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J. Edgar Hoover Quotes

1895–1972 United States

John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States, appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924. He was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972 at the age of 77.

United States
Law enforcement people

Random J. Edgar Hoover quote

9 quotes

I always thought this Marston was a phony.

Banks are an almost irresistible attraction for that element of our society which seeks unearned money.

Just the minute the FBI begins making recommendations on what should be done with its information, it becomes a Gestapo.

Justice is merely incidental to law and order [...] Law and order is what covers the whole picture.

Above all, I would teach him to tell the truth. Truth-telling, I have found, is the key to responsible citizenship. The thousands of criminals I have seen in 40 years of law enforcement have had one thing in common: Every single one was a liar.

We are a fact-gathering organization only. We don’t clear anybody. We don’t condemn anybody.

We are a fact-gathering organization. We don’t clear anybody. We don’t condemn anybody.

[Whoever did this] must be exterminated, and they must be exterminated by us.

The individual is handicapped by coming face-to-face with a conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists. The American mind simply has not come to a realization of the evil which has been introduced into our midst. It rejects even the assumption that human creatures could espouse a philosophy which must ultimately destroy all that is good and decent.

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: J. Edgar Hoover (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.