G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century

Gage focuses on the contradictory aspects of Hoover’s personality. What do you see as the main contradictions, and how did Hoover’s inability to reconcile them drive his life and career?

Hoover famously spoke out against the internment of Japanese and Japanese Americans—a rare instance when he was more committed to civil rights than his own government. Does this episode show that Hoover was not as prejudiced as he is generally considered to be, or are there other factors at play that render this instance unique?

Is the question of Hoover’s sexuality important to understanding his character and influence on American politics? Why or why not?

Hoover’s attitude toward communism and its threat to the United States could arguably border on the paranoid, but the Venona cables show that there was in fact a Soviet spy network in the United States. In what instances were Hoover’s actions justified by the facts, and where did he go beyond what was reasonable or necessary?

Gage associates Hoover with the rise of the modern conservative movement, which found its first White House champion with Hoover’s last president, Richard Nixon. In what ways does the contemporary conservative movement either perpetuate or move away from Hoover’s ideas?

The book reveals some shocking and disturbing details about the life of Martin Luther King Jr., although Gage notes that her information comes from notes that cannot be confirmed until the tapes themselves are declassified in 2027. If King did in fact encourage a fellow minister to rape a woman at a party, how should we square that with his well-deserved reputation as a champion for civil rights?

Which president do you think caused the most trouble for Hoover? Were all eight presidents under whom he served effective in restraining him, or did they simply throw up roadblocks he was usually able to overcome?

Does Hoover’s lifelong devotion to Clyde Tolson make him a more sympathetic figure? Why or why not?