Audio Transcript

Mollie Halpern: There is a great deal of interest recently in the life and career of former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. 

Dr. John Fox: Hoover is very fascinating. 

Halpern: I’m Mollie Halpern of the Bureau, and this is FBI, This Week. Hoover served as FBI Director for almost 48 years; the length of his leadership is unparalleled. FBI Historian Dr. John Fox says Hoover had a clear vision of what law enforcement should constitute.

Fox: He developed a very clear program of training—first FBI agents, then police officers—to be professional law enforcement.

Halpern: Among his many achievements, he ensured the FBI could apply the latest scientific developments to its investigations. But, Hoover’s tenure did not come without controversy.

Fox: Certainly we see in Hoover’s career that combination of strengths and weaknesses, but we remember that he left us the FBI, which is an organization that for 100 years—almost half of which Hoover led it for—has participated in every major event in U.S. history.

Halpern: Today, the Bureau builds on Hoover’s vision to protect the American people from criminal and national security threats.