Former FBI Special agent Paul Letersky makes it clear: LYNDON JOHNSON WAS THE BOSS OF J. EDGAR HOOVER and not the other way around

 

J. Edgar Hoover: his surprise at the JFK assassination – which in my book means he was not in on the planning of the JFK assassination although he certainly covered it up

 Paul Letersky:

 QUOTE

           Despite their personal relationship, Hoover hadn’t exactly been thrilled when Johnson became president. I had it on good authority, from someone who was in the room, that when the Director first got word that Kennedy had been pronounced dead in Dallas, Hoover’s response was “Jesus Christ! Now Johnson is president! He couldn’t run a dog show, how the hell is he going to run the country?

 UNQUOTE

 [Paul Letersky, The Director: My Years Assisting J. Edgar Hoover, p. 133]

 Paul Letersky explaining how Lyndon Johnson dominated J. Edgar Hoover who feared LBJ

 QUOTE

 The popular conception these days is that J. Edgar Hoover was a manipulator of presidents, that he was a puppet master looming darkly over every sordid episode mid-twentieth-century American history, that he used his power, and his secrets, to blackmail presidents and bend them to his will. But I never saw Hoover blackmail a president. Actually, it was the other way around.

           During my entire time in the Director’s office the president was Lyndon Baines Johnson. Whenever he called the Director – the calls came from the president’s secretary – I was under strict orders to inform the Director immediately, no matter what. Even if the Director was enjoying his customary post lunch nap and the NO CALLS card was propped up by the phone, if the president called, I had to wake him up.

           That only happened a couple of times. I’d call the Director’s inner office on the green phone and he’s answer groggily and grumpily, “I said no calls!”

           Sir, the president’s office is calling.”

           He’d tell me to put it through at once. Hoover always understood who the boss was.

           Of course, I wasn’t privy to what was said during those presidential calls. But on a few occasions I’d have to bring some documents to the Director’s desk while he was on the line with the Oval Office, and I’d hear his side of the conversation. And mostly what I heard was “Yes, Mr. President.” Yes, Mr. President.” “I’ll take care of that right away, Mr. President.” To me the Director sounded less like a presidential manipulator than a husband being browbeaten by his domineering wife – which in the case of LBJ was an apt analogy.

 UNQUOTE

 [Paul Letersky, The Director: My Years Assisting J. Edgar Hoover, p. 125]

 

Paul Letersky makes it clear: Lyndon Johnson was the boss of J. Edgar Hoover and not the other way around

 QUOTE

 Still , he usually acquiesced to Johnson’s politically motivated orders. Johnson was, after all, the president of the United States, and Hoover had never thought that his power was greater than any president’s. The racetrack incident notwithstanding, Hoover never thought he had the authority to defy a firm presidential order, especially one issued in the name of “national security.” Despite Johnson’s waiver of Hoover’s mandatory retirement, Johnson made it clear that the director of the FBI served at the president’s pleasure – and Hoover knew if he didn’t follow Johnson’s orders, Johnson could simply find someone who would. Johnson never wanted to fire Hoover – as he’d said, it was better to have “Hoover inside the tent pissing out than have him outside the tent pissing in” – but to use Johnson’s terminology, he had the “balls” to do it if he had to.

 As tough as the Director was, in some ways he seemed overwhelmed by the force of Johnson’s personality.

 UNQUOTE

 [Paul Letersky, The Director: My Years Assisting J. Edgar Hoover, pp. 134-135]

 On page 136 of his book The Director (published in 2021), Paul Letersky makes is abundantly clear that Lyndon Johnson was the boss of FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover and not the other way around. Letersky asks, “After reading that, I ask you, Who was the boss of whom?”

 Lyndon Johnson’s girls would often ask “uncle” J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI for help whenever they lost their dog

 QUOTE

 Hoover occasionally had dinner with Johnson and his wife Lady Bird, and Hoover was also friendly with Johnson’s young daughters, Lynda Bird Johnson and Luci Baines Johnson, who viewed Hoover as sort of a kindly old uncle. They’d often knock on Hoover’s door and ask for help in finding their dog Little Beagle Johnson – clearly, Johnson had a thing about the LBJ theme – help that the dog-loving Director of the FBI would cheerfully give.

 UNQUOTE

 [Paul Letersky, The Director: My Years Assisting J. Edgar Hoover, pp. 130-131]