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You know that one good tank top that you wear like all year round? I mean it fits you just right so you wear it all the time but maybe now it's getting a little old. Shifting my wardrobe from summer to fall is always a challenge. Luckily, Quince offers timeless and high quality items that I
I love so I can make sure my wardrobe stays fresh and I don't blow my budget. They've got cashmere sweaters from $50, pants for every occasion, washable silk tops. And my favorite part, all Quince items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. By partnering directly with top factories, Quince cuts out the cost of the middleman
and passes the savings on to us. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. I recently got this 100% European linen short sleeve shirt. Ooh, I love linen. And you know, it was so comfortable, so cute. I can finally retire my old ratty tank top.
RIP. Make switching seasons a breeze with Quince's high quality closet essentials. Go to quince.com slash dark history for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash dark history to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash dark history.
This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yep, while you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you're not in some kind of moving vehicle, there's something else you could be doing right now. Getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.
It's easy and you can save money by doing it from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner and more.
So just like your favorite podcast, Progressive will be with you 24-7, 365 days a year, so you're protected no matter what. Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive.
Oh my God. Last weekend, let me tell you, I've been watching a lot of movies because I was sick. So last weekend I was watching this movie called Mac and Me. Have you seen it?
If you don't know what I'm talking about, Google it. It's this alien, it's terrifying. It was essentially McDonald's version of E.T. Yes, McDonald's, the burger place. How, why? I don't know, but whatever. So this little alien dude is terrifying and to this day kind of haunts me. What am I getting at? Well, I was watching this movie and in it, like they have this scene that's all wild with the FBI and everyone's like, "Ah!" And then it got me thinking, I was like, "Oh my gosh."
I was smoking a little bit of the devil's less and I was like, what the FBI? I really don't even know that much about the FBI, you know? So I started Googling. Anyways, I went down a rabbit hole and I learned a lot about the FBI. And it turns out, just like everything else, just got a dark history. ♪
Hi friends, I hope you are having a wonderful day today. My name is Bailey Sarian and I'd like to welcome you to my podcast, Dark History. If you're new here, listen. Here, we believe history does not have to be boring. Usually, it's like tragic a lot of the times. Sometimes, it's happy. And a lot of it can make people uncomfortable. But it's the truth and either way, it's our Dark History. So all you have to do is sit back, relax, and let's talk about that hot, juicy history, guys.
because the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the FBI, they are everywhere. You've seen them in all of your favorite movies, most likely at some point, television programs, murder mystery makeup. They seem to have a mystery surrounding them. Like imagine all the juicy secrets they know. I know, I wanna be in the FBI so bad. I wanna be on the CIA.
me with confidential papers, yeah, that would be a good time. But anyways, FBI, when I was researching them, I came across one name over and over again, and I've heard this name a lot, John Edgar Hoover, 'cause I was like, oh my God, yeah, I love those vacuums. My grandma had one and like, it was so good. And then they just disappeared.
Turns out it has nothing to do with vacuums, does man know? I read that Hoover helped create the FBI, as like we know it today, single-handedly change the directions of the United States by being like the pettiest, the snoopiest, the slimiest little bitch ever. Let me tell you about him. Okay, so who's Hoover? Because we know now that it's not a vacuum.
Hoover was born in 1895 into a good old fashioned Protestant middle-class family in Washington, DC. His family had worked for the government for generations and generations. So working for the government was really baked into his brain from a very young age. Hoover was known as
to be like a very competitive person. He had a lot of ambitions and he was not gonna let anything stand in his way. But he had speech problems where he would stutter when he talked and like when you're a kid growing up and you stutter, that shit sucks. So to overcome this, Hoover would just talk really, really fast. He made it a point to get like the first and last word in and this really laid the foundation for like his whole personality. He just steamrolled his way through everything.
So his family had worked in the government, so it only made sense that he wanted to work in politics, but he wanted to do it his way. And his way was just a lot more shady.
Well, at the age of 18, Hoover started out in the Library of Congress where he worked for two years. And while he worked there, I guess he just like fell in love with what he did with just America, the beautiful Purple Mountain Majesties, you know? But he did absolutely like love his job. This is where he really found himself.
And to be honest, he essentially found like a new identity. While working at the Library of Congress, he had access to tons of classified information. Things that we would want to see, but they'll never let us see, you know? During his time working there, he essentially became an encyclopedia of classified information. Mmm, I'd want to be his friend.
But like he wasn't doing anything with this information. He was just storing it. Kind of like when you know when you get in a fight with your boyfriend and you're just collecting all that shit he said or done, saving it for the one day you know you're gonna snap and you're like, "Remember six months ago? I went through your DMs and I saw that six years ago you DMed your girlfriend from fourth grade. What was that about?" Well, think of America as like the boyfriend and Hoover as the petty girlfriend, you know? I think.
Hoover was saving this information to bring up and maybe rub in other people's faces. But then in 1917, World War I was heating up, the United States started a mandatory military draft, and like a lot of young men, Hoover was expected to enlist and serve his country.
but I guess he wasn't able to. Hoover's father suffered from major depression most of his life, and he had been institutionalized and medicated, but unfortunately nothing seemed to really help him. Hoover's father wasn't really able to work and like provide for the family, so naturally Hoover had to pick up the slack and financially support the family. And I guess because he couldn't go to war, this left him feeling a little embarrassed because he wanted to serve his country. He was like,
He loved America, you know what I'm saying? He got the America tramp stamp. So the fact that he couldn't go was just like soul crushing. In 1917, Hoover lucked out and got this incredible job working as a clerk in the Department of Justice. Not long after he started working there, it became very clear that the Department of Justice was a goddamn mess. And guess what year this was? 1919.
Yeah, I'm rolling my eyes in the back of my head right now if you can't see because if you haven't noticed 1919 this season on Dark History has been just the running theme, right? Nothing good happened in 1919. Okay, not to get all conspiracy but like 1919 those are two of the same numbers, right? And then 2020 was a really bad year and those are the two same numbers too.
Remember 2020? You know that one good tank top that you wear like all year round? I mean, it fits you just right. So you wear it all the time, but maybe now it's getting a little old. Shifting my wardrobe from summer to fall is always a challenge. Luckily, Quince offers timeless and high quality items that I
love so I can make sure my wardrobe stays fresh and I don't blow my budget. They've got cashmere sweaters from $50, pants for every occasion, washable silk tops. And my favorite part, all Quince items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. By partnering directly with top factories, Quince cuts out the cost of the middleman
and passes the savings on to us. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. I recently got this 100% European linen short sleeve shirt. Ooh, I love linen. And you know, it was so comfortable, so cute. I can finally retire my old ratty tank top.
R.I.P. Make switching seasons a breeze with Quince's high quality closet essentials. Go to quince.com slash dark history for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash dark history to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash dark history.
This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yep, while you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you're not in some kind of moving vehicle, there's something else you could be doing right now. Getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.
It's easy and you can save money by doing it from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner and more.
So just like your favorite podcast, Progressive will be with you 24-7, 365 days a year, so you're protected no matter what. Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $744 by new customer survey who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023. Potential savings will vary. Discounts not available in all states and situations.
So during this time there was a huge panic about communism. Like everyone in America had had their panties in a twist because they believed that all communism was essentially anarchy. And if that idea came to America it would mean everything would collapse. You know, panic!
So many Americans and their leaders were really living in fear. Plus, Hoover's boss, who was the attorney general at the time, his name was Palmer, he recently had his home bombed by a group of anarchists. And I guess they thought, like, he sucked. So they bombed his house. Now, when his house got bombed, that was like the last straw, you know? And, like, it's just like that Arthur meme when his fists are all tight and he's like...
Gotta make some changes. He's mad. So Palmer decided to lead a campaign where the Department of Justice or the DOJ were trying to hunt down and arrest anyone who seemed anti-American. And it's like, yeah, I'm sure that's gonna go really well 'cause it was based off nothing. It was very vague. And they're like, well, what do we look out for? Well, they had Mr. Hoover, the department's number one fan boy, run this campaign.
So Hoover, he takes this position and he took it very seriously. Yeah, if you were someone who was obviously anti-war or let's say you maybe had a family member in Russia or maybe even just like breathes too loudly, burned out the stake. Hoover was worried that this radical behavior would be like fleas. It would just spread everywhere, all across America. So he felt it was his job to be the exterminator.
get it fleas exterminator that i just think that's great but the problem was the rules were a little loosey-goosey you know as the investigation started it became less about the evidence and more about palmer and hoover's paranoia and unfortunately for thousands of people their paranoia led to literal torture
Hoover's here to suck up all the communism. Hoover helped launch the first wave of what became known as the Palmer Raids. So in 11 cities across America,
police and agents from the Department of Justice. They kicked in the doors and they broke their way into homes and businesses, arresting people without warrants, beating them, starving them, and even torturing them. Or some, not all of them, just because they thought they were anti-American. In New York, there was a teacher who was suspected of supporting the communist cause. So armed agents, they ended up storming the school. They interrupt, like,
like an algebra class, grab the teacher, beat the teacher in front of the students, yep, and then arrested them. A thousand people were arrested in those first raids, but Hoover and Palmer must have felt like that just wasn't enough. They needed more. Because on January 2nd, 1920, agents conducted raids in 33 more American cities like Boston, Chicago, and Detroit. And they arrested around 3,000 more people in what became known as the second wave of the Palmer Raid.
Hoover got word that there were radicals infiltrating the system.
They were said to be taking over places like union halls and bookstores. There was this rumor over in Chicago that they were planning to turn off the city's electricity and steal all the food. Who? Again, they didn't have search warrants or anything. It didn't matter. It was fair game at this point. They just went around the kickdown doors and they did whatever the if they wanted to. It was even reported that family members of prisoners were assaulted
in front of their very eyes as part of the interrogation. I mean, who are these people just coming?
Yeah. Anyways, Hoover and Palmer arrested, abused, and interrogated thousands of innocent American citizens and immigrants. They deported almost 600 people, even if America was like the only home they knew. And it didn't matter if they were guilty or not. Suspicion was all Hoover needed. Thousands of families' lives and reputations were completely ruined based on murder.
no evidence at all. They're like, "Hey, you wore a red shirt one time. We saw that. You're out of here, buddy. Get the out of here." More like the Department of Injustice. Am I right? Thank you guys. I love when you guys cheer me on. It just really makes me feel good inside.
And here's a fun fact. You know the American Civil Liberties Union? ACLU, hi. It was created in 1920 because of these horrible Palmer Raids. So the newspapers are like reporting on all this, the innocent people getting arrested, the businesses being destroyed. And like there were so many lives that were just ruined. The everyday American was frustrated, upset, angry as they should be. And they were looking for someone to blame. And that person was Palmer.
Everyone's mad at Palmer. This guy sucks ass. And he was forced to resign in disgrace. The whole thing looked like it was his fault. But Hoover, he was just like, oopsie, I'll hide out in the back.
Let me know how it goes. Palmer, bye. So in the end, he came out of the Palmer Raids completely scot-free. Hoover became seen as like a loyal patriot to his country because in America's eyes, he was taking care of like the communist problem and was keeping everyone safe. That's why in 1924, President Calvin Coolidge, I know I was like, any relation to Jennifer? Turns out, side note, yes.
Google it. He appointed a 29 year old Hoover to the head of the FBI and apparently for Hoover and his nosy ass, this was his dream. He had access to even deeper secrets, he had more power, and he received major respect.
But that wasn't just within the government. I mean, the American people believed the FBI was just one big scandal after another. I mean, especially after those raids. So Hoover's first order of business was to make the FBI not only scandal-free, but respectable.
It's essentially a rebrand. He had a huge obstacle to overcome, like bootleggers, gangsters, robbers, and even Hollywood? Yes, Hollywood. During the first decade of Hoover's reign, from the mid-1920s to the mid-1930s, the big thing that was happening was a boom in organized crime. And Hollywood was eating this up.
because these lawless men made incredible characters for the big screen, right? They were above the rules and did whatever they wanted with their iconic fedoras on. And they looked cool, allegedly. I don't know. Hollywood just full-on romanticized criminals so much so that they kind of became heroes to the American people. I imagine like Hoover rubbing his little gross little snakey gross little paws together. He's like, Hollywood, making crime look sexy.
So Hoover wanted to give the FBI a makeover and he was like, "Hey, all the agents should maybe look more like me." He's like, "I look great, don't I everyone? Better say yes." Hoover hired what he believed was an elite group of men for his team. He wanted white, clean cut, college educated, wonder bread. You know what I mean? Like moral young men in suits. They also had to remain sober and celibate, allegedly.
Which is like, oh no, this is not great. Any sexual relations with women were strictly prohibited because women would be distracting to their work. So instead of boozing and boning, these men were expected to take themselves down to the FBI training school and learn some shit. Paul's dressed up like an agent. He's been boning. Paul never wears pants. He's always boning.
Well, Hoover did all of this because he wanted to be very clear. When you lay eyes on an FBI agent, you know exactly what it is, right? He wanted to brand the FBI to represent like the righteous, upstanding good guys fighting against America's bad boys. Just because it was branded that way doesn't mean like, you know, that's how Hoover himself had to act.
Nay nay, we're here, aren't we? You know that one good tank top that you wear like all year round? I mean, it fits you just right. So you wear it all the time, but maybe now it's getting a little old. Shifting my wardrobe from summer to fall is always a challenge. Luckily, Quince offers timeless and high quality items that I
love so I can make sure my wardrobe stays fresh and I don't blow my budget. They've got cashmere sweaters from $50, pants for every occasion, washable silk tops. And my favorite part, all Quince items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. By partnering directly with top factories, Quince cuts out the cost of the middleman and
and passes the savings on to us. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. I recently got this 100% European linen short sleeve shirt. Ooh, I love linen. And you know, it was so comfortable, so cute. I can finally retire my old ratty tank top.
R.I.P. Make switching seasons a breeze with Quince's high quality closet essentials. Go to quince.com slash dark history for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash dark history to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash dark history.
This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yep, while you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you're not in some kind of moving vehicle, there's something else you could be doing right now. Getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.
It's easy and you can save money by doing it from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner and more.
So just like your favorite podcast, Progressive will be with you 24-7, 365 days a year, so you're protected no matter what. Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $744 by new customer survey who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023. Potential savings will vary. Discounts not available in all states and situations.
Hoover's favorite thing to do seemed to be arresting and personally interrogating people. Fun. But at some point, like maybe he got a little bored and he wanted to catch these communists quicker.
and what would be the best way? Hmm, hmm, hmm. Well, by listening in on their phone calls. Because on phone calls, that's definitely where people are talking about burning their flags this Saturday, you know? So they're going to catch them there. Okay, so under his watch, the FBI started doing surveillance on people, spying on people's every move in public and in private, which I couldn't believe they were actually like wiretapping and like,
listening to people back in the 1920s, right? I don't know. I just thought maybe that was something newer.
Silly. What did I know? Nothing. So they were able to do this by using informants, aka people who were paid to spy on potential threats. But they also used other extremely intrusive technology like wiretaps, where there's a little device listening in on all of your calls. And they also used microphone bugs, which were like little listening devices that could be placed secretly in houses, cars, offices, wherever the fuck they wanted, you know?
Another popular method back then was opening up people's mail. This is back when mail was like, you could get a lot of personal info on anybody just by their mail. I mean, yeah, it was technically illegal, but they had a loophole for that. I mean, they're the FBI. What are you gonna do, you know? But it didn't stop there. I mean, the government would straight up break into people's houses to take whatever looked quote unquote suspicious.
They essentially wanted some kind of evidence proving that these people were anti-American so that they could nail them, arrest them, and tell everyone that, you know, they're keeping the country safe. Between the years 1972 and 1974, it was documented that the Bureau planted over 500 listening devices without a warrant and opened over 2,000 pieces of personal mail.
Yeah, illegal even at the time, illegal. Basically Hoover wanted the message to be out there that look, hey, the FBI is watching you so don't fuck it up. And this cool, powerful government man look started to take over society. Like Hoover was giving off this idea of a strong rooted government and that his agents were everywhere.
Now remember how I said Hoover would talk over people and like bulldoze his way over everyone? Yeah, so that's not something he grew out of. There were reports that said Hoover was an extremely jealous and paranoid person. If an agent was maybe getting more attention than he was, fired. If he thought an agent was talking shit behind his back, even if no evidence, fired. If he thought an agent was too overweight for the, fired.
Even though it was said that Hoover had some juicy thighs himself, but okay. He wasn't gonna fire himself, come on. Also, Hoover didn't just target the men in his ranks. He looked around at all the women working at the FBI and was like, "They have no business being here." Titties? Ew.
Fired. Yeah. I guess in one day, like, Hoover fired all the women in the office because he believed that they were, quote, unpredictable, end quote. I mean, honestly, in my personal opinion, I think that's fair because if you catch me on a Tuesday versus a Thursday, I am two totally different people. Some would say unpredictable, you know?
Where's the lie? Maybe just it applies to me. I'm sorry, not trying to generalize. But to the people in power, it appeared that Hoover was like really doing a great job of keeping America safe.
And like all of his hard work was definitely paying off. But all this was happening behind closed doors. So Hoover is still like trying to prove himself to the public. And at this time, the U.S. was like having a hard time catching some of its most infamous criminals. Like, for example, a man named John Dillinger. He was known for his super flashy eyes.
violent robberies. Like he stole millions from banks, grocery stores, even police stations. Like it's pretty embarrassing for them that he robbed a police station. How do you even do that? I don't know, but he did it. So to the public, John was known as like a Robin Hood. No one could get this guy either. The Chicago Police Department, obviously they did not like this guy, but they couldn't catch him. So then the FBI starts tracking him and they caught him in a matter of months.
And not only that, Hoover made sure that his agents killed him in public in a blaze of glory. You know,
to show everyone. Look! The media immediately gave most of the credit to Hoover, making him out to be like this great American hero. So Hoover was put on the cover of Time Magazine in 1935, which is like a big deal at the time. This is major. He was showered with praise from the media, the public, everyone. But this wasn't what got him excited. This didn't give him a boner. This victory against John Dillinger caught the attention of the President of the United States at the time, President
Roosevelt. He was so impressed with how successful Hoover was at turning around the public image of the FBI. He was like, wow, you did it. So he told him to go ahead and ramp up their surveillance. I mean, he earned it. He's like, you get a camera, you get a camera, you everybody gets a camera. I'm right.
FDR wanted Hoover to keep him informed on any anti-American activities in the US. And Hoover was like, "Oh my God, yay, say less." Hoover used this as an opportunity to spy on any American he wanted for the sake of the president, of course. Don't be silly. Once again, just following orders. And this is where things start to get even shadier.
A little something called the Custodial Detention List was created. And on it is the name of every single person the FBI was currently watching. Okay, so he has this list. And I was reading this list and I was like, what? Those random people on it. You know who was on it? Helen Keller was on this list.
Have I ever told you my story about Lizzie Borden and Helen Keller? I've told a couple of times, it's kind of embarrassing, but I like to laugh and I know you do too. So I used to get Helen Keller and Lizzie Borden, not mixed up, I used to think they were the same person. I thought Helen Keller was deaf, blind and killed her whole family with an ax.
I was like, holy shit, no wonder Helen Keller was like so famous. Like she did all that. She wrote a book. She murdered her whole family. Plus she was blind and deaf, like, whoa. And then it turns out two different people, Lizzie Borden killed people with an ax, you know, Helen Keller didn't kill anyone, I guess. Just a eugenicist. Honestly, it's a little embarrassing how long I thought the two of them were the same person. I think it was like a couple of years ago. I was like, what?
So guess who else was on this list? Liberace. Yeah, the Grateful Dead. And one of my personal favorites, Colonel Sanders. Give it up for Colonel. Hoover believed Americans were on the pathway to hell. Party. Their morals were all out of whack. It's giving graham cracker. Remember that episode, Graham Cracker?
Let's give him that. And Hoover thought it was all thanks to the one group of people, the intellectuals. He believed that free thinkers were the ones spreading radical ideas, that their brains and their knowledge, very anti-American. Hoover was even tracking people like Albert Einstein because he dared to challenge the world around him. It seemed like Hoover wanted a nation of Christians who just did what they were told, a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off, you know?
Hoover often said that all of America's problems could be solved if people would only accept Jesus in their heart. Religious leaders and publications across America loved this because they thought it was cool that someone in the government was spreading the word of God. I mean, praise God, right? Remember those t-shirts? Jesus is my homeboy. He, Hoover, would have one of those for sure. But Hoover believed anyone who was against God's teachings was a communist who wanted America to fail.
Period. So for decades, there was an agreement with Hoover and big religious leaders. So Hoover would write these essays to the different pastors and people like, "Hey, America is going to hell, right? And like, we need to be fearful of this." And just really making everyone think that the only thing to keep them from straying off the path
was like a righteous government. And pastors would either publish his articles or read them word for word during Sunday services. Now at the same time he's doing all that, Hoover is creating something called the obscene file, which was essentially a giant collection of obscene material that Hoover somehow got his hands on. Now, what was the material you ask? Like what was so obscene? Well, it was nudes and like hardcore pornography.
It was for research, of course. The FBI would conduct raids and then Hoover would personally go through everything and confiscate certain items. In the early 20s, if you were like a wannabe actor, most likely you would take any work that you could get. And like sometimes that work meant that maybe it would be like an adult film. There's rumors out there that some big names like Frank Sinatra, like he made
he made some naughty movies to make ends meet before he got famous. And I was like, "What? Drop the link down below. Let me know." And like once he did get famous, Frank just really hoped that like, you know,
No one would ever see that. But Hoover knew these things existed and if he could get his hands on them, it would be very valuable. So this was Hoover's MO, collecting secret porn of famous people in Hollywood and then letting them know he had it. And he even did this with politicians and other power players in Washington, D.C.
Which I was like, hmm, isn't this called extortion or something like that? I don't know. Hoover was said to have the largest porn collection in the whole United States. Congratulations, Hoover, you did it. Again, for the purposes of national security. But that left me with so many questions. Did he have like a room fully dedicated to all this porn? Did you think he had some of it hung on his walls for evidence?
they needed further investigating maybe i don't know were they organized and put into certain
sections, files? I'm very curious as to how this porn was kept. Let me know your theories down below. I like to imagine that he was, um, because I love to do, like, scrapbooking and, um, collages. I love making collages. So I just, in my mind, I'm imagining Hoover sitting there and, like, cutting out the little guys and, like, putting them on his wall and making this big porn collection wall collage thing. What do you think?
Let me know. Okay. The reason he had this collection was because it gave him blackmail on these famous politicians, celebrities, people in the government. He had something on it. So Hoover was still going around America telling everyone like, America's going to hell and I'm the only one who can fix this country. Just believe in me and my team. And Hoover believed one of the big reasons America was in the shitter was because of... Dun, dun, dun!
immoral gay people. Now this part made me giggle. So I was like, oh my God, isn't it a little ironic that he's collecting all this porn, a lot of this gay porn, but he's saying everyone is immoral? Isn't porn sin number one or something like that?
Okay, dude. You know that one good tank top that you wear like all year round? I mean, it fits you just right. So you wear it all the time. But maybe now it's getting a little old. Shifting my wardrobe from summer to fall is always a challenge. Luckily, Quince offers timeless and high quality items that I
I love so I can make sure my wardrobe stays fresh and I don't blow my budget. They've got cashmere sweaters from $50, pants for every occasion, washable silk tops. And my favorite part, all Quince items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. By partnering directly with top factories, Quince cuts out the cost of the middleman
and passes the savings on to us. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. I recently got this 100% European linen short sleeve shirt. Ooh, I love linen. And you know, it was so comfortable, so cute. I can finally retire my old ratty tank top.
RIP. Make switching seasons a breeze with Quince's high quality closet essentials. Go to quince.com slash dark history for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash dark history to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash dark history.
This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yep, while you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you're not in some kind of moving vehicle, there's something else you could be doing right now. Getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.
It's easy and you can save money by doing it from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner and more.
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Along with that obscene file, Hoover put together a secret operation called the Sex Deviates Program. And then the whole point of this was to target, track, and harass gay men and women and their organizations. Now this wasn't some small project. The file was made up of something like 350,000 pages of information. Holy Toledo, I know. And Hoover didn't just think gay people were
people were immoral, he believed they were a national security risk. Oh my God, how? That butt sex is a national security risk? Interesting. So Hoover believed that homosexual Americans could be blackmailed for being gay. So like, let's say like Russia, Russia could threaten to out a gay American, which could cost someone their life.
unless they become a spy and turn over American secrets. So then they would like comply. And like Hoover's thinking this is probably happening all the time. I don't know. And I gotta find out. So he felt like he had to track anyone who was a homosexual just in case, you know? But here's the reality of it. Author Douglas Charles detailed this sex deviates program in his book called "Hoover's War on Gays."
Hoover's War, I don't know why I yelled that. Hoover's War on gays. In the book, Douglas shows that Hoover's FBI was motivated by it, quote, "Overarching and intense fear and loathing of gays," end quote. Now here's the thing, while Hoover was pointing the finger at all these sinners, he of course had a closet full of fabulous shoes, honey, fur, honey, AKA skeletons he didn't want anyone to know about.
Over the years, authors and researchers have presented compelling evidence that J. Edgar Hoover was, plot twist, a closeted bisexual man. So a majority of that giant porn collection featured like super hot male celeb full frontals. Right, and amongst it was like celebrities like Elvis, James Dean, Franks and Springs, I don't remember. But also, it just goes deeper.
In 1930, a man named Clyde Tolson was the associate director of the FBI and Hoover was his boss. And it was said that the two of them were like Batman and Robin. Clyde helped Hoover build the FBI into the mega agency that Hoover wanted it to be.
And the two of them worked side by side to arrest a major bank robber in 1936. So they're like, yeah, high-fiving, wearing tights, just being great. Then in 1942, Clyde proved his abilities even more when he captured some Nazis living in Long Island and...
in Florida. I mean, this guy was a super agent. He was getting the real bad guys. And Hoover took notice. And on top of that, maybe thought he had a nice ass. I don't know. As the years went on, Hoover and Clyde got closer and closer. They wrote to work together. They ate lunch. They did everything together. Like,
If Hoover got invited somewhere, Clyde was always his plus one and everyone would know that they knew that Clyde would be there, you know? And then a letter that was written in 1943 was unearthed. Maybe one of the family members came across it. But Hoover had written to Clyde a lovely letter. And in this letter, Hoover says, quote, "Words are mere man-given symbols for thoughts and feelings.
Isn't that so sweet? Poofy!
Oh, duh. Hoover left his entire estate to Clyde in his will. So Clyde's like, fuck yeah. So many have asked, like, were they just life companions, work besties, or lovers? We'll never know. What we do know is that Hoover was scared shitless of the mob. And the possible reason is wild. When it comes to this part of Hoover's story, there are layers within layers. It's a freaking eight-layer burrito.
which are pretty good. Have you had one? Not sponsored. Because Hoover is famous for saying like there is no mafia, Hoover even banned his agents from saying the word mafia. He essentially denied the existence of the mob as a giant coordinated organization. Some say this is because Hoover hated long drawn out investigations and just didn't want to deal with it. He was bored. He's like, I have to look at my porn. I don't have time for this mafia thing. Like,
Other experts say Hoover knew exactly how powerful the mob was. I mean, they had enough money, power, and influence to buy off FBI agents. And if that happened, it would shatter the bulletproof public image of the FBI Hoover was so obsessed about. But there was like a juicier third reason why Hoover didn't want to go after the mob.
Rumor has it that some major mafia figures not only knew about Hoover's sexuality, but also had compromising photos of him and Clyde. *gasp*
Oh, what's that called? Is that karma? According to a report from the Guardian, Meyer Lansky, who was one of the mafia's most powerful figures of all time, was said to have, quote, "Pictures of Hoover in some kind of gay situation," unquote. Apparently, mob bosses sent some letters over to Hoover.
God knows what was in them. We know that letters were sent. But many believe it was like enough to scare Hoover into making sure that the FBI would not go after the mob. They had their own game, okay? I mean, read what you saw, man. And what you saw, that shit ain't cute.
Hoover got so out of control collecting private information, even presidents were scared that he might have a file on them. President Harry S. Truman even said, "Edgar Hoover would give his right eye to take over and all congressmen and senators are afraid of him." That's wild, huh? But Hoover, he didn't care. He probably liked it, you know? The only thing he learned was that there was power in blackmailing people. Having
valuable information could get them to do whatever he wanted them to do. And he loved it. And that's the thing, like this wasn't just a Hoover problem. This was also on the FBI agents who worked under him. Everyone who supported Hoover essentially put their stamp of approval on like the dirty shit he did by not standing up to him.
Maybe they agreed with what he was doing, or maybe Hoover had a ton of info on his own people so that they were forced to dance to his fucked up tune. Or maybe they just weren't paying attention. But either way, they let Hoover grow into this monster with unchecked power and became one of the most powerful Americans of all time. J. Edgar Hoover served as the head of the FBI for a total of 48 years. That's a long time. I know, right?
Which means he worked under eight different presidents. And that's, again, a long time for one person to be running the most powerful organizations in the country. They should put time limits on these things, right? That just makes me think he must have had some good dirt on these people. And I want to see, like, release the photos, but I get it. Like, don't. But, like, maybe. But, like, don't. But I would look. But don't.
So he was featured on the cover of Time magazine one final time, this time in the year 1975. Like he lived way too long, right? And this time they weren't celebrating him. The cover said, "The truth about Hoover." And it was like a picture of him mean mugging someone.
which is like super interesting if you compare this cover to the one that he got in 1935, you know? It's almost like his story has come full circle, you know? Hoover went from lowly clerk to the most powerful man in America to one of the most hated. The reason why America started to turn sour on Hoover was because in March of 1971, a few renegade Americans broke into an FBI field office, stole a bunch of files and gathered
a ton of crap on Hoover. They then went to the media and they did their own little expose showing everyone what a true slime ball he really was. And then two months later, he died.
Hoover, dead. Yeah, I guess on May 2nd, 1971, Hoover died of a heart attack. Oh, I guess him finally getting outed, like his stuff probably made him freak out and he had a heart attack and died. Or maybe carrying everyone's shit is pretty stressful. Even with all the controversy, Hoover refused to retire. He was such a stubborn old man, asshole, hypocritical piece of shit. On
On March 8th, 1971, it was revealed that Hoover was the mastermind behind a top secret FBI project called COINTELPRO. Now this was short.
for the Counter Intelligence Program. This illegal project quietly ran for about 15 years and set out to spy on, infiltrate, and destroy political organizations and civil rights groups. Between the spying and the legal murder of a beloved civil rights leader, America's relationship with the government was changed forever. Tune in next week when we unpack Hoover's worst abuse of power, COINTELPRO.
Hey, join me over on my YouTube where you can watch these episodes on Thursday after the podcast airs. And while you're there, you can also check out my murder mystery and makeup. I'd love to hear your guys' reactions to today's story. So make sure to use the hashtag dark history over on social media so I can follow along and see what you're saying and like read your comments here.
like I'm going to right now. Ray left us a comment on the Branches of Government episode saying, quote, "Took me 12 minutes before I realized this wasn't a dark history about pizza and devil's lettuce hitting hard. IG." End quote. Really? Is that not what it was about?
I'm glad you figured it out. Did you learn anything new? Let me know. Samantha left us an episode suggestion. You should look into BlackRock. They are a company that is all-encompassing and they buy a lot of land and control a lot. They are the largest asset manager in the world. Dot, dot, dot. Shady stuff. What? Huh? I've never heard of this. What's it called? BlackRock?
You've got me intrigued. I'll definitely look into this. You know, I do stay up late at night sometimes and I'm like, what happens when they buy up all the land and we don't have anything? Like nothing. We don't own anything anymore. You know, I do think about that a lot. I will be looking into this. Thank you so much. Dark History is an Audioboom original. This podcast is executive produced by Bailey Sarian, Junya McNeely from 3Arts, Kevin Grush, and Matt Enloe from Maiden Network.
writers Joey Scavuzzo, Katie Burris, Alison Philobos, and me, Bailey Sarian. Production lead Brian Jaggers. Research provided by Xander Elmore. Special thank you to our expert, Dr. Yohuru Williams. And I'm your host, Bailey Sarian. I love you for watching and I love you for hanging out with me, commenting, engaging. I hope you have a good rest of your day. You make good choices. And I'll be talking to you guys later.
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