American History Tellers

American History Tellers

J. Edgar Hoover's FBI - Controlling the Message | 4

Season 11May 1, 201942 min

0:0041:37

About this episode

The rise of fascism and World War II shifted the FBI’s focus in the 1940s from fighting midwestern outlaws to catching Communists. To Hoover and the FBI, nearly anyone on the political left was suspect, potentially part of a Soviet conspiracy to overthrow Western democracies. In reality, the American left was fragmented. But again and again, Hoover would use the threat of Communism to go after the Bureau’s enemies. He would resort to exhaustive surveillance, including wiretaps, bugging and pryin

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About the show

American History Tellers

The Cold War, Prohibition, the Gold Rush, the Space Race — how well do you really know the stories that made America? Hosted by Lindsay Graham, from Wondery.

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