Bobby and J. Edgar Revised Edition : The Historic Face-Off Between the Kennedys and J. Edgar Hoover That Transformed America

An evaluation of the complex relationship between the Kennedy family and the FBI director traces their shared political years through their parallel rises and controversial deaths and considers the roles played by such figures as Joe McCarthy and Martin Luther King. NOW WITH A NEW PREFACE In this riveting account of the explosive relationship between Robert F. Kennedy and J. Edgar Hoover, renowned journalist and author Burton Hersh sets their highly publicized clashes in the context of Joe Kennedy’s ongoing manipulation of Congress and his children’s careers, and his lifelong connections to organized crime. Theirs was a unique triumvirate, marked by conflict and betrayal, and culminating in a near-Shakespearean tragedy. Based on compelling new research, and told in gripping anecdotal style, Hersh chronicles the complex relationship between the two antagonists, from their early brushes during the McCarthy years to their controversial deaths.

In this riveting account of the explosive relationship between Robert F. Kennedy and J. Edgar Hoover, renowned journalist and author Burton Hersh sets their highly publicized clashes in the context of Joe Kennedy’s ongoing manipulation of Congress and his children’s careers, and his lifelong connections to organized crime. Theirs was a unique triumvirate, marked by conflict and betrayal, and culminating in a near-Shakespearean tragedy. Based on compelling new research, and told in gripping anecdotal style, Hersh chronicles the complex relationship between the two antagonists, from their early brushes during the McCarthy years to their controversial deaths.

Historian and journalist Hersh (The Old Boys) might well have titled his excellent book "Collision Course," for that is exactly what J. Edgar Hoover and the Kennedys were on from as early as the 1930s. The many tensions between Bobby (as both attorney general and senator) and the power-hungry FBI director are well known. What Hersh brings to the party is important new research and intensive analysis revealing the complex background attendant to the confrontations of the 1960s. The third party to RFK's and Hoover's sparring was Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., whose long history of professional The history of one of the most admired (Bobby Kennedy) and one of the most reviled (J. Edgar Hoover) are entwined with that of Joseph Kennedy. This triumvirate was marked by conflict, betrayal and a strange Shakespearean familial bond. Set against the ongoing context of Joe Kennedy's behind-the-scenes manipulation of key players in Congress, organized crime, and his own family, major players are revealed such as Roy Cohn, Martin Luther King, Marilyn Monroe, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon.

The history of one of the most admired (Bobby Kennedy) and one of the most reviled (J. Edgar Hoover) are entwined with that of Joseph Kennedy