Curt Gentry (1931–2014)

I found Curt Gentry’s biography on J. Edgar Hoover to be interesting and enlightening. A solid 4 star book.

As with many men who aspire to or achieve greatness and Hoover was both, Hoover was a complex enigma of a man. A converted Presbyterian who considered 2 career path of either a Presbyterian Clergy or Law Enforcement he was a man of early and mid 20th century beliefs and biases.

To say Hoover brought a sense of purpose and professionalism to the FBI is without doubt. That his length of tenure was dramatically too long and that he betrayed many of the aspects of professionalism is also beyond doubt.

Hoover allowed his prejudices against minorities to color his priorities, specifically in his persecution of Martin Luther King Jr. His overriding belief in the evils of international communism led to many of his early successes but ultimately led him to pursue this overwhelmingly over other cases , even when the facts warranted other allocation of resources and colored his view if the anti war movement. His refusal to accept the existence of organized crime and the Mafia was unconscionable.

His insecurity allowed him to build few close relationships and led to him trying to find information to blackmail or or influence others to support him. His acceptance of internal corruption and willingness to engage in it himself was unpardonable for the head of the FBI.

A great man who was greatly flawed.

A wonderful book to gain insight into J. Edgar Hoover as a person and leader.… (more)