was not interested in dancing with girls, his mother tells him the story of a boy nicknamed Daffy (after Daffodil)who was a homosexual that cross-dressed and eventually committed suicide. Hoover is said to have cross-dressed on occasion and supposed to have had a lifelong homosexual relationship with Clyde Tolson, whom he hired as his second-in-command in the bureau despite Tolson not having had the required qualifications. The two men ate lunch and dinner together every single day and holidayed together as well.
When Hoover died, Tolson inherited his estate and position in the bureau. After Tolson’s passing he was buried near Hoover.
The movie stars Leonardo Di Caprio as J.Edgar Hoover. He has done a fabulous job portraying a character with so many shades of gray. Naomi Watts plays Miss Helen Gandy. The movie is a must-watch for anyone interested in US political history.
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