J. Edgar Hoover
Definition
J. Edgar Hoover (1895–1972) was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States. He held this post for 48 years from 1924 until his death in 1972.
Analogy
Think of J. Edgar Hoover like your school's long-term head coach who has been there forever and knows all the ins and outs, but also has some controversial methods that not everyone agrees with.
Related terms
COINTELPRO: An FBI program started by Hoover aimed at surveying, infiltrating, discrediting, and disrupting domestic political organizations.
G-Men: Slang term for agents of the United States Government. It is especially used as a term for an FBI agent - this term became popular due to Hoover's influence on agency.
McCarthyism: As mentioned earlier, it refers to Senator Joseph McCarthy's aggressive campaign against alleged communists in US government and other institutions carried out under suspicions raised during Second Red Scare.
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